Ep 5. Sad Sack

Michael is left disappointed after he sees Gob perform a magic show as part of his company's team-building retreat. Meanwhile, Tobias and Lindsay come up with a plan to stall their divorce by undergoing couples therapy with Dr. Fishman. Buster becomes obsessed with the hand chair, which causes tension between him and Lucille.

In "Sad Sack," the Bluth family is up to their usual antics as Michael is forced to watch his brother Gob put on a cringe-inducing performance at his company's team-building retreat. Meanwhile, Tobias and Lindsay are trying to stall their impending divorce by attending couples therapy sessions with Dr. Fishman. The ever-fragile Buster becomes fixated on the infamous hand chair, further pushing him away from his mother Lucille.

Michael's brother Gob has never been known for his magical talent. In fact, his performances are usually a disaster. However, this doesn't stop him from taking center stage at his company retreat and putting on a magic show. Michael, who is in attendance, is less than impressed and can barely hide his disappointment. He tries to talk to Gob about his lackluster performance but, as is often the case, Gob is more interested in his own ego than his brother's opinion.

Meanwhile, Tobias and Lindsay are attempting to save their marriage, but their efforts only seem to be making things worse. They've started attending couples therapy with Dr. Fishman, but the sessions quickly devolve into a competition to see who can outdo the other with their strange behavior. Dr. Fishman doesn't seem to help matters, either, as he is more interested in getting his own weird stories out into the open than helping the couple reconcile.

Buster becomes unnaturally obsessed with the hand chair that Lucille has bought for the house. The famous chair, which resembles a giant hand, causes Buster to lash out at anyone who tries to get near it. This obsession further pushes him away from his already strained relationship with his mother Lucille. As always, there are a lot of dysfunctional family dynamics at play in "Sad Sack," and fans of Arrested Development will not be disappointed by the absurdity.

One of the key themes in this episode is the characters' struggles to connect. Michael is trying to have a heart-to-heart with his brother Gob about his performance, but Gob is too wrapped up in his own ego to listen. Tobias and Lindsay are attending couples therapy, but their sessions quickly devolve into a competition to see who can come up with the most bizarre symptom. Buster's obsession with the hand chair causes him to push away those closest to him.

As always, the humor in Arrested Development comes from the characters' sheer absurdity. No one in the Bluth family is ever quite what they seem, and their antics are always guaranteed to make audiences laugh. Whether it's Gob's disastrous magic show, or Tobias and Lindsay's attempts at therapy, the show always delivers on the absurdity.

In conclusion, "Sad Sack" is a standout episode of Arrested Development season two. Fans of the show will appreciate the usual mix of absurd humor and dysfunctional family dynamics. Michael's disappointment in his brother Gob, Tobias and Lindsay's attempts at couples therapy, and Buster's obsession with the hand chair all make for a hilarious and entertaining episode. If you're a fan of Arrested Development, "Sad Sack" is not one to be missed.