Missing Kitty
Encyclopedia
"Missing Kitty" is the sixteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.
and things are heating up in Newport Beach. Gob is teaching George Michael some (unsuccessful) magic tricks, to Michael's disapproval. He now plans to make the family yacht disappear with George Michael's help, and even suggests they might meet some co-eds along the way.
Michael and Lindsay discuss the office secretary, Kitty, who's been out with "a chest thing." Lindsay wonders why she hasn't gotten Maeby's annual birthday check from Nana, Lucille's mother (she says she's been investing them). She and Maeby go to Nana's home; the woman who lives there is not Nana, which they don't realize for some time. Meanwhile, Tobias is still researching his role of Frightened Inmate #2, George Sr. has just traded him to White Power Bill for a pack of cigarettes.
Michael arrives at work to find that Kitty's "chest thing" was breast implants. Kitty says she's taking a vacation week; Michael says she can't, and then fires her when she starts to walk out anyway. Later, Michael is called to the prison, where George Sr. tells him that he can't fire Kitty because he doesn't have hiring and firing power. Michael realizes that George Sr. paid for Kitty's new breasts. George tells Michael that he has been corrupted by power, as he himself once was (he even fired his own twin brother, (Oscar, once). And Kitty, who was sleeping with George Sr., has access to a lot of information, so George pleads with Michael to hire her back.
Lucille has decided to use new son Annyong as her purse. Lindsay consults her mother about Nana; Lucille says she's on a cruise. In fact, Lucille's mother had been dead for six months (Lucille fears that the family will come after the inheritance when they find out). Meanwhile, Gob is performing magic on the yacht with George Michael. Michael, looking for Kitty, sees that George Michael likes and admires his uncle. He suggests George Michael work for him at the office, then tells Gob to leave his son alone. Over at the prison, Tobias plays therapist to White Power Bill; he gets Bill to realize that he hates himself. Bill then commits suicide. The other inmates hail Tobias as "Dorothy
," who killed the Wicked Witch
. Michael tries to re-hire Kitty, but ends up re-firing her instead.
George Michael starts filling in for Kitty. Lindsay discusses Nana with Michael, fearing that Lucille has sent her to a retirement home. Maeby convinces George Michael find out how Gob makes the yacht disappear, but Gob (as instructed by Michael) sends him away. Tobias, now in a position of power at the prison, confronts George Sr. about his hatred for him. On the beach, Gob does indeed make the yacht disappear. After the show, he tells the family that he sank it, and now they can collect the insurance. Lucille suddenly announces Nana was on the yacht, but Lindsay says Nana has been dead for six months. For a minute everyone thinks George Michael had been on the yacht, but he wasn't. Kitty, however, was. The episode ends with her floating in the sea, clutching a cooler of evidence.
Plot
The local colleges are on spring breakSpring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
and things are heating up in Newport Beach. Gob is teaching George Michael some (unsuccessful) magic tricks, to Michael's disapproval. He now plans to make the family yacht disappear with George Michael's help, and even suggests they might meet some co-eds along the way.
Michael and Lindsay discuss the office secretary, Kitty, who's been out with "a chest thing." Lindsay wonders why she hasn't gotten Maeby's annual birthday check from Nana, Lucille's mother (she says she's been investing them). She and Maeby go to Nana's home; the woman who lives there is not Nana, which they don't realize for some time. Meanwhile, Tobias is still researching his role of Frightened Inmate #2, George Sr. has just traded him to White Power Bill for a pack of cigarettes.
Michael arrives at work to find that Kitty's "chest thing" was breast implants. Kitty says she's taking a vacation week; Michael says she can't, and then fires her when she starts to walk out anyway. Later, Michael is called to the prison, where George Sr. tells him that he can't fire Kitty because he doesn't have hiring and firing power. Michael realizes that George Sr. paid for Kitty's new breasts. George tells Michael that he has been corrupted by power, as he himself once was (he even fired his own twin brother, (Oscar, once). And Kitty, who was sleeping with George Sr., has access to a lot of information, so George pleads with Michael to hire her back.
Lucille has decided to use new son Annyong as her purse. Lindsay consults her mother about Nana; Lucille says she's on a cruise. In fact, Lucille's mother had been dead for six months (Lucille fears that the family will come after the inheritance when they find out). Meanwhile, Gob is performing magic on the yacht with George Michael. Michael, looking for Kitty, sees that George Michael likes and admires his uncle. He suggests George Michael work for him at the office, then tells Gob to leave his son alone. Over at the prison, Tobias plays therapist to White Power Bill; he gets Bill to realize that he hates himself. Bill then commits suicide. The other inmates hail Tobias as "Dorothy
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
," who killed the Wicked Witch
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
. Michael tries to re-hire Kitty, but ends up re-firing her instead.
George Michael starts filling in for Kitty. Lindsay discusses Nana with Michael, fearing that Lucille has sent her to a retirement home. Maeby convinces George Michael find out how Gob makes the yacht disappear, but Gob (as instructed by Michael) sends him away. Tobias, now in a position of power at the prison, confronts George Sr. about his hatred for him. On the beach, Gob does indeed make the yacht disappear. After the show, he tells the family that he sank it, and now they can collect the insurance. Lucille suddenly announces Nana was on the yacht, but Lindsay says Nana has been dead for six months. For a minute everyone thinks George Michael had been on the yacht, but he wasn't. Kitty, however, was. The episode ends with her floating in the sea, clutching a cooler of evidence.
Episode Notes
- This was originally intended to be episode 16, instead of "Altar EgosAltar Egos"Altar Egos" is the seventeenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-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...
," which aired before it. In this episode, Tobias is still practicing for his role as "Frightened Inmate #2," and there are no references to Gob's wife or Maggie Lizer. - The titular “kitty” refers to both money and Ms. Sanchez.
Cultural references
- The DVD series Girls with Low Self Esteem is a satirical reference to the real-life series of DVDs titled Girls Gone WildGirls Gone WildThe Girls Gone Wild franchise, created by Joe Francis, is a video series by the production company Mantra Films, Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.-Content:...
, in which a camera crew gets college-aged girls to expose themselves and sometimes perform sex acts on camera in exchange for a t-shirt. - Warden Gentles states that the only man he has ever called a coward is Brian Doyle-MurrayBrian Doyle-MurrayBrian Doyle-Murray is an American comedian, screenwriter, actor and voice artist. He is the older brother of actor/comedian Bill Murray and has acted together with him in several films, including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, The Razor's Edge and Groundhog Day...
. - "Dorothy": Tobias is called “Dorothy” after he “kills” White Power Bill, referring to The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, in which the character of Dorothy kills the Wicked Witch. The expression "friend of DorothyFriend of DorothyIn gay slang, a "friend of Dorothy" is a term for a gay man. The phrase dates back to at least World War II, when homosexual acts were illegal in the United States. Stating that, or asking if, someone was a "friend of Dorothy" was a euphemism used for discussing sexual orientation without others...
" is a slang term for homosexual. This is also a callback to the TV series about prison life called OzOz (TV series)Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
which we learned in an earlier flashback had traumatized young George Michael (he thought it was the real Wizard of Oz). Tobias sings "somewhere over the rainbow, there's another rainbow," an incorrect rendition of the song in the film The Wizard Of Oz.
Foreshadowing/Future References
- Before his magic show, we can see Gob wiring the yacht with explosives.
- At the beginning of the illusion, Gob says, "Anyone can make the Queen of Diamonds disappear..." and then sinks the yacht. In the series finale, Lucille tries to flee on the Queen Mary.
- When seen at the end of the episode with Kitty, the chest with confidential files is labeled "H. MADDAS," which is Saddam H.Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
backwards. However, it can been seen earlier behind George Sr. and Kitty in bed as "H. MADDAZ," where the Z looks like an S in the mirror in the room. This will make sense after the revelations in "Let 'Em Eat CakeLet 'Em Eat Cake (Arrested Development episode)"Let 'Em Eat Cake" is the 22nd episode of the TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Synopsis:The Bluth Company is in trouble. Because of the low-carb diet fad , the banana stand has been struggling. Meanwhile, the model home is falling apart because of shoddy workmanship. Lindsay thinks she has a...
." - Señor Tadpole's is the restaurant Kitty mentioned she went to. Kitty is wearing a Señor Tadpole's shirt in "The One Where They Build a HouseThe One Where They Build a House"The One Where They Build a House" is the twenty-fourth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development.-Plot:Michael plans to save the Bluth Company by beginning construction on a new model home and holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Gob, now president-in-name-only of the company, promises...
." - In the "On the Next" tease it is revealed that Annyong is, in fact, 18 (he was supposed to be an orphan in need of adoption). It also connects with Lucille's remark that she has put a significant sum of money in a trust fund for him that she controls "until he is 18."
- The season 2 episode "Spring Breakout" is a continuation of "Missing Kitty":
- Gob reveals that he hates spring break because his failed magic acts were shown on a Girls with Low Self-Esteem video; in "Missing Kitty," he tells Michael he loves spring break.