Michael learns that it's actually George Sr.'s twin brother Oscar serving time in prison, not George. After getting a tip from Barry, Michael heads to Reno to find George, but that costs him a camping trip he promised his son.
Season 3 premiere launches with 64 jokes in 27 minutes—2.4/min, the densest Arrested Development opener.
Directed by Paul Feig · Written by Mitchell Hurwitz, Jim Vallely
WAR
96
Wins Above Replacement
“The Cabin Show” ranks #2 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 92.4 — Elite. The episode packs 64 scored jokes at 2.4 per minute, averaging 7.6 on craft and 7.4 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
Gob: You taste these tears. Taste my sadness.
Gob Physical/Slapstick Absurdist Narrator: That is until he choked on a marshmallow and almost died when no one noticed he turned blue.
Lucille: And that's how long I've been depressed about him.
Lucille Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Lucille: I must have gained three pounds.
Lucille Misdirection Character Comedy Narrator: If Steve had had a father, he would've warned him not to go into the woods with strange men. But he didn't.
All Jokes — 64 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael: Visit, no. Gloat, yes.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Michael: You seem more villainous than usual, Mom. Are you sober?
Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Lucille: And that's how long I've been depressed about him.
Lucille Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Narrator: Claiming she could take it no more, the young mother released the emergency brake, allowing her car to roll backwards into the nearby lake.
Narrator Visual Gag Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Narrator · Lucille: Narrator describes Lucille's 90s suicide attempt, followed by her dismissive 'Good for her'
Lucille Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive Lucille: I must have gained three pounds.
Lucille Misdirection Character Comedy Michael: That was Tom Cruise, the actor.
Michael: How am I supposed to find someone willing to go into that musty old claptrap?
George Sr.: Hey, pal, something's come up. This nice young lady has lost her puppy, and your dad's got to help her find him.
Gob · Michael: Gob and Michael compete over who had the sadder childhood regarding the cabin
Gob: You taste these tears. Taste my sadness.
Gob Physical/Slapstick Absurdist Gob: 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 Wordplay/Pun Escalation ★ Rewatch Gob: Gob's convoluted logic about what he'll do with his hypothetical son regarding cabin trips
Gob Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Gob: Taste the happy, Michael. Taste it.
Gob Callback Physical/Slapstick Callback Narrator: Michael had never been so touched by something his son had said, but it wasn't true.
Narrator: He was hiding from his cousin after an awkward incident.
George Michael · Maeby: - Hi. - Hi. - I'm off to the car. - I'll be in the crawl space.
Michael: I think the President of a 'Don't Buy' company can afford to take a day off.
Michael Callback Irony/Sarcasm Callback George Michael: There's only one sleeping bag, so we're gonna have to double up. Pigs in a blanket.
George Michael: It is worse to know.
Narrator: Unfortunately for Oscar, 'You've got the wrong twin' was a very popular alibi.
Larry and Dave: We're quadruplets. You got the wrong two.
Michael: Oh, my God, you're Oscar. Dot com.
Michael Callback Wordplay/Pun Callback Lindsay: We're super rich again. And I'm gonna buy a car, the Volvo.
Lindsay Visual Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: That's from sitting on the copier.
Michael Visual Gag Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Michael · Lindsay: All right, maybe you're right. Maybe we should get you this car. Yeah, I don't know. It's so boxy.
Gob: Yeah, like I'd ever hear from that son of a bitch.
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Misdirection ★ Rewatch Narrator: Earlier that day, Gob received a letter from a group that reunited abandoned sons with their fathers, called S.A.D.
Barry's secretary: Barry says a lot of things he doesn't mean.
Steve Holt: Kind of feel like that kid who found the severed hand.
Narrator: If Steve had had a father, he would've warned him not to go into the woods with strange men. But he didn't.
Narrator: Michael, meanwhile, arrived in Reno, a city competing with Las Vegas' successful 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' campaign
Narrator Observational Meta/Self-Referential Reno local: The Christian League had the Seedy Underbelly shut down. Now it's a Swallows.
Narrator: Swallows was a family-style restaurant by day, and an anything-goes pan-sexual bazaar by night.
Narrator: That is until he choked on a marshmallow and almost died when no one noticed he turned blue.
Tobias: Leaving Lindsay was the biggest little mistake I've ever made.
Tobias Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Kitty: Say goodbye to these!
Kitty Callback Visual Gag Callback Narrator/Michael: Those are blue too.
Tobias: What's a leather pony?
Tobias Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: I don't know. We don't have that at lunch.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Cringe/Discomfort Narrator: And the kids found themselves closer than ever on the bumpy road to Reno.
Tobias: What if Kitty's not there and I'm less of a Blue Man and more of a cocktail waitress?
Barry: You're my only client. What am I supposed to do now? Turn tricks on the street?
Barry Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Barry: How much do you think I can get for that, by way? $50, or is that just L.A.?
Barry Character Comedy Escalation George Michael · Maeby: Let's get it out of the way.
Maeby: Isn't it behind you?
Maeby Deadpan/Understatement Visual Gag Gob: I've made a huge tiny mistake.
Gob Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Maeby: It's never happening.
Maeby Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Michael: Although, I was very close. I almost had Pop-pop in Reno.
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Lucille: Well, that was a freebie.
Lucille Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Tobias: If this tableau I recreate, perhaps I can re-snare my mate.
Tobias Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Buster: I decided to sleep in the car so my snoring wouldn't bother you, and I left that recording of my snoring so you wouldn't know I'm gone.
Buster Absurdist Character Comedy Callback Buster: This is just like when we used to live up in the attic.
Buster Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Michael: Well, every problem has an answer. You're probably just confused because you're going through all of this alone.
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Michael: That and cheating on Gangy.
Michael Dark/Subversive Callback Callback Lucille: There's no cabin.
Maeby: Oh, my God! Are you still doing breakfast burritos?
Maeby Misdirection Character Comedy Lindsay: I want a divorce.
Barry: And I would be thrilled to represent either one of you. That'll be $50.
Barry Character Comedy Callback Callback Top Episodes — Arrested Development
