In God We Trust (Arrested Development)

"In God We Trust"
Arrested Development episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 8
Directed by	Joe Russo
Written by	Abraham Higgenbotham
Production code	1AJD06
Original air date	December 14, 2003
Guest stars
Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn Liza Minnelli as Lucille Austero BW Gonzales as Lupe John Michael Higgins as Wayne Jarvis Patricia Velásquez as Marta Estrella Sam Pancake as James Alan Spangler
Season 1 episodes
November 2003 – June 2004 Pilot Top Banana Bringing Up Buster Key Decisions Visiting Ours Charity Drive My Mother, the Car In God We Trust Storming the Castle Pier Pressure Public Relations Marta Complex Beef Consommé Shock and Aww Staff Infection Missing Kitty Altar Egos Justice Is Blind Best Man for the Gob Whistler's Mother Not Without My Daughter Let 'Em Eat Cake
All Arrested Development episodes

"In God We Trust" is the eighth episode (though originally aired as seventh) of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.

Plot

Michael Bluth has called a meeting with his family's longtime attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn, to discuss his father's incarceration. But Barry proves difficult to work with. Michael and his sister, Lindsay, are getting along, which is unwelcome news to their mother Lucille. The over-billing attorney does arrange for the court to release their imprisoned father for "an entire afternoon" so he can participate in the "Living Classics" pageant, which consists of live representations of classic works of art. The Bluths have always been a part of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, although Buster is reluctant to play the part of Adam this year, since he already has plans with Lucille Austero. Tobias, still looking to further his acting career, offers to take the part, but Lucille wants Buster to do it. Michael is determined to drop Barry Zuckerkorn as family attorney for the very businesslike Wayne Jarvis. After the meeting breaks up, Lucille mentioning to Lindsay that Michael called her a "stay-in-bed mom." Her attempt to dissolve their burgeoning friendship works. Lindsay's daughter, Maeby, feeling ignored by her parents, decides teach them a lesson.

Gob, meanwhile, has missed the meeting after being delayed by his girlfriend Marta. While Gob takes Marta for granted, Michael is learning Spanish to impress her. Buster gets George Michael to take over as Adam. Lindsay and Michael realize that their mother is playing them against each other; they drink vodka and air their problems. Lindsay tells Michael that her marital difficulties are partly because Tobias is a never-nude, and Michael confesses his love for Marta. Tobias asks George Michael if he can play Adam, and George Michael agrees, but says he will give him the suit later, as he is wearing it. Tobias understands this to mean that George Michael is also a never-nude. Michael finally arranges a meeting with attorney Wayne Jarvis, a professional who doesn't like small talk.

At home, Gob wonders why Michael is learning Spanish and hiring a new attorney. Michael and Lindsay get further evidence that their mother is trying to make them angry with each other, and decide to teach her a lesson. When they find out that their lawyer is taking Lucille to the Living Classics pageant, they realize how embarrassed she would be if George Bluth Sr. found out. Maeby, meanwhile, is still trying to get her parents' attention: she prints out a fake airline ticket to Portugal. And while neither Lindsay nor Tobias see the ticket, Gob does, which confirms his suspicions that Michael is planning to flee the country. And George Michael, who is back to playing Adam, gets nervous when he realizes that playing Adam means wearing the "frontpiece," tiny foam genitalia.

George Sr. gets his 24 hours of freedom as the pageant begins. Michael and Lindsay arrive and find Lucille with Wayne Jarvis, not Barry Zuckerkorn. Lucille, meanwhile, is surprised to see Buster with her rival, Lucille Austero. George Michael causes a scandal by appearing as Adam while wearing a pair of cut-off jeans over his costume. But the biggest scandal comes when George Sr., dressed as God, tries to escape from the pageant. Michael chases his father while Gob (on his Segway) chases Michael; all three knock each other onto the ground. When George Sr. finds out Lucille is on a date, he tries to run back to the pageant but is tasered by a prison guard. The Bluths spend Christmas Eve together at the prison, where Michael is forced once again to rely on Barry. Lucille and Maeby decide that they should spend more time together, and Michael and Lindsay tentatively affirm their allegiance.

Episode notes

• Although this episode comes before "My Mother, the Car" in both broadcast and production order, it appears after it on the Season One DVD.
• This episode does not feature an "On the next Arrested Development..." segment.

Cultural references

• The Creation of Adam is a painting by Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo, and part of his series of paintings depicting Biblical stories from the Book of Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In it, a bearded and robed God reaches out to a fully nude Adam, symbolizing God's creation of the first man in his own image.
• The "Living Classics" pageant depicted in this episode parodies the real-life Pageant of the Masters, an annual living masterpiece show where local volunteers reproduce several dozen famous artworks in an evening (with the help of elaborate costumes and makeup). The Pageant (actually located in Laguna Beach, California) is the only show of its type and scale in western North America, and attracts tourists from around the world.
• Gob calls Michael "The Boy who Lived Under the Stairs"; this is a reference to Harry Potter and him driving the stair-car.^{[citation needed]}

Character cameos

• This episode marks the first appearance of several recurring characters.
  • John Michael Higgins as attorney Wayne Jarvis, who returns as the prosecutor leading the case against the Bluths in "Sad Sack".
  • Henry Winkler would return many times throughout the first and second season as closeted and incompetent attorney Barry Zuckerkorn.
  • Sam Pancake reappears as Barry's homosexual paralegal in "Let 'Em Eat Cake" and "Sad Sack".
• Patricia Velásquez takes over the role of Spanish-language soap opera star Marta Estrella from Leonor Varela.
• This is the second appearance of BW Gonzales as Lucille's housekeeper Lupe, though she would not have a speaking part until "Marta Complex".

Foreshadowing

• George Sr. Escape Attempt This is the first instance of George Sr. attempting to escape, a feat he would try again several times during the course of the show, and later succeed in "Let 'Em Eat Cake".
• There are hints that attorney Barry Zuckerkorn is secretly gay.
  • When asking George Sr. about homosexual prisoners, Barry makes the Freudian slip, "it's never the ones you hope". He then corrects himself to "think."
  • When Michael calls at the office, Barry's secretary says "Barry's not here, can I give her a message?"
• Near the end of the episode, Maeby says "I don't think you're a monster" to Lucille, followed by an ominous sound in the background. She would eventually use Lucille as her monster character in "Making a Stand".
• "Messy Divorce." When GOB is reading the newspaper at his mother's house, after the scene where Michael meets the new attorney, you can see the headline "Messy Divorce." GOB is talking about Marta while flipping the page, hinting at their breakup later in the season.
• The two flashbacks of Tobias's never-nude condition feature heavy use of blue, similar to the signature tones of the Blue Man Group, the group he'd later be obsessed with joining.

Hidden/background jokes

• Lupe's Sweatshirt - During this episode, ostensibly taking place near Christmas, Lucille's maid, Lupe, is seen wearing a Halloween sweatshirt. She would also wear an off holiday sweatshirt in "Marta Complex".

External links

• "In God We Trust" at the Internet Movie Database
• "In God We Trust" at TV.com
• "In God We Trust" at The-OP.com