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» » Arrested Development Queen for a Day (2003– )

Short summary

Michael finds out that some company funds have been unfrozen, which the family quickly spends on some elaborate stuff. He then trades the family's portable stairway vehicle for a Corvette. Tobias and Buster enjoy a night out, where Buster runs into a recuperated Lucille 2.

David Cross (Tobias) sings "New York, New York" in the presence of Liza Minnelli (Lucille Austero) who first sang the song in the movie of the same name, New York, New York (1977).

In the Queen Mary, there is a well-placed "Park in Rear" sign. This has the same double-meaning as it did in episode 2.6, Arrested Development: Afternoon Delight (2004).

At the prison, Soapdish (1991) was shown on movie night and there was a knife fight.

Michael (Jason Bateman) bought the car from the same man G.O.B (Will Arnett) bought "The Seaward" from.

Recurring character Starla had always claimed she had a relationship with Quincy Jones. Mo Collins (Starla) is a former cast member on MADtv (1995), which Quincy Jones produces. Mo Collins also later played a recurring character on Parks and Recreation (2009), which starred Quincy Jones' daughter Rashida Jones, as Ann Perkins.

In Buster (Tony Hale)'s room, behind Michael (Jason Bateman), a map of Canada can be seen. This is a reference to the time Buster went to Canada for an operation.

Barry (Henry Winkler) gets his knowledge about private stocks and their acquisition from Ask Jeeves.

Starla (Mo Collins) says that her mother and Quincy Jones are the two most important people to her.

More jokes are made at Tobias (David Cross)' questionable sexuality:

  • When Buster (Tony Hale) comes to the house because he's on furlough and everyone is out dancing with their girl, Tobias mentions "My schedule is as open as my relationship with my wife. So why don't we pair up?"
  • In the same scene Tobias mentions that he could be Buster's wingman and continues to say, "Even if it means me taking a chubby, I will suck it up."
  • Tobias brings Buster to a drag bar saying "This place is exactly what I'd hoped for."
  • Tobias was dancing with "what turned out to be" the Queen Mary's owner at the club. In his defense he says "Oh, he really, really did look like a woman."
  • The sign on the Queen Mary is changed to "Tobias is Queen Mary" after Tobias assumes ownership. This is a mistake as it should read "Tobias's Queen Mary", although instead of seeing this as the error, he mentions that it's not too bad, and he could just paint over "Mary." The sign would then read "Tobias is Queen."

When Tobias (David Cross) sings "New York, New York", Lucille 2 (Liza Minnelli) says, "Everyone thinks they're Frank Sinatra." Liza Minnelli (who plays Lucille 2) sang the song as the theme for the film New York, New York (1977) in 1977, before Frank Sinatra performed it in the early 1980s.

More jokes are made about Barry (Henry Winkler)'s sexuality:

  • Barry buys the Queen Mary from Tobias (David Cross), and asks if it still has the "dungeon area."

A sign outside the Queen Mary shows pictures of Queen (band).

Bleeps:

  • When G.O.B. (Will Arnett) keeps pushing his single population housing development the name evolves from Single City to Swing City to [Bleep] City.
  • When G.O.B. tries to convince Michael (Jason Bateman) to hire him back he says "I'm an ideas man, I think I proved that with ep] Mountain.
  • When Maeby (Alia Shawkat) is reading scripts in the attic she gets a paper cut from one of them and says "Ow, back to film school ep]."
  • While describing how G.O.B. tried to fix the company's stock problem the narrator (Ron Howard) says "So G.O.B. ep] Lucille 2 (Liza Minnelli)."

The "hot cops" are hired by Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) to scare Tobias (David Cross) into getting rid of The Queen Mary, Tobias recruits them as his personal gang of dancers.

Driving Lucille II (Liza Minnelli) to the Queen Mary in the convertible causes Michael (Jason Bateman)'s hair to be blown into a style similar to Lucille II's. They're both wearing red jackets and a bug flies into Michael's face, mirroring the beauty mark on Liza Minnelli's face.

The scene where Michael (Jason Bateman) signs the papers for his Corvette mirrors the scene where G.O.B. (Will Arnett) signed papers for the The C-Word (formerly The Seaward) in episode 2.2, Arrested Development: The One Where They Build a House (2004).

Buster (Tony Hale) and Starla (Mo Collins) go to Klimpy's, the restaurant first introduced in Season 1.

The "Freedom" sign carrying guy is in the Queen Mary when Tobias (David Cross) and Buster (Tony Hale) go visit. The "Free at Last" music is played as well.

The blue dot makes an appearance when George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) gets up from a bean bag chair wearing a bathrobe.

A seal's jaw can be seen in Buster (Tony Hale)'s room, foreshadowing Buster's seal attack.

In an attempt to fix up Buster (Tony Hale) and Lucille 2 (Liza Minnelli), Michael (Jason Bateman) asks Buster if he thinks he should be in a Lucille (loose seal). This is a foreshadowing that Buster's hand will, in fact, end up in a loose seal.

Michael (Jason Bateman) is calling Ann (Mae Whitman) a pig or pig-like again when he says that George Michael (Michael Cera) doesn't need to be "all penned up" with the veals in their car driving to school. (Like a pig-pen)

Lucille 2 (Liza Minnelli)'s vertigo is cured and subsequently re-triggered in this episode.

When George Michael (Michael Cera) is getting ready for school he comes across a box of love letters he'd written but never sent to Maeby (Alia Shawkat).

There is a "Parking in Rear" sign at the Queen Mary.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Hallolan
    This episode, along with the rest of the middle of season 2 (Switch Hitter, Burning Love, and Ready, Aim, Marry Me) has a reputation for being one of the weaker episodes of Arrested Development, which none of these episodes really deserve. Indeed, I imagine most people who call them weak still think they're funny, and better than just about anything else on TV. But what's important is that Queen for a Day is a funny, solid episode.

    In it, Michael learns his son isn't fond of the stair car the family has been using since their bankruptcy; when the family's stock is unfrozen, Michael chooses to indulge himself in a new and better car. In an amusing scene, he picks the least practical car he could find. Meanwhile, George Michael finds love letters he had written to his cousin Maeby, and mistakenly thinks Maeby has seen them. This joke, especially George Michael's remark about "the drawings," was priceless, and it was nice to revisit the George Michael-Maeby thing which gets less attention in season 2. Also in this episode, Tobias buys a club called the Queen Mary and Lindsay tries to scare him away from it by hiring the Hot Cop strippers to pose as gangsters. The Hot Cops from the episode Pier Pressure are nice to see again, and it's funny when they dance and one instinctively tears off his shirt. There's plenty of good stuff in this episode.
  • comment
    • Author: Berenn
    Arrested Development

    Arrested Development is another take on dysfunctional family; created by Mitchell Hurwitz, with lots of twists and turns and mystery that helps kick the series into another level and stand alone. The narration by Ron Howard that guides the viewers is actually a smarter concept that it actually seems, since the makers doesn't feel the need to explain the situation and momentum through cheesy and additional dialogues; a slick move.

    It is short on technical aspects like cinematography, background score and art design although the camera work is plausible and is shot beautifully with pleasing, light and breezy environment.

    The writing is strong in terms of the material offered especially since it doesn't feel the urge to push boundaries just to crack a smile, and instead focuses on the irony of it and lets it flow fluently with well barred structure. The amusing concept, enfolding tricks, gripping screenplay, parallel sub-plots that are well edited which later merges in brilliantly are some of the high points of the series.

    There is also a lot of going on in mere 20 minutes for the audience to let it sink in which may seem overstuffed at times but it does the work which is to keep the audience tangled into it. The characters are more mature and pragmatic than the audience usually gets in a sitcom where they might not be lovable or even likable at times, but their humane-ness keeps the viewers rooting for them.

    The performance is somewhat fragile in here since the protagonist Jason Bateman is in his A game but unfortunately isn't supported to that extent by its supporting cast (Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi and David Cross).

    Season 02

    The second act is unfortunately wafer thin on concept and is overstuffed on the distracted and inessential material and characters which aren't intriguing or funny enough to invest in it. Addition to that, it is less sensible and lacks the poetic essence which is what made the first one more layered and adaptive.

    Queen For A Day

    It is well constructed and structured that helps the plot flow fluently with enough twists and turns to keep the audience tangled in the magic act that the makers offer to the audience which is as usual all distraction.
  • Episode cast overview, first billed only:
    Jason Bateman Jason Bateman - Michael Bluth
    Portia de Rossi Portia de Rossi - Lindsay Bluth Fünke
    Will Arnett Will Arnett - Gob Bluth
    Michael Cera Michael Cera - George-Michael Bluth
    Alia Shawkat Alia Shawkat - Maeby Fünke
    Tony Hale Tony Hale - Buster Bluth
    David Cross David Cross - Tobias Fünke
    Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Tambor - George Bluth Sr. / Oscar Bluth
    Jessica Walter Jessica Walter - Lucille Bluth
    Liza Minnelli Liza Minnelli - Lucille Austero
    Ed Begley Jr. Ed Begley Jr. - Stan Sitwell
    Mo Collins Mo Collins - Starla
    Jeff Garlin Jeff Garlin - Mort Meyers
    Henry Winkler Henry Winkler - Barry Zuckerkorn
    R.F. Daley R.F. Daley - Country Club Manager
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