We wouldn’t let you go too long without another edition of our ongoing Arrested Development Easter-egg hunt. Maybe you’re watching the episodes for the first time along with these walkthroughs, or maybe you’ve already seen the entire thing and just want to check out what you may have missed. There have been many installments of this series before this one, so catch up if you need to. We’ll wait. But only for two more seconds. Okay, let’s go.
Episode 9, “Smashed”
Tobias seems to have learned his lesson. Instead of going with therapist + analyst = analrapist, he decides on “theralyst” instead. Smart.
Who’s the guy in theralyst Fünke’s therapy group with his face blurred? Emmett Richter (played by Andy Richter). As we first saw in season three’s “S.O.B.s,” camera-shy Emmett is one of Andy Richter’s four brothers and a co-star in the short-lived sitcom Quintuplets.
In case you forgot…
“I don’t like it … I love it” is something Carl Weathers says about ham in season one’s “Marta Complex.” Steve Holt said it again in “For British Eyes Only” about his father G.O.B.’s magic skills. And here it comes again, from Argyle Austero (who is, fittingly, wearing an argyle sweater).
Tobias pretends to know the words (and tune!) to Argyle’s favorite musical, The Fantasticks …
… just like Michael pretended to know the Sugarfoot theme in season two’s “Spring Breakout.”
Still blurred, the Fantastic 4 logo is an easy find, but did you notice that added accreditation to Tobias Fünke’s name?
(“S.O.” stands for “Sex Offender.”)
The House audition from the reel is a callback to the early seasons’ reference that David Cross lost out to Hugh Laurie for the role.
Mystery Science Theatre 3000’s robots appear (once again!) watching the low-budget space movie.
This particular callback’s easy, because Arrested Development does the work for you. Michael in a gorilla suit?
Nope. That was Buster:
Wait, which “C-word“?
Ah yes, this one:
Alan Blumenfeld (of Familiy Ties!) plays Ron Howard’s barber — but this isn’t the first time Ron has had a barber named Floyd.
Evidently, Tobias’s middle name is revealed to be “Onyango,” an overt reference to the middle name of Barack Obama’s paternal grandfather, and a more subtle nod to the fan theory that Tobias may actually be a black man with a skin condition. (Onyango also sounds like Annyong.)
Probably not the best idea to call Buster Bluth a monster…
Speaking of names, finally the purpose of DeBrie’s name is revealed.
Tobias reveals that he still wears those cutoffs.
Followed by, naturally:
Episode 10, “Queen B.”
Lucille sneakily joins a prison crew who just happen to be on Real Asian Prison Housewives of the Orange County White Collar Prison System, a very obvious reference to Bravo’s similarly named series of Housewives reality shows.
Remember Hot Cops? This boat’s got some hot … sea men?
And the ship’s captain, Lucille, still can’t figure out how to wink properly.
She ends up at Orange County Correctional Facility L.I.T.E. (which stands for “Ladies Internment Terrace Enclave,” in case you missed it).
Her prison ID number? It’s 07734 or “HELLO” using calculator spelling. Annyong?
And there’s that “wink” again:
The two posters in the office previously occupied by Argyle? Bob Fosse, the legendary choreographer, is both a nod to Argyle and Tobias’s shared fondness for musicals as well as to his real-life connection to Liza Minnelli (a.k.a. Lucille Austero) as the director of Cabaret. Betty Ford, of the famous Betty Ford Center, also located in Southern California, is on the right.
The name of the restaurant where Gene Parmesan works a second job, Chicken Dan’s, sounds an awful lot like Chicken Dance — and also scratches at the door of a Parmesan-chicken pun.
And hopefully Dan (and Gene) have nothing to do with the “Dove Bar” Michael finds in Rebel’s freezer:
