"Fast Company" was the nineteenth episode of chronological re-cut of Arrested Development's fourth season. It premiered on Netflix on May 4, 2018.

After falling out with P-Hound, George Michael gets new neighbors who really like hanging out with him. Maeby kicks Fakeblock into high gear.

Synopsis

Rebel Alley visits George Michael in Sudden Valley and his neighbors throw a party for them. His neighbors are very proud of his Fakeblock business although George Michael doesn't understand why they are so happy that he spends time with them. Rebel tells George Michael that they need to talk.

Months earlier, George Michael is still living in his dorm and P-Hound is angry about Fakeblock and that he is being kicked out for the evening because George Michael has invited a Rebel over. P-Hound leaves and Rebel arrives shortly after. George Michael has a chance to tell her the truth about Fakeblock but lies instead because he wants to impress her. In the meantime, P-Hound filed a complaint with student housing and there must be a vote with P-Hound, George Michael, and Dean and Doug Fleer. The vote is split and more twins join the vote but the vote remained split. After the dorm became full of twins, George Michael asked to just bring one extra person in for the vote and not twins. The twins who were already in the room are angered by this, believing that George Michael hates them and so they voted him out of the dorm.

Outside, George Michael is almost hit by G.O.B.'s limo and G.O.B, who was looking for him, tried to force-feed him a Forget-Me-Now wrapped up in bologna. He failed and G.O.B. explained that he wanted George Michael to forget the time they spent together at the Gothic Castle. George Michael promised that he won't mention it and then he tells G.O.B. that he was now homeless. G.O.B. offered to sell him a Bluth model home and says that Michael would be disappointed if he didn't by one.

George Michael moved into Sudden Valley and he was welcomed very warmly by his neighbors. However, George Michael didn't realise that they are all sex offenders who liked him because of how young he looks. George Michael thought he should invite Rebel to his new neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Maeby was becoming richer by continuing to sell an unknowing Lindsay to Herbert Love. Maeby used this money to buy an office for Fakeblock and Lucille 2 helped with the money too. Maeby invited George Michael to the Fakeblock offices and, although he didn't know who Lucille 2 is, George Michael got her old car.

This led up to the party at Sudden Valley with George Michael, his neighbors, and Rebel. George Michael surprises Rebel with his new house. While they talk, Rebel's son Lem goes outside to the swimming pool and all the neighbors immediately disappear. Rebel explains that Lem only lives with her during March and April but she doesn't want to get serious with George Michael, or her other boyfriend, anyway.

Back at the Fakeblock offices, George Michael shares his problem with Maeby. She then shows him the Fakeblock offices and Mort Meyers welcomes them. George Michael tells Maeby that they can't afford this and almost tells her that the product isn't real, but instead says that it isn't ready. She tells him that he must publically unveil Fakeblock on Cinco de Cuatro and it can't be delayed because of the money they need to pay back. George Michael fires Maeby as well as Mort.

At Balboa Towers, Maeby bumps into Michael and he asks for her signature for his movie. Maeby signs the form and finds out that Michael is dating Rebel Alley. She reveals that she knows who the other man is, although she doesn't say who, and tells Michael that she is dumping him. Maeby advises that he shouldn't take the relationship too seriously although she only really says this in order to sabotage George Michael's relationship with Rebel.

Michael arrives at Rebel's apartment and apologies for taking things to seriously. They resume their relationship and Michael wants a photo of them together. He can't take a photo himself so he secretly takes the picture from the photo booth. He leaves and discovers the photo is actually Rebel with her other boyfriend, George Michael.

On the next Arrested Development: Fateful Consequences... Michael removes Maeby from the movie when he realises that she knew about George Michael also dating Rebel. Meanwhile, P-Hound sues George Michael over Fakeblock because he put the first 99 cents into the project. Barry advises that George Michael should take to the sea.

Appearances

Main Cast (in order of appearance)

• Michael Cera as George Michael Bluth
• Alia Shawkat as Maeby Fünke
• Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth
• Will Arnett as G.O.B.
• Portia de Rossi as Lindsay Bluth Fünke

Recurring

• Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn
• Isla Fisher as Rebel Alley
• Ron Howard as Ron Howard
• Jeff Garlin as Mort Myers

Guest

• Sam Richardson as TSA Agent
• Evan Gaustad as Terry
• Ithamar Enriquez as Carlos
• Tom Saunders as Tom
• John Yuan as Doug Fleer
• Matt Yuan as Dean Fleer
• Richard Jin Namkung as Paul 'P-Hound' Huan
• Keith Lucas as Lucas Brother #1
• Kenneth Lucas as Lucas Brother #2
• Andrew Tsygan as Twin Andrew
• Bob Glouberman as David the Aide
• Carter Hastings as Lem
• Eli Vargas as Perfecto Telles
• Lonny Ross as Jonah Feinberg

Recurring themes

References

• Bender from Futurama  - When George Michael is voted out of his dorm, one vote is cast for Bender from Futurama. When he lost the Student Council election in "The Immaculate Election", 1% of votes were cast for Bart Simpson.
• Depardieu - Lem's last name is Depardieu and his father is an French actor. It may be a nod to Gérard Depardieu.
• Liza Minnelli's entertainment career
  • The Ultimate Event (Rat Pack concert tour) / hip replacements - Maeby gives George Michael Lucille 2's 1988 yellow Cadallic that she drove to and from "hip replacements" and says "that's only funny if you know who she is". In 1988, Minnelli replaced Dean Martin in a Rat Pack (Martin, Davis, Jr., Sinatra) concert tour called The Ultimate Event'. Minnelli also had multiple hip replacement surgeries.
• The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency - The t-shirt G.O.B. wears when meeting George Michael from the TV series version of The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency.
• The Social Network and Facebook - In the "On the next Arrested Development" section, George Michael is in a lawsuit deposition scene very similar to that between Mark Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss twins, and later beteween Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin. They are all former partners of Zuckerberg, suing him for a portion of the tech company Facebook. Fakeblock is a direct reference to the name of Facebook. There is also a popular opinion that Michael Cera looks very similar to Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Zuckerberg in the movie. In addition, they often refer to Fakeblock as "The Anti-social Network"

Callbacks/Running Jokes

• Abbreviated cursing - P-Hound says that George Michael has "effed" him with Fakeblock.
• Backwards - The ornament hanging from Lucille 2's key chain given to George Michael has a backwards "L2" on it.
• Don't Know How to Tip - Maeby gives the movers stock options in a company that currently does not have stock.
• Finger to lips - The twins and P-Hound hold their fingers to their lips when George Michael is kicked out of his dorm.
• George Michael doesn't know Lucille 2 - When Maeby tells George Michael that Lucille 2 is investing in Fakeblock, he tells her "I never met the woman." In all the previous episodes of Arrested Development the two characters never directly interact and are never seen on camera at the same time. However, there are two small crossovers:
  • In the first season episode "Pier Pressure" Buster asks George Michael to purchase some marijuana to help with Lucille 2's vertigo. George Michael responds "She’s your girlfriend? Dad said you were her nurse."
  • Two episodes later in "Marta Complex" George Michael and Lucille 2 attend the same Valentine's Day party.
• Homefill - George Michael says he will call the company that filled the original model home to furnish his new house.
• Maeby has poor literacy skills - Maeby says "serioush" after George Michael debates between "serious" and "seriously," although she could have been making fun of him.
• Movie or series - When Maeby pitches the idea of a show about the Bluths to Ron Howard in "Development Arrested", he says, "I don’t see it as a series. Maybe a movie," a meta-comment on the show's possible future post-cancellation. Here, when Michael asks Maeby to sign away her rights for the movie, she says, "I think movies are dead. Maybe it's a TV show."
• "NINJA please" - When George Michael tells his uncle he can't afford a new house, G.O.B. uses Tobias' "ninja please" reaction from "A Couple-A New Starts".
• Opening bottles - George Michael breaks his counter when he opens a beer bottle like G.O.B. did in "Locked and Loaded".
• Perfect rhythm - George Michael and his internal clock is referenced during his long pause with Rebel in the dorms. He whispers "twenty four" after Ron Howard's narration, but before replying to Rebel.
• Serious(ly) - George Michael debates "I take things too serious" and "I take things too seriously". Grammatically speaking, both make sense. "Serious" is an adjective describing "it" and "seriously" is an adverb describing "take". Serioush is not a word. "Easily breezily" works best.
• "That was a freebie" - G.O.B. admits a freebie when George Michael admits he's homeless.

Hidden/Background Jokes

• When George Michael visits Maeby in her office there is a keypad on the wall. Next to the keypad on the wall there is a note reading, "Code 1-2-3-4".
• Backwards
  •  When George Michael leans on the piano, after having said "feels like it should be the other way around", and hits the low notes, the piano produces a high-pitched sound.
  • Rebel Alley tells George Michael (Maharis), "...you're asking Lem and me to move into this house, and it just, it seems all backwards." The floor plan used in George Michael's house is a mirror of the floor plan used in the original model home.
  • The refrigerator/freezer George Michael uses is backwards. The refrigerator is on the left and freezer is on the right. As George Michael pulls out a drink, he says, "Maybe it is backwards."
• The LEM - Ron Howard names each of his children after the place they were conceived. In "Moving Pictures", he sits with Michael in the LEM. This implies that Rebel's son Lem was conceived in the LEM.

Foreshadowing/Future References

• Fakeblock is fake - After Maeby purchases the hangar as the Fakeblock headquarters, she begins discussing plans with George Michael. George Michael replies with, "Maeby, we can't afford this. And my software isn't even rea....dy." George Michael almost reveals that his software isn't even "real" but changes it to "rea...dy." Maeby admits in Season 5 that she knows the software is fake.

In Comparison to the Original Cut

This episode is made up from 7 episodes of the original cut of Season 4. Because the re-cut is chronological and combines the characters' stories into one narrative, new narration was recorded and there is even some additonal dialogue. These changes, as well as which scenes appear in which original episode, are listed below:

• Recapping, new dialogue in italics
  • Rebel Alley & George Michael (Senoritis, It Gets Better)
  • Michael & Rebel Alley (The B. Team)
  • Michael & G.O.B. (Double Crossers)
  • Michael at the airport (Flight of the Phoenix)
    • Michael: You take it.
  • G.O.B. and George Michael (A New Attitude)
  • G.O.B. and Michael (A New Attitude)
  • Rebel Alley at the Ealing Club (It Gets Better)
  • Michael & Ron Howard (It Gets Better)
  • Twins (It Gets Better)
  • The narrator repeatedly mentions false pretences in this recap:
    • Narrator: George Michael’s relationship with Rebel began under false pretences and a false name.
    • Narrator: Rebel would soon unwittingly be dating George Michael’s father who was also operating under false pretences as the producer of a movie about his family he didn’t have the rights for.
    • Narrator: So, it was G.O.B. who asked George Michael to meet his father while he too was operating under false pretences.
    • Narrator: Although twins turned out to be an apt description. Ironically, the UCI housing office also thought George Michael was a twin. And while those false pretences made it hard to be on campus. I did get him a pretty cool room.
• Pool party (It Gets Better)
• George Michael and P-Hound at the dorm (Blockheads)
  • This exchange is extended in this cut:
    • P-Hound: Maeby?
    • George Michael: It's not Maeby, no. But, um... and you have to stay away. She’s already trying to start Fakeblock and I’m trying to stop her.
    • P-Hound: You can’t. It’s our company.
    • George Michael: But it’s not real. Could you please leave?
• George Michael and Rebel Alley's date (Blockheads)
  • George Michael: Just a little token to show how unpretentious I am.
• Rebel's PSA (Blockheads)
  • This exchange is new:
    • Man: Don’t Tweet and Drive PSA, take 19.
    • Rebel Alley: Don’t make me do another one, Ron.
    • Ron Howard: Did- Did we get that? That was a “don’t”
• Roommate vote (Blockheads)
  • The sad Charlie Brown music now plays after George Michael has left the dorm.
• George Michael meets G.O.B. (Blockheads)
  • George Michael: Whoa. Uncle G.O.B., what are you doing here?
• George Michael in Sudden Valley (Blockheads)
• Maeby and David the Aide (Senoritis)
  • “This high school senior was working three jobs” becomes “This high school senior was working several jobs”
• Maeby gives George Michael a car (Senoritis)
• George Michael talks to Rebel Alley (Blockheads)
  • The music "What Could Be Better" now plays in the remix.
• At the Fakeblock offices (Senoritis, Blockheads)
• Michael and Maeby talk (Senoritis, Blockheads)
  • Narrator: Long story.
• Michael and Rebel Alley reconcile (Blockheads)
• On the next... Michael calls Maeby (Blockheads)
  • Narrator: Having found out the woman he loves is also dating his son.
• On the next... George Michael lawsuit (It Gets Better)

Notes

• Buster, Lucille, George, and Tobias don't appear in this episode.
• The title of this episode is a reference to how quickly Fakeblock has established itself as well as George Michael, who is surrounded by fast company (e.g. people with questionable morals) at Sudden Valley.