The Wildest 'Arrested Development' Reddit Fan Theories That Might Actually Be True

Reddit user DontWantToSeeYourCat suggests that Buster Bluth isn't working with a full deck of cards:

"In S01E10 'Pier Pressure' Buster is pulling out his Medical Marijuana binder from what we can assume are binders related to other 'Studies' that Buster has taken part in, and what we observe is a binder labeled:

'HEMISPHERECTOMY SURGERY'

A hemispherectomy is a very rare surgical procedure where one cerebral hemisphere (half of the brain) is removed or disabled.

Might this explain a lot about why Buster as an adult is still needing constant supervision...  among other things...

'may suffer problems with their vision as well.'

'Feeling tired or depressed.'

'...you lose use of the hand opposite of the hemisphere that was removed.'

Q: What Risks Are Associated With a Functional Hemispherectomy?

A: Delayed (or arrested) development."

Reddit user benedickbenvolio spotted some connections between Arrested Development and William Faulkner's 1929 novel The Sound and the Fury:

"William Faulkner's most famous novel, The Sound and the Fury, is about the fall of a once wealthy and prestigious family. Each member of the family deals with their loss in a different way, turning on one another dramatically in the process. There are a lot of parallels between the fallen Compson family and their counterparts in the Bluth model home.

The mother [Lucille/Caroline] is greedy, self-involved, manipulative, and neurotic. She is oblivious to her own superficiality and cares only about her own comfort and well-being.

The father [George Sr./Jason Sr.] passes along not only his name to a son who shares his own faults, but torments another son with constant disapproval and rejection.

One son [Michael/Quentin] is intelligent but cynical and consumed by his own failures and his family's shortcomings, and distances himself from the family as much as possible.

Another son [GOB/Jason] is arrogant and stubborn, consumed by his own agenda to the point where he obstructs other members of the family from their goals in order to achieve his own. He is the greedy troublemaker son.

The third son [Buster/Benjy] is mentally handicapped and completely dependent on the family for support. He particularly focuses his dependency on a female figure in the family.

The daughter [Lindsay/Caddy] is either idealized or rejected by all of the members of the family, to the point where none of them pin exactly who she is as a person. She is often self-absorbed and considered promiscuous.

The granddaughter [Maeby/Miss Quentin] is rebellious and bull-headed; she is embarrassed of her family."

Reddit user Zelinski has an idea of what fans' favorite private eye might be up to these days:

"Some of these points are taken from other threads I have read surrounding the disappearance of Lucille 2 but I find this theory so possible that I felt a need to share. First off Gene is seen working at Cinco de Cuatro in disguise. As far as I know the show does not mention why he is actually there as to leave it open to interpretation. Now in the scene where Gene and Michael are following GOB in his limo, Gene is seen stopping and buying a knife next to a place called 'The Ballroom.' We are not shown why Gene bought the knife however it is included in there for some reason. The outline shown drawn onto the stair car following Lucille 2's 'murder' resembles the outline on the board game Clue. You are probably saying how ridiculous connecting Clue to Arrested is in itself however the actor who plays Gene, Martin Mull, also starred in the 1985 Clue film. His role was Colonel Mustard who (SPOILERS) turns out to be the killer in the end. The ballroom is a classic Clue board game location as well as a knife being a classic Clue weapon.

When I first read this theory I doubted it but after re-watching Season 4 I found one extra clue that seemingly connects it all together. Throughout the season some characters are shown just eating mustard and parmesan cheese as a meal. At first I thought this was a joke just to show how the model homes have no actual food but condiments and cheese so the family has to improvise meals but this is Arrested Development and even the weirdest little details can come back years down the road and make you say 'oh now I get it.' This connection between mustard and parmesan could be the link to unmasking who was behind Lucille 2's disappearance by showing that Gene PARMESAN is very similar to Colonel MUSTARD after all."

Reddit user wilhelmfresh has an interesting take on the sex lives of the Bluth family:

"As we know the Bluth family swaps sex partners A LOT. GOB has sex with Kitty a couple times and at one point says "...and risk another herpes outbreak with Kitty..." So now it's established that Kitty and GOB have herpes. George Sr. had a long running affair with Kitty and the only 'profalactacos' they were using were implied to be birth control pills. So George Sr. has herpes as well and gave it to his wife Lucille (1). Now GOB also has 'f*cked Lucille 2' a number of times. Knowing GOB I highly doubt he used a condom on Lucille 2 so I'm willing to believe she also has herpes, which she in turn gave to Buster assuming he didn't already have it from 'kissing mother' so much. Speaking of mother, Lucille also can be assumed to have given Oscar Bluth herpes from their constant sexual encounters. In the episode 'Prison Break-In' there is a flashback of when the family is deciding what to donate to for their annual fundraiser. Lindsay's suggestion was herpes. So Lindsey has herpes and since she has actually had sex with Tobias a few times we can say he has it too, and if he ever had sex with Kitty when they ran off to Reno it could be another way he got it if not from Lindsay."

Reddit user resistyrocks has a hunch that Maeby is responsible for the death of Lucille 2, and that Ron Howard gives it away right at the beginning of Season 4:

"In the pilot Maeby's real name is said to be Mae 'Maeby' Funke. The opening lines of the 4th season are 'It was May,' then the narrator clears his throat and finishes with 'it was May 4th.' I think he's actually saying 'It was Mae,' I think the narrator blatantly tells us who Lucille 2's killer (or person responsible for her disappearance) is in the very beginning of the 4th season."

User Benjamin.bush submitted this fan theory on the Arrested Development Wikia:

"I would like to submit a theory that Michael becomes a pirate: When Carl Weathers first comes into Michael’s office in episode 4, he picks up a stuffed toy and mentions that it’s missing an eye. Totally random, no further follow up. But in subsequent episodes Michael gets hit in the left eye. First, after fighting Gob in Miniball World, some kid hits him in the eye. In the follow scene Lucille asks him ‘What happened to your eye?’ with no further response from Michael. He gets another black eye his fight with Lucille 2 on Cinco de Cuatro, and it looks like GM punches him in the eye at the end. If there is any parallel to the foreshadowing in Season 2 when Buster eventually loses his hand, I think we’re in for Michael Bluth losing an eye (...hopefully complete with eye patch).

I would have thought that I was stretching for this except for the many pirate-themed threads throughout the show: Michael is studying maritime law, he was in a Hook play as a kid, Buster of course already has a hook (and education on ocean cartography), the Bluths have stolen two boats previously (Season 1 with George Sr. and Season 3 with Lucille), the new references to Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean) complete with even showing a pirate ship in his office... and of course George Michael is working on anti-PIRACY software."