Public Relations (Arrested Development)

Template:Infobox Arrested Development episode

"Public Relations" is the eleventh episode aired of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.

Synopsis

Michael takes his son to an interview at the prestigious Milford School, an institution famous for its credo that children should be neither seen nor heard. The dean is unwilling to associate the school with the tarnished Bluth name, producing a recent newspaper headlining Lucille's brawl at a Klimpy's diner. After Lucille and Lindsay were denied a table at a swanky restaurant, they went to a greasy spoon, where a few glasses of wine turned into a screaming match and a visit by the cops.

Fearing the family's bad press could affect George Michael's future, Michael decides to hire a publicist whom he met at the gym, Jessie, to improve the family's image. Jessie tells the Bluths that Michael is going to be trumpeted as the head of the family, G.O.B. will start doing charity work, Lindsay will get a job promoting a fancy vodka in bars, and Tobias needs to get his medical license back. Jessie wants Buster to stay out of the public eye from now on, a task he's likely to excel at after graduating from Milford.

Each Bluth sets about redefining their image. Tobias, who has a hearing to review his medical license in Boston, meets actor Carl Weathers on the ride-share van to the airport. Instead of going to Boston, Tobias petitions Carl to teach him acting. Carl Weathers, who now spends his days getting bumped from flights and pocketing the $300, accepts. G.O.B. conducts his first charity magic show at the old folks home, and Michael takes Jessie out for dinner, where she indicates her romantic intentions.

Michael asks George Michael how he feels about Michael starting a relationship with Jessie. George Michael, who hopes Jessie's public relations will fail because he doesn't want to attend a different school from his cousin Maeby, says he doesn't like her. Concerned by George Michael's doubts, Michael suggests to Jessie they take a step back and Jessie quits as the Bluth's publicist. Michael feels bad, but he feels worse when he gets a call from G.O.B. saying he needs Jessie to spin a story for him: murder. During his charity magic show, G.O.B. had made Earl Milford, founder of the academy, disappear into the Aztec Tomb - permanently.

The next day, Jessie drops by the banana stand and blames George Michael for destroying her relationship with Michael, and threatens to portray the Bluths as the worst family in town. G.O.B. unloads his equipment and makes a surprising discovery: Earl Milford, hiding in one of his trunks in order to escape from the rest home. Later that night, Tobias and Carl Weathers visit Lindsay at the restaurant where she works hoping to get free food — the same restaurant where Michael is meeting Jessie to patch things up. Lindsay and Lucille want to fight Jessie because they saw the planted story in that day's paper, and Michael tries to prevent the melee. But when he learns that Jessie threatened George Michael, Michael steps back and a free-for-all breaks out in the restaurant.

Episode notes

The title refers to both the fact that the Bluths get a new publicist (also known as a P.R., which stands for "Public Relations") and the fact that Michael has a relationship with her.
This episode was #31 on thefutoncritic.com's list of 2004's 50 Best Episodes on TV.

References

The Andy Griffith Show - Jessie calls George Michael “Opie.” Ron Howard (the Narrator) played Opie on the Andy Griffith Show, which is why the Narrator quips "Jessie had gone too far and she had best watch her mouth."
Arrested Development - On the newspaper with the headline “Bluth Matron In Brawl At Klimpy’s Family Style Restaurant,” lower down in the paper, there is an article titled “Musician sues restaurant over use of name.” This is a reference to the band Arrested Development suing over the name Arrested Development.
Ike and Tina Turner - At Klimpy's Lucille orders a dish called the "Ike and Tina Tuna"
The Beatles When GOB is performing his Aztec Tomb illusion, the music that can be heard is the opening to The Beatles song "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill"

Callbacks/Running Jokes

Lindsay doesn't care about Maeby - When Lindsay says she cares about her child, Maeby responds by asking Lindsay what grade she is in. Lindsay, not knowing the answer, changes the subject.
Aztec Tomb - G.O.B.'s illusion, first seen in the Pilot, is showcased for the seniors.
Carl Weathers is cheap - Our introduction to Carl Weathers shows him to be a serious skinflint.
- He first meets Tobias taking a shuttle to the airport rather than a taxi or his own car.
- He tells Tobias he is planning to scam the airline by exploiting a loophole that gives you $300 if you are bumped from a flight.
- When he finds out Tobias's wife is working in a restaurant, he takes Tobias to try and use it to get a discounted meal.
- He says that he buys all his automobiles at police auctions.
- He tries to get a drink on Lindsay's tab.
- As the brawl breaks out, he shares a bottle of wine with Lucille off of some random table.
- When interviewed after the fight at the restaurant, he is holding a doggy bag and indicates that he will be suing for $50,000 in medical damage.
Cloud Mir - Lindsay's new job is to order Cloud Mir in popular bars. This episode marks the first appearance of the fictional brand of vodka.
Fight - This was the first of many occasions where the Bluths would find themselves in a public brawl.
Four women - This is the first time we hear the number of women Michael has slept with, for which he would later be chided by his family in Beef Consommé and Shock and Aww.
Judaism - Jessie decides to play up George Sr's religion in the media, to which Lucille replies, "Yeah. Who doesn’t love the Jews?"
Lucille calls Lindsay fat - Lucille implies that Lindsay is overweight several times throughout the episode, including her remark about Lindsay's thyroid problem.
Peanuts - Lucille says "Good grief" during her fight with Lindsay.
Tobias is Gay
- Jessie says there are few “intelligent, attractive, and straight men” in town, and Tobias says that leaves him out. When everyone turns and stares at him, he tries to cover up by claiming that he heard her say "single".
- During his session with Carl Weathers, Tobias says, "I don't know if I'm cut out to be a De Niro, or a Regis, or a Pinkett-Smith, or what have you." The last actor mentioned is Jada Pinkett-Smith, an actress and wife of Will Smith.

Hidden/Background Jokes

Ice - As Lucille recounts her story of the Klimpy's brawl to Michael, she is searching for ice. Lindsay is using a bag of ice to soothe her aching head, and Lucille grabs some ice cubes out of it for her drink.
Mimicking pictures - Before Earl Milford enters the Aztec Tomb, he puts his finger to his mouth, mimicking the portrait of him at the Milford Academy.
Neither seen nor heard - After vowing to be neither seen nor heard, Buster dons a shirt that matches his mother’s wallpaper.
Newspaper - On the newspaper with the headline “Cold Hard Bluths,” lower down in the paper, there is an article titled “Bum Gets Balloon.” Earlier, George Michael had told Jessie that he managed to get rid of a bum at the frozen banana stand without hurting his feelings.
A patron at the restaurant yells "Bluth fight!" in the same style that kids yell "Food fight!"
Tobias, driven by his desire to become a famous actor, appears sheepishly in the background of Carl Weather's news interview.

Character Cameos

This is the first of three episodes featuring Carl Weathers as himself, characterized as a money-saving swindler.
Stacey Grenrock-Woods returns as reporter Trisha Thoon.

John Beard appears as the fictional local affiliate Fox 6's TV anchor.

Sources