Michael jumps at a chance to spend more time with George-Michael, who seeks a clueless president for Fakeblock. Tobias relocates his makeshift family.
Season 5's densest episode wraps the Bluth saga in character comedy, delivering 44 jokes across 44 minutes.
Directed by Troy Miller · Written by Mitchell Hurwitz
WAR
49.5
Wins Above Replacement
“Taste Makers” ranks #38 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 82.1 — Elite. The episode packs 44 scored jokes at 1.4 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 6.9 on impact, with Gob landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Gob: The only firm that's gotten back to me is the gang over at Mailer Daemon. Aw, damn it! God, missed him again.
Gob Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Lindsay · Tobias: Turkey jerky, popcorn, and leftover Jeff. - Aw. There's no Linda left?
Michael: A little bit of TV, sure, and then a little kiss good night and off to bed. You know, I am just realizing that I'm still picturing you as a ten-year-old.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy George Michael: Let me see what we have here. Yeah. See? Right here. You have to uncheck 'Presume Teeth.'
Maeby: Three times in one week. People are gonna start asking, you know, elderly abuse? Which apparently is a real thing.
Maeby Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement All Jokes — 44 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Oscar · Buster: Inside, outside, inside, outside... - Who is this guy? - I don't know... inside... but I don't like the looks of him... outside...
Oscar · Buster: Tell him to off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, to F off, twinkle toes. Tell him to F off.
George Michael · Gob: Do you think they could be Anonymous, like Guy Fawkses? - Foxy guys.
George Michael: I fired her there on the spot. - So you fired the person in charge of... - Firing. Yes. So, you know, you fire the person in HR last.
George Michael: That's the lesson here. But, hey, this is how you learn in business, am I right?
Maeby: The minute I put the teeth in, I become... a completely different person.
Maeby Absurdist Visual Gag ★ Rewatch George Michael · Maeby: George Maharis can have a heart attack. - Maeby gets hit by a bus. - Killing off Maeby? - Yup, see you.
Maeby: He's in the hospital, massive head injury. Free rent. New neighbors every six to eight months.
Maeby Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Maeby: Annette, she like-a the pasta, hmm?
George Michael: Playing a game where I just throw the tennis ball against the wall and try and catch it. And then if I miss it, I... feel pretty bad and beat myself up, and then I kind of try and move past that and get back on the horse.
Narrator: ♪ Minor regression ♪
Michael · George Michael: That explains that toothbrush next to the warning sign. And you see how they spelled 'byte' without a y. - No, this is for dentists.
Michael: This is why you have a billion-dollar software company and your old man has to hit 'popcorn' on the microwave any time I want to heat something up.
Michael Character Comedy Observational Tobias: I had nine gummy bears wrapped in tinfoil here, and the tinfoil is still here, but, uh, I'm super confused. Do we have magic gummy bears that just get up and walk away?
Tobias Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement Lindsay: I thought you said you were the sticky white glue that this family sniffs together.
Lindsay: Yeah, you're good at that, Dad. You're good at leaving. It... It's kind of your thing, actually.
Lindsay Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Callback Tobias: I've been jammed with bigger things in tighter spots than this.
Tobias: No, you fuck... Oh!
Tobias Physical/Slapstick Reaction Beat Oscar: This is what we in the Bluth family call a 'Don't Tell Michael.'
Oscar Running Gag Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Stan: She's smiling all the time, even when she sleeps.
Stan Visual Gag Cringe/Discomfort Oscar · Buster: Inside, outside. Inside, outside. Inside, outside. Outside. Inside, outside. - You blow our cover, and she's a goner. - Inside, outside.
Michael: Have you ever noticed that dreams are hard to remember? There's one I can't forget. The dream of us working together.
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy George Michael: I'm convinced that in the break room, there's still an active chair.
Michael: A little bit of TV, sure, and then a little kiss good night and off to bed. You know, I am just realizing that I'm still picturing you as a ten-year-old.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy George Michael: I think I was trying to engineer a way to stay up late and watch The Tom Green Show.
Oscar · Buster: Wet side, dry side, wet side, dry side, wet side, dry side...
Maeby · George Michael: It's the perfect way to end a terrible relationship. - It's not terrible. It's... it's a great relationship. - Yes, but it won't be once you sell her a shitty company.
Maeby: Three times in one week. People are gonna start asking, you know, elderly abuse? Which apparently is a real thing.
Maeby Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Gob · Tobias · Lindsay: Well, just one of the smaller ones. You won't even know it's being used. - ...because an actor's body is his instrument. - Come get my shower ready and then take over on the elliptical.
Lindsay · Tobias: Turkey jerky, popcorn, and leftover Jeff. - Aw. There's no Linda left?
Tobias · Family: ♪ 88 days and squatter's rights kick in ♪
Gob: Uh, yeah, e-mail, but this is g-mail. Down here on the third floor set it up for me, and then when we moved to the fourth, I was like, screw it, I'll just come down here to check it, 'cause I don't want wires going everywhere.
Gob Character Comedy Absurdist George Michael · Gob: You can use your phone for that. - Yeah, and I could use a pigeon. But for this particular task, I've chosen e-mail.
Gob: The only firm that's gotten back to me is the gang over at Mailer Daemon. Aw, damn it! God, missed him again.
Gob Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Maeby · Gob: - I'll be damned, it is a he. - Who e-mails back... What? At Wednesday at nap?
Maeby Gob Callback Character Comedy Callback Gob · George Michael: Powerful Gay Tastemakers? The Gay Mafia. - What? - That's the Gay Mafia. Surely you've heard of them.
George Michael: Let me see what we have here. Yeah. See? Right here. You have to uncheck 'Presume Teeth.'
Gob: ♪ You're doin' fine, Oklahoma ♪ ♪ Oklahoma, O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A ♪ ♪ Oklahoma ♪
Gob: Sure, I guess it could get me off. - I mean, out.
Gob: There'd be less gays that would suck the gays out. - No. - I mean, off.
Austero · Gob · Gay Mafia Member: She was my sister. - My apologies. - Think I was shacking up with your sister. - Maybe he is gay.
Gob · Gay Mafia: You're gonna... tap-dance on my grave? Oh, hell, you saw the matinee. Out you go.
Gob: I don't know who he is. - Stupid day to take an Uber.
Gob Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Tobias: I bet this place gets a lot quieter after dark. Also, we could always go to the food court. Oh, and maybe we can ask them to turn down the birds.
Tobias Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Top Episodes — Arrested Development
