George-Michael thinks he's being lied to by Michael, who thinks he's being lied to by George Sr. Gob hires guys to help with his "closet conversion."
Michael's Rome subplot stretches thin across 54 jokes, landing just below the show's usual comedic threshold.
Directed by Troy Miller · Written by Maggie Rowe
WAR
55.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Rom Traum” ranks #63 of 84 Arrested Development episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 78.9 — Elite. The episode packs 54 scored jokes at 1.4 per minute, averaging 7.2 on craft and 6.9 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
Lucille: I will not let that woman steal everything I've taken from her.
Lucille Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Lucille: If you could tear anything in two, you'd still have a shot at me.
Lucille Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort George Sr. · Michael: Since when is Viagra pink? Your mom says that the Medicare only does the generic. You know, this is estrogen.
Michael: The good news is, you thought I said 'frolicking.'
Michael Wordplay/Pun Misdirection ★ Rewatch Michael: Say what you will about Ron Howard as a filmmaker, but the man is not a Nazi sympathizer.
Michael Meta/Self-Referential Absurdist ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 54 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Michael · Buster · Barry: She said that I could make up whatever reason I want. You tell me what is easiest on you. Hmm, no, it's too mean. I think you're entitled, Buster. She hates you, Michael. We'll use that one.
Buster: In my case, twice. Well, two times, allegedly.
Buster Character Comedy Absurdist Michael: The good news is, you thought I said 'frolicking.'
Michael Wordplay/Pun Misdirection ★ Rewatch Buster: Like when she used to lock me in the bathroom for grown-up selfish needs night. Oh, did we have a good time. What? No, it ended in tears.
Buster Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael · Buster: Lucille 2's head in a box? Spooky.
Michael · Buster: Okay, now inside the stair car are two heads. One bald, one spiky. Spooky.
Michael: I almost said 'the cottage.' I changed it to 'ing on the beach.' It's 'frolicking.' 'Frolicking.'
Michael Wordplay/Pun Callback ★ Rewatch Callback George Michael: How dare they keep track of my height while not telling me?
George Michael: I don't want to use 'family,' 'cause they like each other, but they're a nice group of people.
George Michael: it doesn't turn my stomach to see her eat an ice cream cone.
Maeby: Did he finish that ice cream cone after I looked away? I don't know. I threw away all the ice cream.
Stan: You gotta try this new eyebrow glue. You can eat soup again.
Stan: If you tried the new eyebrow glue, you could look surprised, too.
Stan Callback Visual Gag Callback Lucille · Michael: there's not a lot of 75-year-old women who got a body like this. You know? I don't think that's bragging.
Michael: Say what you will about Ron Howard as a filmmaker, but the man is not a Nazi sympathizer.
Michael Meta/Self-Referential Absurdist ★ Rewatch Lucille: I've heard things about what's really going on in that Grinch movie he made. You know, that anti-Christmas thing, with the Who-ish people?
Lucille Meta/Self-Referential Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Lucille: Lottie-Dottie-DA? Oh, she's a shark, Michael.
Lucille Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Michael · Lucille: The 4th of July parade is on the 2nd? Yes. They moved it because they don't want the Hispanics to get even by using up all the supplies a day early like we do with Cinco.
Gob · Michael: 'Willy Wondy?' Who's Willy Wondy? 'Will he, won't he' do magic on our float. Won't he.
Gob: They, like, convert closets to, like, organize and stuff. Who would think anything different?
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Cringe/Discomfort Closet salesman · Gob: So, what do we have to do to get you into a closet, huh? Wow, you guys don't mince words, huh?
Gob: I've never had any complaints.
Gob Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Closet salesman: But keep in mind, we edited, like, an hour out of this.
Barry · Michael: If they're listening, just say 'dogshit.' Mm. What you said, I would repeat, but the family is here, and I want to make sure that I don't get it wrong. Get it wrong? Say 'dogshit.'
Barry: In the 30 years that I've represented this family, that is the first time anyone has said 'good j...'
Barry Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Lucille: It's just so mundane. I don't want to bore everyone. It's just so mundane. I'll get out of your hair.
Lucille Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy George Sr. · George Michael: People are gonna think, 'Here comes the next Steve Gobs.' They're gonna want... Jobs. Jobs, for sure, but they're also gonna want money.
George Sr.: Oh, boy. There's some of that Hollywood BS. There it is. Right there. That's how they use people.
George Sr. · George Michael: Look at this. Three generations of Bluths in one place. Anybody have a camera? On my phone. Yes, sir. Oh, no. It's a figure of speech. I gotta run.
George Sr.: Uh, west. Well, I'll hang out with you at the, uh, beach. Oh, uh... No. Why did I say west? East is where I'm going. Northeast. Northeast, actually.
George Sr.: You know me. I'm a 20th-century guy. You can keep that futuristic stuff. Okay? Okay. Prismo. Begin. User, Michael Bluth. Lost my keys.
Barry: A good lie is head in a box, but they wanted to go with something real, so we went with the evidence they actually had.
Barry Dark/Subversive Absurdist Callback Barry: A good lie is head in a box, but they wanted to go with something real, so we went with the evidence they actually had.
Barry Character Comedy Absurdist Lucille: I will not let that woman steal everything I've taken from her.
Lucille Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Maeby: Look, I have to be careful, okay? These are not tech-savvy people. The other day, I turned the lounge TV on, and now that's my job. They call me 'Buttons' now. Buttons.
Maeby Escalation Character Comedy Maeby: Wow, I was just 'specu-lying.'
Maeby Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy Maeby: I mean, I was just day plotting. ... Wait, that's a thing? I mean, I was just day plotting.
Maeby Wordplay/Pun Running Gag Callback Maeby: That's a thing, too? I was just crime-storming. You know, just lying out loud. How funny.
Maeby Wordplay/Pun Escalation Callback Gob: God. Why are all the cute ones so dumb?
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Maeby: Like Alzheimer's? That's a thing, too? I was just crime-storming.
Maeby Wordplay/Pun Dark/Subversive Closet salesman: Yeah. A classic two-fister. An old-fashioned will he, won't he?
George Michael · Michael: Oh, that's north. You said you were going northeast. Well, I'm headed north, then I'm headed east. Otherwise you don't pass the Andersen's P.S.
Michael: No, thank you. Uh, nein, danke.
Lucille: If you could tear anything in two, you'd still have a shot at me.
Lucille Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Marky's mother: Lindsay? That dumb blonde slut my moron son keeps calling every five minutes since she came back on Cinco de Mayo?
George Sr.: Well, if you mean is my son anything like his father, well, he's never had any complaints.
George Sr. · Michael: Since when is Viagra pink? Your mom says that the Medicare only does the generic. You know, this is estrogen.
George Michael: All right, well, then, I guess all that's left to say is lights, camera, action!
Michael: You're probably not impotent, either.
Michael Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Barry: I'm okay. The bathroom doesn't work back here, so I peed in a Wetzel bag.
Barry Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist Narrator: ♪ Mexican Romney Family ♪
George Sr.: I wouldn't say I deserved an Oscar, but...
Gob: Two guys coming out of the closet! How hard is that to understand? One is gonna be well-organized. The other one is just gonna be shredded all apart.
Gob: I need two closets! Two guys coming out of the closet! How hard is that to understand?
Gob Irony/Sarcasm Cringe/Discomfort Top Episodes — Arrested Development
