Michael puts George Michael in charge of the Bluth Bannana Stand, and his son subsequently burns down the stand. Elsewhere, Tobias auditions for a commercial, and Lindsay inadvertantly gets the part.
Deadpan understatement drives 88.8 score with 2.35 jokes per minute across 56 gags.
Directed by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo · Written by Mitchell Hurwitz, John Levenstein
WAR
75.6
Wins Above Replacement
“Top Banana” ranks #7 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 88.8 — Elite. The episode packs 56 scored jokes at 2.4 per minute, averaging 7.5 on craft and 7.2 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
George Sr.: How much clearer can I say 'There's always money in the banana stand'?
George Michael: I was just, uh... I was burning down the banana stand.
Lucille: Luz, that coat cost more than your house! Oh, that's how we joke. She doesn't even have a house.
Lucille Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: You mailed that insurance check, right, Gob?
Michael Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · George Michael: Burn it down. What? Let's burn this son of a bitch.
All Jokes — 56 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ George Sr.: I am having a love affair with this ice cream sandwich. Want some? You wanna take a bite? Take a bite.
George Sr.: I haven't had a vacation in years. This is my vacation. I'm exercising. I'm sleeping well. You're doing time. I'm doing the time of my life!
George Sr.: He's a flamer.
George Sr. · Michael: Because he's a flamer? I told you that in confidence.
Michael: Okay, we are just about ass to ankles back here, Maeby. Do you wanna hop on your cousin's lap there, please?
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Michael: Whoa, bumpy road ahead.
Michael Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Michael · George Michael: Welcome aboard, Mr. Manager. Wow! I'm Mr. Manager! Well, manager. We just say 'manager.'
Michael · George Michael: Don't look at me, Mr. Manager. Right. It's up to me now. I'm Mr. Manager. Manager. We just say... I know, but you just... It doesn't matter who.
Michael: I don't know what I expected.
Michael Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Lindsay · Gob: The only thing I found in the freezer was a dead dove in a bag. You didn't eat that, did you? 'Cause I've only got a couple days left to return it.
Gob: Died right in the middle of a show. Do you want a cage for that? No. I'm a magician.
Gob Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Michael · Lindsay: You spent $68 on hair conditioner? A small price to pay for self-esteem, Michael. Or are you still jealous that you lost Best Hair to me in high school and got Dorkiest?
Tobias: I mean, look at me. I'm an actor. An actor, for crying out loud! You know how much rejection I face every day?
Tobias Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Lindsay · Tobias: But you've never actually had an audition. Well... excuse me!
Maeby · Michael: Yeah. Shoot me when that happens. Is there a carbon monoxide leak in this house?
Michael: You stay on top of her, buddy. Do not be afraid to ride her. Hard.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Maeby: I can't tell you how many health codes you're violating right now. I can't believe I volunteered for this. This is my stupidest rebellion ever.
Maeby Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Maeby: Easy. Banana. Buck. Banana. Take a buck.
Maeby Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Lucille: Then why don't you marry an ice cream sandwich?
Lucille Callback Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: You know, it's really more believable if you let me finish.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Lucille: Something with 'Dale.' I don't know. Brookfeather. Raintree. It's hot. It's very hot there. I've never been. Get a warrant!
Lucille: Something with 'Dale.' I don't know. Brookfeather. Raintree. It's hot. It's very hot there. I've never been. Get a warrant!
Lucille: Luz, that coat cost more than your house! Oh, that's how we joke. She doesn't even have a house.
Lucille Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tobias: Oh, look at all these parts!
Tobias Visual Gag Wordplay/Pun Callback Tobias: Oh, look at all these parts!
Tobias Visual Gag Character Comedy Tobias: Am I panicked about the fire, or am I being brave for everyone else? The fire... It's... It's a fire sale. Oh. Oh. Okay, I didn't, um... Well, let's give it a shot.
Tobias: Oh, my God! We're having a fire... sale. Oh, the burning! It burns me! Evacuate all the schoolchildren! This isn't a fever! I can't even see where the knob is!
Tobias Escalation Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Casting Director · Tobias: Would you like to try that a little simpler maybe? No.
Fire Chief · Michael: Somebody wanted this place to go. Yeah? What do you mean, arson? Oh, definitely the work of a flamer.
Tobias: I think I made the fire too real for them and probably failed to highlight the sale.
Tobias Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Callback Michael: Well, that's great, but I've got my own problems. The flight records? They burned up. That's fine. That's over with. But I think Dad is behind it.
Michael: But you don't have a job. You've got a job offer. Anybody can get a job offer.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Gob: I can't trust a mailman with this. This is important.
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: The banana stand! You know, that's exactly what this feels like. Huh? Like I'm still stuck in that hot booth all summer with you pulling the strings.
Maeby · George Michael: We throw away a banana for every buck we take so no one finds out. Wait a minute. I think you should do that math again. Why? Is it wrong? It's fine. He's an arsonist, not an embezzler.
Narrator: Gob had not mailed the letter, but, in an act of defiance... dramatically hurled the letter into the sea. This proved a more difficult dramatic gesture than he'd anticipated.
Narrator Physical/Slapstick Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Narrator: This proved a more difficult dramatic gesture than he'd anticipated.
Narrator Visual Gag Deadpan/Understatement Lucille: You want your belt to buckle, not your chair.
Lucille Character Comedy Observational George Michael · Maeby: Oh, my God, you're right. I am? Oh, God, I've screwed this up! Okay, we gotta go.
Maeby: Pop-pop, he's a business man. What would he do? Bananas Foster.
Maeby Wordplay/Pun Escalation ★ Rewatch Lindsay · Lucille: That's funny, 'cause I was gonna say, 'You might wanna lean away from that fire... since you're soaked in alcohol.' Mine was better.
T-Bone: Welcome to Bluth Bananas, where bananas are our business. May I interest you in a banana this day?
T-Bone Character Comedy Absurdist T-Bone: Welcome to Bluth Bananas, where bananas are our business. May I interest you in a banana this day?
T-Bone Character Comedy Absurdist Gob: Michael, having a nice day at the beach while the rest of us are busting our asses to deliver your mail?
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Callback Gob · Michael: Better than being treated like the goofball... the joker, the magician. I thought you were gonna do, like, a trick there. A fireball or something. I was. It didn't go off. These things never go off when you want them to. My least consistent trick.
Gob Michael Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Michael · Gob: I thought you were gonna do, like, a trick there. A fireball or something. / I was. It didn't go off. These things never go off when you want them to. My least consistent trick.
George Michael: I was just, uh... I was burning down the banana stand.
George Michael · Michael: I was just, uh... I was burning down the banana stand. What? I'm sorry. I screwed it all up. I've got no right to call myself Mr. Manager. Manager.
Michael · George Michael: Burn it down. What? Let's burn this son of a bitch.
Michael: You mailed that insurance check, right, Gob?
Michael Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Callback George Sr. · Michael: There was $250,000 lining the walls of the banana stand. What? Cash, Michael. Why didn't you tell me that? How much clearer can I say... 'There's always money in the banana stand'?
George Sr.: How much clearer can I say 'There's always money in the banana stand'?
Prison Guards: No touching! No touching! No touching!
Gob: Return from whence you came!
Gob Absurdist Character Comedy Callback Gob: You couldn't have called me? I can't swing a hammer? I got a rabbit to buy.
Gob Character Comedy Absurdist Top Episodes — Arrested Development
