After learning that Marta has feelings for him, Michael goes to her and they decide to get permission from Gob before taking things to the next level. Meanwhile, Lindsay and Tobias finally get to the heart of his "never-nude" problem and George Sr. faces his first hearing.
Season finale stacks 65 jokes in 26 minutes—deadpan delivery sustains the momentum.
Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar · Written by Richard A. Rosenstock, Chuck Martin
WAR
69.6
Wins Above Replacement
“Beef Consommé” ranks #34 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 83.0 — Elite. The episode packs 65 scored jokes at 2.5 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Michael landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Narrator: Tobias was a never-nude, which is exactly what it sounds like.
Lucille: She's not real. She was made in a cup. Like soup... a hundred and thirty thousand dollar cup of soup.
Buster: That's what it feels like to get punched in the face.
Buster Character Comedy Callback Lucille: All I know is it took an extra year before we could add a den.
Lucille Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Buster: I want to dance. I want to make love to a woman. I want to get a checking account. I want to know what it feels like to get my face socked in.
Buster Character Comedy Escalation All Jokes — 65 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Narrator · Michael: hermano in Spanish meant brother, and the person Marta was infatuated with was, in fact, himself
George Sr.: See if you can get it down to five.
Lucille: Oh, get off the mount. You're coming home, guilty or somehow found not guilty.
Lucille Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Gob: You're a good guy, mon frère. That means brother in French. I don't know why I know that. I took four years of Spanish.
Gob Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Michael: Oh, who cares? Nobody respects him.
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Marta: I also like your hair and your face and your breasts.
Marta Character Comedy Escalation Marta: Gob is like the cock of the walk. But not you. You are so kind. You're sensitive, like a woman.
Marta Character Comedy Escalation Michael Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement Marta: He likes to make love to this.
Marta Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: Not-Not-Not... Not... Not hot wrong. You know, regular wrong.
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Michael: While I'm doing my noble thing you could put those photos in a box, get rid of the wand... and we can do the wrong thing the right way.
Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tobias: Oh, great. And now you're mocking me, you selfish, country-music-loving lady.
Tobias Character Comedy Escalation Maeby: Why don't you two just get a divorce and save us all a lot of grief?
Maeby Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Tobias: And then, of course, we couldn't conceive, so there was that famous ordeal.
Tobias Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Maeby: Sometimes I wish we weren't even related.
Maeby Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch George Michael: Hey, you know, maybe we're not.
Gob: Oh, yeah. Dozens of times.
Gob Character Comedy Absurdist Gob: Tell you what, you may not be good with women, but you are great with other people's women.
Gob Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Gob: I don't answer the phone, that doesn't happen.
Gob Character Comedy Absurdist Gob: And it's all because of you, fratello. That's Italian for brother.
Gob Callback Character Comedy Callback Buster: Mom always taught us to curl up in a ball and remain motionless when confronted.
Buster Character Comedy Absurdist Michael: I think that was about being attacked by bears.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Absurdist Buster Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Buster: Hey, rich kid. Gimme your lunch money.
Buster Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Gob: You'd be a much bigger ball.
Gob Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Buster: I want to dance. I want to make love to a woman. I want to get a checking account. I want to know what it feels like to get my face socked in.
Buster Character Comedy Escalation Buster Character Comedy Absurdist Lucille: Tell him I'm fine without him.
Lucille Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Lucille: Where is your head, Michael?
Michael: We couldn't get that down, huh?
Tobias: Let's see if they've beefed up my part. I got three lines!
Tobias Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tobias: When a man needs to prove to a woman that he's actually... When a man loves a woman... and he actually wants to make love, uh, to her...
Tobias Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort George Michael: I'm gonna stop you. I know where you're running.
Narrator: Tobias was a never-nude, which is exactly what it sounds like.
Tobias: What do you think I wear these for?
Tobias Visual Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch George Michael: I was never actually clear on that.
Gob: I don't know... weird brother of prime rib.
Gob Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Gob · Buster: Hermano means brother? Yeah. Well, sounds like hermano is about to get his ass kicked.
Gob: Well, sounds like someone who you think's name is Tio... is about to get his ass kicked.
Gob Character Comedy Callback Callback Michael: Mom wanted me to tell you... that she doesn't care whether you live or die, but if you're not dead... she would like to see you at the courthouse tomorrow in the blue sweater.
Lucille: She's not real. She was made in a cup. Like soup... a hundred and thirty thousand dollar cup of soup.
Lucille: How do you like them egg rolls, Mr. Goldstone?
Lucille: All I know is it took an extra year before we could add a den.
Lucille Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Gob: You all right? Where am I? Am I in... two-thirds of a hospital room?
Gob Visual Gag Observational Gob · Michael: If you liked her, I would have said, 'Go for it.' I do kind of like her. Go for it.
Michael: My brother said we can do it. That didn't come out as romantic as I'd hoped, but...
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Meta/Self-Referential Lindsay: I understand you not wanting to do it on film... but you can't even get undressed in front of me.
Tobias: I know for a fact that there are two members of German Parliament. They're called 'nein wohlstandig' nude.
Tobias Character Comedy Absurdist Lindsay: Look, how 'bout we do this together? You take off your shirt, and I'll take off my jacket.
Lindsay Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Maeby: Now all I need is a boyfriend.
Maeby Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Lucille: God, why am I the only one who ever comes through in this family?
Lucille Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Lucille: Call it what you want. I'm tired of paying Lupe to clean one dish.
Lucille Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Lucille: Oh, for God's sake. He's on his own for two days, and he joins a gang.
Lucille Character Comedy Observational George Sr.: These guys? Oh, I've got them for the afternoon. Besides, they're the only thing I have left to live for in this world.
Lucille: That's right... dull, nothing-going-on-upstairs... Michael.
Narrator: George Sr., having never heard his charges... listed consecutively in one sitting, panicked and ran with great intensity.
Narrator Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Buster: Stop it before someone gets hit in the face!
Buster Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Callback Tobias Visual Gag Character Comedy Buster: Hit me in the face! Hit me in the face! Hit me in the face! Please! Hit me in the face!
Buster Character Comedy Escalation Callback Marta: I'm sorry. I'm not totally sure who you are.
Marta Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Buster: That's what it feels like to get punched in the face.
Buster Character Comedy Callback Michael: This is all moot, because she never got a chance to know me.
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Gob: Well, it's effective. Yeah, it really is.
Tobias: I slept very well last night.
Tobias Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Top Episodes — Arrested Development
