After Michael announces he's marrying Rita, George Sr. worries that she's after the family's money. But when Rita's Uncle Trevor tries to stop the wedding by revealing some surprising information about Rita, Michael must decide if he wants to walk down the aisle.
Ocean Walker escalates absurdist chaos to 81.9 with 2.87 jokes per minute across 74 gags.
Directed by Paul Feig · Written by Jake Farrow, Sam Laybourne
WAR
159.2
Wins Above Replacement
“The Ocean Walker” ranks #7 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 99.5 — Elite. The episode packs 91 scored jokes at 3.5 per minute, averaging 7.8 on craft and 7.7 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 Michael: George Michael's cousin-marriage speech: 'In some states, it's legal to marry your own cousin. California's blocked it twice, but that's only because they tacked it onto an estate law thing that wasn't gonna pass. We had the signatures...'
George Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Gob · Michael: Gob: 'Hang on a sec. That's part of your trick, right?' Michael: 'No.' Gob: 'That's not my trick, Michael.'
Gob Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Rita · Michael: Rita appears with a small stuffed bear: 'Say hello to my tiny teddy.' Michael (horrified): 'Oh! Tiny Teddy!'
Rita Michael Callback Misdirection Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Rita · Trevor: Rita: 'I want to have grown-up fun. Spoon and figgy pudding. Rabbit downdum druggary's hollow. And I want to have pop-pop.' Trevor: 'Well, the very fact that you call it that, tells me you're not ready.'
Rita Trevor Character Comedy Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Tobias · Narrator: Tobias: 'Oh, like when they say poofter to mean tourist, yes.' Narrator: 'Boy, that Rita's a smarty.'
Tobias Narrator Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Callback All Jokes — 91 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael · George Sr. · Lucille: Michael announces he's getting married; parents respond 'Who the hell to?' / 'Who do you think? Rita.' / 'Her?' / 'Why?'
Michael · George Sr.: Michael: 'She needs a green card to stay in the country.' George: 'There it is.' Michael: 'She needs a green card to stay in the country, BECAUSE, secondly...'
Rita: Rita's conversation about building houses: 'Instead of making houses, maybe you should make land. On the ocean.'
Rita Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Narrator: Narrator: 'For Rita had only mentally progressed to the level of a first grader. Michael might have noticed her disability if it had not been masked by her English accent.'
Narrator Deadpan/Understatement Observational Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch George Sr. · Lucille: George Sr. confuses his mistress story: 'Just because a woman gets pregnant doesn't mean you have to marry her... some cheap waitress at a HoJo said she used an IUD.' Lucille: 'It was Stuckey's.' George: 'But I believed you.'
Lucille · George Sr.: Michael says they haven't slept together; Lucille says 'This is funny!' and George says 'He's gay!'
George Sr. · Lucille: George Sr. holds up his hook-less arm: 'Where's your hand?' / 'Oh. I'm having my high school ring put on it, and my hook is stuck in the staircar.'
Buster: Buster sings 'Domo arigato, Mister Roboto' while his hook-less arm is stuck in the staircar.
Buster Visual Gag Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Rita: Rita: 'I like to keep the light on. That way I can see if you have a monster.'
Rita Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Misdirection ★ Rewatch Michael · George Sr.: Michael: 'Let's just all relax, and remind ourselves that we don't have any money.' George Sr.: 'She's already gotten our money!'
George Sr.: George Sr.: 'Oh, big deal, I had that same basic idea years ago.' — claiming credit for the ocean-top town idea.
Lucille · Narrator · Michael: Lucille: 'People just see what they want to see. If she loved you, she'd show it.' — Narrator: 'Michael was worried — his mother may have been making sense.'
Lucille · Michael · Narrator: Lucille: 'People just see what they want to see. If she loved you, she'd show it.' Narrator: 'Michael was worried — his mother may have been making sense.'
Tobias · Michael: Tobias in a wheelchair/dolly: 'No, no, no, it's a dolly to help videotape your nuptials.' Michael: 'I don't think I need any footage of my nuptials.'
Tobias: Tobias: 'Okay, so my legs and my left arm occasionally go to sleep, and you want to call it a health problem.'
Tobias Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Rita · Michael: Rita offers: 'Maybe you should see a bubuman.' Michael: 'A... bubuman?' Rita: 'Oh, uh, a doctor. It's a British expression. Like they say go-up box instead of elevator.'
Rita Michael Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Misdirection ★ Rewatch Tobias · Narrator: Tobias: 'Oh, like when they say poofter to mean tourist, yes.' Narrator: 'Boy, that Rita's a smarty.'
Tobias Narrator Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Callback Maeby · Rita: Maeby's screenplay dilemma: 'He's in L.A., she's in Japan. How do I get these two characters together?' Rita: 'Maybe they could walk.' Maeby: 'Across the ocean?' Rita: 'If it's not too deep.'
Maeby Rita Character Comedy Absurdist Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Maeby · Rita: Maeby: 'No, deep is good. People are going to say, What the hell just happened? I better say I like it. Cause nobody wants to seem stupid.' Rita: 'I like it.' The Ocean Walker.
Maeby Rita Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Maeby: Maeby: 'Holy crap, that's going to look good on a hat.'
Maeby Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Gob · Michael: Gob immediately assumes Michael wants a magic show at the wedding, talks over Michael's attempt to clarify, and declares 'You want me to do a magic show at the wedding. I'm on it.'
Gob Michael Character Comedy Running Gag Misdirection Callback Gob · Michael: Gob's magic show flashback: fire at previous wedding. 'Put her out! Put her out! Tracy! Thank God we already did the pictures.'
Gob Michael Dark/Subversive Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Gob: Gob: 'Which reminds me that Rita shouldn't wear any hair spray at this thing.'
Gob Dark/Subversive Callback Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Gob: Gob interprets 'Best Man' duty as: 'I am going to get you the single healthiest call girl that this town has ever seen.'
Gob Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Misdirection Michael · Gob: Michael: 'This is why I'm calling it a Witness, and not a Best Man.' / 'All you have to do is watch.' Gob: 'Oh, I'm not going to spend this kind of money and not watch.'
Michael Gob Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Misdirection Callback Lindsay · Rita: Lindsay and Rita are wearing their designer jackets inside out. 'Yeah, that way you see the label. Yeah, I mean, that's what you're paying for, right? It's a great statement on fashion.'
Lindsay Rita Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Rita: Rita: 'Plus, it doesn't tickle your neck.'
Rita Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback Michael · Lindsay: Michael asks Lindsay when she realized she and Tobias had no chance at a physical relationship. Lindsay: 'Oh my God, do you think we have no chance at a physical relationship?' Michael: 'Just now.'
Michael Lindsay Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Lindsay · Michael: Lindsay: 'Ask her to stay over at a hotel with you tonight. She's going to know what that means.' Michael: 'That is not a bad idea.' Lindsay: 'Don't... don't do that.'
Gob: Gob: 'King... takes his queen... and showers her with diamonds!' — then corrects to 'clubs' and 'club sauce.'
Gob Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Absurdist Gob: Gob: 'I'd hate to be blamed for setting another one of Michael's brides... on fire!'
Gob Dark/Subversive Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Rita: Rita: 'Oh, lighter fluid — like Uncle Trevor uses! But wherever did it come from?'
Rita Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Misdirection ★ Rewatch Gob: Gob: 'I just need to find a trick that puts you out of oxygen for 20 minutes.'
Gob Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Narrator: Narrator: 'Actually, her record was 20 seconds.'
Narrator Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Michael · Gob: Michael negotiating with Gob: 'Love for her to walk. And not to drown. Or fly through the air. Or catch on fire. Is she allergic to cat fur?' Gob: 'Oop — no tigers.'
Michael · Rita: Michael suggests to Rita that they go to a hotel for 'some alone time.' Rita: 'Maybe our rooms could touch.'
Michael Rita Character Comedy Misdirection Cringe/Discomfort Michael · Rita: Rita and Michael negotiating 'sleepover': 'I was thinking maybe we could be in the same room.' / 'Be in the same bed.' / 'Oh I see what you mean, a real sleepover.'
Rita · Michael: Rita: 'Well, maybe I should go home and get my things. I do kind of miss my jammies.' Michael: 'I think they're going to have a lot of that stuff there.' Rita: 'And my tiny teddy.' Michael: 'Good. Yes, get that.'
Rita Michael Character Comedy Misdirection Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch George Michael · Rita: George Michael driving Rita, who asks to listen to 'young people's music': they end up on 'Hot Potato' (a Wiggles-style children's song). George Michael's growing concern.
Trevor · Rita: Trevor to Rita: 'Do you have any idea what a sleepover is? Cause it's not just sleep.' Rita: 'I know what it is, Trevor, I've seen your secret magazine.'
Trevor Rita Character Comedy Misdirection Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Rita · Trevor: Rita: 'I want to have grown-up fun. Spoon and figgy pudding. Rabbit downdum druggary's hollow. And I want to have pop-pop.' Trevor: 'Well, the very fact that you call it that, tells me you're not ready.'
Rita Trevor Character Comedy Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Trevor: Trevor: 'And for your information, that's a cricket magazine.' — revealing the 'secret magazine' was about cricket all along.
Trevor Callback Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Trevor: Trevor: 'I mean, it's not your fault your parents were cousins, but... here we are.'
Trevor Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Rita · Trevor: Rita: 'Well, Michael will be my cousin soon enough, cause we're getting married.' Trevor and others: 'Married?! Married!' with escalating chaos.
Trevor · Rita: Trevor miming 'invisible locks' on the door: 'Lock. Lock. Lock.' while Rita protests 'That's not fair!'
Trevor Rita Absurdist Visual Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Trevor: Trevor: 'I've got to find a new hiding place for that magazine.'
Trevor Callback Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Callback Michael · George Sr. · Narrator: Michael calls his father from the hotel — awkwardly claims Rita is 'in the shower.' George Sr.: 'I'll wait.' Narrator: 'Let's wait.'
George Sr.: George Sr., watching TV from hotel arrest: 'Wow, that Blossom blew up, huh?'
George Sr. Observational Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Narrator · Michael: Narrator: 'And that local calls were $2.95 a minute.' Michael: 'Come on!' Narrator: 'That's where they get you.'
Rita · Michael: Rita: 'Trevor locked the door. He doesn't want me to be with you.' Michael: 'What, he locked the door? You can't unlock this door?' Rita: 'I can't even see half the locks! They're invisible. Trevor's the only one who can see them.'
Rita Michael Absurdist Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Rita · Narrator: Michael and Rita escape on... something. Rita cheering 'Yay! Michael! Yay!' as they flee. Then they hit something: 'I hate that (bleep) doll.'
Michael: Michael's grand romantic speech: 'Nothing can stop us now. Nothing in the world of man nor beast, nor time is...' — interrupted by the staircar.
Michael Escalation Physical/Slapstick Callback George Sr.: George Sr., seeing Rita's uncle Trevor arrive: 'Let the hand-outs begin!'
Trevor · George Sr. · Lucille: Trevor reveals Rita is mentally challenged AND owns all of Wee Britain. George Sr. and Lucille: 'Millions?' / 'Mentally challenged?' Lucille: 'Shh! It's not polite.'
Trevor: Trevor: 'Yes, it's funny how Americans don't pick up on that. I think it's cause of her accent and the plastic surgery she's been able to afford.'
Trevor Observational Irony/Sarcasm Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Lucille · George Sr. · Trevor: Lucille: 'Oh, Legoland.' George Sr.: 'I think they said they were going to Legoland.' Lucille: 'They did say Legoland.' Trevor: 'I didn't hear anything about Legoland.' Lucille/George Sr.: 'He doesn't know what's talking about. We think he may be mentally challenged.'
Lucille · Trevor: Lucille to Trevor: 'We have got 24 hours to get them married before Michael figures out what she really is.' Trevor: 'This is the first time in two years you've sounded like George Bluth.'
Rita · Michael: Rita: 'I want to have sexual relations.' Michael: 'Mere fact that you call it that tells me that you are ready.'
Rita Michael Callback Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · George Michael: George Michael appears at the hotel room door unexpectedly. Michael says: 'Um, go ahead and... talk out here.' — massive understatement.
George Michael · Michael: George Michael arrives having spent the day with Rita: 'We just got back from the bumpaddle courts. Tomorrow, I'm teaching her baseball.' Michael: 'Yeah. That may take a while.'
George Michael · Michael · Rita: George Michael's videotape of Rita playing with the plastic fruit bowl — eating a plastic banana, going back for the grapes. Michael and George Michael watching in silent mortification.
Michael · George Michael: Michael to George Michael about the plastic fruit: 'It's the plastic fruit, Dad.' Michael: 'It's very convincing fruit, okay?'
Michael: Michael: 'Well, you know, they don't even have bananas in England, okay, son?'
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Absurdist Callback George Michael · Michael: George Michael: 'I think she might be... retar... retarded.' Michael: 'I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.'
Rita · Michael: Rita appears with a small stuffed bear: 'Say hello to my tiny teddy.' Michael (horrified): 'Oh! Tiny Teddy!'
Rita Michael Callback Misdirection Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Narrator · Michael · Rita: Narrator: 'And that's when it dawned on Michael.' — then plays back: 'Oh, you teach kids, huh?' / 'Oh, I like to think they teach me.' / 'That way I can see if you have a monster.' / 'Be careful.'
Michael: Michael: 'I've made a huge mistake.'
Michael Running Gag Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Rita · Narrator: Michael 'tests' Rita: 'How many houses are there in the British Parliament?' Rita: 'Seven.' Michael: 'Are there?' Narrator: 'The answer is three.' Michael: 'Does sound about right.' Rita: 'Three is the correct answer.'
Michael · Rita: Michael uses celibacy as an excuse: 'I think that we should wait until after we're married.' Rita: 'Married! Married, married, married!'
Michael Rita Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Narrator · Michael: Narrator: 'And Michael felt he deserved a $15 thing of candy beans.'
George Sr. · Lucille · Larry: The Bluth parents throw Michael a surprise wedding — 'On us. Everything you see.' 'Show them the waffle bar, Larry.'
Rita: Rita: 'I want to get married and have sexual relations like you promised.'
Rita Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Callback George Sr. · Lucille · Michael: George Sr.: 'Where did you get this firecracker? I love her, Michael.' Lucille: 'So do I. I want to kiss my new daughter-in-law.' — Then pushes to kiss Rita on the lips. Michael: 'No, no, Dad, please take it easy.'
Lindsay: Lindsay: 'I'll help you put it on inside out!' — offering to help Rita with her wedding dress the wrong way.
Lindsay Callback Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Lucille · Michael: Lucille: 'The rest will just be little happy surprises along the way. Like you said.' Michael: 'Yeah. With the exception of the retard thing.'
Michael · Lucille: Michael: 'She's rich.' / Lucille: 'This is a new low, even for you, Mom.'
Lucille: Michael: 'I'm crazy about the little dullard.' — Lucille's explanation for supporting the marriage.
Lucille Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael · Lucille · Larry: Michael: 'Larry go to a mirror!' — followed by rapid firing: 'You're fired.' / 'You're fired.' / 'What?!' / 'It's over.'
Michael · Lucille: Michael fires the wedding staff mid-ceremony: 'You're fired.' / Lucille immediately echoes: 'You're fired.'
Michael · Wedding Coordinator: Michael and wedding coordinator: 'And this is how you tell me, in the middle of a wedding?' / 'You shouldn't have said anything.'
George Michael: George Michael's cousin-marriage speech: 'In some states, it's legal to marry your own cousin. California's blocked it twice, but that's only because they tacked it onto an estate law thing that wasn't gonna pass. We had the signatures...'
George Michael Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Michael: 'There wouldn't be any real intimacy, and it would be the strongest marriage in the family.'
Michael Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm Observational Michael · George Sr. · Lindsay: Lindsay runs out at the reveal, wearing an inside-out bridesmaid's dress. Michael: 'You better catch her, Dad.' George Sr.: 'That's not gonna be easy. She's an Olympic Silver.'
George Sr.: George Sr.: 'Just figured that one out.' — about Rita being an Olympic Silver.
George Sr. Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Maeby: Maeby: 'Okay. Well, I'll have to go stop production on The Ocean Walker.'
Maeby Callback Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Rita · Michael: Rita to Michael: 'I didn't know until they told me.' Michael: 'No, I'm just a narcissist who was too self-involved to see the truth.' Rita: 'That makes no sense to me.' Michael: 'Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself.'
Rita Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Misdirection ★ Rewatch Michael · Rita: Rita: 'And you deserve to find somebody a lot more like you.' Michael: 'I don't think that either of us would be happy.'
Michael Rita Irony/Sarcasm Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Michael · Rita: Michael: 'You're gonna be across an ocean.' Rita: 'Well, you can always walk.' Michael: 'Not on the water.' Rita: 'Oh, Michael, you're such a grown-up.'
Michael Rita Callback Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Rita · Michael · Gob: Rita appears to walk on water — or at least, it looks like she does. Michael and Gob watch.
Gob · Michael: Gob: 'Hang on a sec. That's part of your trick, right?' Michael: 'No.' Gob: 'That's not my trick, Michael.'
Gob Michael Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Gob: On the Next Arrested Development: Gob's illusion at the wedding — 'Why am I not going under water? Dear God, why am I not going under water?'
Gob Escalation Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Top Episodes — Arrested Development