As the Bluths come together to unveil a wall, they once again discover that they deserve nothing more than to be saddled with each other forever.
Final act escalation delivers 62 jokes in 58 minutes—series-high density for a denouement.
Directed by Troy Miller · Written by Mitchell Hurwitz
WAR
67.9
Wins Above Replacement
“The Fallout” ranks #52 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 80.6 — Elite. The episode packs 62 scored jokes at 1.1 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 7.0 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
Buster: Okay, I did it. So... But doesn't she remind you of Mom?
Buster Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Buster: Okay, I did it. So...
Buster Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Gob: You know, he just... he was just so good at acting like, 'Where'd she go? What happened to her? She just... She vanished.'
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Michael: You're goddamn right I did!
Michael Escalation Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Lucille 2 · Michael: You're too chicken for that. You're the chicken, and not a spring one. How dare you say that to me! Chick-chick. Chick-chick-chick.
All Jokes — 62 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Dusty: Mistrial! Mistrial! Yes, yes, I missed your trial!
Dusty Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Buster: Well, had I known that she was talking about Lindsay, I would have been, like, 'Goodbye, Felicia.'
Buster Character Comedy Observational Buster: I did, but nothing's gonna happen to me 'cause I'm just a boy.
Buster Character Comedy Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Buster · Michael: Lottie. She's so mean. I wish I could shove her down the st... Hey! Shh!
Michael · Dusty: No touching! Or touching. Yeah, feel it. It's a rental.
Gob · Buster: body-shaped thing... It's from a magician.
Narrator: He's gonna have to stay gay. Gob assumed he'd been ghosted.
Gay Mafia: We know you're as straight as an Oklahoma highway.
Argyle: Then we'll let you age out.
Argyle Dark/Subversive Absurdist Buster: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I saw A Few Good Men, too. But Dusty's the real deal. Sorry, Michael. Game recognizes game.
Buster Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Michael · Dusty: She asked you to get rid of family memories? Why? Is that weird? It's just that, typically, the drinking does that.
Dusty: Mother, I'm going to open the box! Mom's not here, so it turns out she's not as all-powerful as I think she is.
Dusty Character Comedy Escalation Michael: I know which one I would watch with a gun to my head. Not the hi-res.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Setup/Punchline Michael: Awesome. '82 was awesome. Good year.
Michael Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort Dusty: These are three-quarter-inch, Michael. This is not a TV station in the '70s.
Dusty Observational Character Comedy Narrator: But, fortunately, Michael knew someone at a news station in his 70s.
Gob: Could you really enjoy your freedom, knowing that you hurt my career?
Gob Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Gob: And violate magician-assistant privilege? Not an option!
Gob Absurdist Character Comedy Gob: I don't know. I'll use Adhir. But if you are acquitted, we can start as soon as next week, 'cause I got a big illusion planned.
Gob Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Narrator: They were two tough guys right out of Guys and Dolls, a play they were in the middle of a very successful four-week run of at a local community theater.
Narrator Misdirection Observational ★ Rewatch Gay Mafia member: Reminds me of how Hanks walked around like Jim Lovell for a year.
Gob · Narrator: Well, cis male, high butch. Gob had learned a lot in the short time he'd been magically gay.
John Beard · Michael: Well, John, you used our house for To Entrap a Local Predator. That's it. You were one of our super creeps.
Lottie · Dusty: Objection. Is this going somewhere? Yeah, that's what I wanted to find out.
Judge: I'll allow it. I won't allow that. That's... Sustained. That's... That's fine. That's fair.
Judge Reaction Beat Character Comedy Gob: You know, he just... he was just so good at acting like, 'Where'd she go? What happened to her? She just... She vanished.'
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Tobias: Doctor-to-be, Tobias Fünke. Subject, who is now in a deep hypnotic state, and this is my doctoral research material on memory suppression.
Tobias Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Young Buster: Give him some juice, please.
Tobias · Young Buster: Juice, please! What really happened is your mother pushed Mimi down the stairs. But what do we tell the police? Mother pushed Mimi down the stairs. No, no, no, no. Please remove the juice, please!
Young Buster · Lucille: I did it, but nothing's gonna happen to me 'cause I'm just a boy. Can you say it again? ...but nothing's gonna happen to me 'cause I'm a boy. I wish I hadn't finished that juice.
John Beard · Michael: A Few Good Men. Great movie. But first, I got to wash the pile... Sure. Take your time.
Lottie: Interesting, huh? Hers were a lot easier than his.
Lottie Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Dusty · Lottie · Judge: Oh, that'll be great timing, because I've been drinking this free court water. Does the prosecution have any objections? I need a break. Oh, let him go. Oh, he worked through recess.
Judge · Michael: I think you mean 'the accused's mother.' Oh, what did I say?
Lucille: Look at you, milking this for every moment. Isn't this classic Michael? We make fun of him all the time. Right, Gob?
Lucille Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Lucille: are you going for one of your Few Good Men moments?
Lucille Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Lucille: Oh, God, are you going for one of your Few Good Men moments?
Lucille Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy Michael: You're goddamn right I did!
Michael Escalation Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Michael · Narrator: You're goddamn right I did! And that's how Michael A Few Good Men-ed himself.
Lucille Observational Character Comedy Narrator: It was a stunningly dramatic twist, a real Making of a Monster-type moment.
Narrator Meta/Self-Referential Observational Dusty · Michael: Two brothers can't be charged for the same crime. Well, I hate to say it, but you may have been getting better advice from Barry.
Lucille · Michael: Never say that! Gob is the worst. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Lucille: People with liberal-tardation.
Lucille Character Comedy Dark/Subversive Lucille · Sally Sitwell: Oh, the protesters. I don't know who let these libtards in here. I beg your pardon? People with liberal-tardation.
Protesters · Tobias: What do we want? No wall! When do we want it? We don't? That doesn't... Go limp! Go limp! Go... No, no, no, no. You... You look like you're at a Walking Dead convention. No, limp, like, uh, flaccid. Unerect.
Tobias: Three dollars an hour and a copy of the news footage for my reel.
Tobias Character Comedy Observational Callback Tobias: I wear the horns of a cuckold. That's why you don't put your girlfriend in the same sleeping bag with your son. But I'm not gonna let him share mine. I like to spread my legs. Apparently, so does DeBrie.
Tobias Cringe/Discomfort Escalation Gob: Today, in these plywood forms, 10,000 pounds of wet, gay, QuickHard cement will be poured, because if we build it, they won't come!
Reporter · Buster: How does it feel to be accused of murder? It was a lot of work, but I didn't do it! They found me not guilty. Well, it was a mistrial, so they found you not not guilty.
Chinese investor · George Michael: We have a word for this in Chinese. It means a combination of embarrassment and obligation. We need a word like that.
George Michael: Howard you like me now, Dad? Howard you like me now?
George Michael · Narrator: You could both use a hit. I'm sorry. As did Michael.
Tony Wonder · Gob: My God, they're such a bunch of drama thugs. Well, I might not have been dead, but my career was. I was doing three shows a day in Branson in the, uh, Yakov Smirnoff Theater. What's he like? Disappointing.
Tony Wonder: they're such a bunch of drama thugs.
Lucille 2 · Michael: You're too chicken for that. You're the chicken, and not a spring one. How dare you say that to me! Chick-chick. Chick-chick-chick.
Michael · Lucille: According to the succeeding New York Times, Donald Trump doesn't even have a... a chance of winning that election. Oh, I don't know, don't count out his likability.
Maeby · Lindsay · Buster: Oh, my God. Lucille 2 is your mother? Mimi. Not Lucille 2. Oh, right. That is who I pushed down the stairs.
Various: Hey, gang, does Buster's mannequin look like... Judy Garland. Is it Lucille 2? Why is she smiling? This isn't a mannequin. This is... the happiest corpse I've ever seen.
Various Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Buster: Okay, I did it. So... But doesn't she remind you of Mom?
Buster Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Buster: Okay, I did it. So...
Buster Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Buster: But doesn't she remind you of Mom?
Buster Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Top Episodes — Arrested Development