Few comedies are as perfectly realized from the first episode as Arrested Development was. Back in November 2003, Fox aired "Pilot," which kicked off one of the greatest comedy series ever made. But that first installment was not typically awkward and trying to operate as both a normal episode and an introduction to the premise and characters. Instead, "Pilot" is typically regarded as one of the best Arrested Development episodes.
It won Emmys for both writing and directing, which is an astounding feat for a first-year show. In spite of its immense acclaim, the episode is still nearly 18 years old. A lot can be forgotten in that time, especially when considering how densely packed an Arrested Development episode can be!
Gob And The Alliance
Netflix aired the fifth season of Arrested Development just a couple of years ago and it seems like that batch of episodes will be the final one in the show's history. It did, at least, manage to tie up a number of loose ends for the comedy.
One such loose end revolved around Gob's relationship with the alliance of magicians and, specifically, Tony Wonder. Because of how in-depth that storyline became, it can be easy to forget that Gob's arc with the alliance began in the show's very first episode when he inadvertently revealed the secret of an illusion to the general public.
Maeby Instigates
The characters of Arrested Development are introduced brilliantly and flawlessly in the first episode, including the dynamic between George Michael and Maeby. However, it can be easy to forget that Maeby is the one who instigates their weird flirtation.
She enjoys messing with George Michael and, in turn, uses him to mess with her parents over a cousin-based relationship. Considering how much George Michael entertains the idea, he's hardly innocent. But it was, in fact, Maeby who began their weird relationship.
Lucille In Charge
The major plot point of "Pilot" on Arrested Development is that George winds up arrested by the SEC. Since he knew this was coming, he appointed Lucille as the new CEO of the Bluth company because he believed that a husband and wife could not be arrested for the same crime.
For much of the series' run, there is a jockeying for power at the top of the Bluth pyramid, but Lucille's influence can be chalked up to this forgotten plot point from the beginning, considering how much more influential Michael becomes.
The Worst Attorneys
Speaking of the misconception about husbands and wives, another major series plot thread and recurring joke is established when Michael rebukes the notion that Lucille is free from the law. "I have the worst f---ing attorneys," George complains while in prison.
He's, of course, referring to Barry Zuckerkorn. Barry is portrayed by Henry Winkler and his utter incompetence makes for one of the series' top recurring characters. And it was evident from the very first episode: Mitch Hurwitz knew what he wanted.
Michael's Other Job
After Lucille is put in charge and Michael is passed over for the CEO position (an action that George believes to be noble), Michael decides to opt for a different job with a competing development organization.
This could've taken him away from Sudden Valley to Arizona. Ultimately, his family manages to convince him to stay, but it's remarkable how close he came to leaving. His fraught behavior makes way more sense when the first episode shows how close he came to getting out.
Buster's Cartography
Over the course of Arrested Development, Buster tries his hands (later, just "hand") at a number of versatile hobbies. "Pilot" establishes one of Buster's latest enterprises as that of cartography.
Naturally, Buster is incompetent when it comes to reading a map (the blue parts of maps are not land). His cartography knowledge never really manifests in the show's future because it would largely be useless, but it is key to remember how varied Buster's background is from the get-go.
Tobias And The Pirates
When considering which Arrested Development characters were fully-formed from the very beginning, one has to look to Tobias Funke and his impeccable baseline characterization. More than anyone else, Tobias was a clear archetype from Hurwitz's genius comic mind.
The funniest moment of "Pilot" comes when Tobias uses Lindsay's clothes to dress as a pirate, as he believes the affair to be pirate-themed. Instead, he winds up on a boat with theater actors, judged from afar by Lucille. The conception of Tobias in "Pilot" is the conception of Tobias forever.
Directed By The Russos
Believe it or not, the first episode of Arrested Development was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. They would go on to direct a plethora of the series' episodes before eventually moving on to direct other top comedies, like Community and Happy Endings.
Of course, now they're best known for being the super famous directors behind the highest-grossing movie of all-time, Avengers: Endgame. But they got their start in earnest, thanks to Arrested Development.
On The Next ...
Most of the time, comedies figure out their ace recurring jokes over the course of the show, sticking to what works and abandoning what doesn't. Arrested Development, however, knew what types of recurring gags it wanted from the beginning.
For example, the falsified segment of "On the next" at the end of each episode began with "Pilot." In this episode's "On the next" segment, George enjoys prison and Gob tries to obtain the job Michael passed up. They'd get better over time, but the segment was there from the start.
Attempt At Heart
When one considers Arrested Development, it's easy to draw parallels to Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm because of how the characters never hug, never learn, and never have a sweet moment together.
While this is true of the show, as a whole, it's not true of "Pilot." The crux of the episode revolves around George Michael missing his family and the sibling dynamic and love between Michael and Lindsay. This heart would later be abandoned, but it was a key element of "Pilot."