List of Arrested Development characters: Difference between revisions
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'''G.O.B.''' (usually written as 'Gob') is the eldest Bluth son. He is portrayed by [[Will Arnett]]. |
'''G.O.B.''' (usually written as 'Gob') is the eldest Bluth son. He is portrayed by [[Will Arnett]]. |
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His name — derived from his initials — is pronounced like the [[Bible|biblical]] character, [[Job (Biblical figure)|Job]]. By trade he is a part-time [[magic (illusion)|magician]], and was formerly a |
His name — derived from his initials — is pronounced like the [[Bible|biblical]] character, [[Job (Biblical figure)|Job]]. By trade he is a part-time [[magic (illusion)|magician]], and was formerly a [[stripper]], working as one of the Hot Cops. In the second season he became president of the Bluth Company; however, it has been suggested that he wields no real power and that his brother Michael is still in charge. Gob is known to be the womanizer of the Bluth family and is frequently sought by George Michael when he needs something his father will not give him, such as [[marijuana]] for Lucille Austero. He also enjoys making love to women while having music sung by himself in the background. |
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Gob is fantastically arrogant and self-centered, but much of the time this appears to hide his own insecurities which include how unintelligent he really is, despite acting otherwise. George Sr. never paid much attention to Gob as a child and has no respect for him as an adult, leaving Gob starved for any attention he gives him (a fact George Sr. repeatedly manipulates to get Gob to do what he wants). His mother also openly hates him. He has an adversarial relationship with Michael because Michael gets all the attention and responsibility, especially in business. |
Gob is fantastically arrogant and self-centered, but much of the time this appears to hide his own insecurities which include how unintelligent he really is, despite acting otherwise. George Sr. never paid much attention to Gob as a child and has no respect for him as an adult, leaving Gob starved for any attention he gives him (a fact George Sr. repeatedly manipulates to get Gob to do what he wants). His mother also openly hates him. He has an adversarial relationship with Michael because Michael gets all the attention and responsibility, especially in business. |
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Revision as of 08:15, 28 July 2006
This is a list of the main and recurring fictional characters from the Fox television comedy series, Arrested Development.
Main characters
This is a list of the show's main characters, played by the show's main cast. Each character appears in this list appears in most of the show's episodes; and they are listed in the order that they appear in the opening credits.
Michael Bluth
Michael Bluth is the second oldest Bluth son, and the father of George Michael. He is portrayed by Jason Bateman.
Michael has an older brother G.O.B., a younger brother Buster, and a putative twin sister Lindsay, but she is later revealed to be adopted.
When their father George Sr. goes to jail in the pilot, Michael becomes head of the family and president of the Bluth Company, but his authority is constantly undermined. He remained president for all of season 1, but in season 2, he was replaced by Gob. Michael became vice president instead, while being scrutinized by the SEC for his father's crimes, but he still has to do all the work of the president. In season 3, Michael was firmly in charge again, though the sibling rivalry and family interference did not totally recede.
Michael is probably the most normally-functional Bluth and is a source of stability for his family (much to his chagrin). He is responsible, smart, hard working, and mostly self-sacrificing. However, Michael sometimes behaves unethically, has a false sense of superiority, a problem letting go of control, and tends not to listen to his son's feelings when making decisions for him. His faults become more evident as the show goes on, and he often threatens to leave the family out of frustration.
Michael's wife Tracey died (presumably of ovarian cancer) two years prior to the first season, and she was in a coma for some months before she passed. In the show, Michael is often reluctant to date, thinking that his son would disapprove, and most of his relationships have featured misunderstandings or outright deception.
In season 3, it is revealed that there is a typo on his birth certificate and that his legal name is Nichael Bluth. Also, Michael discovers the truth about his father's crimes and his sister's identity. In the last episode, Michael and his son, George Michael, try once more to abandon the Bluth family, but they're accompanied by a stowaway, George Sr.
Lindsay Bluth Fünke
Lindsay Bluth Fünke is the adopted daughter of George Sr. and Lucille, but is allegedly Michael's twin sister. She is portrayed by Australian actress Portia de Rossi.
Lindsay is married to Tobias Fünke. They have a teenage daughter, Maeby, possibly obtained through artificial means. Lindsay is a dedicated activist, but mostly for the social status of holding extravagant charity drives from the Bluth company money. She has helped bring attention to such "worthy" causes as Hands Off Our Penises, (HOOP), an anti-circumcision organization; Stop the Hunger; Neuterfest, and Save the Wetlands (and not by drying them). She has worked to remove the Ten Commandments from City Hall and has also spoken out on advocacy of more meat and fish in the schools, as well as speaking out against the consumption of both meat and fish.
She opened up a Dip-A-Pet business, because she felt animals needed hair-coloring options, with disastrous results; she started Mommy, What Will I Look Like photo shop to provide parents with some idea of their child's forecast appearance, but she had to quit because too many parents were perturbed by what the computer's predictions made their children look like. (Nevertheless, the show's producers have made use of the services on a few occasions.)
Despite her best efforts, Lindsay has not obtained perfect self-esteem (owing perhaps to her mother's constant insinuations of obesity). She has tried yoga, activism, and hair-care products, but nothing has worked. Her marriage is hardly helping, considering that her husband seems acutely uninterested, and may in fact be gay.
Lindsay's daughter, Maeby, is a rebellious teenager who desperately wants her mother's attention. Maeby is unfortunately ignored by Lindsay very often despite her efforts.
In the last episode of Season 3, it was revealed that Lindsay was not actually Michael's twin sister, or even a Bluth at all. She was actually adopted at age 3 to spite Bluth rival Stan Sitwell, who was already in the process of adopting her at the time. Immediately after divulging this fact to Michael, Lindsay revealed her wish to divorce Tobias and marry Michael, after misinterpreting Michael's brotherly compliments over the years as a sexual interest.
George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II
G.O.B. (usually written as 'Gob') is the eldest Bluth son. He is portrayed by Will Arnett.
His name — derived from his initials — is pronounced like the biblical character, Job. By trade he is a part-time magician, and was formerly a stripper, working as one of the Hot Cops. In the second season he became president of the Bluth Company; however, it has been suggested that he wields no real power and that his brother Michael is still in charge. Gob is known to be the womanizer of the Bluth family and is frequently sought by George Michael when he needs something his father will not give him, such as marijuana for Lucille Austero. He also enjoys making love to women while having music sung by himself in the background.
Gob is fantastically arrogant and self-centered, but much of the time this appears to hide his own insecurities which include how unintelligent he really is, despite acting otherwise. George Sr. never paid much attention to Gob as a child and has no respect for him as an adult, leaving Gob starved for any attention he gives him (a fact George Sr. repeatedly manipulates to get Gob to do what he wants). His mother also openly hates him. He has an adversarial relationship with Michael because Michael gets all the attention and responsibility, especially in business.
Eventually, Gob discovers that he is the father of the teenager Steve Holt. Though at first he was afraid of this discovery and not willing to confront his son, Gob soon comes to terms with his son and becomes prepared to take on the role of a father.
He once made the family's $700,000 yacht disappear (by blowing it up) during spring break. He is also the original creator and inspiration for the Mr. Bananagrabber character. Although he retains most of the rights to the character, he gave away the animated rights to Michael. It was later made into an animated TV series. He also briefly had a ventriloquist act with an African-American doll named Franklin; they recorded a CD called Franklin Comes Alive (with somewhat racist undertones which G.O.B. was completely unaware of).
He plays Europe's "The Final Countdown" before almost all of his major illusions (such as making the family yacht disappear or escaping from a coffin). It is also his ring tone. He is frequently seen throughout the series getting around on a Segway which has a pouch that says "G.O.B." on it.
George Michael Bluth
George Michael Bluth is the young teenage son of Michael Bluth. He is portrayed by Michael Cera, and in flashback sequences, by Christian Lavery. His name is a combination of his grandfather's and father's names; he is not named after the famous singer-songwriter.
George Michael has demonstrated a willingness to work and to help his father in whatever capacity is necessary. In the past, this has included pretending to be a girl so Michael could take him to "Bring your daughter to work day." He is manager (but not "Mr. Manager") of the Bluth Family's Original Frozen Banana Stand [1] and has answered phones down at company headquarters.
When he was reunited with his cousin Maeby, he instantly developed a hard crush on her. He was able to work through it, and it did not mutate into an obsession. He has maintained a platonic, healthy relationship with Maeby despite the claustrophobic atmosphere of his home life. George Michael was deeply traumatized when, as a child, he began to watch what he assumed was the popular family musical, The Wizard of Oz. Instead, it was the HBO violent prison drama, Oz. Consequently, George Michael is terrified of prisons. George Michael is continually exposed to awkward social situations throughout the show's run and seems to take each incident in stride. He witnessed a live birth close up, acted as a woman for GOB's magic act, was in the center of a hospital morgue, sat near two gay men kissing and had an inmate use the Bluth company stair car as an escape out of prison while he sat waiting for his father.
In the second season, George Michael started dating a girl named Ann whom his father barely knows and doesn't like. His father continues to call Ann "Egg" by mistake as she was introduced to him while she was eating an egg. George Michael eventually breaks up with Ann after rediscovering his long-held crush for his cousin, Maeby. Season two ends with George Michael kissing Maeby much to his delight. After the incident, the two try to avoid each other for most of the third season. When they decide to put on fake weddings for Alzheimer's patients, they are mistakenly legally wed by a priest who was not aware that the weddings were fake. Drunk on fake wine one night, George Michael tells her (correctly, despite later "proof" to the contrary) that he thinks they might not actually be related. He reaches second base with her as a result. During the series finale, George Michael finally manages to tell his father about their relationship. Michael advises him to end it, as despite the fact that they are not blood relatives, they are still family.
Maeby Fünke
Mae "Maeby" Fünke is the teenage daughter of Lindsay and Tobias. She does not demonstrate much of a scholarly acumen and has a penchant for acting out. She is played by Alia Shawkat.
Maeby was purchased by her parents for US$150,000. The Fünkes were unable to conceive due to Tobias' prolonged difficulties regarding heterosexual congress with Lindsay; whether this implies that she is adopted or a test-tube baby was one of the unanswered questions of the series, although her grandmother Lucille informed George Michael that Maeby was "made in a cup, like soup." In the final episodes of season 3, it is revealed that Lindsay delivered Maeby, though she is not blood-related to the Bluths because Lindsay was actually adopted. Maeby was sent to a progressive school called the Sunshine Academy by her parents. She wasn't graded, but rather received crocodiles and Elvis instead, though she did receive one C-. Once she entered the public school system, she was not able to compete. So, she lost interest in grades and started creating new opportunities to get into trouble, where she "always gets caught."
Maeby has created a pseudo-twin, Surely, who is suffering from the rare, debilitating illness, B.S. She conspires to draw attention to her condition and has fabricated a fake charity that preys on the sympathy of others. She is discovered on stage by George Michael, at a charity fund raiser held in Surely's honor.
As Surely, Maeby draws attention to the fact that there are no ramps going up to the bleachers at school. She fabricates a tremendous amount of support and respect by pretending to be terminally ill. She has made quite a lot of money from her false charities without punishment for her deception.
By accident, Maeby acquired a job as a movie executive, although she was often forced to deflect questions about her youthful appearance (she is the third youngest movie executive in Hollywood) with the phrase "marry me." She has frequently used the studio's readers to do her homework, assigning them classic novels to read and write up. More recently, she was involved in the American remake of the French movie "Les Cousins Dangereux," which she was forced to cut down to 52 minutes. Thanks in part to George Michael, who was half-heartedly protesting the movie with his girlfriend Ann, it became a hit since the protest drew people's attention. Eventually, her age is discovered when her cousin George Michael sends 16th birthday cards to all the other studio executives in her address book, but this apparently actually helps her career. She drives a Mercedes-Benz company car, although she presumably does not have a driver's license.
Maeby also has a crush on her cousin George Michael. However she started dating Steve Holt, who is discovered near the end of Season Two of the show to be the son of Gob. Maeby is told by George Michael at the beginning of Season Three that Steve Holt is also her cousin. While increasingly desperate to end the relationship, she continues to date him, at one point slipping him a roofie to avoid having sex with him.
Near the end of Season 3, George Michael and Maeby participate in a mock wedding as bride and groom, hosted by a hospital to entertain Alzheimer's patients. Unfortunately, a switch in the "fake" priest produced a real one, thus lawfully wedding the two cousins. Also, after drinking fake wine and thinking they were drunk, Maeby took George Michael "head first" into second base.
Byron "Buster" Bluth
Byron "Buster" Bluth is the youngest of the biological Bluth children, and he is usually referred to as Buster. It has been hinted that Buster's father might be Oscar, George Bluth Sr.'s twin brother. He is portrayed by Tony Hale.
Buster is a career student but cannot return to school because the money is no longer available to him. Thus far, he has taken $80,000 worth of lessons from the Stanford Institute of Cartography, but in the pilot episode mistakes the blue part of the map for land. He has studied Native American Tribal ceremonies, participated in multiple sleep deprivation studies, worked on an archaeological dig as part of a Smithsonian fellowship, and endured a study that investigated the relationship between medical marijuana and nausea because it took place at a carnival. He is a graduate of Milford Academy, which he attended for two semesters beyond his graduation date due to his excelling in being neither seen nor heard.
Buster is very much a man-boy. He has an unusually-shaped penis (once described to a US Army doctor as a "lobster tail but without its shell"). He is very attached to his mother Lucille, has frequent panic attacks, hates both closed and open spaces, is terrified of sheep, and is very wrathful towards his Korean-born adopted brother, Annyong. He has been romantically linked on-and-off to his mother's best friend, also named Lucille (played by Liza Minnelli). She changed his diapers when Buster was an infant and therefore is familiar with his odd-looking genitals. Buster has also been romantically linked to Lucille's former housekeeper Lupe, the robot that replaced Lupe, and Michael's former secretary Starla.
In the second season premiere, Lucille signs Buster up for the Army (which he refers to simply as "Army"), although his training is less than successful. In the episode "Out on a Limb," Buster's left hand was bitten off by a loose seal ("Lucille"). In the same episode, it was revealed that his real father is George Sr.'s brother, Oscar.
Tobias Fünke
Dr. Tobias Fünke is married to Lindsay Bluth and they have a daughter, Maeby. He is portrayed by David Cross.
Tobias is a former Chief Of Psychiatry from Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital who lost his license for giving CPR to a Rhode Island man who wasn't actually having a heart attack. At the beginning of the series, Tobias decides that his destiny is to become an actor, a career which he pursues throughout the series without notable success.
He has experienced sexual difficulties with his wife. This led to their joint decision to attempt an "open" marriage. Tobias has a rare (fictitious) condition called "never-nude" syndrome and must always wear denim cut-off shorts under his pants. This condition threatened his acceptance of a coveted role as "Frightened Inmate #2" in a prison drama that called for a nude shower scene. He had studied for the role by researching the "nature of fear" at the Orange County prison. Lindsay helped him deal with his condition and with the help of his acting coach, Carl Weathers, he got the part. Carl would eventually help Tobias land a part on the TV series Scandalmakers, where Weathers played Ice The Bounty Hunter, Tobias played George Sr., and Dave Attell played Tobias.
Lindsay, who married Tobias to spite her mother, is convinced that her husband is gay. Much of the humor that is based around Tobias exploits this fact. A book he wrote while still a therapist (a self-styled analyst-therapist, or "analrapist"), The Man Inside Me belatedly has become a runaway bestseller, but only in the gay community. At a reading, attended exclusively by gay men, he changed all the pronouns to "he" for the ease of reading, though his audience assumed it was for different reasons. Similarly, Tobias also has the intriguing habit of unintentionally making sexual double-entendres, usually implying his own homosexuality; examples include him (pretending to be a British nanny, à la Mrs. Doubtfire) offering Michael a "banger in the mouth" while holding out a plate of sausage or screaming "I just blue myself!" after donning the trademark blue paint of the Blue Man Group. These are just a few of several instances of Tobias's trademark oblivious nature, a personality trait that is frequently exploited in plot lines regarding his relationship with his wife and daughter. Michael finally told him to record what he was saying on tape and play it back to see what it sounded like, but when Tobias did eventually recognise an innuendo in his speech, he remarks to himself "Tobias...you blowhard!"
In season 2, Tobias was desperate to be an understudy for the silent entertainers Blue Man Group, and would paint himself completely blue for hours, thus getting blue body paint on things in the Bluth model home (blue handprints can be seen in the background in many season 2 episodes). Also in season 2, Lindsay kicked Tobias out of the house for the lack of attention that he pays towards her. Tobias missed seeing his family so much that he began disguising himself as Mrs. Featherbottom, an English housekeeper for the Bluth family. This plotline is admittedly quite similar to the plotline of the film Mrs. Doubtfire. Despite Tobias's disguise, everyone realizes that he is Mrs. Featherbottom but says nothing because the house would not get cleaned otherwise.
In the mid 1990s, Tobias and his family performed as the folk group, Dr. Fünke’s 100% Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution. Every song was about new medicines and their potential harmful effects on consumers. Each performance was underwritten by the Natural Life Food Company, a division of Chem-Grow, an Allen Crayne acquisition, which was part of the Squimm Group. Their motto was simple: "We keep you alive".
In season 3, Tobias gets hair plug implants. A side effect of getting the hairplants are a loss of feeling and mobility relegating him to a wheelchair (which he calls a dolly), skin and tissue damage, as well as other symptoms. These symptoms are caused by a chronic form of graft-versus-host disease (a disease that usually affects bone marrow transplant patients) which can be cured simply by removing the plugs. Instead of simply removing the plugs, Lindsay chose to exploit the disease for a Bluth family fund raiser. This has put Tobias's health at great risk.
George Bluth Sr.
George Bluth, Sr. is the patriarch of the Bluth family, imprisoned on a number of charges. He is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor.
George Sr. was the Chief Executive of the Bluth company, which he founded. However, after years of creative accounting practices, he became the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He was eventually arrested and charged with defrauding his investors, petty theft, grand theft, etc. He was represented by the Bluth family attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn, who was fired by Michael Bluth for assisting in George Sr.'s escape from prison. Currently, Bob Loblaw serves as Bluth family counsel. George Sr. continues to try to exert control over the company, often using Gob to undermine Michael's authority.
The charges against George Sr. are quite serious (including light treason) and he has decided his only recourse is to flee them. He managed to escape to Mexico with a briefcase filled with hard evidence of his dealings with Saddam Hussein; signatures and receipts that offered clear, unmistakable proof that he willingly built model homes for the enemy. In season two, George Sr. fakes his death in Mexico and returns to America to hide in the attic of the Bluth model home. By the end of the second season, he secretly joined the Blue Man Group so his identity can remain hidden.
Early in the third season, after being discovered among the Blue Man Group in Reno, Nevada, he was placed under house arrest due to a plea bargain made by Michael, effectively making his wife Lucille Bluth his warden. He told Michael that he had been set up to build homes in Iraq by a group of British contractors operating out of "Wee Britain," claiming he thought Saddam Hussein was the guy who played the Soup Nazi. While under house arrest he used a surrogate, Larry Mittleman (portrayed by Super Dave Osborne), equipped with a camera in his hat to spend time with his family outside of the house.
George Sr. is also the inventor of The Cornballer, a faulty product which has been banned in numerous countries, although it's sold illegally in Mexico, where it is quite popular. As shown in the infomercial promoting the product, with guest Richard Simmons, the Cornballer can cause severe burns which have the potential to burn away fingerprints.
George Sr. has also had a religious awakening twice on the show, once becoming Jewish after a period of isolation and selling a video series "Caged Wisdom," and once becoming devoutly Christian after reading a pamphlet in a garbage bag while hiding in the attic.
George Sr. is a serial poisoner, dubbed by the media as "The Muffin Man". He used poisoned muffins to intimidate the teachers of his children in the 1970s, and later his grandchildren in the 2000s. While police credit "The Muffin Man" with over twenty-five incidents of poisoning, George Sr. only admits to two of these, and insists the rest are "copycats."
Lucille Bluth
Lucille Bluth is the mother of Gob, "twins" Michael and Lindsay, Buster, and the adopted Annyong, as well as wife to George Sr. She is portrayed by Jessica Walter.
Lucille is not a highly sympathetic mother, and few of her children claim to love her. She repeatedly belittles Lindsay about her weight and her unsuccessful marriage to Tobias, treats Gob like nothing (she admitted to Buster she "doesn't care much" for him and laughed at the thought of his legs being broken) and coddles Buster to the point of emotionally crippling him. Her relationship with Michael is adversarial, as the two regularly exchange insults and Lucille demands money from him while withholding company information.
As the family matriarch, Lucille is highly protective of her position. She lied to both Michael and Lindsay when the two started getting along so they would fight and keeps Buster on a tight leash so she can feel like a caregiver. She is also selfishly concerned with her public image, spending thousands in company money on furs and jewelry and country club memberships.
Despite this attitude she is highly protective of her family, lashing out angrily at anyone who gets in the way. She tried to keep George Sr. in prison when she thought he was having an affair, attacked the publicist Jessie for an unflattering article and forced Oscar to return money he had swindled from Michael.
Due to her life of luxury, Lucille is highly arrogant and acts superior to everyone working for her. She repeatedly belittles her housekeeper Lupe and searches her belongings every day, yells at waiters at the golf club and wants to buy restaurants to burn them down. She is bigoted, claiming of her Mexican-American housekeeper "they didn't sneak into this country to be our friends." She also had to completely strip Annyong to find out what sex he is. She is also thoroughly alcoholic.
Although largely faithful to her husband George Sr., Lucille has her share of infidelities. In the first season she dated the attorney Wayne Jarvis while George Sr. was in jail and slept with George Sr.'s twin brother Oscar in the second season (Buster was later revealed to be Oscar's child from an earlier affair of Lucille's).
Recurring Characters
This is a list of the show's recurring characters (characters that have appeared in multiple episodes, but are not part of the central cast). At the end of each character's description is listed the episodes on the show that they have had thus far, in descending order of episode count.
Wayne Jarvis
Oscar Bluth
Oscar Bluth is George Sr.'s identical twin. He is also portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor.
Oscar can be distinguished from George by his flowing hair, due to lack of stress in his life. He is a frequent user of marijuana and other recreational drugs. His only notable achievement in life was writing a song for David Cassidy "All You Need Are Smiles" that made Joan Baez call him "the shallowest man in the world." It was often hinted that he is probably the biological father of Buster in season 2. Eventually, it is revealed that he is Buster's father.
Oscar resides most often in a trailer outside Camp Pendleton. He owns a couple hundred acres of lemon groves and sells lemonade to the troops when their maneuvers pass by. He sold the land to Michael, who was unaware that the government had an easement on it so they could drive their tanks through it. Lucille took advantage of Oscar's feelings for her and convinced him to buy the land back.
According to Michael, Oscar has lived on handouts all his life. According to his brother, he has never had to work for a living, leading to his full head of shoulder-length hair that Lucille finds irresistible. Oscar's persistence with Lucille led to a rekindling of their once torrid romance. This has disturbed Lucille's youngest biological son, Buster, who discovered the adulterous pair in flagrante delicto - multiple times.
After George Sr. escaped confinement, Oscar was arrested because police assumed he was George. The police also impounded Oscar's trailer and left him even more indigent than usual. Lucille, who at the point was resisting the fire Oscar possessed for her, allowed him to come and live with her and Buster. Buster had decided that his mother was right. He did need a male role model. Oscar's presence allowed Buster to develop the many talents he'd discovered with Lucille. He lovingly brushed Oscar's hair, a ritual once preserved for Lucille alone. In return, Buster was treated to several uncomfortable silences upon witnessing Oscar's penchant for living loose and literally, "letting it all hang out."
Oscar's shameless exhibitionism was a product of the proximity he shared with his dream woman. Once confined to a single residence, the illicit pair revived the past, leaving Buster with no role model and no safety net.
In the second season finale, to clear up his legal difficulties and punish his brother for cuckolding him, George Sr. shaves Oscar's head and turns him in. The stress of being imprisoned and mistaken for George Sr. has caused Oscar's hair to not grow back. This, paired with the fact that his fingerprints were burned off (by the family Cornballer), prevents him from establishing his true identity.
To try to convince the world of his true identity, Oscar set up www.imoscar.com, a blog of sorts that details his life in prison while continually asserting that he is, in fact, Oscar. A real-life version of the site was maintained by Fox Broadcasting.
In the third season, Oscar manages to get out of prison when George Sr. is placed under house arrest and leaves town. He returns occasionally, but these visits are usually ended when George Sr. knocks him out and switches places so he can escape again.
Appears In: Whistler's Mother, Not Without My Daughter, The One Where Michael Leaves, The One Where They Build A House, ¡Amigos!, Good Grief, Sad Sack, Afternoon Delight, Switch Hitter, Queen for a Day, Burning Love, Out on a Limb, My Hand to God, Sword of Destiny, Meat the Veals, Spring Breakout, The Righteous Brothers, The Cabin Show, Prison Break-In, Harboring Resentment
Barry Zuckerkorn
Barry Zuckerkorn is the phlegmatic attorney for the Bluth family. He is played by Henry Winkler.
Zuckerkorn represents George Sr., the family patriarch, who has been arrested and charged with defrauding investors. Zuckerkorn often appears languid and distracted in his handling of the case. He does not seem particularly apt in the courtroom and multiple references have been made to him being a bad lawyer.
He is inevitably ill-prepared, which he usually blames on long meetings the night before. In fact, most of his nights are spent hanging out at rest stops, a behavior that is frequently mentioned and accompanied by a fast cut to an establishing shot of a dark, shady rest-stop facility.
His sexual leanings are ambiguous although it appears that he may prefer the company of male transvestite hookers and may be homosexual or a tranny chaser. Like Tobias Fünke, Barry makes many colorful references that seem to allude to his exclusive attraction to men. They aren't explicit enough, however, to be conclusive. He however often makes mildly negative references and comments about "the homosexuals" even though he admits them to be wrong. He has been with the Bluths for a long time and was kept only because Lucille considers him to be "part of the family." He is also, according to many, supposed to be "very good" (a descriptor he uses himself). His reputation is stronger with the elder Bluths than with the children.
Despite his parents' dependence on Barry, Michael Bluth fired him on the first episode of the 2005-6 season, which ended his law career, as the Bluths were his only clients. Since then, he has been acting as a transvestite prostitute, and Lindsay seeing her husband Tobias retaining Barry's "services" has prompted her to seek a divorce. Zuckerkorn was replaced as the Bluth's attorney by Bob Loblaw.
Appears In: In God We Trust, Beef Consommé, Altar Egos, Justice Is Blind, Not Without My Daughter, Let 'Em Eat Cake, The One Where Michael Leaves, Good Grief, Sad Sack, Queen for a Day, Out on a Limb, My Hand to God, Motherboy XXX, The Righteous Brothers, The Cabin Show
John Beard
John Beard is the Fox 6 news anchor that often covers the Bluth family's problems on the news. John Beard is a real life news anchor (for Fox 11 in Los Angeles), who plays himself on the show. He also plays himself on Fox's 24.
Appears In: Pilot, Extended Pilot, Top Banana, Key Decisions, Public Relations, Missing Kitty, Let ’Em Eat Cake, The One Where Michael Leaves, The One Where They Build A House, Sad Sack, Burning Love, Sword of Destiny, The Cabin Show, For British Eyes Only, Mr. F, S.O.B.s
Ann Veal
Ann Veal (full name Ann Paul Veal, as shown on her yearbook page in the episode "Sad Sack") is the on-again, off-again girlfriend of George Michael Bluth. Her first appearance was in the episode "Let 'Em Eat Cake," where she was played by Alessandra Toreson. In every subsequent appearance, she has been portrayed by Mae Whitman.
She comes from an extremely religious family, and her father is a pastor. The Bluth family confuses Ann's mother with her sister. Ann's mother kisses Michael Bluth, which she confuses with making love. The kiss leads to a brawl between Michael and her husband at the end of the episode.
None of the Bluths besides George Michael can remember Ann’s name. Michael refers to her variously as “Egg,” "Annabel," "Yam," "Plant," "Plain," and "Ann-hog," and strands her in Mexico accidentally. Maeby Fünke takes pleasure out of referring to Ann as “Bland” when talking to George Michael. George Michael tells his family that Ann is really funny when he is forced to defend his love interest.
Ann is attracted to George Michael’s Star Wars kid-like lightsaber demonstration, which led to reconciliation after a breakup midway through the second season. George Michael wanted to get pre-engaged to Ann at the end of the second season, lost his resolve at the last moment, and was then asked by Ann to teach her his secular ways.
Ann's strict conservatism is a foil for Maeby's commitment to rebellion. Ann leads the protest at Maeby's premiere of the English remake of "Dangerous Cousins," originally a French movie about a sexual relationship between two cousins.
Ann moved on from George Michael after coming in third place in an "Inner Beauty" pageant. Gob, who admitted a penchant for third place pageant winners, later revealed that he was dating a Christian girl, which, in the third season finale, turned out to be Ann.
Appears In:
- Alessandra Toreson - Let 'Em Eat Cake
- Mae Whitman - The One Where They Build A House, ¡Amigos!, Good Grief, Afternoon Delight, Switch Hitter, Burning Love, Out on a Limb, The Immaculate Election, Meat the Veals, The Righteous Brothers, Notapusy, Development Arrested
Hel-loh "Annyong" Bluth
Hel-loh Bluth is the accidentally adopted Korean son of Lucille and George Sr. He is portrayed by Justin Lee.
Hel-loh is the Korean word for "One day," a name given to him by his grandfather, whose frozen banana cart was stolen by George Sr. and used as inspiration for the banana stand that launched the Bluth empire; his grandfather vowed to one day get even for his stolen banana stand and ensuing deportation. Lucile adopted him midway through the first season. Apparently knowing no English, the youth always greeted his adoptive family by saying "annyong," the Korean word for "hello." When they repeated the word, so did he. This caused Lucille to assume that her new son's name was "Annyong." As the show progressed, Annyong became an articulate member of the household who often found himself in disagreement with his new brother, Buster. He also developed a crush on Maeby in the Season One finale after she kissed him to make George Michael jealous. He was apparently sent to the Milford Academy by Lucille, who was attempting to teach him a lesson (but later forgot what about). Annyong later was found out to be hiding in the walls of Lucille's penthouse apartment. In the third season finale it was revealed that Hel-loh (who finally reveals his name after his usual greeting of "Annyong", prompting ironic confusion among the Bluths) orchestrated the second SEC raid on the family as revenge for him and his grandfather.
Appears In: Shock And Aww, Staff Infection, Justice Is Blind, Missing Kitty, Best Man for the GOB, Not Without My Daughter, Let 'Em Eat Cake, The One Where Michael Leaves, ¡Amigos!, Mr. F, Development Arrested
Steve Holt
Steve Holt is a senior and football star at the high school George Michael and Maeby attend, who often shouts his name while pumping his fists in the air. He is portrayed by Justin Grant Wade.
Described as a "moron jock" by George Michael and "basically a young [Gob]" by Michael, Steve Holt has portrayed Beatrice in the school's play production of Much Ado About Nothing, gone on dates with Lindsay (because he believed she was a transsexual), and was student body president for four years (he declined a fifth term in order to concentrate on finding his real father). His campaign posters often read "Volt for Steve Holt". He has also repeated the twelfth grade at least three times.
In the Season 2 episode "The Immaculate Election," it was revealed that Steve Holt is the illegitimate son of Gob.
Appears In: Bringing Up Buster, Shock And Aww, Sad Sack, Burning Love, The Immaculate Election, The Cabin Show, For British Eyes Only, Forget-Me-Now, Notapusy, Making a Stand
Kitty Sanchez
Kitty Sanchez is George Bluth Sr.'s fiercely loyal and independent assistant. Kitty is portrayed by Judy Greer.
Kitty maintained a long term affair with George Sr. and a fevered yet brief liaison with Gob, despite the fact that she disgusted him. After George Sr. was imprisoned, Kitty stayed on to work for Michael.
Kitty gained possession of incriminating files during her disappearance. In actuality, she did not disappear, but was working with the police in an effort to gain control of the Bluth company. After arranging a meeting with Michael, she inadvertently admitted that she had proof that George Sr. had built homes overseas without paying taxes.
Despite her intense loyalty to the company, she did not demonstrate the same toward Michael. He tried to fire her, but was overridden by his father. Michael attempted to rehire Kitty, but her obstinacy forced him to immediately fire her again. Kitty subsequently disappeared with potentially damaging information, considering her sexual history with her boss. She returned later, claiming she had reformed, gotten into AA, and even has a famous sponsor. She won't say who it is, but she drops some pretty obvious hints of it being an ex-Night Court star ("It's not Bull. It's not Harry Anderson. And he's white.") When last seen, she and Tobias, the state of his marriage still up in the air, had jetted off to Reno, Nevada to pursue a plum spot in the Blue Man Group.
The one constant in every meeting between Michael and Kitty is that she reveals her breasts to him, usually with the comment, "Take a good look, 'cuz it's the last time" or "say goodbye to these, Michael," followed by her insistence that he should look at her eyes rather than her breasts.
Interestingly, and perhaps on purpose, Kitty appears to be more attractive in every subsequent episode in which she is featured.
Appears In: Charity Drive, Visiting Ours, Missing Kitty, Not Without My Daughter, Let 'Em Eat Cake, The One Where They Build a House, ¡Amigos!, Spring Breakout, The Righteous Brothers, The Cabin Show
Lupe
Lupe is Lucille Bluth's abused Hispanic housekeeper, played by BW Gonzalez. Lucille is frequently abusive towards Lupe. In the second season, Lucille fires Lupe when she catches her in bed with Buster, comforting him about the loss of his hand. Lupe is replaced by a robotic vacuum cleaner. Lupe is the sister of Luz (played by Lillian Hurst), Lucille's original maid who was fired for supposedly taking a day off to take her daughter to the hospital.
Appears In: Charity Drive, In God We Trust, Public Relations, Marta Complex, Staff Infection, Missing Kitty, Best Man for the GOB, ¡Amigos!, The Immaculate Election, For British Eyes Only
Lucille Austero
Lucille Austero is the friend, neighbor, and social rival of Lucille Bluth. She is portrayed by Liza Minnelli.
Lucille Austero lives across the hall from Lucille and Buster Bluth in the Balboa Towers. In Season 1, she and Buster ended up dating after an incident at a country club auction when Buster bid on the wrong Lucille. Their relationship was looked down upon by the other Bluths.
In Season 2, she became the majority share holder of the Bluth company after the family members sold their shares. To ensure the company's safety, Michael hooked Gob and Lucille up. Buster at the time was dating Starla, the Bluth Company spokesmodel. After learning his older brother was dating his ex-girlfriend, Buster left Starla to pursue Lucille. Eventually, Lucille was disgusted with them and left both of them for Stan Sitwell, who runs Sitwell Housing, a rival company of the Bluth Company.
Lucille Austero is often referred to as 'Lucille Two' to differentiate her from Lucille Bluth.
Appears In: Key Decisions, Charity Drive, My Mother, The Car, In God We Trust, Storming The Castle, Pier Pressure, Marta Complex, Queen for a Day, Burning Love, Ready, Aim, Marry Me
Marta Estrella
Marta Estrella is the Spanish language soap opera star that Gob dates in season one. In her first two appearances, Marta was played by Leonor Varela; and she was played by Patricia Velasquez for all following episodes. She has two sons: Amable (played by Oliver Patrick Sandino) and Cortesio (played by Casey Sandino). Marta is attractive, moral, and holds family to be very important. Although Marta was dating Gob, she and Michael Bluth soon develop feelings for each other. Marta eventually chooses Michael over Gob, but she ends up leaving both of them after she catches them fighting.
Appears In:
- Leonor Varela - Bringing Up Buster, Key Decisions
- Patricia Velasquez - In God We Trust, My Mother, The Car, Storming The Castle, Marta Complex, Beef Consommé
Starla
Starla is the Bluth company secretary that Gob hires as his "business model" in season two after seeing her at a boat show. She is played by Mo Collins. Starla often proves to be quite incompetent as a secretary, and she claims to have once had an affair with musician Quincy Jones. Near the end of season 2, Buster and Starla have a brief relationship.
Appears In: The One Where They Build a House, ¡Amigos!, Switch Hitter, Queen for a Day, Ready, Aim, Marry Me, Sword of Destiny
Mort Meyers
Mort Meyers is a studio executive that works with Maeby. He is played by Jeff Garlin. Although he does have a wife, Mort often hits on Maeby, believing that she is actually older than she really is.
Appears In: Switch Hitter, Queen for a Day, Sword of Destiny, The Righteous Brothers, Mr. F, Making a Stand, Development Arrested
Wife of G.O.B.
The Wife of G.O.B. is a certified seal salesperson who married Gob as part of an evening of escalating dares. She is portrayed by Will Arnett's (the actor who plays Gob) real-life wife, Amy Poehler. She traffics in trained seals (selling sick ones to Third World countries) and convinces Gob to wear bright, colorful sweaters. Possibly the only fan of Dr. Funke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution, she saw their show in the late 90's and was comforted by the fact that they sang about every side effect she was going through. When she realizes she is in love with Tobias, she ends her marriage to Gob and leaves to join the United States Army. She frequently takes photos while smoking and pointing at crotches, a clear parody of Lynndie England, a central figure in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
Appears In: Altar Egos, Justice Is Blind, Best Man for the GOB, Whistler's Mother, Motherboy XXX
Rita Leeds
Rita Leeds is a British woman whom Michael Bluth is attracted to. She is played by Charlize Theron.
Rita first appeared in the second episode of Season 3, "For British Eyes Only."
There are a number of somewhat subtle indications that she may be a "stupid person" throughout episodes 2 and 3 of season 3; however, Michael does not seem to have noticed. Some of these indications might be the fact she goes to pre-school and also carries around a duck backpack.
In Episode 5 of season 3, Rita was confirmed to be mentally retarded. She also was given a proposal of marriage by Michael Bluth.
In Episode 6, Michael, upon discovering Leeds' mental retardation, ends his relationship with her.
Appears In: For British Eyes Only, Forget-Me-Now, Notapusy, Mr. F, The Ocean Walker
Larry Mittleman
Larry Mittleman, played by Bob Einstein (Super Dave Osborne), is a professional surrogate, hired by George Sr. to act as his eyes and ears so that he can continue influencing the family's dealings while under house arrest. "The Surrogate", as Larry is called, is always on the job, wearing a suit and tie at all times, with a baseball cap displaying the word "Surrogate". The cap carries a small camera and microphone, which transmit audio and video feeds in real-time to George Sr's computer and/or television. George Sr. has a voice feed back to the surrogate, so that he can tell Larry what to do, what to say on his behalf, where to go, etc.
Larry is a consummate professional, never allowing his own persona to come through except on rare occasion. Larry does occasionally misinterpret George Sr.'s instructions, usually with amusing consequences.
Larry appeared at the beginning of season three, and stayed on for several episodes before being fired remotely in front of a mirror by George Sr. after a very poor judgement call regarding what was meant to have been a sotto voce comment, or perhaps unspoken altogether. He reappeared in "SOB's" as a surrogate for a business associate of George Sr.
Appears In: Forget-Me-Now, Notapusy, Mr. F, The Ocean Walker, S.O.B.s
Trisha Thoon
Trisha Thoon is the field reporter for Fox 6 news throughout season one. She is played by Stacey Grenrock-Woods and often covers stories pertaining to the Bluth family.
Appears In: Pilot, Key Decisions, Public Relations, Let 'Em Eat Cake, Extended Pilot
White Power Bill
White Power Bill was a massive, bald, racist inmate with George Bluth Sr. at the Orange County Prison. White Power Bill was portrayed by David Reynolds.
White Power Bill was incensed when confronted with George's jailhouse conversion to Judaism. He was particularly upset at George's gesture of giving Little Justice, an inmate of the prison, a kippah for protection and giving him the new name, David Ben-Avram. He responds by hitting Little Justice with a pipe, knocking off his kippa. George, diplomatically, stated that "...both of our religions have a lot to offer. There’s the Jewish notion of heaven, and that it can be obtained here on earth, and there is your belief in the cleansing power of the pipe."
When Gob incarcerated himself in Orange County Prison (to break out as his greatest trick) he performed an "illusion" on Bill and pulled a quarter out of Bill's ear, thus giving him his new nickname: "Dirty Ears" Bill. Bill became furious and later "shivved" GOB (right after he was finally able to have a game of catch with his father...in a prison yard) and yelled "White Power," which got the necessary response of, "...I'm white..." from Gob.
Upon meeting Tobias, Bill referred to him as a "little kike." Tobias, oblivious, was at the prison researching the role of "Frightened Inmate #2" in a prison drama. He led Bill in a counseling session that culminated in Bill's suicide after Tobias suggested that Bill's inner rage stemmed from a hatred of himself; Bill jumped from the cell-block landing and died. His last words were "I hate White Power Bill..."
Appears In: Key Decisions, Staff Infection, Missing Kitty, Switch Hitter
Maggie Lizer
Maggie Lizer is a prosecuting attorney who is considered to be the most feared in all of Orange County. She is portrayed by Seinfeld alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Michael Bluth first meets Maggie in a bar where most of the lawyers hang out after work. After she mistakes him for an attorney, he says his name is Chareth Cutestory and that he practices maritime law. Maggie and Michael end back at her place after drinking at the bar. He spends the night and wakes up rather perplexed as how to proceed. Once he realizes she is blind, he guiltily decides to continue seeing her.
Maggie turns out to be prosecuting the government's case against the Bluth family. She was feared for her ability to win sympathy from everyone in the courtroom. It is later revealed that she is not in fact blind, and that she knew who Michael was but could not reveal this to him. So, she gave him what she described as "a summary of everything the government has against the Bluths so far." In actuality, it was a mere wish list, and she was, in her own words, "manipulating [him]."
As it turned out, Maggie was taken off the case. Her role over two episodes was mainly to provide a love interest for Michael, who had never had a one night-stand and had been off the shelf ever since his wife's passing.
Maggie returned for two episodes in season 2, eight months after her relationship with Michael - when she was eight months pregnant. As it later turned out, she was faking the pregnancy. Ironically she actually became pregnant by Michael after one last "never again" fling before they parted for good.
Appears In: Altar Egos, Justice Is Blind, Out on a Limb, My Hand to God
Stan Sitwell
Stan Sitwell is a real estate tycoon who runs the company Sitwell Housing, which competes with the Bluth company. He is played by Ed Begley Jr..
He has a disease that prevents him from growing hair on his body, Alopecia universalis. His daughter, Sally Sitwell (played by Christine Taylor) was once a love interest of Michael's. Stan Sitwell begins dating Lucille Austero. His outlandish wigs and fake facial hair is a bit of an inside joke, since in real life Ed Begley Jr. is known for his mane of thick blonde hair.
Appears In: Switch Hitter, Queen for a Day, Burning Love, Ready, Aim, Marry Me, Development Arrested
Franklin Delano Bluth
Franklin Delano Bluth is G.O.B.'s African-American puppet.
In an effort to hip-up his act Gob briefly introduced a puppet, used in a poorly executed ventriloquist act (Gob's mouth moves every time Franklin speaks), the result was a fiery-tempered, adulterous, obscenity laden, street-wise African American puppet named Franklin. Franklin is also the only African American member of the Bluth clan. The character was introduced towards the very end of season 2, being presented to us first in the form of stock footage from years earlier.
Gob discarded Franklin up in the attic, where much of the Bluths' failures can be found such as Gob's Aztec Tomb and George Sr., most likely due to the severe beating Gob received in a night club in Torrance after performing a show with Franklin. According to Gob "Franklin said some things Whitey wasn't ready to hear", "...he also said some things African Americany wasn't ready to hear either." During Meat the Veals Franklin is reintroduced back into the Bluth Family circle, an idea Michael brings about in order to get Ann's parents to disapprove of her dating George Michael. On the "On the Next Arrested Development..." Buster is seen wearing Franklin on his hand after drug dogs sniff and destroy his hook after Oscar used it to smoke marajuana during Buster's sleep. Prompting Buster to tell Lucille; after she says they won't allow Buster in the country club with Franklin; (Buster) speaking through Franklin, "I don't want no part of your tight ass country club you freak bitch."
Franklin is dipped in ether twice during season 2, in order to incapacitate Lucille in Meat the Veals, during which Gob is strictly warned by George Sr. to do the same to any witnesses, resulting in Buster and Gob, himself, getting incapacitated by an ether soaked Franklin. Franklin is again soaked in ether two episodes later in The Righteous Brothers in order to incapacitate George Sr., which provides Gob an opportunity to receive a kiss from an incapacitated George Sr.
Gob also receives 5,000 dollars from Michael in order to invest in a Franklin CD called "Franklin Comes Alive" a spoof of Frampton Comes Alive by Peter Frampton, which Michael thought was the mutual fund "and not a compact disc of you singing to your hand." The collaboration of Gob and Franklin produce an entire CD with tracks such as "It Ain't Easy Bein' White, It Ain't Easy Bein' Brown", which Gob hoped might break down racial barriers and maybe be a crossover hit, and Gob's cover of Bryan Adams ' song (Everything I Do) I Do It For You which Gob performed especially for Michael.
Unfortunately Franklin's musical career is cut short during The Righteous Brothers when a laundry accident results in Franklin getting bleached and as Gob later tells Michael became "all puckered and white".
Franklin appears in Forget-Me-Now and Prison Break-In briefly but in Fakin' It he makes his prominent return when Gob manages to get Franklin on the witness list after he was re-dyed and rested. Franklin was up to his usual controversial sense of humor until Michael points out to Gob his lips are moving. Gob then finds a way to give Franklin a voice without moving his lips by using voice promos from a magazine advertising for "Mock Trial with Judge Reinhold". Gob eventually sneaks a doctor's tape recorder into Franklin after Michael tells him he can't use any of his "My name is Judge" bit on the witness stand and they also ran out of magazines at the hospital. At the end of the episode it is due to Franklin's dramatic testimonial on the witness stand which effectively ends the Prosecution's case against the Bluth's. Michael used the tape recorder to tape Wayne Jarvis attempting to get Michael to turn on his family and conspire against them.
Franklin also appears in the next episode Family Ties as "Frank", a pimp who Nellie works for.
Franklin is a highly stereotypical version of how the media portrays African American youths to act and behave. He is intended to portray how upper class elites might think African Americans act, and to show the ignorance racial stereotyping creates. Franklin demonstrates intolerance as well. Lucille Bluth has on occasion spoken rudely to Franklin, although this could be attributed to his ethnicity, her dislike of Gob, the fact that Franklin is a puppet, or the fact that he attempted to make a move on her on two separate occasions. Franklin also wears a "George Bush doesn't care about black puppets" t-shirt in Fakin' It, a reference to Kanye West's "George Bush doesn't care about Black people" remark.
Franklin looks very much like a Muppet Jim Henson might have created. Obviously the name Franklin Delano Bluth comes from the 32nd President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt but the reason for this is because in the 1970s Sesame Street introduced an insultingly stereotypical African-American puppet named Roosevelt Franklin. The character was eventually dropped from the show's line-up. Franklin could also be another tribute to the Peanuts cartoons as this show also featured an African American character named Franklin. It is also possible Franklin is inspired at least in some way by Chuck's African American dummy Bob on the television show Soap shown on ABC from 1977 to 1981.
Quotes
"Can I say something my man?.." (Gob): "Sure Franklin," (Franklin): "You are one cool ...(censored continuous bleeps)"
"Speakin' of mother's let me give that oatmeal some brown suga'"
"Yo man, you're gonna get your sorry white ass thrown in jail,"
"It ain't so little when I take off my pants lady."
In British accent, "You've ruined the act Gob."
Appears In: Meat the Veals, Spring Breakout, The Righteous Brothers, Forget-Me-Now, Prison Break-In, Fakin' It, Family Ties
Bob Loblaw
Bob Loblaw is the new family attorney, replacing Barry Zuckerkorn. He is portrayed by Scott Baio.
Bob Loblaw first appeared in the third episode of Season 3, claiming this wasn't the first time he's been brought in to replace Barry alluding to Baio's experience replacing Henry Winkler (Zuckerkorn) on 70s sitcom Happy Days. He is a no-nonsense attorney who is always in the company of his stenographer secretary who records all of his meetings.
When pronounced, his name "Bob Loblaw" sounds comically like "Bah blah blah." He also runs "Bob Loblaw Law Blog," further adding to the joke. Additionally, the third season episode S.O.B.s includes a newspaper headline that reads "Bob Loblaw Lobs Law Bomb."
Appears In: Forget-Me-Now, Notapusy, Mr. F, Making a Stand
Carl Weathers
Actor Carl Weathers portrays himself as a thrifty, mooching Hollywood movie star whom Tobias hires to teach him his craft.
Tobias meets Carl Weathers on an air porter destined for LAX. Tobias once traveled to San Francisco to attend Carl Weathers' stage-fighting workshop. The actor failed to show because, as he informed Tobias, he was bumped from the flight. However, he discovered that they pay $300 to people that are inconvenienced in this manner. Carl Weathers called this "a crazy loophole in the system that the wrong guy discovered." Ever since then, Carl Weathers has been getting himself deliberately bumped from flights and subsequently cashing in.
Carl Weathers does not enjoy paying very much for anything. He is obsessed with thrift and "getting a stew going" out of leftover pieces of food. In addition, he also acquires all of his cars from police auctions. He takes Tobias on as a client and is thereby introduced to the Bluth experience. Lucille Bluth uses Carl Weathers to get back at her youngest son, Buster, who has become involved romantically with her chief rival, Lucille Austero. She simply introduces Carl Weathers to Lucille A. and suggests that they should have dinner together with Buster. Buster, however, reminds his mother that he has class that day. Lucille suggests that Carl Weathers and Lucille A. would just have to dine alone, in that case. When Buster finally decides to move in with Lucille A., he discovers her and Carl Weathers "getting a stew on" and is greatly disturbed.
Appears In: Public Relations, Marta Complex, Motherboy XXX
Tony Wonder
Tony Wonder is a professional magician who commonly works at Gothic Castle and is known for baking himself into a loaf of bread and emerging. He is played by Ben Stiller.
Gob idolizes Wonder, and wishes to imitate the illusionist's most famous stunt by boiling himself into a bisque. Tony Wonder has a "W" for a goatee, and seems to specialize in illusions featuring food. He is also producing a DVD, which he dubbed "Use Your Allusion" after discovering his preferred title, "Use Your Illusion", was unavailable due to copyright issues.
He also becomes quite taken by Buster's act during the "Sword of Destiny" illusion where Buster acted as the magician with Gob as the assistant (on account of Gob's banishment from the magicians alliance).
Appears In: Good Grief, Sword of Destiny, S.O.B.s
J. Walter Weatherman
J. Walter Weatherman is a one armed man used by George Bluth to frighten his children into good behavior. J. Walter Weatherman is portrayed by Steve Ryan.
Weatherman, a former employee of George Sr.'s who lost his arm in a Bluth Company construction accident, is recruited by George Sr. to fake accidents and appear to have lost his arm as a result of the Bluth children's misbehavior. The lesson ends with J. Walter turning to the children and saying "and that's why you don't..." do whatever action George Sr. is trying to stop. He is later recruited by Michael to pull a similar trick on George Sr. Buster later uses the same trick on both Michael and George Sr. as well as Gob, using his fake hand.
Appears In: Pier Pressure, Motherboy XXX, Making a Stand