Buster's brief appearance in a TV weather report puts the Bluths back in hot water, but Michael has a plan involving his son's definitely real company.
Season finale relies heavily on character quirks but lacks the callback density that defined earlier runs.
Directed by Troy Miller · Written by Chris Marrs
WAR
41.2
Wins Above Replacement
“The Untethered Sole” ranks #67 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 78.8 — Elite. The episode packs 41 scored jokes at 1.2 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 6.9 on impact, with George Sr. landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Michael Dark/Subversive Cringe/Discomfort Lucille: This is what happens when you're rich and white in America.
Lucille Irony/Sarcasm Dark/Subversive Lucille: It must be something in these cigarettes.
Tobias · Lucille: raised by a young mother who had him at 17, whose only flaw was that... she loved him... too much. Actually, I was 37.
Buster: I've never even got my suit wet from the outside.
Buster Character Comedy Absurdist All Jokes — 41 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ George Sr.: I never should have done Lindsay first. Lindsay's having a widening spurt.
Michael: I think Buster was actually talking about Mom.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch George Sr.: Oh, yes. No, uh... I thought... you were talking about recent... Yes, thank you. Yes, she is, uh... She is quite the beauty.
George Sr.: Well, that's the downside of having a mother who never ages.
Lucille: It must be something in these cigarettes.
George Sr.: I'm sure you'll all be thin by Thursday, Lindsay.
Lucille: It's not a dog collar. It's Buster's Gentleman Collar.
Lucille Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Buster: Yeah, I barely know it's... Well, he's grown a little.
Buster Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Michael: You bought me a dorky, lame, stupid, gay magic kit?
Michael Misdirection Character Comedy Buster: So I named it after her: Lucille Ball.
Buster Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Buster: Take that back! You take that back! We're normal! We're normal!
Buster Cringe/Discomfort Irony/Sarcasm Family members: Okay. Down, down. Easy, Buster. Easy, boy. Sit.
Buster: I've never even got my suit wet from the outside.
Buster Character Comedy Absurdist Gob: Back to whence it came.
Gob Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Lucille: This is what happens when you're rich and white in America.
Lucille Irony/Sarcasm Dark/Subversive George Sr.: but it's nice he's giving the help the night off.
George Sr.: Tomorrow... No, I guess it'll stop today. Today's the last day.
George Sr.: And really, we're just asking this Asian gentleman and his wife...? To move over to that group of chairs there, freeing up the end seat, which I would love to take a shot at sitting in.
Tobias: I can't spend any time with anybody under 25. About Buster.
Tobias Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Eddie Cantrow: Son of a bitch!
Narrator: In fairness to him, it had taken him a super long time to get a decent parking spot that he didn't have to walk, like, a mile from.
Narrator Observational Deadpan/Understatement Buster Visual Gag Character Comedy George Sr.: Even though they do say, in most cases, something happens in childhood and, usually, the person that raises them is to blame. But that's experts.
Lucille: Don't you try to pin this on Lupe. She had her own family to raise, too.
Lucille Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Tobias: Then I should be its ringmaster.
Tobias Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Unknown: As you see, it's latex, so it can go right up your ass.
Unknown Dark/Subversive Cringe/Discomfort Tobias · Lucille: raised by a young mother who had him at 17, whose only flaw was that... she loved him... too much. Actually, I was 37.
Lindsay: They're threatening our feet?
Lindsay Character Comedy Misdirection George Sr.: You don't think these Chinese would first try to, I don't know, ding your credit rating? It's their culture.
Lucille: Right. With him, you knew where you stood. Or... Or couldn't.
George Sr. · Lucille: This is why we never told you about the beach house, Michael. Uh, can I add something? This is why we never told you about the beach house.
Michael: I mean, Jesus Christ, $7,000 to find out that Ann Veal had nothing to do with Buster's case?
Michael Escalation Character Comedy Callback Rebel Callback ★ Rewatch Callback George Michael · Michael · George Sr.: A foot. They're threatening our feet? Is it a foot now? They shortened it.
Michael: Well, not 'chop, chop,' not... That's a bad choice of words. For Christ's sake.
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Gob: Exactly, and everyone knows the workday doesn't start until nine to five.
Gob Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Michael Dark/Subversive Cringe/Discomfort Gob: My name is Gob Bluth, and as president of Fakeblock, I have an announcement! I'm building a wall!
Gob Escalation Character Comedy Narrator: Yup. This is how it ended for the honeybee, as well.
Narrator Callback Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback George Michael · Narrator: You're fired. Yup. This is how it ended for the honeybee, as well.
Guilty Guys: Guys, guys, guys, this fits with the fact that he can't walk. And has been carried everywhere he went, damn it. Which means what, G-Man? He couldn't have committed this crime. In any way.
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