Meat the Veals

"Meat the Veals"
Arrested Development episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 16
Directed by	Joe Russo
Written by	Barbara Feldman Richard Rosenstock
Production code	2AJD15
Original air date	April 3, 2005
Guest stars
Mae Whitman as Ann Alan Tudyk as Pastor Veal Ione Skye as Mrs. Veal
Season 2 episodes
November 2004 – June 2005 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 Ready, Aim, Marry Me Out on a Limb Hand to God Motherboy XXX The Immaculate Election Sword of Destiny Meat the Veals Spring Breakout Righteous Brothers
All Arrested Development episodes

"Meat the Veals" is the 38th episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.

Plot

Oscar wants to throw Lucille a party to celebrate her wedding anniversary. He got the idea from Buster, who said that it would show how Oscar has been there for Lucille while George Sr. has been a fugitive. Upon hearing of the party, George Sr. concocts a plan to win back Lucille by renewing his vows. He enlists G.O.B. to abduct her and take her to Church of the Good Shepherd. Tobias continues to disguise himself as Mrs. Featherbottom, unaware that everyone knows that it is him. The others are taking advantage of this; Maeby is getting her ironing done, and Lucille uses him for catering. George Michael has decided to ask Ann if she will get pre-engaged to him. Michael is against the idea, and meets with Ann's parents, thinking that they will feel the same way. It turns out that they support the pre-engagement, so Michael invites the Veals to the party, thinking that they will see how dysfunctional the Bluths are.

However, at the party, the family is surprisingly normal, to Michael's annoyance. He convinces George Michael not to go through with the pre-engagement. However, after Ann's mother starts kissing Michael on the balcony and George Michael sees this, he goes ahead with it. G.O.B., Franklin and George Sr. abduct Lucille (knocking her out with ether put on G.O.B's puppet Franklin) and take her to the church in which Ann's father, a pastor, is presiding. The whole family arrives at the church, and two fights ensue — one between Oscar and George Sr. over Lucille and the other between Michael and Pastor Veal over Mrs. Veal. When the police arrive, George Sr. escapes wearing Tobias's Mrs. Featherbottom wig. George Michael talks Ann out of marrying him; however, Ann tries to convince George Michael to have sex together. Buster's hook hand gets confiscated by the police after a drug dog pounces on him (resulting in Buster using Franklin the puppet as a temporary substitute, despite Lucille's objection).

Notes

Cultural references

• The narrator refers to Lindsay's middle toe as "Roast Beef", a reference to This Little Piggy.
• When George Michael asks Ann to pre-engage, he says, "And it would be great to hear back on this before the real hard AP stuff kicks in, you know?" referring to Advanced Placement high school classes.
• Franklin is based on the Sesame Street puppet Roosevelt Franklin, who first appeared in 1970. Roosevelt Franklin also was a singer and also released an album called The Year of Roosevelt Franklin. He was removed from the show when viewers complained that he presented a negative stereotype, much like Franklin Delano Bluth. Both share names similar to the former President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Callbacks/running jokes

• Ann's Mother/Sister Twice in the episode Michael becomes offended/defensive when someone suggests Mrs Veal is young enough to look like Ann's sister. In fact Michael is commenting on the fact that Ann is so plain and her mother is not. He also asks Pastor Veal if he had re-married along the same thought line.
• Big Yellow Joint The song playing while Oscar smokes pot is a Banana Stand reference introduced in the season one episode "Pier Pressure".
• Censorship
  • Much of Franklin's speech from the flashback of G.O.B.'s first act with Franklin is bleeped out.
  • The joint that Oscar smokes from Buster's hook hand is digitally blurred out.
• Church of the Good Shepherd This is the church bus boarded by Bluth Company employees during "Staff Infection".
• Franklin G.O.B.'s African-American puppet appears for the first time.
• Forced kiss G.O.B. uses Franklin dipped in ether to knock out Lucille, Buster, and then accidentally himself.
• G.O.B. witnesses While driving his parents to the church, G.O.B. is worried that he might witness them having sex, as he did in "Visiting Ours".
• Her? George Sr. says the phrase as he is eavesdropping from the attic while George Michael and Lindsay discuss Ann. G.O.B. uses it when George Sr. says that he needs to recommit to Lucille. Maeby says it when she finds out that the attractive woman at the party is Ann's mom.
• Hey... Buster says "Hey, brother" to G.O.B., who responds in Franklin's voice, "Who you callin' 'brother', you hook-ass--" and Buster immediately finishes with "Mother!" upon seeing Lucille unconscious on the floor.
• Hook:
  • Oscar uses Buster's hook hand as a roach clip (which Buster mistakes for Oscar kissing his hook hand).
  • Upon seeing Buster's hook (as Buster lies unconscious on the kitchen floor), George Sr. remarks, "What the hell kind of puppet does Buster have on his hand?"
  • Buster later uses Franklin as a hook substitute, after a police dog smells the marijuana that Oscar smoked from the hook and pounces on Buster.
  • Buster also uses Franklin as a hook substitute during the "On the next Arrested Development..." when Lucille and Buster are in the living room. Lucille says, "They're not gonna let you in at the country club with that." To which Buster exclaims, as Franklin, "I don't want no part of your tight ass country club ya freak bitch!!"
• Maeby's job Previously she is seen reading the script for "Operation: Hot Mother". Later when she meets Ann's mom, she asks, "Who's the hottie? ... Does she look old enough to play Topher Grace's mom?"
• Mary Poppins Tobias as Mrs. Featherbottom attempts to float under an umbrella like Mary Poppins.
• "Maybe he still is..."
  • Oscar tells Buster that Lucille is throwing an anniversary party for George Sr. Buster asks, "My father?" and Oscar responds, "Yes?... I mean, yes."
  • Oscar mentions that Buster should bring up the fact that his father isn't here, and when Oscar says "Maybe he is" both Lucille and Buster roll their eyes.
  • Oscar once again mentions that maybe Buster's father still is there, but Michael interrupts with "Shut up!" Oscar responds (rather slowly), "Oh, you shut up!"
• "Marry me!" Maeby uses her standard deflection, though regrets it after someone actually accepts. She also says "babysit me!" while trying to convince a security guard that she is younger than 15.
• Mrs. Featherbottom Tobias appears several times disguised as a British nanny.
• Outdated shirt As Mrs. Featherbottom, Tobias wears a "Bush/Cheney 2000" sweatshirt. This is a reference to Lupe, as well as Lucille's other housekeepers, wearing outdated shirts.
• Rape Horn: Buster blows Lucille's rape horn when G.O.B. knocks him out with Franklin's ether-soaked lips.
• Tobias is gay
  • As Mrs. Featherbottom, he asks if anyone would like a "banger in the mouth", referring to sausages. He then quickly corrects himself, saying that he forgot that he was in the states, where it is referred to as a "sausage in the mouth".
  • Also as Mrs. Featherbottom, he mentions that he's "stuffing the mushrooms".
• "The mere fact that..." Michael uses this line when he is trying to convince George Michael not to get pre-engaged to Ann.
• "What you're tryin' to say to me" The music that plays while Ann begs George Michael to teach her "the ways of the secular flesh" is the same as that played when he learned that he would be sharing a room with Maeby in the pilot, complete with a zoom-in on his worried reaction. The name of this song is "Gonna Get Together" by Leroy.

Hidden/background jokes

• Come on! The song that plays when Franklin is introduced and subsequently appears has the lyrics "Come on!", which is G.O.B.'s catchphrase.
• "He's aggressive!" Franklin is handcuffed on top of the limo soon after the cops mistake him for an aggressive suspect.
• Mrs. Featherbottom
  • When Maeby mentions that she needs Mrs. Featherbottom to iron her blouse, Tobias defends the housekeeper and accidentally slips into character, saying that Maeby should have mentioned it to her before she changed out of her "bloody work clothes".
  • Tobias races upstairs and comes back down dressed as Mrs. Featherbottom. He had been previously shown changing outfits in the attic in "Sword of Destiny".
• Operation Hot Mother Maeby is reading a script for a film entitled Operation Hot Mother, the same name used by Buster in "Motherboy XXX".
• Exit Sign When the cops rush in to the Chapel while Lucille and George are renewing their vows, there is an exit sign, which is typically seen over a door, at ankle-level to the left of Buster.

Foreshadowing/Future References

• Mrs Featherbottom driving her British car into oncoming traffic. Michael and others frequently drive into oncoming traffic in Wee Britain in Season 3.

Cameos

• Simon Helberg (formerly a MADtv feature player and now known from the popular CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory) plays Jeff in the scenes at Maeby's workplace.
• Alan Tudyk appears as Pastor Veal; Ann's father.
• Ione Skye appears as Mrs. Veal; Ann's mother.

External links

• The-OP.com