1Pilot
Widower Michael Bluth has been working for his father's development company since he was a teenager manning the family's frozen banana stand, and he and his son George Michael have gone so far as to move into one of the company's model homes. So when his father George Sr. throws his retirement party on the family yacht, Michael expects that he will be announced as his father's successor. Instead, Michael gets two surprises: His mother is the new President, and his father is under investigation by the SEC. So Michael has to hold his wildly dysfunctional family together.
2Top Banana
After getting some unexpected help at the family's frozen banana stand, Michael suspects that George Sr. has been running the business from inside prison. His suspicions are confirmed when he follows his mother's house keeper to the family storage unit, which has been burned to the ground. Michael and his son decide to teach their father a lesson by burning the stand to the ground. Meanwhile, GOB deals with a pet store who refuses to give him a refund, and George-Michael has a hard time adjusting to his new roommate.
3Bringing Up Buster
Lucille suggests that Buster be included in the family activities, but Buster is reluctant to leave his mother's apartment in hopes of avoiding Lucille 2. Meanwhile, Tobias takes over the directing duties for the high school play to rather disastrous results.
4Key Decisions
Determined not to be upstaged by his actress girlfriend Marta, GOB goes to the Orange County Prison where his father is being held to stage an elaborate escape. Michael solves the family's transportation problems by selling their private jet, and escorts Marta to the Desi Awards, given for outstanding performances in Spanish language television.
5Charity Drive
To help the company's image, Lindsay returns to her roots - charity fund raisers. While Lindsay is the most charitable member of the family, Michael tries to prove he's a more charitable person by helping a woman he thinks is his mother's housekeeper. Maebe, defying her parents, decide to break into the permit office, using George-Michael's help, and they learn a shocking secret about the Bluth Company. Meanwhile, Buster accidentally bids on his mother's social rival Lucille Austero at a charity bachelorette auction.
6Visiting Ours
Lindsay meets an activist who has taken residence in one of the trees on the lot, while Michael does the unthinkable - setting up a conjugal visit between his parents. Meanwhile, Lucille has a hard time adjusting to her new status at the country club, and Michael enlists GOB to get information about the company's international accounts from Kitty Sanchez, the company's secretary.
7In God We Trust
It's time for the annual Living Classics Pageant, and Barry makes a deal with Michael to get George Sr. out in time to take part in the pageant's signature exhibit - Michaelangelo's The Creation Of Adam. But there is no god when George Sr. makes plans to escape.
8My Mother the Car
Michael cannot remember anything about the car accident he and Lucille were in. While he's trying to piece together the accident, GOB thinks Michael is planning to escape to South America with his father. Meanwhile, Lindsay makes repeated visits to the prison in hopes of scoring a date.
9Storming the Castle
Determined to get back in the Magician's Alliance, GOB puts on one last big show, thanks to his brother Michael. Michael, hoping to steal Marta away from GOB, tries to pull a scam almost as great as GOB's magic act. Meanwhile, Tobias, hoping to impress his daughter, becomes a "leather daddy".
10Pier Pressure
When Michael suspects that George Michael has been smoking marijuana, he enlists the help of a one-armed man his father used to scare them as children. GOB and Buster participate in the bust, which also enlists the help of a local stripper agency.
11Public Relations
The family's new public relations director gives them each a task while Michael tries to get his son in the prestigious Milford Academy. Buster, a graduate, is to be neither seen nor heard. Tobias heads to Boston to get his medical license back, only to meet Carl Weathers on the way there, and GOB makes the academy's founder disappear.
12Marta Complex
It's Valentine's Day and everyone but Michael has a reason to celebrate. Buster, tired of dealing with his mother, goes to live with the rest of the family in the model home. But soon Marta realizes that Michael is the one she has feelings for, not GOB.
13Beef Consomme
After Tobias moves into his room, George Michael gets a rather curious tip about his cousin's origins, so he decides to investigate. GOB, worried about his girlfriend Marta, heads down to the TV studio to visit the set of her show, to confront a man named "Hermano".
14Shock and Aww
George Sr. starts his own line of priced-to-own videotapes after he experiences a religious revelation during a stay in solitary confinement. A fan of his visits, but not after George Sr. learns that she's with the prosecution. Meanwhile, Michael falls for George-Michael's ethics teacher.
15Staff Infection
Michael is tired of the family getting free handouts from the Bluth Company without doing anything, so he puts them to work. He puts Lindsay to work at the company answering phones, while GOB and Buster take construction jobs. Meanwhile, the sheep-like behavior of the Bluth Company employees gets them in trouble on a visit to the island of Catalina, and Tobias, researching his role as a frightened inmate, checks himself into the prison where George Sr. is being held.
16Altar Egos
Micheal has a one-night stand with a woman named Maggie Lizer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). He has a guilt-trip after learning she is blind, but not so much after he discovers that she's the prosecuting attorney against his family. Meanwhile, GOB gets married to a woman (Amy Poehler) after a series of escalating dares, and tries to get a subsequent divorce.
17Justice Is Blind
Michael gets an evidence file about his family after sleeping with the Maggie Lizer, the prosecuting attorney. But he suspects that she's not exactly telling the truth, so he sends Tobias to her house to investigate, who finds out that she's not blind. Meanwhile, GOB's divorce does not go as smoothly as planned.
18Missing Kitty
Spring Break hits Orange County, and GOB plans to take his magic act to the popular video series "Girls With Low Self Esteem" by making the family yacht disappear. Michael becomes concerned that George-Michael is spending too much time with GOB, so he puts George Michael to work at the Bluth Company. Kitty threatens to go to court with evidence against the company. Meanwhile, Lindsay and Maeby investigate the whereabouts of their grandmother, and Lucille's newly adopted Korean son Annyong annoys the family.
19Best Man for the Gob
The family accountant, Ira Gilligan, is planning to snitch, and George Sr. will do everything possible to stop him. He enlists GOB to throw a party, where he will try to make Ira flee the country to avoid testifying. Michael and his son plan a fishing trip, while Tobias wants to reunite a folk band he formed with Lindsay and Maeby to promote pharmaceuticals.
20Whistler's Mother
Some company funds have been unfrozen, and everyone in the family wants a cut of it. Michael makes a bad investment on his uncle Oscar's land, and takes the blame for it. Meanwhile George Michael spots a mysterious man who looks a lot like his grandfather, and the Bluth Company institutes a new whistle-blowing policy.
21Not Without My Daughter
Michael decides that it's time to retire a long-running joke involving George-Michael and "Take Your Daughter To Work Day", so he brings Maeby along for the ride instead. The police get involved in the disappearance of Kitty Sanchez, the company's former secretary, and Michael discovers shocking video evidence of Kitty's last known whereabouts.
22Let 'Em Eat Cake
Michael learns the real secret behind the Bluth Company's international accounts - his dad may have been illegally building houses similar to the one he lives in in Iraq. George Sr. agrees to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence, but the family gets word that he has had a heart attack while in prison. The family goes to the hospital to visit, but learns that George Sr. has made an elaborate escape. Michael decides that he's had enough, and he and George-Michael decide to pack up and head to Phoenix.
1The One Where Michael Leaves
Michael Bluth denounces his family after George Sr. escapes to Mexico with his secretary Kitty. But when Michael announces plans to move to Phoenix, Barry informs him that he cannot leave California or he will face prosecution for his father's crimes. While Michael scrambles to find the company checkbook, Lucille signs Buster up for the Army, and Lindsay and Tobias institute an open marriage.
2The One Where They Build a House
Michael's new business model backfires when GOB suggests that they build a fake house in two weeks. Meanwhile, George Sr. turns up in Mexico, only to be captured by prison guards who have been injured by a shoddy device he tried to market in Mexico years earlier.
5Sad Sack
Some unfortunate pictures of Tobias wind up on the internet, which the military mistakes for pictures of Iraq and proof that the Bluth Company was building houses over there. Wayne Jarvis, the family's former attorney, makes Michael an offer he cant refuse. Meanwhile, Buster seeks GOB's help to provide motivation for his Army training.
6Afternoon Delight
While Buster looks for ways to get out of serving in Iraq, Lindsay's quest to score a date at the Bluth Company Christmas party backfires after GOB's sexual harassment speech. Michael and Maeby get in trouble singing Afternoon Delight, but are quickly overshadowed by Oscar and Lucille's afternoon delight.
7Switch Hitter
GOB suspects that rival housing contractor Stan Sitwell is up for a power grab at the Bluth Company when he wants to hire GOB. Michael plans the annual softball game between the rival companies, and Lindsay and Tobias move to separate bedrooms.
8Queen for a Day
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.
9Burning Love
The family's careless selfish spending sprees cause them to lose control of the Bluth Company to Lucille 2. GOB tries to regain control of the company by courting Lucille 2. Michael continues to pursue his relationship with Sally Sitwell, only to wind up looking like he's 12. Buster scores a date with the company's new secretary after Michael sets them up.
10Ready, Aim, Marry Me
Desperate to find money, at George Sr.'s request, Michael contacts "Uncle Jack", a man who the family has had past business relations with. Meanwhile, the family members enjoy their weekend getaways at a local spa / resort, and Michael suggests to Tobias that he buy a tape recorder to listen to some of his questionable phrasing.
11Out on a Limb
Maggie Lizer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) returns after Michael bumps into her at the courtroom. But that's not before he realizes that she's 8 1/2 months pregnant. This comes after Michael tries to go after his long-time crush Sally Sitwell. Meanwhile, Michael decides to enlist Lindsay and Tobias to figure out if she's really pregnant.
12Hand to God
Lindsay and Tobias continue to investigate the mysterious pregnancy by Maggie Lizer, while Michael continues to see her. Buster prepares to go off to Iraq, but before doing so, decides to go on a long-delayed right of passage - swimming in the ocean, and gets his hand bit off by a seal.
13Motherboy XXX
Lucille recruits George Michael to take Buster's place at the annual mother son dinner dance. While Michael and GOB are busy tracking down the seal that ate Buster's hand, Tobias signs away the family's life rights in order to get a part with his former acting coach Carl Weathers.
14The Immaculate Election
At his girlfriend's request, George-Michael decides to run for class president, but finds that it will not be easy competing with his rival, Steve Holt. Once again, Michael and GOB find themselves competing with each other as it's revealed that Steve Holt is GOB's son.
15Sword of Destiny
Determined to get back in the Magician's Alliance, GOB buys a sword from a Chinese shop and hires Buster to be the main magician while he's the assistant. Then he meets Tony Wonder who wants GOB and Buster to be on his next DVD.
16Meat the Veals
Michael thinks George-Michael has set the bar too low with his dating standards, so he sets up a meeting between Ann's ultra-conservative parents and his family, hoping that would break them up. But the plan backfires when Michael realizes Ann's family is just as screwed up as his.
17Spring Breakout
GOB is hoping to get even with the producers of "Girls With Low Self Esteem" after they botched his attempt to make the yacht disappear. Michael decides that it's finally time to get Lucille into rehab. Kitty returns with a cooler full of evidence against the Bluth Company, which Michael is determined to get.
18Righteous Brothers
Michael thinks it's time for George Sr. to leave the attic where he's been hiding as a fugitive. George-Michael helps his girlfriend Ann stage a protest against the American remake of the movie Dangerous Cousins, which turns out to be a big hit for Maeby. Tobias falls for Kitty, and learns that his "cease and desist" with the Blue Man Group has been lifted, and they ask Tobias to come to Las Vegas for an audition.
1The Cabin Show
When Michael hears good news about the family business for a change, he decides to go down to the prison to gloat to his father, and take George-Michael out on a long overdue camping trip. While the rest of the family heads to the cabin property, Michael discovers that it's really George Sr.'s twin brother Oscar serving time, and heads to Reno after getting a tip from Barry that George Sr. is working there as a Blue Man. Meanwhile, George Michael tries to avoid his crush on Maeby.
2For British Eyes Only
George Sr. drops a major bombshell that he was working with a British syndicate who conned him into building the house in Iraq. Michael decides to investigate the claim by heading to the British section of Orange County, where he meets a beautiful and mysterious woman named Rita.
3Forget Me Now
George Sr. is placed under house arrest by the family's new attorney Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio), and finds that it's not exactly a walk in the park. Michael sets up his first date with Rita, but Rita has an unfortunate encounter with the family beforehand.
4Notapusy
To prove he's a man to Rita, Michael and his nephew Steve Holt compete in the Church And State Fair's annual triathlon. George Sr. tries to scare some at-risk youth, and Tobias tries to help George-Michael's girlfriend Ann to compete in the fairs' "inner beauty" pageant.
5Mr. F
The family's meeting with Japanese investors backfires big time when Tobias mistakes a real government agent for a talent agent. GOB tries to connect with his father, who is controlling a Surrogate. Meanwhile, Michael has another encounter with Rita's uncle, and Maeby's romantic comedy is a total flop.
6The Ocean Walker
When Michael announces to the family that he intends to marry Rita, everyone in the family objects in various ways. But when the family learns that Rita is rich, they try to speed up the process. This comes after Rita's uncle Trevor intervenes, and Michael discovers Rita's handicap.
7Prison Break-In
The family plans their annual fund raiser, and they actually have a cause this time - Tobias is ailing due to his transplanted hair plugs, which appear to be rejecting him. Lindsay uses the illness as her ticket back into high society, and Michael learns of the prison warden's true intentions with his mother after reading the warden's screenplay.
8Making a Stand
Michael is tired of his father always having GOB compete with him, so Michael gets GOB his own banana stand franchise, only to find that GOB has set it up 20 feet from the old one. After the two compete, they decide to teach their father an elaborate lesson, and Buster refuses to use his handicap to scare kids. Meanwhile, Maeby uses Lucille's surgery in a horror film.
9S.O.B.s
George Sr. suggests a last-ditch effort to save the family by holding a fund raiser to raise money to pay their legal expenses. Michael suggests to Lindsay that she take over the house work, and he sends George-Michael to an expensive boarding school. Meanwhile, Maeby has trouble with a snowboarding film and Tobias tries to be a "discipline daddy".
10Fakin' It
As the family's upcoming deposition nears, they participate in a mock trial, hosted by Judge Reinhold. Michael searches for a mysterious witness on the list, while the prosecuting attorney makes Michael an offer he cant refuse. Meanwhile, GOB practices his ventriloquism act, and Buster fakes a coma to get out of testifying.
11Family Ties
Michael's quest to locate the mysterious "N. Bluth" leads him to Nellie, a prostitute who he believes is his long-lost sister, and the woman who just might be able to clear everything up. Meanwhile, Buster's fake coma incurs the wrath of real doctors.
12Exit Strategy
GOB heads to Iraq via his participation in the U.S.O., where he is quickly arrested and being held by the U.S. military. The prosecutors believe this is treasonous, so Michael and Buster head to Iraq to free GOB. There, they visit the house they built and discover what's really inside.
13Development Arrested
After returning home from Iraq, George Sr. is finally cleared of all charges, and Michael is relieved to be the head of a successful company for a change. The real brains behind the madness is revealed, and just as the family begins to celebrate their victory, a whole new set of problems emerge.
