Altar Egos
Encyclopedia
"Altar Egos" is the seventeenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.
Meanwhile, Lindsay receives a letter from Maeby’s school saying that her daughter is failing 9th grade. Lindsay and Tobias hire George Michael to tutor Maeby. Later, Maeby shows George Michael a recent (failed) test and pays him to fill in the correct answers instead of actually tutoring her. George Michael wonders where the money came from.
At the bar near the courthouse, Michael sits down to read the plea, but Gob suggests he have a one-night stand
with a lawyer instead. As Michael reads the plea, a woman, Maggie Lizer, bumps into him and they talk. Michael, following Gob's advice, introduces himself as "Chareth Cutestory," maritime lawyer; he goes home with Maggie. The following morning, Michael wonders how to end the one-night stand. Maggie appears with coffee and he suddenly realizes that she is blind; now he cannot just dump her.
George Sr. presses Cindi Lightballoon for information about his case, and then starts tweaking her nipples through the prison yard fence. Lucille catches him and storms away, threatening divorce. Michael comes home, upset that his one night stand is still not over. Gob is there, also upset, because last night he got married during a series of escalating dares. Later, an unenthusiastic Michael arrives at the park for his second date with Maggie.
While working on a chain gang, George Sr. is approached by Cindi, who tells him she knows for a fact he will be set free. Actually, Cindi misunderstood one of his "Caged Wisdom" tapes in which he said faith was a "fact" instead of "facet"; that bit appeared only on the bonus blooper reel. At the high school, Maeby pays George Michael to do an essay for her, then runs off to a fundraiser for a sick girl. George Michael, curious, attends the fundraiser for "Surely Fünke," where he discovers that Maeby has been collecting charity money by posing as a dying girl in a wheelchair.
At the courthouse, Michael meets up with his family, having still not read the plea. Zuckerkorn hasn't read it either: he's working on George and Lucille's divorce. George Sr. decides to take the plea even though no one has read it. Lucille forgives him. The hearing gets underway; Maggie Lizer is the prosecutor, the toughest one in Orange County because her blindness wins sympathy from the judges, the juries, and often the defendants themselves. Michael later visits Maggie, who, still believing he is a lawyer, hands him the Bluth case file so he can advise her about it. Michael is stuck with an ethical dilemma.
Plot
Michael Bluth and family gather to discuss George Sr.’s upcoming trial. They've received a plea offer, but lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn hasn’t read it yet because he is too busy picking up cross-dressing prostitutes. Lucille, speaking for George Sr., wants to accept the plea because he needs a woman back in his life. However, George Sr. already has a woman in his life - Cindi Lightballoon, an undercover FBI agent who had watched George Sr.’s "Caged Wisdom" series of self-help videos and fell in love with him. She tells George Sr. that she knows for a fact that he can beat the government's case against him, so George Sr. wants to go to trial. Michael takes the plea documents to a nearby bar to read.Meanwhile, Lindsay receives a letter from Maeby’s school saying that her daughter is failing 9th grade. Lindsay and Tobias hire George Michael to tutor Maeby. Later, Maeby shows George Michael a recent (failed) test and pays him to fill in the correct answers instead of actually tutoring her. George Michael wonders where the money came from.
At the bar near the courthouse, Michael sits down to read the plea, but Gob suggests he have a one-night stand
One-night stand
Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...
with a lawyer instead. As Michael reads the plea, a woman, Maggie Lizer, bumps into him and they talk. Michael, following Gob's advice, introduces himself as "Chareth Cutestory," maritime lawyer; he goes home with Maggie. The following morning, Michael wonders how to end the one-night stand. Maggie appears with coffee and he suddenly realizes that she is blind; now he cannot just dump her.
George Sr. presses Cindi Lightballoon for information about his case, and then starts tweaking her nipples through the prison yard fence. Lucille catches him and storms away, threatening divorce. Michael comes home, upset that his one night stand is still not over. Gob is there, also upset, because last night he got married during a series of escalating dares. Later, an unenthusiastic Michael arrives at the park for his second date with Maggie.
While working on a chain gang, George Sr. is approached by Cindi, who tells him she knows for a fact he will be set free. Actually, Cindi misunderstood one of his "Caged Wisdom" tapes in which he said faith was a "fact" instead of "facet"; that bit appeared only on the bonus blooper reel. At the high school, Maeby pays George Michael to do an essay for her, then runs off to a fundraiser for a sick girl. George Michael, curious, attends the fundraiser for "Surely Fünke," where he discovers that Maeby has been collecting charity money by posing as a dying girl in a wheelchair.
At the courthouse, Michael meets up with his family, having still not read the plea. Zuckerkorn hasn't read it either: he's working on George and Lucille's divorce. George Sr. decides to take the plea even though no one has read it. Lucille forgives him. The hearing gets underway; Maggie Lizer is the prosecutor, the toughest one in Orange County because her blindness wins sympathy from the judges, the juries, and often the defendants themselves. Michael later visits Maggie, who, still believing he is a lawyer, hands him the Bluth case file so he can advise her about it. Michael is stuck with an ethical dilemma.
Cultural references
- Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry WinklerHenry WinklerHenry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
, Fonz on Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
) does the "Fonz" pose in the bathroom mirror. - Cindi Lightballoon (Jane LynchJane LynchJane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
) is seen in front of a fake pet grooming truck. In the movie Best in ShowBest in Show (film)Best in Show is a 2000 independent film that follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show. The film focuses on the slightly surreal interactions among the various owners and handlers as they travel to the show and compete. Much of the dialogue was improvised.Christopher Guest directed; he also...
, she played a professional dog groomer.
Character cameos
- Gob's wife - This marks the first appearance of Gob's wife, played by Will ArnettWill ArnettWilliam Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
's real-life spouse, Amy PoehlerAmy PoehlerAmy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
. - Maggie Lizer - This is the first appearance of Maggie Lizer, who will return in the following episode, followed by another two-parter in Season 2.
Episode Notes
- Episode 18, "Missing KittyMissing Kitty"Missing Kitty" is the sixteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:The local colleges are on spring break and things are heating up in Newport Beach. Gob is teaching George Michael some magic tricks, to Michael's disapproval...
," was originally intended to come before this and the next episode. - This episode and the following episode Justice is BlindJustice Is Blind"Justice is Blind" is the eighteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:The episode begins with a recap of events in the previous one, "Altar Egos." At school, George Michael accosts Maeby about her second identity, her ‘twin’ Surely, a wheelchair-using sick girl suffering...
are regarded as a two-parter, as all the storylines continue on and nothing is resolved in Part 1. - The title is a play on the term “alter egoAlter egoAn alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
,” referring to Michael's alias Chareth Cutestory, Maggie Lizer's pretending to be a blind person, Cindi's job as a mole, and Maeby's confidence trick as a disabled girl. The word "altar" refers to the fact that Gob gets married in this episode. - Proving he is a Milford man, Buster is neither seen nor heard in this episode.
- In courthouse bathroom scene, lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn starts to comb his hair in the mirror, then stops to admire himself, arms outstretched. This action characterized the Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
character Fonzie, also played by Henry WinklerHenry WinklerHenry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
. - In the "On the next Arrested Development..." section, a Cornballer (a now-illegal product marketed by George Sr.) can be seen on Maggie Lizer's kitchen table. Also, it shows Maggie stalking Tobias with a baseball bat, one of the few times this segment shows a scene that indeed occurs in the following episode.
- The name Maggie Lizer is possibly a reference to Kari LizerKari LizerKari Lizer is an American actress, writer, and producer. She was the creator and executive producer of the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine. On May 18, 2010 CBS canceled Old Christine...
, creator of the Julia Louis-DreyfusJulia Louis-DreyfusJulia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
(who portrays this character) vehicle The New Adventures of Old ChristineThe New Adventures of Old ChristineThe New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
.
Foreshadowing
- Maggie opens her front door near the end of the episode and immediately recognizes Michael - a subtle hint at the twist (revealed in the "On the next Arrested Development..." tag) that she is faking her blindness.
External links
- The-OP.com
- FOX
- Quotes for this episode on Wikiquote