Arrested Development (TV Series) Top Banana (2003) User Reviews

Hilarious!

[g-bodyl · 9/10 · 29 August 2013]

The second episode of Arrested Development is a dandy. It takes the information from the first episode and brings it to another level. There is some deeper characterization as we learn more about Michael and his family. There are some funny jokes and I like how they take offensive taboos and turn them into something funny. An example of this would be the animal cruelty which I definitely don't condone.

This episode has Michael under the impression that his father George Sr is running the business from inside prison. He also promotes his son George Michael as manager of the banana stand. Meanwhile GOB has a dead dove and wants to return it to the pet store.

Overall, this is another incredibly funny episode after the magnificent pilot. The acting is wonderful and shows why this show will be good for seasons to come. I rate this show 9/10.

Here we go...

[00Yasser · 9/10 · 22 October 2020]

Very good episode with a lot of comedy and lite jokes in it, the cast goes well between themselves now, I hope this will continues.

The Banana Stand!

[gab-14712 · 9/10 · 15 August 2018]

When new sitcoms come on air, it usually takes several episodes to get going. Arrested Development does not suffer this same problem as witnessed in this episode, "Top Banana." The episode continues the manic energy and the fast pace of the pilot. This episode is the first episode that features the famous title sequence and "on the next" segment which are scenes that tell us viewers what happens next to our characters after the main events happened in this episode. Keep in mind that there is a lot that happens in this episode, so make sure you pay attention so you don't miss anything.

Michael believes that his father is running the business from inside prison and that is confirmed after his father's associate T-Bone (Patrice O'Neal) burns down the company's warehouse and Michael visits his father in prison for confirmation. Michael makes George-Michael a manager of the frozen banana stand and orders him to hire Maeby as an employee, which may not be the best decision ever. Lucille orders Michael to make GOB part of the company somehow and has him send mail, but GOB ends up bickering with a pet store over a dead bird.

Based on the plot description, that is a lot to take in. But everything happens so fast and before you know it, the episode is finished. That is why I think the writers and directors do a fantastic job with this series. In this episode, characters are developed a little more. We see the father-son relationship get expanded between Michael and George-Michael. Michael clearly loves his son, but he does not express his love easily. Just take this interaction: Michael: "Welcome aboard, Mr. Manager." George-Michael: "Wow! I'm Mr. Manager!" Michael: "Well, manager. We just say manager. And you can hire an employee if you need one." George-Michael: "Do you think I need one?" Michael: "Don't look at me, Mr. Manager." George-Michael: "Right. It's up to me now. Mr. Manager." Michael: "Manager. We just say..." George-Michael: "I know, but you just..." Michael: "Doesn't matter who."

Obviously, Michael needs a parenting lesson. The pilot made Michael seem like the good guy of the family, but this episode paints a somewhat different view of Michael. Another relationship developed more here is between Michael and GOB. GOB is jealous that Michael is more involved than he is with the company. This relationship can draw parallels between Michael and Fredo in The Godfather Part 2 although the ending is just a tad different. Finally, we have to talk about the relationship between George-Michael and his cousin, Maeby. Maeby is the prototypical rebellious teenager trying to get at her parents, and she kissed George Michael at the retirement party. However, her parents ignore her. The problem is that now George Michael developed sexual feelings for his cousin and that will remain a consistently funny gag over the course of this series.

As for some of the other characters, Lindsay is hired as an actress and she boasts about how much money she will earn, but she may need to get a better alarm clock and Lindsay is convinced that Tobias is gay, although Tobias quotes, "how many times do I have to tell you I'm not gay." Mmhmm, Tobias....Unfortunately, Buster is nowhere to be seen in this episode which was a shame because Buster was very entertaining in the pilot.

Overall, this is a fantastic episode and it might rank as one of the best second episodes of any sitcom. The jokes are wonderful, there is rapid character development, and the show successfully hints at what is to come in the later episodes. This series also works well because it uses masterful editing and cross-cutting techniques. Also, we get to see Michael and his son work together to burn down the banana stand. I can't wait to see what is next.

My Grade: A

This episode made me love this show.

[ahmedgorshy · 10/10 · 25 June 2020]

When I saw the pilot, I didn't laugh much later. I laughed after seeing her several times. You should probably see my review of the pilot. Anyway, I decided to give the series a chance, and I am happy with that. This funny, smart episode highlights acting capabilities and awesome soundtracks, and have you mentioned this episode funny? Very, very, very, very, very, very funny Tobias LVD killed me with laughter I must have a man and when Michael Blouth or Jason Pittman said is there a carbon gas leak when everyone in the house was lazy It was funny. S is the famous phrase there is always money in Banana Stan

Gonna be our best summer ever, buddy

[gizmomogwai · 10/10 · 9 August 2010]

Even as part of the incredible first four episodes of Arrested Development, Top Banana is a stand-out, one of my top 5 of the series. Being the second episode, Top Banana is the first to feature the title sequence (here with added winding noises later cut out), and the first to foreshadow the Iraq and never-nude plot lines.

In this episode, Michael is searching for information needed for reasons only explained in a deleted scene. However, his father, pulling strings from behind bars, has the information and the surrounding storage unit burnt to the ground. Michael promotes his 14-year-old son to manager of the banana stand, and Lindsay outperforms Tobias at an audition.

There are some great jokes in the episode, including Michael's surprised reaction at a dead dove in a bag (despite explicit labelling). GOB wants to return it and later throws it into the ocean- AD makes something disgusting like animal cruelty funny, quite the achievement. Some of the best jokes develop characterization, as you'd expect from one of the first few episodes. Lucille shows elitist insensitivity in yelling at her housekeeper, Tobias overacts and stupidly passes up an opportunity at a second chance in his audition, and George Michael's comment about working kids shows he's under too much pressure and consequently has some backwards logic. Tensions between George Michael and Maeby are strong here, and delicious.

GOB's character is also developed further as he expresses some jealousy that Michael has taken over the business despite being the younger brother. His resentment is reminiscent of Fredo expressing the same kind of jealousy of his younger brother Michael in The Godfather Part II (1974). However, note that insightful comparisons between AD and The Godfather on the Internet tend to equate Fredo, as the inept brother, to Buster rather than GOB. Buster is nowhere to be seen in this episode.

But it's the amazing ending to Top Banana that establishes it as a masterpiece. It's great to see Michael going the extra mile to be a great father to George Michael. Having the banana stand burnt to the ground is a radical and impressive step. Besides being touching, this ending is packed with misfortune, perhaps inevitably in taking such a reckless move. Michael only learns after the fire is started that the banana stand has no insurance and his father George hid substantial sums of cash inside it. Compounding the misfortune, both Lindsay and Tobias lose out on their acting gig. Ultimately, Top Banana is a masterful episode, part of what makes AD the greatest series of all time.

An Early Classic

[loose_seal_lol · 10/10 · 12 April 2016]

This show is a show that knows how to pull you in from the start. Normally, sitcoms are pretty mediocre at first but Arrested Development starts with a bang on its first real episode.

We start with Micheal and George Sr. in prison in a hilarious scene- also the ending is a hilarious scene in prison. This episode has so much going on: Tobias and Lindsay trying to find jobs, Michael trying to get the information, George Micheal and Meaby's weird incest subplot that really made me scratch my head my first time watching the show and of course, GOB's failures as a normal person. His act of retaliation is one of my favorite scenes from the show. Lucille and Geaorge are also pretty good in this episode but they usually support other story lines. The flamer was also hilarious.

The only problem is the lack of Buster but he gets the whole episode next time so its not a big deal. This episode is my second favorite episode of AD and its the second episode of the show. Coincidence?