George Sr. fears he's losing Lucille to Oscar. Gob motivates Buster for the Army while Lindsay spends more time with Maeby to get closer to Steve Holt and Tobias starts working out.
Character escalation drives 71 jokes across 44 minutes, sustaining Season 2's comedic momentum.
Directed by Peter Lauer · Written by Barbie Adler
WAR
72.4
Wins Above Replacement
“Sad Sack” ranks #36 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 82.4 — Elite. The episode packs 71 scored jokes at 2.7 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 6.8 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
Michael · Wayne Jarvis: Those are balls. What? This close, they always look like landscape. Nope, you're looking at balls.
Wayne Jarvis: I was once called the worst audience participant Cirque du Soleil ever had.
Maeby · Steve Holt: She's not my mom. But she said you were her daughter. His daughter. That's my dad. That's a dude? And the worst part is he thinks he's passing.
Maeby: And the worst part is he thinks he's passing.
Maeby Character Comedy Visual Gag Wayne Jarvis: This close, they always look like landscape.
All Jokes — 71 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Lucille: It's a whole new beginning. A new day, a new case, a whole new set of lies.
Narrator: Michael was lying. He found his fugitive father earlier in the week, and he was hiding him in the attic
Narrator Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Lucille: Those are the whites only, yes?
Lucille Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Lucille: I'm being lied... on.
Lucille Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Michael: Wow, now more is going to come up than go down.
Michael Observational Cringe/Discomfort Oscar: She's just so... loving and affectionate. I-I... this is not the woman I fell in love with.
Oscar Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Michael: This is the nicest she's been since she found out that Rosa could breast-feed Buster.
Michael Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Buster: Aren't you supposed to yell at me and call me 'homo' and motivate me over this wall?
Buster Character Comedy Absurdist Drill Sergeant: We can't do that anymore. Lawsuit.
Narrator: It was a recent ruling, prosecuted by the same man who Michael was soon to meet with.
Narrator Setup/Punchline Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Narrator: It's going to be a long time before Sergeant Wendell Baker calls someone 'Private Homo' again.
Lucille: God willing, he'll fail boot camp. Well, why wouldn't he? He already failed day camp.
Michael: Ann got you a B-minus?
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection George-Michael · Michael: Well, it wasn't Ann. She's an expert in math. - Isn't that cute? - Is it?
Narrator: Michael felt his son was setting the bar too low with his dating standards.
Narrator Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Michael: Oh, George-Michael, never settle for fifth choice. Something better is going to come along. She just has to.
Michael Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort George-Michael · Michael: You know, she's just so pretty... I get distracted, I guess. - Do you?
George-Michael: I wish I could draw her nose.
Michael: Maybe it's your eyes. Maybe you need glasses. For your grades.
Michael Misdirection Character Comedy Tobias: I just found out that my cellular telephone was a lemon. It didn't work.
Tobias Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Lindsay: Coincidentally, neither do you.
Lindsay Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Tobias: Pretty brave card for you to play.
Narrator: Lindsay had been frequenting singles clubs, also still hoping to make her open marriage work... which it won't.
Narrator Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential Michael · Lindsay: Lindsay, it's not a competition. Of course it is, Michael. That's why they call it 'scoring.'
Michael · Lindsay: Maybe in the '70s. That many? We've only been doing this for a month.
Maeby · Steve Holt: - Who is it? - Steve Holt!
Steve Holt · Maeby: - Is this your sister? - No... but you just made my day.
Maeby · Steve Holt: Who is it? Steve Holt!
Narrator: And had been for several years.
Narrator Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive Lindsay: I can't promise you I won't tell the prosecutor about that.
George Sr.: Are you wearing my dead wife's maternity clothes?
Oscar: Yeah. It's the only thing I could find. Where are the eggs? Doctor says they're bad for the baby.
Oscar Absurdist Character Comedy George Sr.: Do I look like a criminal mastermind to you? How do you get this ham open? I can... I can't get this ham open.
George Sr.: Oh. Oh, look, it just peels off. Isn't that clever?
Eye Doctor · George-Michael: One or two? Two. No, no, one. Okay, two... Or three? Three. Unless three is too much of an improvement. I'm sorry, is one... is one in the mix still?
Wayne Jarvis: The Patriot Act. Read it.
Michael · Wayne Jarvis: He's twice tried to microwave a Ding-Dong while it was still in its foil... twice. - Twice? - Two times.
Prosecutor: He knows less than anyone we have ever questioned.
Narrator: Gob knew too little to know that, however, and his confidence had never been more shaken.
Wayne Jarvis · Michael: Twice? Two times.
Barry · Michael: Did you follow any of that? Yeah, he's hinting that he's going to grant me immunity, but only on the condition that I turn in my father.
Barry: If you know, give me a high five.
Barry Absurdist Character Comedy Barry: If he's got a shot with her, just give me a little tap on the fanny.
Barry Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Barry: I'm a lot more competent than you can imagine. Oh, I forgot to take the tinfoil off, too. I really wanted that.
Barry Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Lucille: And it's so nice not to have to worry about getting pregnant. The doctor said I couldn't be a mother now if I tried. And that was without even interviewing me.
Oscar: Because that's what you are: a hot-tie.
Oscar Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort Oscar: Stop me from pouring this on myself. I can't take this anymore.
Oscar Absurdist Character Comedy Oscar · Michael: Is that her rape horn? It's more like a starter's pistol.
Lindsay: Oh, well, I'm much, much, much older than 15.
Lindsay Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Lindsay: You made my day again!
Lindsay Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Callback Maeby · Steve Holt: She's not my mom. But she said you were her daughter. His daughter. That's my dad. That's a dude? And the worst part is he thinks he's passing.
Maeby: And the worst part is he thinks he's passing.
Maeby Character Comedy Visual Gag Gob: Like a little girl. In a little dress. Little saddle shoes. Little pigtails.
Gob Escalation Character Comedy Michael · George Sr.: That's a breast pump, Dad. Oh, well, I did not use it for that.
Wayne Jarvis: I was once called the worst audience participant Cirque du Soleil ever had.
Wayne Jarvis · Michael: Well, Michael, I did not find their buffoonery amusing. - About my father. - He's guilty, Michael, of medium to heavy treason.
Oscar: I just, uh, I just want to have sex with you. That's, that's all I'm good for.
Oscar Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Lucille · Oscar: You smell like a pine cone. Yeah, that's the weed.
Oscar: I'm on mushrooms! I'm on bad mushrooms!
Oscar Escalation Physical/Slapstick Oscar: I'm on mushrooms! I'm on bad mushrooms!
Oscar Escalation Physical/Slapstick Buster · Narrator: Those bastards. I did not say that.
Drill Sergeant: Climb that wall, homo! Climb it.
Gob: Now, when you do this without getting punched, you'll have more fun.
Gob Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Well, the 'B' got you glasses. Maybe this time you'll get a neck brace.
Michael Escalation Character Comedy Callback Maeby: Oh, I told him she was a tranny.
Maeby Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Callback Wayne Jarvis: This close, they always look like landscape.
Michael · Wayne Jarvis: Those are balls. What? This close, they always look like landscape. Nope, you're looking at balls.
Tobias Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael: Yeah, I don't think you need glasses, son.
Michael Callback Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · George Sr.: Although I'm sorry that you feel you have no love in your life. I don't feel that way anymore. Thanks. It's been a long time since someone stood up for me.
Tobias: Thank God-- my cutoffs! There were cutoffs up here?
Tobias Character Comedy Visual Gag Callback Top Episodes — Arrested Development
