# Marta Complex > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Marta_Complex > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Marta_Complex.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_Complex > Source revision: 1312453552 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox television episode | series = [Arrested Development](/source/Arrested_Development) | image = | caption = | season = 1 | episode = 12 | director = [Joe Russo](/source/Russo_brothers) | writer = * John Levenstein * [Jim Vallely](/source/Jim_Vallely) | photographer = Greg Harrington | editor = Steven Sprung | production = 1AJD11 | airdate = {{Start date|2004|02|08}} | length = 22 minutes | guests = *[Liza Minnelli](/source/Liza_Minnelli) as [Lucille Austero](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters) *[Patricia Velásquez](/source/Patricia_Vel%C3%A1squez) as [Marta](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters) *[Carl Weathers](/source/Carl_Weathers) as [himself](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters) *B.W. Gonzalez as [Lupe](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters) | prev = [Public Relations](/source/Public_Relations_(Arrested_Development)) | next = [Beef Consommé](/source/Beef_Consomm%C3%A9) | season_article = Arrested Development season 1 | episode_list = List of Arrested Development episodes }} "'''Marta Complex'''" is the twelfth episode of the [first season](/source/Arrested_Development_season_1) of the American television [satirical](/source/Satire) [sitcom](/source/sitcom) ''[Arrested Development](/source/Arrested_Development).'' It was written by co-executive producer John Levenstein and consulting producer [Jim Vallely](/source/Jim_Vallely), and directed by producer [Joe Russo](/source/Russo_brothers). It originally aired on [Fox](/source/Fox_Broadcasting_Company) on February 8, 2004. The series, narrated by [Ron Howard](/source/Ron_Howard), follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, [dysfunctional family](/source/dysfunctional_family), who made their money from property development. The Bluth family consists of [Michael](/source/Michael_Bluth), his twin sister [Lindsay](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters), his older brother [Gob](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters), his younger brother [Buster](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters), their mother [Lucille](/source/Lucille_Bluth) and father [George Sr.](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters), as well as Michael's son [George Michael](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters), and Lindsay and her husband [Tobias](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters)' daughter [Maeby](/source/List_of_Arrested_Development_characters). In the episode, on Valentine's Day, Marta begins to fall for Michael, to his and Gob's misunderstanding. George Michael investigates his cousin's parentage for validation of his crush. Buster moves out of his mother's apartment. Lindsay wants a divorce from Tobias. == Plot == [Michael](/source/Michael_Bluth) ([Jason Bateman](/source/Jason_Bateman)) convinces [Lucille](/source/Lucille_Bluth) ([Jessica Walter](/source/Jessica_Walter)) to throw what she thinks is a Valentine's Day party, but is in fact, an anniversary party for [Tobias](/source/Tobias_F%C3%BCnke) ([David Cross](/source/David_Cross)) and [Lindsay](/source/Lindsay_F%C3%BCnke) ([Portia de Rossi](/source/Portia_de_Rossi)). [Marta](/source/Marta_Estrella) ([Patricia Velásquez](/source/Patricia_Vel%C3%A1squez)) is impressed by the romantic side of Michael when she finds out he's responsible for the party. [George Michael](/source/George_Michael_Bluth) ([Michael Cera](/source/Michael_Cera)) searches for a sign using the messages stamped on candy hearts for his crush on [Maeby](/source/Maeby_F%C3%BCnke) ([Alia Shawkat](/source/Alia_Shawkat)), finding one that reads "Maybe Tonight" and considering that a sign. Lucille, still trying to break up the relationship between [Buster](/source/Buster_Bluth) ([Tony Hale](/source/Tony_Hale)) and [Lucille Austero](/source/Lucille_Austero) ([Liza Minnelli](/source/Liza_Minnelli)), sets Austero up with [Carl Weathers](/source/Carl_Weathers), Tobias' acting coach, on a night Buster has class. Michael gives a toast to love in general, and Marta realizes that Michael is the one she should be with, not Gob. The next morning, Lindsay decides she needs to divorce Tobias, whose [never-nude](/source/never-nude) affliction is too much for her. Meanwhile, [Gob](/source/Gob_Bluth) ([Will Arnett](/source/Will_Arnett)) thinks Marta is cheating on him with a man named Hermano after overhearing her on the phone talking to her mother, but ''hermano'' is Spanish for "brother" as she was talking about Michael. Neither Michael nor Gob realize this, and they agree to work together to find Hermano. Lindsay decides she and George Michael will switch roommates, and he'll bunk with Tobias now and she with Maeby, leading him to fear that Tobias saw the "Maybe Tonight" candy heart and figured out his crush. Buster, fed up with his mother's interference, decides to move out and live with Lucille Austero, but she doesn't want to be his substitute mother and doesn't allow him to move in, while Lucille Bluth refuses to let him move back in. Michael follows Marta around all day in an effort to track down the mysterious "Hermano." Lucille visits [George Sr.](/source/George_Bluth_Sr.) ([Jeffrey Tambor](/source/Jeffrey_Tambor)) in prison for advice for being nervous about living alone for the first time. Buster arrives at the model home, where Tobias is excited about an upcoming audition for the role of "Frightened Inmate #2". Marta drops by, and Buster immediately falls in love with her. Michael, who had been following Marta, arrives shortly after and is surprised to see both Buster and Marta. He agrees to let Buster stay with him for a while. Marta asks Michael if they can go out to dinner to have a talk, and Lindsay confesses to Maeby that she and Tobias are having trouble. In the next room, Tobias confesses to George Michael that he hasn't made love to Lindsay in years and also mentions that they couldn't conceive, which makes George Michael wonder if Maeby isn't a blood relative. Michael and Marta have dinner at her house, where she alludes to her attraction to Michael, while he implies that he "knows" she's cheating on Gob. Michael, still believing that Marta is having an affair with someone named Hermano, calls out Marta for her affair, and she asks him to leave. Then he notices a gift and note addressed to him, and asks Marta's son what "hermano" means, upon which he finally realizes that she was referring to him. === On the next ''Arrested Development''... === George Michael plucks one of Maeby's hairs to get a DNA test done, Tobias realizes he has to do a nude scene as Frightened Inmate #2, and Buster continues to have a crush on Marta. == Production == "Marta Complex" was directed by producer [Joe Russo](/source/Russo_brothers), and written by co-executive producer John Levenstein and consulting producer [Jim Vallely](/source/Jim_Vallely).{{Cite web |last=Manager |first=Mr |date=2019-09-08 |title=Season 1, Episode 12: Marta Complex |url=https://deconstructingad.com/2019/09/08/season-1-episode-12-marta-complex/ |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=Deconstructing Arrested Development |language=en}} It was Russo's fifth directing credit, Levenstein's third writing credit and Vallely's second writing credit.{{Cite web |title=Arrested Development |url=https://directories.wga.org/project/192692/arrested-development/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=directories.wga.org}} It was the eleventh episode of the ordered [season](/source/Arrested_Development_season_1) to be filmed after the [pilot](/source/Pilot_(Arrested_Development)).{{Cite web |date=2011-10-30 |title=20th Century Fox - Fox In Flight |url=http://www.foxinflight.com/tv/8/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030035137/http://www.foxinflight.com/tv/8/ |archive-date=2011-10-30 }} == Reception == === Viewers === In the United States, the episode was watched by 4.89 million viewers on its original broadcast, a decrease of almost 1.5 million viewers from the [previous episode](/source/Public_Relations_(Arrested_Development)).{{Cite web |date=2016-04-03 |title=Nielsen report. - Daily Variety {{!}} HighBeam Research |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113853900.html |access-date=2024-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403150311/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113853900.html |archive-date=2016-04-03 }} === Critical reception === ''[The A.V. Club](/source/The_A.V._Club)'' writer Noel Murray called the episode "a fine starting-point for an ''Arrested Development'', but “Marta Complex” doesn’t click as well as the four episodes that precede it, largely because of its rickety A-story, involving Michael’s efforts to find out whether Marta has been cheating on [Gob]."{{Cite web |date=2011-07-06 |title=Arrested Development: "Public Relations"/"Marta Complex" |url=https://www.avclub.com/arrested-development-public-relations-marta-complex-1798168819 |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en}} In 2019, Brian Tallerico from ''[Vulture](/source/Vulture_(website))'' ranked the episode 56th out of the whole series, saying it "always felt a bit beneath ''Arrested Development''".{{Cite web |last=Tallerico |first=Brian |date=2019-03-18 |title=Every Episode of Arrested Development, Ranked |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/arrested-development-every-episode-ranked-worst-to-best.html |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=Vulture |language=en}} == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == * {{IMDb episode|0515226}} {{Arrested Development}} Category:2004 American television episodes Category:Arrested Development season 1 episodes Category:Television episodes written by Jim Vallely Category:Television episodes directed by Anthony and Joe Russo --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Marta Complex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_Complex) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_Complex?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.