Starring:
Year(s) Aired: 2003-2004
Year of DVD Release: 2004
Rated: Not Rated
Approx. Running Time: 512 minutes
Format(s): DVD (3 discs)
My Rating: 4 stars (Out of 5)
From Back Cover:
"BRILLIANT AND BOISTEROUSLY FUNNY"
-TV GUIDE
In this critically acclaimed hit sitcom, you'll meet the suddenly penniless, and equally clueless, Bluth family. Accustomed to their wildly affluent lifestyle, they can't seem to grasp the fact that now the head of the family (Jeffrey Tambor) is in the slammer for shifty accounting practices- and he's loving every minute of it. Even worse, since the family assets have been frozen, they may actually have to go out and get jobs! The only one who understands the seriousness of their predicament is Michael (Jason Bateman), who realizes it's up to him to guide his eccentric family into this new chapter of their lives: Chapter 11.
Episode Summary:
(Disc 1) Extended Pilot
(See summary of next episode)
(Disc 1) Episode 1: Pilot
Moments after Michael Bluth decides he's leaving the family business because he was passed over for a promotion, his father is arrested for shady bookkeeping.
(Disc 1) Episode 2: "Top Banana"
Michael realizes that running the company isn't going to be as easy as he thought, especially since his father seems to be pulling some strings from inside the joint.
(Disc 1) Episode 3: "Bringing Up Buster"
Buster moves in with Michael after their mother kicks him out of her penthouse and a distraught George-Michael realizes he has to kiss a boy in the school play.
(Disc 1) Episode 4: "Key Decisions"
Jealous when his girlfriend is nominated for a "daytime Desi," Gob decides to stage a publicity stunt for his magic act by breaking out of the same prison where George Sr. is being held.
(Disc 1) Episode 5: "Visiting Ours"
Sex is in the air as Gob seduces his father's former secretary, Lindsay and Tobias go see a marriage counselor, and George Sr. and Lucille have a bizarre conjugal visit.
(Disc 1) Episode 6: "Charity Drive"
Lucille's scheme to upstage her rival, Lucille Austero, at a bachelorette auction backfires when Buster mistakenly bids $10,000 on the wrong Lucille.
(Disc 2) Episode 7: "My Mother, The Car"
If Lindsay is disappointed that none of the inmates yell out obscene catcalls when she visits her father, Lucille is outraged when none of her children show up at her surprise birthday party.
(Disc 2) Episode 8: "In God We Trust"
The family attorney announces that if $20,000 in bail money is raised, George Sr. can be released from prison in time for the Christmas "Living Classics Pageant."
(Disc 2) Episode 9: "Storming The Castle"
Michael is so smitten with Gob's girlfriend that he decides to let her know that Gob has been cheating on her, and Lucille tries to break up Buster and Lucille Austero.
(Disc 2) Episode 10: "Pier Pressure"
When Buster asks George-Michael to score him some marijuana, Michael asks some male "cop" strippers to stage a phony bust to help scare his son straight.
(Disc 2) Episode 11: "Public Relations"
Convinced that the family's image is hurting his son's future, Michael hires an attractive publicist who proceeds to write a scathing article after Michael rebuffs her advances.
(Disc 2) Episode 12: "Marta Complex"
Despite his crush on Marta, Michael agrees to help Gob figure out if she has a new lover while George-Michael tries to figure out his feelings for his cousin Maeby.
(Disc 2) Episode 13: "Beef Consommé"
As Tobias struggles to overcome his nude phobia so he can accept the movie role of "Frightened Inmate #2," Michael, Buster and Gob fight over who gets to go out with Marta.
(Disc 2) Episode 14: "Shock And Aww"
Things get awkward after Michael dates George-Michael's ethics teacher then learns his son has a crush on her. George Sr. receives a visit from Cindi, a fan of his "Caged Wisdom" tapes.
(Disc 3) Episode 15: "Staff Infection"
After discovering that most of the family picks up weekly paychecks from Bluth Company even though they don't have jobs, Michael tries to put them all to work.
(Disc 3) Episode 16: "Missing Kitty"
Michael finally stands up to George Sr. and fires his old secretary, and Gob performs the ultimate magic trick when he makes the family yacht disappear.
(Disc 3) Episode 17: "Altar Egos"
While Michael experiences his first one-night stand with a blind woman named Maggie, George Sr. learns that Cindi is actually an undercover agent who has fallen in love with him.
(Disc 3) Episode 18: "Justice Is Blind"
Michael attempts to do the right thing and end his relationship with Maggie, the prosecutor on George Sr.'s case, but sex keeps getting in the way.
(Disc 3) Episode 19: "Best Man For The Gob"
Gob tries to scare a company accountant who notices a discrepancy in the company's bank account and threatens to reveal the truth if asked to testify in court.
(Disc 3) Episode 20: "Whistler's Mother"
When the family begins fighting over company funds that recently become available, Michael decides it would be best to invest the money in land their Uncle Oscar is selling.
(Disc 3) Episode 21: "Not Without My Daughter"
While Michael is questioned by the police about Kitty's disappearance, Gob takes George-Michael shoplifting at the department store where Lindsay just got a job.
(Disc 3) Episode 22: "Let Them Eat Cake"
After learning that his father is in prison for doing business with the old Iraqi government, Michael decides to wash his hands of the whole family and leave town for good.
My Comments:
This show about an extremely dysfunctional family has a very strong "What the fuck" quality to it that makes it strangely addicting. Bizarre cameos and small roles by familiar faces like Liza Minnelli, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jane Lynch and Henry Winkler add to the WTF factor.
A
Not Rated (MPAA)
4 Stars
2003
2004
Television
Main Index
Starring:
Year(s) Aired: 2004-2005
Year of DVD Release: 2005
Rated: Not Rated
Approx. Running Time: 396 minutes
Format(s): DVD (3 discs)
My Rating: 4 stars (Out of 5)
From Back Cover:
"SMART, UNRULY, AND VERY FAST, ARRESTED IS THE ULTIMATE TV SERIES..."
-ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
In this Emmy-winning comedy's hilarious second season, Michael Bluth, once again determined to be free of his dysfunctional family, packs up the car and his son George-Michael and heads for Arizona. But he's soon pulled over by the police who tell him that his father, George Sr., has broken out of prison. Due to the company's shady business deal with Iraq, Michael could face prison time, so he returns home to clear his name even as George Sr. secretly fleets to Mexico, Tobias decides to be an understudy for the Blue Man Group, and Lucille begins a torrid affair with her husband's twin brother, Oscar.
Episode Summary:
(Disc 1) Episode 1: "The One Where Michael Leaves"
After learning that his father had dealings with Saddam Hussein, Michael quits the company and heads for Phoenix even as his father breaks out of prison and heads for Mexico.
(Disc 1) Episode 2: "The One Where They Build A House"
As Lucille begins an affair with George Sr.'s twin brother, Oscar, the Mexican police arrest George Sr. after they mistake him for Oscar, who's wanted on marijuana charges.
(Disc 1) Episode 3: "¡Amigos!"
When George Sr.'s car is found in Mexico, Michael decides to go search for his father, and Buster hides in the car trunk so he can escape the country and the Army.
(Disc 1) Episode 4: "Good Grief"
After hearing that his grandfather has died in Mexico, a distraught George-Michael goes off to be alone, only to discover his grandfather hiding out in a hole at the model home construction site.
(Disc 1) Episode 5: "Sad Sack"
While the government wants to cut a deal with Michael over the whereabouts of his fahter, George Sr. wants Michael to find out of Lucille is really in love with Oscar.
(Disc 1) Episode 6: "Afternoon Delight"
At the Bluth Company Christmas Party, Gob gets upset and fires all the employees, forcing Michael to invite them all to a second party at the banana stand so he can rehire them.
(Disc 2) Episode 7: "Switch Hitter"
Michael is convinced the company team will win an upcoming softball game against a business rival, even though the rival company just hired the Bluth Company's best player - Gob.
(Disc 2) Episode 8: "Queen For A Day"
When the company's stock is unfrozen, the family's desire to buy themselves expensive gifts ends with them losing majority control of the company to Lucille 2.
(Disc 2) Episode 9: "Burning Love"
As George Sr. continues to hide out in the upstairs attic, the family prepares for an upcoming charity auction, and George-Michael gets ready to go to a Christian music bonfire.
(Disc 2) Episode 10: "Ready, Aim, Marry Me!"
A free romantic getaway turns to disaster when Michael sets Lindsay up on a date, unaware that Tobias, Lucille 2 and Stan Sitwell will also be at the same hotel at the same time.
(Disc 2) Episode 11: "Out On A Limb"
Michael is determined to find out if he is the father of Maggie's baby after he learns that she is 8 1/2 months pregnant and that's exactly how long it's been since they last saw each other.
(Disc 2) Episode 12: "Hand To God"
As Maeby passes herself off as a studio executive overseeing production on The Old Man and the Sea, Buster ends up with a hook after a seal, wearing a bow tie, bites off his left hand.
(Disc 3) Episode 13: "Motherboy XXX"
Michael tries to track down the seal that bit off Buster's hand, and also tries to save his son after Lucille takes George-Michael to the Motherboy dinner dance.
(Disc 3) Episode 14: "The Immaculate Election"
While George Sr. decides to become a Christian, Michael tries to help George-Michael with his campaign for student body president by having Gob produce his campaign video.
(Disc 3) Episode 15: "Sword Of Destiny"
George Sr.'s plan to reestablish contact with his employees through a video tape backfires when an engry employee turns the tape over to the FBI, who in turn believes the tape was made in Iraq.
(Disc 3) Episode 16: "Meat The Veals"
Michael decides that the best way to stop George-Michael from getting pre-engaged to his girlfriend is to have the girlfriend's parents meet the Bluth family.
(Disc 3) Episode 17: "Spring Breakout"
While Michael schemes to get his mother into an alcohol rehab center, Kitty schemes to get a Bluth son of her own by kidnapping George Sr. and demanding some of his sperm.
(Disc 3) Episode 18: "The Righteous Brothers"
A mix-up leads to Michael's arrest, while a trick George Sr. plays on Oscar ends up with George Sr. once again free - and Oscar mistakenly taken into custody.
My Comments:
This show about an extremely dysfunctional family has a very strong "What the fuck" quality to it that makes it strangely addicting. Bizarre cameos and small roles by familiar faces like Ben Stiller, Zach Braff and John Michael Higgins add to the WTF factor.
A
Not Rated (MPAA)
4 Stars
2004
2005
Television
Main Index
Starring:
Year(s) Aired: 2005-2006
Year of DVD Release: 2006
Rated: Not Rated
Approx. Running Time: 285 minutes
Format(s): DVD (2 discs)
My Rating: 4 stars (Out of 5)
From Back Cover:
"JAMMED WITH SHARP SATIRE, BROAD SLAPSTICK, RISQUÉ BARBS AND SERIOUSLY TWISTED PLOTLINES."
-GQ Magazine
In this Emmy-winning comedy's hilarious third season, Michael Bluth finally realizes that it's his Uncle Oscar serving time in prison, not his father. Reluctant to spring Oscar due to the effect it may have on the family business, Michael decides that the only fair thing to do is to find his father and place him under house arrest. Yet once found, George Sr. insists he was tricked into working with the Iraqis, leaving Michael no choice but to investigate his father's outrageous claim. But it isn't until Michael and Buster go to Iraz on a rescue mission to save Gob that the depth of the devious plot is revealed - and Michael learns which family member is the real brains behind all the madness.
Episode Summary: (As posted on IMDB.com)
(Disc 1) Episode 1: "The Cabin Show"
Michael learns that it's actually George Sr.'s twin brother Oscar serving time in prison, not George. After getting a tip from Barry, Michael heads to Reno to find George, but that costs him a camping trip he promised his son.
(Disc 1) Episode 2: "For British Eyes Only"
George Sr. drops a major bombshell that he was working with a British syndicate who conned him into building the house in Iraq. Michael decides to investigate the claim by heading to the British section of Orange County, where he meets a beautiful and mysterious woman named Rita.
(Disc 1) Episode 3: "Forget Me Now"
George Sr. is placed under house arrest by the family's new attorney Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio), and finds that it's not exactly a walk in the park. Michael sets up his first date with Rita, but Rita has an unfortunate encounter with the family beforehand.
(Disc 1) Episode 4: "Notapusy"
To prove he's a man to Rita, Michael and his nephew Steve Holt compete in the Church And State Fair's annual triathlon. George Sr. tries to scare some at-risk youth, and Tobias tries to help George-Michael's girlfriend Ann to compete in the fairs' "inner beauty" pageant.
(Disc 1) Episode 5: "Mr. F"
The family's meeting with Japanese investors backfires big time when Tobias mistakes a real government agent for a talent agent. GOB tries to connect with his father, who is controlling a Surrogate. Meanwhile, Michael has another encounter with Rita's uncle, and Maeby's romantic comedy is a total flop.
(Disc 1) Episode 6: "The Ocean Walker"
Michael plans to marry Rita, but that's not before her uncle Trevor intervenes, and Michael discovers Rita's handicap. When the family learns that Rita has millions of dollars, they try to speed up the wedding process.
(Disc 1) Episode 7: "Prison Break-In"
The family plans their annual fund raiser, and they actually have a cause this time - Tobias is ailing due to his transplanted hair plugs, which appear to be rejecting him. Lindsay uses the illness as her ticket back into high society, and Michael learns of the prison warden's true intentions with his mother after reading the warden's screenplay.
(Disc 2) Episode 8: "Making A Stand"
Michael is tired of his father always having GOB compete with him, so Michael gets GOB his own banana stand franchise, only to find that GOB has set it up 20 feet from the old one. After the two compete, they decide to teach their father an elaborate lesson, and Buster refuses to use his handicap to scare kids. Meanwhile, Maeby uses Lucille's surgery in a horror film.
(Disc 2) Episode 9: "S.O.B.s"
George Sr. suggests a last-ditch effort to save the family by holding a fund raiser to raise money to pay their legal expenses. Michael suggests to Lindsay that she take over the house work, and he sends George-Michael to an expensive boarding school. Meanwhile, Maeby has trouble with a snowboarding film and Tobias tries to be a "discipline daddy".
(Disc 2) Episode 10: "Fakin' It"
As the family's upcoming deposition nears, they participate in a mock trial, hosted by Judge Reinhold. Michael searches for a mysterious witness on the list, while the prosecuting attorney makes Michael an offer he cant refuse. Meanwhile, GOB practices his ventriloquism act, and Buster fakes a coma to get out of testifying.
(Disc 2) Episode 11: "Family Ties"
Michael's quest to locate the mysterious "N. Bluth" leads him to Nellie, a prostitute who he believes is his long-lost sister, and the woman who just might be able to clear everything up. Meanwhile, Buster's fake coma incurs the wrath of real doctors.
(Disc 2) Episode 12: "Exit Strategy"
GOB heads to Iraq via his participation in the U.S.O., where he is quickly arrested and being held by the U.S. military. The prosecutors believe this is treasonous, so Michael and Buster head to Iraq to free GOB. There, they visit the house they built and discover what's really inside.
(Disc 3) Episode 13: "Development Arrested"
After returning home from Iraq, George Sr. is finally cleared of all charges, and Michael is relieved to be the head of a successful company for a change. The real brains behind the madness is revealed, and just as the family begins to celebrate their victory, a whole new set of problems emerge.
My Comments:
This show about an extremely dysfunctional family has a very strong "What the fuck" quality to it that makes it strangely addicting. Bizarre cameos and small roles by familiar faces like Charlize Theron, Scott Baio and Justine Bateman add to the WTF factor.
A
Not Rated (MPAA)
4 Stars
2005
2006
Television
Main Index