What's the subtlest joke in AD?

[worlds2ndanalrapist]

I love the bit in Mr. F when Michael is talking about how he hadn't told Rita anything and they showed the clips of him telling her stuff and there banjo music playing over it and then it goes to another clip and Rita's playing the banjo. I didn't notice it until my brother pointed it out.

[Singlefiletobliss]

He also mentions earlier in the episode that she plays the banjo

[GOBstopper931]

I was watching Family Ties, and when Michael shows Lindsay the picture of "Nellie" she says, "Look at the beak on that bird." And of course it was really Lindsay, who used to "look like a falcon"

[Girl Michael]

I don't know that this is subtle, but it's the one remaining joke in Arrested Development that I will never understand completely. I've discussed it over and over, and it simply never fully makes sense.

Well, we can't have that! I will try to explain the joke.

Mort Meyers: No, but you’re gonna fix it. It’s a spring break movie. Get down there and find out what they sound like.

Maeby: Oh, yeah, right. Do you really think I look college-aged?

So, Maeby is trying to hide the fact that she's too young to have this job by incredulously asking if she looks college aged.

Mort Meyers: I’m not drunk. But I’m willing to be. Hint.

His saying "I'm not drunk" is a mild jab at Maeby, meaning she'd only look college aged if he had a few in him. But then when he says "But I'm willing to be. Hint." he's kind of conveying that he would still have sex with her if she wanted.

Maeby: Oh, Mort. You’re going to be so easy to blackmail. Hint.

And Maeby brushes him off.

It's not the greatest joke in AD, but hopefully it's no longer the joke that haunts you!

They follow up the joke in Mr. F, when Maeby thinks she is about to be fired, she says "I should have let Mort take me out" (or something), so she could blackmail him to keep her job.

[resident GOB]

While it's really hard to solidify the term "subtle" in a place where every joke is eventually unearthed, I will put in my opinion for one of my favorite, as well as longest-running subtle gags:

the Bluths' inability to use a hammer.

The number of references are too many to recite from memory, but I'll try:
-Top Banana: repairing the stand after the fire, Michael has wedged 3-4 nails into the exact same spot (it's probably amazing they ever got the stand to 'stand' on its own in the first place!)
-same instance, GOB says "I can't swing a hammer?" and we know how that goes..
-buster trying to injure himself to stay out of army
-Maeby hitting through the door in Afternoon Delight
-the photo of the hammer in Making a Stand (ottoman out!)
-The One Where Michael Leaves: GOB with the sledgehammer to the wall to put up a picture frame nail; as well as Michael putting the hole in the house

I know there's a few more instances, but this in my opinion has been the most well-placed "subtle" joke throughout the life of the series.

[pit_girl1]

Question - I'm not sure if this is a joke that is too subtle for me to get, or if it's just a random line (which doesn't seem likely given the way Tobias acts when he's corrected).

In Making a Stand, at the beginning when the family is talking about Michael being a robot, Tobias calls him the "Steel Man" from Wizard of Oz. Then Michael corrects him by saying Tin Man, and Tobias looks really awkward and taken aback, like he got caught saying some sort of homosexual innuendo.

Is this some sort of innuendo that I'm just not getting?

[I ate all your bees]

No, I think he's just trying (and failing) to not have Michael think he knows so much about such a stereotypical gay thing. Which is interesting in itself, seeing as Tobias is normally so oblivious about it all....

[Beamer]

In Making a Stand, at the beginning when the family is talking about Michael being a robot, Tobias calls him the "Steel Man" from Wizard of Oz. Then Michael corrects him by saying Tin Man, and Tobias looks really awkward and taken aback, like he got caught saying some sort of homosexual innuendo.

That was actually in Save Our Bluths, and I Ate All Your Bees' explanation was entirely correct. There was also some discussion about this in the Save our Bluths thread, too - but that's pretty much where we landed on that joke.

[pit_girl1]

Awesome, thanks - I kept thinking it was Making a Stand, and I didn't see any discussion of it in that thread - I just got a little confused. Thanks for clearing that up Beamer and I Ate All Your Bees!

[Clumsy Adolescence]

very subtle:

Linds: Great! Now my daughter thinks I'm self-centered!
Tobias: I can fix this....


...I'm gonna go downstairs and beg for a part!
Linds: And i need to get a date (or somethin)



omg they really are self centered that is the most subtle thing i've ever heard!

[Banana Family]

i dont know if anyne said this yet but when busters in the fake coma he looks at the baloon in the room, a reference to terry shiavo not really being brain-dead video on the internet.

[ahugemistake]

The reference to Ann and her "friends" making GM campaign video in Immaculate Election. being in reference to the Christian Coalition funding the Republicans campaign in the last few elections. The whole episode is really a joke on how the public overlooked the effect of the "Christian" vote. Even the title of the episode lends itself to this joke.

[jigielnik]

in "for british eyes only" when michael is talking to rita right before he leaves (then he gets hit by the poppuns)

michael:I-I didn’t mean to, uh, impugn your ability,
(this part is not in the transcrpit, but if you watch and pay attention you can hear rita go "impugn?" very quietly after michael says it, which is of course the very, very subtle foreshadow to finding ouyt shes an MR F)

[I Got A Stew Going]

The S. Funke joke from Alter Egos was insanely subtle. First of all, it was a call-forward (you could only get the joke after seeing the episode entirely at least once). And even then, it was hard to pick up on. Alia played that line perfectly. I did not know there was any hidden joke (I believed her about that single/married thing), but sure enough, there was method to her madness.

S. = Single = Surely
M. = Married = Maeby

Yes that took me a crapload of time to figure out!

[Blitz_vs]

Off the top of my head:

Coco: Are you going to buy this time, or you just curious?

Tobias: I suppose I’m, uh... buy-curious.


And the other which I just got last week:

George, Sr.: Yeah, you know what’s risky? Letting your son go on that church thing.

Michael: Well, her name’s Ann, Dad. And he’s not going on her, okay? They’re just friends.