| Series: | Arrested Development |
| Season: | 3 |
| Episode: | 12 |
| Director: | Rebecca E. Asher |
| Photographer: | Greg Harrington |
| Editor: | Richard Candib |
| Production: | 3AJD12 |
| Length: | 22 minutes |
| Guests: |
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| Prev: | Family Ties |
| Next: | Development Arrested |
| Season Article: | Arrested Development season 3 |
| Episode List: | List of Arrested Development episodes |
"Exit Strategy" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American television satirical sitcom Arrested Development. It is the 52nd overall episode of the series, and was written by series creator Mitchell Hurwitz and co-executive producer Jim Vallely, and directed by Rebecca E. Asher. It originally aired on Fox on February 10, 2006, along with the two previous episodes, and the following episode in a two-hour block against NBC's coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.[1]
The series, narrated by Ron Howard, follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, dysfunctional family, who made their money from property development. The Bluth family consists of Michael, his twin sister Lindsay, his older brother Gob, his younger brother Buster, their mother Lucille and father George Sr., as well as Michael's son George Michael, and Lindsay and her husband Tobias' daughter Maeby. In the episode, George Michael's surprise birthday party for Maeby lands her in big trouble; Michael and Buster make a startling discovery when they go to Iraq to rescue Gob.
Michael (Jason Bateman) prepares Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) for her upcoming deposition in the case against their father. George Michael (Michael Cera) tells the family that Maeby (Alia Shawkat)'s birthday is coming up, and suggests throwing her a surprise party he had already informed Maeby about. Gob (Will Arnett) informs Michael he is going to be performing in a USO show in Iraq. Tobias (David Cross) meets with Wayne Jarvis (John Michael Higgins), and he offers Tobias a deal if he can put George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) behind bars, but Tobias declines. Tobias sees a flyer for a scrapbooking class, which is actually a trap set up by Jarvis. Michael confronts George Sr. about Gob's trip to Iraq, and Michael says he will have to ask the prosecution for a delay.
While faking his coma, Buster (Tony Hale) speaks to his nurse after she asks him to, which leads her to slap him. Michael meets with Wayne Jarvis, who tells him that Gob is being held in an Iraqi jail as insurgency. Michael is called to sign Buster out of the hospital, and they decide to travel to Iraq to get Gob out of prison. Lindsay and Lucille (Jessica Walter) avoid the desposition at a spa in the desert. Michael and Buster check out of the hospital as George Sr. is admitted in his own fake coma. George Michael gets a hold of Maeby's address book to invite all of her friends to her secret party. In Iraq, Gob is thrilled to see his brothers and informs Michael that he was arrested for doing street magic. Gob confesses to Michael that George Sr. asked him to burn a few model homes if he had the time, but now he is ready to go. They then check out one of the Iraqi model homes, which is inhabited with multiple Saddam Hussein look-alikes, and Michael finds a nuclear bombshell.
Meanwhile, none of the invitees show for Maeby's birthday party, as the invitations exposed Maeby's secret studio job and got her fired. Back in Iraq, Richard Shaw (Gary Cole), an undercover CIA agent, enters to arrest the Bluths. One of the Iraqi residents points out the warhead was a fake, with a U.S. government tape recorder inside. Richard Shaw learns that the government got George Sr. to build houses in Iraq so they could wire them. Back home, George Michael tries to console Maeby by telling her Lucille once confided that Lindsay never got pregnant. Maeby is touched by her cousin's kindness, and the two end up passionately kissing. In Iraq, Michael finally learns that his father actually was a patsy, used by the government through a British building company, just like George Sr. had always claimed. Richard Shaw agrees to let them go, and now in a bargaining position, the Bluths are able to negotiate direct flights home, and that the treason charges against George Sr. are dropped.
Tobias gives Maeby a birthday gift of graphic birthing photos and Michael and Gob find out a Saddam Hussein look-alike has been arrested instead of the real Saddam.
"Exit Strategy" was directed by Rebecca E. Asher, and written by series creator Mitchell Hurwitz and co-executive producer Jim Vallely. It was Asher's first and only directing credit, Hurwitz's 18th writing credit and Vallely's 14th writing credit.[2] It was the twelfth and penultimate episode of the season to be filmed.[3]
In the United States, the episode was watched by 3.47 million viewers on its original broadcast.[4]
The A.V. Club writer Noel Murray praised the episode, whilst also commenting on how "The title of “Exit Strategy” also refers to the Arrested Development writers trying to wrap up the series as best as possible with their shortened episode order." Murray also commented on how "Neither “Family Ties” nor “Exit Strategy” is perfect, but both are well-oiled machines, chugging easily through a fine assortment of callbacks, meta-textual gags, sociopolitical satire, and double entendres."[5] Brian Tallerico from Vulture ranked the episode 47th out of the whole series, stating that "Arrested Development often walked a fine line of ridiculousness and “Exit Strategy” stumbles on the wrong side of it a few times".[6]