The A.V. Club does a really nice job describing the layer upon layer of comedy that a careful viewer might discover in any given episode of “Arrested Development.”

Their run-down of “Good Grief,” one of my three or four favorite episodes, highlights exactly why I’ve watched every episode as many times as I have.

That said, I’m dismayed that the run-down of the episode misses what I take to be one of the best examples of the writers’ layering across episodes:

In “Good Grief,” Michael believes that his son, George Michael, has been hiding his girlfriend, Ann Veal, in the attic (when, in fact, he’s hiding George Sr. (believed dead)). Michael shares his suspicion with his sister Lindsay:

Michael: “I think George Michael’s hiding Ann in the attic.”

Lindsay: “From who, the Nazis?”

Can it be — please, please let it be! — that George Michael’s girlfriend is named Ann so many episodes earlier just for this joke? Seems like a bit of a stretch … until we remember that Ann’s last name — Veal — is almost certainly given to her solely for the purpose of another joke in yet another episode, when Michael insists that he’ll drive his son himself because “You don’t want to be all penned up with the Veals.”

Brilliant at every turn.

I continue to hold out hope for an “Arrested Development” movie, despite the conclusion of The A.V. Club article that the timing was perfect for the show (based on the career arcs of the actors) and that a movie would just be pushing our luck.

HT: Tim Carmody.