Michael attempts to bail out Buster. George-Michael finally meets the Howards, and Ron informs Michael that his plans for the movie have changed.
Steady character comedy sustains a 78-point episode despite minimal standout moments.
Directed by Troy Miller · Written by Evan Mann, Gareth Reynolds
WAR
78.1
Wins Above Replacement
“Emotional Baggage” ranks #66 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 78.8 — Elite. The episode packs 73 scored jokes at 1.8 per minute, averaging 7.3 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
Buster: A skinhead. I'm gonna kill you, you bleeping skinhead! Oh, hey! Skinhead! See what I did to skinhead?
Buster Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Tony Wonder: I'm in a Tumi... suitcase. I think I'm in baggage claim at Long Beach Airport. My assistant's picking me up, unless she takes another gray Tumi by mistake, then I go to unclaimed.
Gob: I'd like to see one get out of here quickly in an emergency. They'd be all... I have to get out of here. Get me out of here.
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Michael: I think he's got a great build. You know? Um, he's wiry. You wouldn't want him to be taller. I like the young man's body. Okay? I do.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Escalation ★ Rewatch Narrator: Unfortunately, Maeby left the dye in too long, and it turned out to be... Howard Red.
Narrator Misdirection Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 73 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael: I'd never ask you for money. Come on. And it's 50,000 that I'm not asking you for, not 15, okay?
Michael Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy George Michael · Michael: Which I could probably lend you. - Oh, I don't need it. - Huh? No? Good. Yeah? Good, good.
Barry: I was gonna use your divorce to pay off my peekaboo lawyer.
Barry Absurdist Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Barry: Oh, God, the giving up the rat race guy? This is the sand hobo?
Barry Character Comedy Escalation Lucille · Michael: He tickles my fancy. Your what? Is the... What part of Mom is the fancy?
Michael: You do not want to know what I'm picturing, and it's not what you think.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Barry: Yeah, Lottie Dottie DA, my asshole.
Barry Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Gob: are we talking about reality or, uh, scripted, as well, because I've got...
Gob Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Gob: First, you eat it with Buster, then you step in it with the movie, and now you're eating what you stepped in, because Kitty hates you.
Gob Escalation Wordplay/Pun Gob: Guess Michael's the geo-bead today.
Gob Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Gob · Michael: 'Geo-bead' confusion and George Sr.'s made-up expression
Gob: Yeah, it's one of Dad's expressions... When somebody screws up, Dad said it. One of his 'you'll figure it out someday' expressions.
Gob Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Michael: G-O-B spells 'Gob,' you geo-bead, so why don't you s... ah. Well, today's the day.
Gob: Yes, of course, Marky Bark. From the cuckolding.
Gob Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Callback Maeby · George Michael: Why don't we make out again and teach them a lesson? I can't, 'cause my dad's here, and he thinks I'm still dating Rebel.
Maeby · George Michael: And how would our making out teach them a lesson? T-Teach Rebel a lesson. I meant, teach Rebel.
George Michael: George Michael's failed breakup plan with Rebel
George Michael: she was out of town for two months, and it looked like I was waiting for her when she got home, and she thinks we're closer than ever now
Michael · Maeby: Oh, did that actress die? Oh, you, 2015.
Michael: Did I overhear that Rebel does not want you to meet her family?
Michael Character Comedy Misdirection Michael: I also thought that he was... Her... Her lover? Boss.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Awkward Silence ★ Rewatch Michael: Be yourself, George Michael. George Maharis. Yes, be George Maharis, George Michael.
Michael Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: Eating what you stepped in. You made that point.
Michael Callback Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Gob · Narrator: Who were you dating? Julie Bowen! Actually, it was Tony Wonder
Gob Narrator Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Narrator: a man Gob had been longing to hear from ever since the gay magician poofed into his life, and then, just as quickly... Disa-poofed.
Narrator Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael · Gob: The only mother figure he's ever had in his life was... Oh, it was Mom. Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. Huh, poor kid.
Michael: Wait, we had Mom. You know, in a way, she was our mom.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Stan: I heard we're getting a visit from the grandson. Want a lick?
George Michael · Stan: Oh, my God, no. Good, more for me. Gonna have more? I can come back.
Stan: If your grandson wasn't here, I'd probably take a peeky-weeky.
Stan Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy George Michael · Maeby: That's starting to tingle. Let me know when it starts to burn. It's gonna burn? Did I not make that clear?
Maeby: Nobody said getting out of a relationship would be painless.
Maeby Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Tobias: Technically, they had to call me Rock Monster. And John Beard actually said I was one of the more popular predators
Tobias Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Tobias: I didn't ask, 'What part of a dog do you want to touch?'
Tobias Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Kitty: Michael! Whatever it is, the answer is no, unless you want the answer to be no, and then, it is yes.
Kitty Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kitty · Michael: I was gonna say, they look puffy and red. You guys need to get a room, huh?
Gob · Kitty: I can see she's got gum in her mouth. She can hear you.
Gob Kitty Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Narrator: Unfortunately, Maeby left the dye in too long, and it turned out to be... Howard Red.
Narrator Misdirection Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch George Michael: No, it isn't. It... It's... Imagine if it was pink, though.
Ron Howard's wife: Someone's come a-courtin'. You're fitting in already.
Rebel: We Howards don't just laugh when things are funny. We laugh when we're happy. And when things are uncomfortable, too.
Rebel Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch George Michael: You mean, when bad reviews start rolling in?
George Michael: The company's gonna go under by next week. We're broke. Guess I'm not exactly daddy's dream boyfriend, am I?
Ron Howard: When I started Imagine... With Brian Grazer. ...but look at me... And Brian. Now.
Ron Howard: But I'll tell you a secret, everyone feels that way.
George Michael · Narrator: No, I don't like hot dogs. But couldn't. I love them.
Gob: I'd like to see one get out of here quickly in an emergency. They'd be all... I have to get out of here. Get me out of here.
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Michael · Gob: 'Did you trick her into it yet?' 'Trick her into what?' 'Giving us our rights back, you geo...'
Michael Gob Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Tony Wonder: I'm in a Tumi... suitcase. I think I'm in baggage claim at Long Beach Airport. My assistant's picking me up, unless she takes another gray Tumi by mistake, then I go to unclaimed.
Gob: I would've claimed you.
Gob Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Gob · Tony Wonder: Different in the same way. Same, in a different way. Different... Same... in a same gay way? Different same.
George Sr. · Buster: This is where I ate a battery during my first week at recess. No, no, 'yard.' Don't call it recess.
Prison guard: I almost didn't recognize you without the flashlight in your mouth.
George Sr.: You charge at a guard, they'll kill you. Oh, yeah. That I should know.
George Sr. Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback George Sr.: Sort of a son with benefits.
Rebel · George Michael: Sometimes, you want to look in your parents' perfect, sweet, kind faces, and tell them off. Punch them.
George Michael: Bailout money, as you put it.
Rebel · George Michael: It's like kissing your cousin. Ugh. Ew. Okay. Gross, okay. Got it.
Stan: It would be my pleasure to be the man in your life that your father never was.
Stan Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tobias · Murphybrown: Oh, no. That's a sickly cactus with a plastic bag on it. Right. For a second, I was like, 'Is that Lindsay?'
Ron Howard · Michael: I can't tell you how many times I've felt like a fraud. But I'll tell you a secret, everyone... Hey, Ron. Michael.
Michael: You know I'm as straight as they come, I just got a lot on my mind right now with work, slash, am I gay, slash, Buster's in jail.
Ron Howard: This has true crime limited series written all over it. That way, my Rebel could be in it, too. She's no Bryce, but she's like a robot. Gives the exact same performance every take. Real time-saver.
Ron Howard · Michael: I don't know how to, Reed. Oh. I must've heard that. I must've heard that. Right? Sure. That, uh... so you get... Do you get the scripts read to you?
Michael · Bryce Howard: You think so? Do you think that she's just using him? Yeah. And I'm pretty sure it's not for his body.
Michael: I think he's got a great build. You know? Um, he's wiry. You wouldn't want him to be taller. I like the young man's body. Okay? I do.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Escalation ★ Rewatch Bryce Howard: Yeah, well, that's very weird of you.
Bryce Howard: But you're not supposed to leave it in that long. Look at him. Ugh. He looks like a jack-o'-lantern.
Rance Howard: Unless that person is a dad. For a father must bear his load lightly, and yet, beneath the mask, a watchful eye never wanders.
Jocelyn · Ron Howard: Streaming contracts, cable or broadcast? A streamer! No residuals.
Lucille: The opening of the eyes is, uh, a bit of a guestimate lately.
Lucille Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Buster: A skinhead. I'm gonna kill you, you bleeping skinhead! Oh, hey! Skinhead! See what I did to skinhead?
Buster Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Maeby · Stan: Look how happy they look together. Just like us.
Maeby Stan Irony/Sarcasm Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Top Episodes — Arrested Development
