#oscar bluth

[ko-conner]

Arrested Development Version 2 Version 1

[anonymous-tals]

The Bluth Family As No Doubt Songs

(Obviously, these songs aren’t perfect/exact to all the characters but I think these fit most)

Explanations-

Michael Bluth:

Simple Kind Of Life

“And all I wanted was the simple things/ A simple kind of life”

“Now all those simple things are simply too complicated for my life”

When your life is complicated, maintaining simplicity on top of that isn’t so easy. It’s just another thing to try and juggle in your balancing act and it’s safe to say that Michael is already juggling too much. Michael’s life is not simple, far from it, especially ever since even the small semblance of it he had crumbled after his wife died. He wants to have a simple life but that’s not possible with the never ending list of what he has to take care of. He’s constantly having to make sure his siblings aren’t causing a ruckus or a fuss and appease his parent’s wishes and figure out what to do with their criminal charges that are being dropped on his lap and simultaneously try and raise his son to make sure he’s successful. It just seems that simplicity isn’t in the cards for him. Arizona represents that kind of life and he’s idealized it in his mind, deluding himself into believing that all his problems would go away if he just makes it to Arizona. But unfortunately for him, things just simply aren’t that simple.

Gob Bluth:

Excuse Me Mr.

“I'm like a beggar with no luck/ I'm holding signs up on your street corner stops/ Like most you try not to see me/ Stare straight ahead, ignore the responsibility/ Excuse me (excuse me, mister)/ Well, I've been waiting in line/ And I'd like to buy some of your time/ I'm very anxious, eager, willing/ What's your billing? (Anxious, eager, willing)”

For all of Gob’s life, he’s been ignored by his father, and if he’s not being ignored, he’s being insulted or shamed, whether it’s “deserved” or not. This is unlike his other siblings, who at the very least had one parent who at the very least kind of liked them. But Gob, he always did things wrong and apparently was doomed to never do anything right. In spite of a lifetime of never receiving it, he still desperately claws for the approval of his father in particular, willing to do anything for it, constantly trying to appeal to him and failing every time. And again, in spite of this, in spite of how awfully he’s treated, he persists. He’s unbelievably unhappy from pushing people who actually care away and burying down what he really wants and who he really is, bending over backwards so far he might crack. Forever, he waits in line for the day that he finally gets his father’s approval but the day is not gonna come. And deep down, he knows that it won’t, but the foolish part of him that believes that getting his father’s approval will make him genuinely happy, that that’s all he needs, still keeps begging for just a little of his time.

Lindsay Bluth-Fünke:

Platinum Blonde Life

“I'm gonna sleep, all through the day/ I'm gonna sleep, my life away/ I'm gonna sleep, all through the day/ I'm gonna sleep, myself away/ I'm gonna close my eyes/ And maybe it'll go away”

Lindsay wants to be seen as competent, like she has everything together. Wants others to believe she’s got the perfect life(Simple Kind Of Life could honestly be a very good Lindsay song, too). But in order to do that, she has to put up a facade, cause she doesn’t have her life together in the slightest. And in keeping up the facade of a perfect life, she’s bleached out any bit of color, all of herself, who she is, in order to seem like someone she’s not. Sometimes she actually tries to pull herself together but the lifetime of failing to live up to anyone’s standards haunts and just leads her back to her bed, or a couch, or wherever she’s decided to just sleep her troubles away.

Buster Bluth:

Trapped In A Box

“Trapped in a box, four walls as sky/ Got a screen for a window about two feet wide/ My mind rides and slides as my circuits are fried/ No room for thought, use the box as my guide”

Buster wasn’t given any room to become his own person. Lucille is about as much of a helicopter parent that you can get. If I remember correctly, she still picked out his outfits, even as an adult. She told him the world was dangerous and that sticking by her side meant his safety. His perception of the world and the woman who trapped him is now distorted to the point where he can’t imagine ever living without her by his side, or at least some sort of mother figure to protect him. He’s not given enough room for a human to grow but…that’s okay with him.

Okay, if you don’t know the songs, I’ve been referencing throughout the paragraphs but I just have to stop and actually look at the verse I just referenced cause it’s, like…Literally, I think this is probably one of the best character to song matches in this collection. There’s the verse:

“Oh, trapped in a box, I'm not alone/ I know of others with a box as their home/ A light only enters from a crack or a hole/ Oh, this is not enough for a human to grow”

Buster isn’t the only one trapped in a box, so are his siblings and he’s been shown to recognize and not deny his siblings struggle in the box. He knows it’s not enough room, he recognizes that, and he can see his siblings wanting to get out of it, suffering as a result of being trapped and he feels for them. The box isn’t for everyone, and he understands that. They should fly the coop, grow beyond it if they’d like, but he’s okay staying in the box where he knows he’s safe.

George Michael:

Blue In The Face

“Relax and sleep, tomorrow isn't leaving/ And counting your sheep won't relieve you from this grieving/ You worry yourself sick till you're blue in the face”

George Michael is constantly worrying about doing things right, getting good grades, having a good future, to the point where it’s detrimental to his self esteem. In the earlier seasons, where the majority of this worrying takes place, he’s just a kid and shouldn’t have to carry all this weight on his shoulders. Shouldn’t have to worry himself sick till he’s blue in the face.

…Idk, man, this one’s pretty straightforward. Not really much else to say.

Maeby Fünke:

Marry Me-

Just kidding, here’s the actual song:

Magic’s In The Makeup:

“If you bore me then I'm comfortable/ If you interest me I'm scared/ My attraction paralyzes me/ No courage to show my true colors that exist”

Maeby wants her parents to pay attention to her. Wants someone, anyone to pay attention to her and care about her. But the idea of being vulnerable is something she’s not very open to. So she gets through life by pretending, quite literally putting on different personas in order to find her footing. She doesn’t really have a place where she feels she belongs so she’s become a master at worming her way into places and pretending like she belongs until she’s discovered, kicked out(or just becomes bored and leaves on her own) and the cycle repeats. And to help with the sting, she’s adapted and learned how to compartmentalize her emotions. But because of all that, people don’t really get to know her. She’s lost herself underneath all the personas, all the makeup, and who she even is isn’t quite clear anymore.

Steve Holt:

Different People

“The sky is full of clouds/ And my world's full of people/ You got the different kinds/ With different ways/ It would take a lifetime to explain/ No one's the same”

There wasn’t really a good one for Steve that I could find. But he seems like a nice guy who just loves everyone, no matter who they are, so I went with this one. He gets that different people have different lives and he’s always willing to be understanding of people and see things from their point of view and give them another chance. Idk, man, he’s just a nice guy.

Annyong Bluth:

Detective

“Peek in, sneak about/ I'm gonna snoop and call you out/ I've caught you, you're hands are red/ Now I'm your broken hearted detective”

Listen, some people’s songs are gonna be more of a stretch than others, okay? Let’s just pretend this song isn’t about romance and that he’s broken hearted about his dad’s banana stand gig being stolen by the Bluths.

Tobias Fünke:

Open The Gate Up

“Oh, have you been invaded?/ Is this the reason why you hide?/ I know just how you're feeling/ I know, let me inside/ Open the gate up”

Tobias was another hard one. There were a couple other songs that could maybe fit him. There was Get On The Ball, which could be about him not putting effort into his and Lindsay’s relationship, but that one would be more from Lindsay’s perspective and I was really trying to have all these songs say something about the characters themselves and this one just wasn’t direct enough. That’s Just Me was another, which could be about how he’s just like that and he’s not gonna change and that does fit him well but he’d have to be self aware to sing that one, plus, some of the other lyrics in it didn’t fit him so…I just chose this one cause he’s a theralyst(that or an ana-) and he’s frequently tried to get other people to open up about their struggles or postulate on what others might be struggling with.

Tony Wonder(cause as we all know, he’s a part of the family now, he marries Gob, we all have the invite to the wedding, it happened):

Sometimes

(Magic’s In The Makeup(god, the fact that magic is in the title pains me, it’s so perfect) is my first choice but actual Bluths get first pick)

“I chose a road when I was young/ In search of fun temptation won/ And all my soul I did surrender/ If I had a chance to go back now/ Would I redeem my moral vows/ Or would I repeat for my own laughter”

Now, if I’d chosen Magic’s In The Makeup, it would be much more straightforward from how we see Tony in the show. I was hoping to find a song that was more relevant to how we canonically see him but other than that song, there wasn’t really anything that worked too well. Dark Blue could fit decently with his relationship with Gob but again, I wanted the songs to say more about the character themselves. So we’re gonna go with a song that fits my personal interpretation of him instead. For me, I always imagined Tony to be more outspoken and punky when he was younger but wanting to prove to his dad he could be successful(refer to his magic show in season four), he began to value fame more than being true to who he was. So he sold out and he became famous but at what cost? The benefits from it may be great in a lot of ways but sometimes, when he realizes what a much more fulfilling life he could have if he had been more honest with himself and not sold out and not chosen the frivolous lifestyle he had, he kind of regrets choosing the path he did. And even when it’s not in the forefront of his thoughts, it stays present in the back of his mind.

Lucille Bluth:

Doghouse

“Your fun and playfulness is so very becoming/ But she has got you by the reins, and there is no running/ Conditioned to salivate at the first sound of the bell/ And feeding you the remains of yesterday's meal”

Lucille is very controlling and is very condescending in how she goes about it. She’ll treat you like a dog and like it or not, you will bark when you’re told. In my mind, the dog in this song could be Buster, George, Oscar or, to a lesser extent, Michael. I’d say Lindsay too but I don’t think Lindsay’s very dog-like in her need for approval. She’s more like a defiant cat who, after hissing and doing its own thing, relents and tries to sit in her lap and Lucille just tosses her right back across the room. When Lucille’s had enough with her dog, annoyed with what she used to find charming or likable, she demands they be thrown out, lest she set herself on fire or something of the like. Good behavior gets hardly rewarded and yet you still find yourself fetching the bone when she asks.

George Bluth:

Snakes

“Snakes in the basket/ Lie to lead you astray/ Snakes in the basket/ Force to make you betray/ Your innermost truth hidden away”

George, like Lucille, is very controlling and manipulative. He constantly lies to his children and uses the trauma he gave them to bend them to his will, make them do what he wants and make sure they stay around to do so. Even though everything he demands leads to nothing good, they listen. His children are aware of all this but they listen anyway when they’re told to stick together, never mind the damage, never mind how they’re sinking to their dooms, just listen to the flute play.

Oscar Bluth:

A Little Something Refreshing

“Yeah, yeah oh/ I'm hungry, yeah/ I said I'm starving, yeah/ I want some pizza, coke and ice cream…[etc]”

I think this speaks for itself.

[f0r-british-eyes-only]

Thinking of deleting this blog. I still love Arrested Development so much, but I no longer have a desire to run this particular blog.

Please let me know if you’re interested in maintaining this blog.

[bluth-of-the-dragon]

2x01, “The One Where Michael Leaves”

Oscar: You know, you should let your hair grow out.

Buster: Well, I’ve thought about it. I guess I’d look like you.

Oscar: More than you’ll ever know...

[witchofinterest]

[marchdadness]

these are dads from arrested development! vote for your favorite, or the one you think is the best, or the hottest, or whatever! the winner will be entered into a poll tournament with 63 other fictional dads.

[nepobabyshowdown]

[quinnmorgendorffer]

At least someone respects Gob!

[arrestedexgirlfriendafterhigh]

Gob Bluth is a self identified pretty boy: change my mind

[gobautism]

[ready aim marry me, art is dead - bo burnham, celeste, guide to success - joe iconis, the cabin show, crucifixion - francis bacon, earth to jay - jay arner, drug store model - mamalarky, the cabin show, the life cycle of an attachment style - attachmentproject, sometimes - nick lutsko, girl anachronism - dresden dolls, righteous brothers]

i dont like this one as much

[omgitzlongdennis]

the b in gob stands for cluster b

[ko-conner]

There's always money in the banana stand! Version 2

[theoscarsproject]

An American Tail (1986). While emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets separated from his family and must relocate them while trying to survive in a new country.

Forever kind of gutted Amblimation folded as quickly as it did. None of its three films (An American Tail, We're Back, and Balto) are perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it was a studio with a different voice in the era and the medium, and it would've been interesting to see it grow. This is a charming, albeit flawed little film though, with lovely, fluid animation and a rich migration story. I like it a lot, and it was fun to revisit as it's been a minute since I've seen it! 7/10.

[tonightat11-doom]

“I've made a huge mistake”

[bluth-of-the-dragon]

4x2, “Borderline Personality”

George: You know, I shouldn’t judge. Because you've got friends, and I- I envy that.

Oscar: You’re welcome to my friends, brother.

[beat]

George: ...I don’t want these.

[theflannelwizard]

Oops, I lied about sending all my questions in one, I thought of an actually specific question and not just a super general one five seconds after sending the ask:

Do you have any neurodivergent hcs for Buster and Gob(or other characters if you hc anyone else as neurodivergent)?

This is such a good question!! Okay!! It got long so I'm putting it under the cut, but TLDR: undiagnosed comorbid autistm and ADHD for both of them plus ADHD Tony Wonder :) I forced myself not to get into it with the rest of the Bluths cause this post would be a mile long but i did put cursory thoughts about them in the tags. All of this is spitballing and I'm definitely open to hearing other opinions!

Whatever is going on with Buster’s brain is the same thing that’s going on with my brain, so most likely ADHD and/or autism but DEFINITELY undiagnosed. None of the Bluths have the diagnoses they need and if someone (Tobias) tries to so much as allude to them being neurodivergent in front of George Sr. and/or Lucille it gets shut down immediately.

Anyway Buster reads more autistic than ADHD to me but it could be either or both. He has trouble reading other people’s emotions and regulating his own, he’s “strange” and “childish” in ways that are direct responses to how he was raised but also just read as neurodivergent, he’s got safe foods and takes things literally and has no clue how to read social cues and stims and gestures vaguely at all of him is just so very ND. Also the thing with ADHD-havers being randomly struck with bouts of guilt or self loathing? I think that’s him. ADHD was recently reclassified as an anxiety disorder, too, which we know full well is Buster, and it would not surprise me if his panic and anxiety attacks were brought on by sensory overload and RSD and other ADHD things at least some of the time.

As for GOB, I think he’s got the same deal but he reads more ADHD than autistic. I think they both have both but it presents differently in each of them. I’m fully on board with both magic and bees being special interests for that man, and he also just moves and talks and interacts with people in a very neurodivergent way. The stuttering when he’s overwhelmed is, to me, adjacent to (if not straight up being) him going nonverbal. He definitely has RSD too, look at how devastated he is when anyone rejects him ever. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he was bipolar, getting manic when he’s really into a project and then falling into depression for weeks or months at a time.

And, just as a bonus, I think Tony Wonder has ADHD. He recognizes it in GOB and helps him with learn to function in a healthier happier way and his siblings are so confused cause GOB just magically started getting more normal?? Except it’s not magic (and it’s not an illusion lmao) it’s just coping mechanisms. Tony’s been collecting them from various therapists for like 30 years. He has no clue how anyone in this family thinks they’re neurotypical.