Arrested Development

Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything...

and the one son who had no choice...

but to keep them all together.

It's Arrested Development.

Michael Bluth began his day with something he'd never seen before.

I'm hearing good things about the Bluth Company.

Good news about his family's housing business.

Old man Bluth's in jail. I think his son is running the company.

Doesn't seem like a total moron to me.

I've had this thing as a triple sell, and I am upgrading it right here, right now.

I think this thing could even go as high as a "Don't Buy."

Don't buy! Huh? Mom, did you see that?

- Don't buy Bluth! - You build a house that's good, people are gonna wanna come...

This sinkhole spread a little bit more last night?

Anyway, I'm gonna go to the prison. I'm gonna tell Dad about this news.

- I thought you said we shouldn't visit him. - Visit, no. Gloat, yes.

I've worked very very hard for this. I sold the cabin property to keep us afloat.

I haven't had any time to spend with my son.

Now you can spend time with my son. I want your brother Buster to come live with you.

And it's not because he has that horrible hook for a hand now.

It's the snoring. Listen to this.

Buster's snoring. Wednesday night.

It's driving me cra...

You won't even know he's here.

You seem more villainous than usual, Mom. Are you sober?

- Michael, it's 8:00 a.m. - So, it's not that.

I don't know.

Maybe it's because I went off my postpartum medication.

You were still taking that? You had Buster 32 years ago.

And that's how long I've been depressed about him.

Actually, I did go off it in the early '90s, but I didn't like what happened to me.

Claiming she could take it no more, the young mother released the emergency brake...

allowing her car to roll backwards into the nearby lake.

Good for her.

I must have gained three pounds.

Why did you go off them this time?

Well, apparently, mood-altering medication leads to street drugs.

That's what this very handsome young doctor said on the Today Show.

That was Tom Cruise, the actor.

They said he was some kind of scientist.

Maybe you should get away from Buster.

- Why don't you go up to the cabin in the woods. - I thought you said we sold it.

We sold the property. I worked it out so we could relocate the cabin...

but it is gonna be up in Tahoe for another couple of days.

Maybe you can take a date up there.

How am I supposed to find someone willing to go into that musty old claptrap?

The cabin. Yes. That would be difficult too.

Please get back on the meds, Mom. We miss the old old you.

I didn't even know that we had a cabin.

Ah!@%$. Well, for what it's worth, I've never actually been there.

Although he'd often been promised.

Hey, pal. Something's come up.

This nice young lady has lost her puppy and your dad's got to help her find him.

Oh, bad news, buddy. This young lady's dad is sick...

and I'm taking her to the hospital.

Come on. You're old enough to figure this out. I'm nailing this broad.

Pardon me if I don't burst into tears, Michael...

but at least he promised to take you.

He just let me blindly enjoy my childhood.

I didn't even know there was a cabin he wasn't taking me to.

Mmm. Mine's sadder.

I don't see you crying, robot!

You taste these tears. Taste my sad.

No. Not gonna lick your eye, okay.

Well, I will tell you this, Michael. I don't have a son.

- He does. - But if I ever do...

I'm either gonna take him to the cabin in the woods...

or I'm gonna promise to take him and then not take him.

But the one thing that I will never do...

is not tell him that I'm taking him to a cabin in the woods, and then not take him.

Gob was growing up.

Well, the cabin in the woods is gonna be stacked up next to our carport.

But maybe we should head up there tonight, huh?

One... first time.

- Taste the happy, Michael. - Oh, no.

- Taste it. - Tastes kind of like sad.

Michael set off to prison to tell off his father when he discovered his son.

- George Michael? - Dad, hey.

- What are you doing? - I didn't wanna miss you because you've been leaving so early lately.

You slept out here to see me?

Michael had never been so touched by something his son had said.

But it wasn't true. He was hiding from his cousin after an awkward incident.

They'd since been trying to avoid each other...

which was difficult, considering they shared a bunk bed.

- Oh, hi. - Hi.

- I'm off to the car. - I'll be in the crawl space.

- How would you like to head up to the cabin? - Can you afford to skip work?

I think the president of a "Don't Buy" company can afford to take a day off.

We're up from "Sell"?

- It's happening, isn't it? - It's really happening.

It's time for us to start creating some memories.

There's been enough disappointment in this family.

There's only one sleeping bag, so we're gonna have to double up. Pigs in a blanket!

Sorry, pal. Something came up.

It is worse to know.

Gob was getting life lessons all over the place.

And Michael broke a two-month silence and went to visit his father.

You came! Someone came!

Only to tell you that the company is back on track and it's because you're behind bars.

And now I get to do with my son what you never did with me. I'm taking him to the cabin.

Scar! And every night...

I'm scarred too, but my son is not going to be.

And they cover it with soap, and you're supposed to thank them.

Like they're doing you a favor!

- Anything you'd like for me to pass on to the family? - I'm your uncle!

I'm your dad's twin brother!

I'm Oscar! He switched on me.

No one believes me.

Unfortunately for Oscar, "you've got the wrong twin" was a very popular alibi.

You've simply got the wrong twin.

We're quadruplets. You've got the wrong two.

- We're Larry and Dave. - You want Curtis and Jeff.

I'm innocent, Michael.

I'm Oscar! Dot com!

Don't buy it. I'm taking my son to the cabin...

and there's nothing you can say to make me believe that you are not my father.

I understand.

Your child comes first.

- Oh, my God. You're Oscar. - Dot com.

So Michael returned to the office to try and free his uncle.

Don't buy! Don't buy! Don't buy!

When he realized how much that freedom would cost his employees.

Don't buy! We did it, Mikey. We're super rich again.

And I'm gonna buy a car. The Volvo.

Lindsay, you're not gonna start spending money. And this is not a Vol-vo.

- That's from sitting on the copier. - Lindsay...

Michael, I've got nothing. My husband dumped me and ran off to Vegas with Kitty.

- That bleached blonde whore. - He's definitely got a type.

I can't believe he left me.

I mean, this and these and this!

- That's the car. - Oh.

- This. - Glad I didn't spring for color.

The only reason you want Tobias is because you can't have him.

And the second that you can have something, all of a sudden you don't want it.

- That's not who I am, Michael. - No? All right, maybe you're right.

- Maybe we should get you this car. - I don't know. It's so boxy.

- Gob. - Oh, Michael.

- How's Dad? - Uh, I don't know.

It's Oscar who's in prison. If I let him out, people will know Dad is free...

and those people out there will end up paying for it.

Dad hasn't, uh, tried to contact you, has he?

Like I'd ever hear from that son of a bitch.

Earlier that day, Gob received a letter from a group...

that reunited abandoned sons with their fathers, called SAD.

Father-son reunion? But Dad's still in prison.

But now the letter made sense.

- That son of a bitch. - Law offices of Barry Zuckerkorn.

- Hi, it's Michael Bluth for Barry. - Barry went to Reno to see your father.

- Reno? He said he's been visiting my father in prison. - Yeah.

Barry says a lot of things he doesn't mean.

Well, I guess I'm going to Reno to look for Dad.

Good luck, favorite son.

So once again, Michael went after the father...

who'd once again abandoned him, only to find...

he was about to do the same thing to his own son.

It's not happening, is it?

Something came up.

Michael had just told his son they wouldn't be going to the cabin.

But the cabin's in Lake Tahoe. That's right near Reno, and we could...

But this is gonna be like an adult trip. Aunt Lindsay will be here.

Hi. Hey, why don't you pop a tent in front with your cousin Maeby?

- What? No! - I'm not really the outdoorsy type.

Well, then this is a good chance for you to rub off on her.

As Michael set out to find his father...

Gob thought he was doing the same.

There's my guy!

Hey, buddy, come on.

Gettin' 'em to track down your dad too?

- My dad actually had them track me down. - Oh.

But... it does look like he's not gonna show.

Kind of feel like that kid who found the severed hand.

Hey, Dad, look what I found.

Anything for his father's approval.

- Heartbreaking. - You look familiar.

I think that's because we actually kind of look alike.

Remember when I said Gob had a son?

- I'm Gob. - I wasn't just saying that.

In high school, Gob became intimate with these girls.

These girls got pregnant. This one had a baby.

And that baby would grow up to be...

Steve Holt.

All I ever wanted was to spend a little time with my dad.

Maybe go camping. But I guess that will never happen.

I know this is gonna sound kind of crazy...

but my family has a cabin in the woods for one more night.

Maybe we could go up to Reno, get the keys and go camping.