Motherboy XXX

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"Motherboy XXX"
Arrested Development episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 13
Directed by Joe Russo
Written by Mitchell Hurwitz
Jim Vallely
Production code2AJD13
Original release dateMarch 13, 2005
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Motherboy XXX" is the 13th episode of the second season of the American television sitcom Arrested Development . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 13, 2005. The episode, directed by Joe Russo, was written by producer Jim Vallely and series creator and executive producer Mitchell Hurwitz.

Contents

The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Lucille approaches Michael, asking him to be her partner to “Motherboy”, an annual mother-son dinner dance. In every year prior, she went with Buster, but is embarrassed that he now has only one hand. Michael refuses to go with her. Meanwhile, George Michael is getting ready to go on a Christian camping trip with his girlfriend. Upon hearing this, Michael tells him not to go, and to instead visit Buster. Gob speaks with Michael about planning his divorce to his wife, who he married on a dare and barely remembers. He learns that the seal who bit off Buster's hand (owned by Gob's wife) had a tracking device on it. He and Michael decide to go after it, to try and recover Buster's hand for a transplant.

Tobias meets with Carl Weathers at a Burger King, speaking about a project Carl is working on, which is about George Sr.’s escape from jail. He tells Tobias that in order to be in the episode, he needs to sign a release for the family. Later, George Michael meets Buster, per his father’s request. While there, Lucille offers to take him out of town to the camping trip, which he complies with. He soon learns that she is instead taking him to the Motherboy event. Having signed away his family’s life rights for the role of George Sr., Tobias begins research for the part. He sees George Sr. in the Bluth’s attic, who threatens him not to tell anyone of his whereabouts. When he hears of the show, he asks Tobias to act manly in the role.

Gob, Michael, and Buster arrive at the port where the seal’s tracking device had gone, only to find that the seal had been eaten by a shark, which carried the tracking device to the port. Buster mentions to Michael that George Michael had gone to Motherboy, and they both agree that they have to ‘save’ him from the event. Gob meets with his lawyer Barry, who tells him to say in court that he never consummated his marriage. Barry then says: "I missed breakfast, so I'm on my way to Burger King," and then jumps over the shark on the pier.

Gob later meets with his wife and tells her that he plans to tell the court this, but they end up having sex. Michael and Buster stake out the Motherboy dance, looking for a chance to create a diversion and take George Michael home. They confront Lucille, and she takes on Buster as a dance partner when Michael leaves with his son. When Motherboy ends, Michael takes George Michael to the camping trip to see his girlfriend.

On the next Arrested Development...

Gob argues his case in court that his marriage was never consummated, but his wife shows a recently taken picture of him next to her with his shirt pulled over his head. The judge says there's no way to tell who it is, but Gob admits that it's him, causing his lawyer to leave the room.

Jumping the shark

Henry Winkler notes that Barry's "hopping" over the shark on the pier is a reference to the phrase Jumping the shark, which was coined by Jon Hein in response to Season Five, Episode 3, "Hollywood: Part 3" of the sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984), when his character Fonzie jumps over a shark while on water-skis. [1] [2] [3] Winkler notes that he is "the only actor, maybe in the world, that has jumped the shark twice — once on Happy Days, and once on Arrested Development.” [4]

Burger King promotion

One of Fox's corporate sponsors was Burger King, who provided promotional consideration for Arrested Development. [5] [6] Carl Weathers informs Tobias that you can refill your drink for free at the restaurant, and Tobias calls it a "wonderful restaurant". A poster promoting the then-new Spicy Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich can be seen in the background. The episode was originally named "The Tendercrisp Chicken Comedy Half Hour". [6] [7]

Reception

Critical reception

The A.V. Club writer Noel Murray called the episode "one of the funniest and ballsiest episodes in the entire run of Arrested Development". [8] In 2019, Vulture writer Brian Tallerico ranked the episode 6th out of the series' 84 episodes. [9]

Accolades

"Motherboy XXX" was nominated for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series at the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards. [10] In her role as Lucille, Jessica Walter was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance in the episode. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumping the shark</span> Creative bankruptcy in a previously good serial work

The idiom "jumping the shark" or "jump the shark" is a term that is used to argue that a creative work or entity has reached a point in which it has exhausted its core intent and is introducing new ideas that are discordant with, or an extreme exaggeration of, its original purpose. The phrase was coined in 1985 by radio personality Jon Hein in response to a 1977 episode from the fifth season of the American sitcom Happy Days, in which the character of Fonzie jumps over a live shark while on water-skis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Weathers</span> American actor and football player (1948–2024)

Carl Weathers was an American actor, director and gridiron football linebacker. His roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore (1996), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise. He also portrayed Det. Beaudreaux in the television series Street Justice (1991–1993) and a fictionalized version of himself in the comedy series Arrested Development, and voiced Omnitraxus Prime in Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2017–2019). He had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Winkler</span> American actor, comedian, director and producer (born 1945)

Henry Franklin Winkler is an American actor, comedian, author, producer, and director. Widely known as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series Happy Days, Winkler has distinguished himself as a character actor for roles on stage and screen. His many accolades include three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Critics Choice Awards.

<i>Arrested Development</i> American television sitcom (2003–2006, 2013–2019)

Arrested Development is an American television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. It aired on Fox for three seasons from November 2, 2003, to February 10, 2006, followed by two seasons on Netflix, season four being released in 2013 and season five being released in 2018 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Bluth</span> Fictional character

Nichael "Michael" Bluth is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television sitcom Arrested Development, created by Mitchell Hurwitz, and portrayed by Jason Bateman. Michael serves as the series straight man, and leads his family through its many crises.

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The first season of the television comedy series Arrested Development aired on Fox from November 2, 2003, to June 6, 2004. It consisted of 22 episodes, each running approximately 22 minutes in length. The first season was released on DVD in region 1 on October 19, 2004, in region 2 on March 21, 2005, and in region 4 on February 23, 2005.

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The second season of the television comedy series Arrested Development aired between November 7, 2004, and April 17, 2005, on Fox in the United States. It consisted of 18 episodes, each running approximately 22 minutes in length. The second season was released on DVD in region 1 on October 11, 2005, in region 2 on January 23, 2006, and in region 4 on March 15, 2006.

<i>Arrested Development</i> (season 3) Season of television series

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References

  1. ↑ Hornaday, Ann (July 25, 2003). "A Few Pixels Short of a Personality". The Washington Post . Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ Hollows, Joanne; Moseley, Rachel (2006). Feminism in Popular Culture. Berg Publishers. ISBN   1845202236.
  3. ↑ McFedries, Paul (2008). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weird Word Origins. Alpha Books. ISBN   978-1592577811.
  4. ↑ Pond, Steve (2018-08-21). "'Barry' Star Henry Winkler on Why He's 'Very Proud' He Jumped That Shark – Twice (Video)". TheWrap . Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  5. ↑ "Final episode of "Arrested Development" airs on Fox". HISTORY. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  6. 1 2 Giannini, Erin. "The Big Shill: Branding and Niche Programming on American Television." pp. 153-74.
  7. ↑ "Listings | TheFutonCritic.com - The Web's Best Television Resource". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  8. ↑ "Arrested Development: "Motherboy XXX"/"The Immaculate Election"". TV Club. August 2012. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  9. ↑ Tallerico, Brian (2019-03-18). "Every Episode of Arrested Development, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  10. ↑ "Complete list of 2005 primetime Emmy winners". baltimoresun.com. 18 September 2005. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  11. ↑ "Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2005". Television Academy. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
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