Gob acquires a new office for the company with a "premium view." Michael gets a shock when he returns to a place that holds a lot of memories.
Character comedy drives 79-point episode with Tobias verbal tics and Michael's con schemes.
Directed by Troy Miller · Written by Jim Vallely
WAR
56.5
Wins Above Replacement
“Old Start, An” ranks #62 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 79.0 — Elite. The episode packs 58 scored jokes at 1.6 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 6.8 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
Tobias: No one was buying me as a straight man. It was a little off-brand.
Tobias Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: At least he did something that we have not been able to do. He stood up for himself when his father was wrong.
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Maeby · Narrator: The moment when a young woman realizes... Oh, my God, I've become my father. ♪ In the most delicious way! ♪
Maeby: When people catch on, they either forget or they die.
Maeby Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Tobias: Not only are you finding me in your son's pants, but you're also finding out how the sausage is made.
Tobias Cringe/Discomfort Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 58 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Employee · Michael: - They closed the company. - For forgiving his debt. - Don't mind me, I work downstairs. - Hi. Doing a little lunch looting.
Michael · Employee: Oh, yeah, a lot of people's first house was a Bluth. No, no, I was part of that Cornballer class action suit.
Employee · Michael: I made enough to put a down payment on a Sitwell. Well, we've put a lot of people in Sitwells, too.
GOB: Uh... oh, God, well, you caught us. Didn't think anybody would be getting on while we were getting off.
Unknown person: An iPhone 5 charger! Fourth floor.
Michael · Narrator: Just to see the roof of a Rite Aid? Which was the first that G.O.B. had heard of the view.
GOB · Michael: It used to be a 2 Hour Teeth, the whole place. Yeah, I remember the screams. I guess it was the 90 Minute Tooth guys across the street that put the 2 Hour guys out of business.
GOB: I did see that the old Blockbuster is becoming an 'Hour Mouth,' so those guys gotta be shitting themselves.
GOB Absurdist Escalation ★ Rewatch Michael · GOB: Boy, what's a bike tire doing on the roof of the Rite Aid? Yeah, that's the $14,000 a month question, isn't it?
Adhir: You're the smart Bluth, I can see it in your eyes. You read, don't you?
Adhir Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch GOB · Adhir: Or as I like to call him, Chief Worrywart. / It's 'compliance officer.'
GOB: That's it, go to your office, Adhir. He's the chief compliant officer, so he has to do whatever I comply.
GOB Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Michael: Like you, I'm about to go underwater, but before I go, I'd like to give you some advice: you're not good at this.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Misdirection GOB: I will get a trophy for Dad, for... something. Figure that out later.
GOB Character Comedy Absurdist Michael · GOB: Then why did you move into your son's dorm room? That was a year, okay? And not even a full year, because I got there at Thanksgiving.
Tobias: Not only are you finding me in your son's pants, but you're also finding out how the sausage is made.
Tobias Cringe/Discomfort Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Tobias: No one was buying me as a straight man. It was a little off-brand.
Tobias Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tobias: Lindsay has... what does Gwyneth Paltrow say? 'Consciously un-cuckold' me.
Tobias Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Tobias: Michael, if I could... put my therapist leggings on for one second.
Tobias Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tobias: I suppose I did... start too high. Okay, let's bring everyone down an octave.
Tobias Physical/Slapstick Character Comedy Tobias · Michael: I wish I had known you'd had such depth before I gave your part away to a less experienced actor. I didn't know there was such a thing.
Tobias: He has one personality trait: he always comes back. Well, that and he always has his hands in his pockets. You got peanuts in there?
Tobias Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Captain · Michael: No, we leave at 6:00 p.m. You telling me we've got a 14-bell delay?
Senior Center Employee · George Michael: Looking for a grandparent? No, thank you. I... No, I have enough.
Maeby: That's what the seniors do to keep the young people away. They don't want 'dot-commers' taking over.
Maeby · Narrator: The moment when a young woman realizes... Oh, my God, I've become my father. ♪ In the most delicious way! ♪
George Michael · Maeby: I didn't want to say anything, but I was like, 'Maeby looks like a 65-year-old.' What if I told you I was 75? Holy shit. You look fantastic.
Maeby: When people catch on, they either forget or they die.
Maeby Dark/Subversive Deadpan/Understatement Maeby: Lost all my personal paperwork in Hurricane Cantina.
Maeby Wordplay/Pun Absurdist Stan Sitwell · Maeby: Do you realize this condo is listed as Lucille Austero's? Yes. I am her. Sister. I am her sister.
Maeby: My silky pajamas, my peekaboo bras, my ticklers, sex knobs, and lacy hoo-has
Maeby Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Maeby · George Michael: He's got horrible aids. Oh, hearing aids. Yeah, yeah, here they call them aids. The other ones they call aids.
Maeby: Don't worry, if he asks who you are, I'll just tell him you're Tom Collins. He's always asking for a Tom Collins.
Maeby Setup/Punchline Observational Maeby: You perverted that into a way to not hurt him.
Maeby Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Maeby · George Michael: You passed out at the aquarium. They make you feel like you're underwater with all these giant... Dolphins? I think that was some kind of smiling, kind of bemused baby shark.
Maeby: You tell her, 'I'm here for a quickie', and I'm out of here.' Mr. Brash. And she'll drop you like a buttered cane.
Maeby Wordplay/Pun Absurdist Michael · Stranger · Stranger: My wife died there. Ovarian cancer, actually. He's a liar. And... He shouldn't have said that.
Michael: Lied to me, and that's worse.
Michael Running Gag Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Lucille: Were we supposed to lose our precious daughter-in-law and a couple hundred grand in the same year?
Lucille Dark/Subversive Character Comedy Lucille: That totally lovely Rita. Uh, she was a smart cookie, that one.
Lucille Callback Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Lucille: H-Honestly, I never thought you'd get past the guard gate.
Lucille Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Lindsay · Tobias: Am I supposed to be me? No! You are... I'm... A girl. You're a girl, Linds, uh, Murphy B... Lucille.
Tobias: It's basically Michael without the peanut pockets.
Tobias Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Lindsay: Actually, sometimes, I think I want to be a dog doctor. Ow!
Lindsay Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Tobias: I know 50 gentlemen who would tuck their last nut to play this part.
Tobias Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Buster: Does this mean we can start leaving towels on the floor?
Buster Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Buster · Michael: I'm making this into a trophy for Dad. / I can't wait to see the one you got yourself.
Trophy Store Owner: It's a good time to be in this business. Everyone gets a trophy. I tell people to stay away from the business. It's always been a lousy business, and these days everybody shops online. Everybody gets a trophy.
GOB: So the guy was like, 'Are you shitting me?' That's usually the sign that you've made yourself a great deal.
GOB Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm GOB: No, he didn't even have keys to the back room. Also, the heat doesn't turn off.
GOB Escalation Character Comedy Michael: At least he did something that we have not been able to do. He stood up for himself when his father was wrong.
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm George Sr.: I told her, 'He's gonna take us from the beach.'
George Sr.: Stacy was the paralegal I used to bring out there who went into insulin shock at the very height of the market.
Dusty: You know, I smashed my phone a couple years ago, too. With a hammer. Never missed it. Miss the hammer, but I guess that's why. God made rocks.
Dusty Absurdist Character Comedy News Reporter: Van Halen was in town this weekend rocking audiences. But some beachgoers are getting rocked in a different way... Nirvana was in town... 50 Cent was in town...
Dusty: Get off my beach, you stupid seagulls.
Dusty Character Comedy Absurdist Lucille: Care to join me for a glass of breakfast wine?
Lucille Character Comedy Observational Callback Michael: I don't know, maybe she did not hear 'I'm leaving' when I said, uh, 'I ain't going nowhere.'
Michael Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Top Episodes — Arrested Development
