One of the last and best episodes of season 3, Family Ties serves as the second part of the four-part season 3 finale (formerly known as the series finale). In it, Michael's search for the mysterious N. Bluth leads him to believe he has an abandoned older sister, Nellie. The woman he suspects is Nellie Bluth is played by Justine Bateman, Jason Bateman's real-life sister. (Jason Bateman had lobbied for Justine to appear on the show as a love interest for Michael, whose religious beliefs would prevent them from being intimate and save the Batemans from real-life incest). As a guest star, Justine is highlighted on the back of the season 3 DVD, along with Scott Baio and over Charlize Theron. Her character is indeed more agreeable than Theron's, and she showed a lot of cleavage. Nellie is really a prostitute.
There are delightful hints as to Nellie's career, with her contact info calling her a conslutant, and to the identity of her pimp Frank. There is some fun with this after the reveal, with the "blow away" joke done is a subtle matter, invitations to put Nellie in any position, and by keeping up the prostitution theme with "Girl Michael." Still, it feels right that Nellie isn't really having sex with these characters, but instead listens to them crying. Every season, there has also been a speech mostly bleeped out, taking the bleep jokes to another level. Buster ranted about his mother in Bringing Up Buster, GOB (presumably graphically) lectured his employees on sexual harassment in Afternoon Delight, and Maeby gives a verbal middle finger accepting an award in season 4. Here, Nellie sets up ground rules at the Bluth Company office, which is hilarious for part of the same reason the one in Afternoon Delight is, because it's so inappropriate for a workplace setting.
The Tobias and Lindsay subplot has its own charms, though the "Girl Michael" joke may have been pushing it- it's hard to buy thinking Girl Michael is a woman, despite his long hair and feminine mannerisms. Also notable is the "finishing each other's sandwiches" joke, which Mitch Hurwitz used once before in an episode he wrote for his last sitcom, The Ellen Show (and which popped up again in Disney's Frozen). This episode's great, so bring on season 5- and bring back Franklin.
There are delightful hints as to Nellie's career, with her contact info calling her a conslutant, and to the identity of her pimp Frank. There is some fun with this after the reveal, with the "blow away" joke done is a subtle matter, invitations to put Nellie in any position, and by keeping up the prostitution theme with "Girl Michael." Still, it feels right that Nellie isn't really having sex with these characters, but instead listens to them crying. Every season, there has also been a speech mostly bleeped out, taking the bleep jokes to another level. Buster ranted about his mother in Bringing Up Buster, GOB (presumably graphically) lectured his employees on sexual harassment in Afternoon Delight, and Maeby gives a verbal middle finger accepting an award in season 4. Here, Nellie sets up ground rules at the Bluth Company office, which is hilarious for part of the same reason the one in Afternoon Delight is, because it's so inappropriate for a workplace setting.
The Tobias and Lindsay subplot has its own charms, though the "Girl Michael" joke may have been pushing it- it's hard to buy thinking Girl Michael is a woman, despite his long hair and feminine mannerisms. Also notable is the "finishing each other's sandwiches" joke, which Mitch Hurwitz used once before in an episode he wrote for his last sitcom, The Ellen Show (and which popped up again in Disney's Frozen). This episode's great, so bring on season 5- and bring back Franklin.
