One of the most admirable parts of Arrested Development is how it managed to make good humor out of politically incorrect circumstances without ever really resorting to button-pushing schtick or seeming juvenile. Pulling off crude gay jokes and disability gags without seeming like an ass is a sort of sweet spot for comedy writers. The AD folks were so good at it that not even the masters of shock after them have really gotten it right.

Altar Egos

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a few hilarious reaction shots short of channeling Lucille Ball. It's almost a shame that she spent so much time playing the neurotic yenta on Seinfeld because her comedic range outstrips that particular designation. That's why it's nice that she got a plum of a recurring guest spot on Arrested Development as fake-blind attorney Maggie Lizer. I can't imagine how many takes were cut short by uncontrollable crack-ups while Louis-Dreyfus was on-set.

Also in the recurring guest star lineup for this episode is Amy Poehler, playing the never-named woman GOB married on a dare. For all of you meta-humor fans, Poehler is actually married to Will Arnett. Referred to by fans simply as Wife of GOB, the character is entertaining in a disarming sort of way. She's a shrew, to be sure, but an amazingly incongruous, dramatic shrew. Poehler's comic strength has always been her ability to sell a self-serious character. In that regard, I think the recent trend to turn her into a goofball a la Baby Momma and Parks and Recreation is a major waste.

Justice is Blind

David Cross does not get to do enough on Arrested Development. I understand that Tobias is a character best left on the sidelines for extra doses of absurdity, but every single second he's the center of attention is an amazing one. The physical comedy of his "cat-like" break-in at Maggie Lizer's apartment is side-splitting. One of the hardest things for a performer to do is pretend to be bad at something. Tobias's awkwardness and lack of self-awareness combine to make his sad little fantasy world one of the greatest running gags on the show.

I also like the way this episode handles yet another of Michael Bluth's weird love affairs. Sure, his passionate fling with Maggie can't continue for reasons both in and out of the context of the show, but that doesn't mean it has to end in humiliation.

Missing Kitty

GOB's aspirations for the life of a star illusionist is a joke that should have gotten old at the beginning of the series, but never really did. No matter how many times I've seen it, I never fail to laugh at Will Arnett pumping an excess of intensity into a "Final Countdown"-backed routine. The fact that GOB managed to finally pull off a trick (however expensively) is like throwing more fuel onto the fire of the joke.

Also, hooray for more Judy Greer! Seriously, an entirely separate series could be built around all of the amazing guest characters on AD. Kitty Sanchez is among the best of them.

And how about that scene with Tobias and White Power Bill? We're so used to seeing Tobias be inept that it's actually pretty stunning when he actually knows what he's talking about. It turns out, Tobias wasn't such an incompetent therapist, just a hopelessly awkward human being.