Development Arrested
| "Development Arrested" | |
|---|---|
| Arrested Development episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | John Fortenberry |
| Story by | |
| Teleplay by | |
| Cinematography by | Greg Harrington |
| Editing by |
|
| Production code | 3AJD13 |
| Original air date | February 10, 2006 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Development Arrested" is the thirteenth and final episode of the third season of the American television satirical sitcom Arrested Development, and is the 53rd overall episode of the series. It was written by co-executive producers Chuck Tatham and Jim Vallely from a story by co-executive producer Richard Day and series creator Mitchell Hurwitz, and was directed by John Fortenberry. It was the final episode to air on Fox before the series was cancelled. The episode originally aired on February 10, 2006, along with the three previous episodes in a two-hour block against NBC's coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.[1] The series was later revived by Netflix for a fourth and fifth season.[2][3]
The series, narrated by Ron Howard, follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family, who made their money from property development. The Bluth family consists of Michael, his twin sister Lindsay, his older brother Gob, his younger brother Buster, their mother Lucille and father George Sr., as well as Michael's son George Michael, and Lindsay and her husband Tobias' daughter Maeby. In the episode, Michael is relieved to have all the charges against his father dropped and shocked to learn who holds the real power in his dysfunctional family.
Plot
[edit]Michael (Jason Bateman) wakes up to find George Michael (Michael Cera) in his bed. Michael asks his son if he has anything on his mind, and George Michael suggests moving out of town without explaining why. The family gathers at the penthouse for brunch, and Lucille (Jessica Walter) suggests throwing a party to name Michael as the new CEO of the company. Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) tells Michael she wants to sell her shares because she wants to remarry, and George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) tells Michael he wants to cash out and move to Cabo. Michael finds Gob (Will Arnett) trying to flee on a boat, and Gob tells him that Stan Sitwell (Ed Begley Jr.) made a generous offer for his stock. George Michael confesses to Michael that he and Maeby (Alia Shawkat) kissed, and Michael suggests that George Michael try to get back together with Ann (Mae Whitman). Stan Sitwell tells Lindsay that she was adopted by the Bluths and is biologically a Sitwell.
Maeby finds the movie studio has received ten offers on her life story. Lindsay pins Michael to his bed and asks Michael to marry her after telling him that she is adopted, but he declines. The next morning, Michael finds Tobias (David Cross) in his bed and offers Tobias the job of Events Coordinator. George Michael visits Ann to win her back, while Michael confronts Lucille about Lindsay's adoption. Lucille proposes making the family sign an agreement promising not to sell their shares for ten years. George Michael finds out that Gob has been dating Ann, so he punches and knocks him out. At the party on the Queen Mary, Lucille asks Maeby to collect signatures for her and offer each family member $100,000, and Michael addresses the gathered crowd. Michael leaves the party to find George Michael after being told he is fleeing.
Lucille agrees to sell Stan Sitwell the company for 12% above the market value. Gob notices SEC police boats approaching the party, and Annyong (Justin Lee) appears and reveals that he turned the Bluths in. Lucille claims that the reasons all the charges of embezzlement were strangely dropped from George Sr. was because he "sold her out," but quickly finds that the man she is accosting is actually Oscar (Tambor), who has once again been tricked into posing as his brother. Michael informs George Michael that Maeby is not actually his cousin. The yacht is rocked by a huge wave as Lucille tries to power the Queen Mary off the dock and into the open sea. The boat's rocking sends Buster (Tony Hale) overboard and into the ocean, where he is confronted by the seal who bit off his hand. George Michael motions to go back and stick with the family, but Michael stops him, realizing that his son is the most important thing in his life. Michael decides to let the family handle their own problems while he spends time with his George Michael, and they motor off into the sunset.
On the epilogue of Arrested Development...
[edit]Michael and George Michael finally arrive in Cabo, and the next morning Michael wakes up to see George Sr. Maeby pitches her film idea to Ron Howard, who tells them that he does not see the concept working as a series, but says "Maybe a movie."
Production
[edit]
"Development Arrested" was directed by John Fortenberry, and written by co-executive producers Chuck Tatham and Jim Vallely,[4] adapted from a story by co-executive producer Richard Day and series creator Mitchell Hurwitz.[5] It was Tatham's third and final writing credit for the series, and Vallely's 15th writing credit.[5] The episode was the 13th and final episode of the season to be filmed,[6] and was written as a potential series finale, thus including many references to prior episodes.[4]
During production, it was originally intended to be titled "Harboring Resentment".[6] The episode contains a subtle hint towards a potential Arrested Development movie; in the post-credits scene, Maeby pitches a television series to Ron Howard based on the events of Arrested Development, but he instead suggests they make a movie out of the concept.[7] The episode makes references to Skating with Celebrities, a show that took over the series' time slot on Fox after it concluded.[8] Justin Lee, who portrays Annyong on the series, recalled that the final day of filming was "bittersweet". He brought his grandfather on set with him, which he later joked helped him method-act his narrative in the episode about Annyong's grandfather. Lee recalled that Howard and Hurwitz did not look stressed about the series concluding so early, suggesting that they already had plans for a revival to the series sometime in the future. Jessica Walter had personally asked the series' producers to bring Lee back for the finale, and, for doing this, she received a hug from Lee at the wrap party.[9]
Themes and analysis
[edit]The episode uses a common theme of narrative structure to offer a sense of finality and coherence, distinguishing real life from television shows like Arrested Development. Where real life often leaves parts of our lives with loose ends and unresolved conflicts, "Development Arrested" goes as far as to tie together multiple different aspects of the show, making the complex experiences seen throughout the previous three seasons much more streamlined.[10]
Reception
[edit]Viewers
[edit]In the United States, the episode was watched by 3.43 million viewers on its original broadcast.[11]
Critical reception
[edit]The A.V. Club writer Noel Murray commented on the episode being "funny, with some moments that are classic Arrested Development (and thus leaps and bounds beyond the average sitcom). But it's also an episode that lives down to some of the most pointed criticism leveled at the show: that it's often so busy connecting dots and making callbacks that it never gets to anyplace new or surprising." Murray then stated that the episode "is dotted with great Arrested Development gags."[8] Brian Tallerico from Vulture ranked the episode as the tenth best of the whole series, calling it "a truly great series finale, recalling both the maritime setting of the pilot and Michael Bluth's remarkable inability to leave his family."[12]
Accolades
[edit]Richard Day, Mitchell Hurwitz, Chuck Tatham and Jim Vallely were nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards for "Development Arrested".[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Bianco, Robert (February 9, 2006). "If this is the end, a fond arrivederci to 'Arrested'". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 14, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (April 4, 2013). "New 'Arrested Development' Season Coming to Netflix on May 26". ArtsBeat. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (May 7, 2018). "'Arrested Development' Gets Season 5 Trailer & Premiere Date On Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "The Funniest Arrested Development Episodes You'll Want to Rewatch". Yahoo Entertainment. March 7, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "Arrested Development". directories.wga.org. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "20th Century Fox - Fox In Flight". October 30, 2011. Archived from the original on October 30, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ McNab, J. M. (February 24, 2025). "This Is What the Unproduced 'Arrested Development' Movie Was About". Cracked.com. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "Arrested Development: "Development Arrested"". AV Club. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ "Catching Up With Arrested Development's Annyong Bluth". Vulture. May 6, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
- ^ Shores (2011): p. 239.
- ^ "Disney General Entertainment Press – Disney General Entertainment Press". Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (March 18, 2019). "Every Episode of Arrested Development, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "Arrested Development". Television Academy. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
Bibliography
[edit]- Irwin, William (2011). Arrested Development and Philosophy: They've Made a Huge Mistake. Wiley. ISBN 9781118146262.