"Flight of the Phoenix" is the fifty-fourth episode of the television comedy series Arrested Development and the first episode of the fourth season. The episode was originally released on May 26, 2013 and distributed by Netflix. It was written by the show's creator and executive producer Mitchell Hurwitz, and directed by Hurwitz and Troy Miller. The episode was also released on DVD in the United States and Canada on December 16, 2014 along with the rest of the fourth season.

Plot

Thirty years ago, in retaliation for their maid taking a day off for Cinco de Mayo, Lucille (Kristen Wiig) and George Bluth, Sr. (Seth Rogen) started "Cinco de Cuatro", to take place on the eve of Cinco de Mayo in order to deplete stocks used for celebrations. In the present day, Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) finds himself at his lowest point at Cinco de Cuatro. Drunk and heavily indebted to "Lucille 2" Austero (Liza Minnelli), who is appearing at the event to promote her political campaign for a congressional seat, he offers to have sex with her in a desperate bid to have his debt remitted. Unsuccessful, Michael returns to the model home in Sudden Valley, where he runs into his brother, Gob (Will Arnett), and reacts with shock when he sees that Gob had sex with a person whose identity is deliberately not revealed to the viewer. Gob panics, overpowers Michael, and forces him to take a "forget-me-now" (a rohypnol pill).

Five years ago, after the disastrous boat party, Michael returns to the family following his mother's arrest. But when he learns that his parents had received economic stimulus money, and once again embezzled it instead of investing it in the Bluth company, Michael attempts to finally disassociate himself from the family by selling his stock to Lucille 2. He also decides to build houses at Sudden Valley under his own company, Michael B., despite the lack of roads leading into the complex. Having no immediate buyers, Michael again approaches Lucille 2 to secure a loan of $700,000 until residents move in. But due to the 2007 housing bubble, all chances of getting any houses sold evaporate and Michael winds up living in a ghost town. When the mailman, Pete, his only link to the outside world, dies from a heart attack one morning, Michael moves in with his son, George Michael (Michael Cera), at UC Irvine.

George Michael is occupied with the development of "Fakeblock", a piece of privacy-enforcing and anti-piracy software, along with his roommate, Paul "P-Hound" Huan (Richard Jin Namkung). Trying to carve his own path in the world, he is uncomfortable with the presence of his father, and his loss of privacy, and he tries repeatedly to imply to Michael that he should move out. Mistakenly, Michael thinks that George Michael is trying to get rid of P-Hound, and arranges a four-person silent vote including George Michael, a visiting Maeby (Alia Shawkat), P-Hound, and himself to decide who must leave the dorm. But Michael is shocked to discover that he has been unanimously voted out (as he voted for himself as part of a failed ploy).

Crushed by his son's rejection, Michael tries to take solace in being featured in an issue of Altitude, Outwest Airlines' in-flight magazine. The staff at the counter (Adam DeVine, Blake Anderson and Anders Holm of Workaholics) refuse to give him a copy of the magazine, which is reserved for passengers. Michael then must purchase a plane ticket; when told that the cheapest destination is Pittsburgh, he instead opts for the second cheapest, Phoenix, Arizona. Michael finally reads the article aboard the plane and, much to his dismay, discovers that it portrays him as a failed businessman.

Reception

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