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I guess I just like liking things

So you watched the new season of Arrested Development this weekend, right?  Well, if you didn’t, I’m sure you had a good reason. But it’s too bad, really, and I hope you get a chance to see it soon. I’m not going to spoil anything about it other than to say I wasn’t so sure about the first couple of episodes, but by the end of it I was totally on-board. In fact, I’d rather have another season instead of a movie.

So in honor of a new season of one of the greatest shows ever put on the air, here are my favorite recurring gags from the first three seasons. I won’t go into my favorites from the new season for a while, but I’ll have to consult the Spoiler Rules to see just how long I have to wait.

Oh, and in case you missed it, be sure to check out Recurring Developments for a guide on all of the recurring gags. The wording on the following list is from them.

10. “Her?” – Poor Ann. She seemed nice enough (though that mayon-egg thing was certainly gross!).

9. Carl Weathers is frugal – Baby, you got a stew goin’!

8. “Annyong” / “C’mon!” – If this list was going by how much I used them in day-to-day conversation, “C’mon!” would be #1 with “Annyong” not too far behind.

7. “Well, that was a freebie.” – The thing I like about this one is that if it hadn’t been a freebie, the action would have been very, very horrible. Lucille would most likely have killed Buster with that beating!

6. “No touching!” – My favorite variation is on Bring Your Daughter to Work Day when the prison guard’s daughter says it. “Her self esteem is through the roof!”

5. “You’re gonna get some hop-ons.” – Oh, stair car. I love you.

4. “Gob” with a hard /g/– The name “Gob” is funny enough, and pointing out the absurdity of it by pronouncing it how it looks is just about perfect.

3. Literal doctor – This guy!  “He’s going to be all right.” And I particularly like it when the family stats to figure him out – Michael’s “Let him finish” is a great follow-up.

2. “Steve Holt!” – So much fun to say! I love how much optimism is summed up in his delivery of that line. I know I’m supposed to think it’s egotistical, but to me it’s more like a “Yeah! This is great!”

1.5. “I’ve made a huge mistake” – [Not sure how this one disappeared, but it was always meant to be here. Rather than realign everything else, it gets a .5. Sorry!] – Whenever you use this line in your daily life (and you will), you must try to say it in Gob’s voice and emulate his far-off stare. A good companion piece to this phrase is Michael’s “What is wrong with me?”

1. Chicken dance – I have tried to do every last one of the chicken dances, and I have tried to figure out which one I like the best, and I have not done well at either task. They are all so very wonderful.

Bonus: It isn’t a recurring bit, so it can’t be on the list, but my favorite gag on Arrested Development is the bees/beads exchange with Michael’s follow-up: “Gob’s not on board.”

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