About

Arrested Development is a single sitcom episode that spans a whole series. It’s tough to find a joke that isn’t meticulously tied to something else in the series, and this is what makes it a gold mine. Mundane occurrences happen various times to different characters for different reasons, and it’s in this that the true beauty of the show is revealed. It’s funny the first time, it’s funnier the second time, it’s funniest the third/fourth/fifth times.

For this reason I thought it important to have an easily accessible index of jokes in arrested devlopment, for reference while watching. Did it ring a bell when Lucille said “Momma horny, Michael.”? Well, that’s because George Sr. says “Poppa horny, Michael” in a different episode. The series is teaming with these jokes, begging to be categorized for ease of mind.

I’ve broken almost all jokes down into 5 categories.

First off is THEME. Episodes may or may not have a theme, but they usually do. The classic example is the season finale of season 2. There are 13 references to the Atkins diet, characters wondering what you CAN eat on it, and everyone is on it. Is it relevant to the plot? Absolutely not. Is it funny on it’s own? Not really. Is it hilarious because it makes up a large part of the show for no discernable reason? Heck yes.

Second is DOUBLE JOKES. A double joke is a joke that gets repeated 2-3 times (see Poppa Horny, Michael). They are different from recurring jokes because recurring jokes happen all the time (example: GOB saying “Come on!”). A double joke is limited in it’s delivery, and makes it more rewarding to discover and enjoy.

Third is RECURRING. As explained, this is something that one or various characters continually come back to and say the same thing or go through a similar scenario. There is an episode where 3-4 differnet characters all say “Come on!”. That is a recurring joke.

Fourth is HIDDEN. I include it to draw attention to the minutia in many episodes, such as the description of the Skip Scramble, background images, seals with bowties showing up. Anything with no attention whatsoever drawn to it that is funny, is hidden.

Fifth is CONTINUITY/FORESHADOWING. Arrested Development is great at recalling past events and predicting future events. Any flashback scenes that have great continuity make it into this section, and the great amount of foreshadowing goes with it.

I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any suggestions/errors/improvements, please let me know!