Diksha Sundriyal
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Netflix’s ‘The Electric State’ takes place in an alternate reality where the war between humans and robots has changed the course of history. The protagonist is a girl named Michelle, who lost everything during the war. Her parents and brother, Chris, died following a car accident. However, years after the humans win the war, Michelle discovers that there is more to the story about what really happened to her brother after the car accident. The story takes us through a world where humans are completely under the spell of a tech called Neurocaster while robots are trying to build a life for themselves from the ashes. While the movie is quite a fun ride in itself, there is one thing that is sure to please the fans of the Russos’ cult hit comedy series, ‘Arrested Development.’ SPOILERS AHEAD
The Electric State References a Popular Character from Arrested Development
In the heat of the battle, all one can focus on is survival. However, eagle-eyed fans will notice a certain billboard in the final battle scene of ‘The Electric State.’ Appearing at around the 90-minute mark in the movie, it advertises a lawyer named Barry Zuckerkorn and claims that “he’s very good.” If one were to ask the Bluth family, they’d call Barry the worst lawyer in the world. Played by Henry Winkler, Barry is an entirely incompetent attorney who passed the California Bar by paying a lookalike to take the test. For years, he serves as the defense lawyer of the Bluth family and continually gives them bad advice, which eventually leads them to a lot of trouble with the law.
He also famously, and repeatedly, takes credit for the divorce of Michael Bluth, when, in fact, it wasn’t a divorce at all. His wife died. Michael eventually fires him in the third season of the series, though eventually, he is rehired. In the fifth season, Barry is disbarred, which puts a stop to his chaotic career in law, which seems justified not just because of his mishandling of his clients and their cases but also because of his own problems with the law.
Barry Zuckerkorn’s billboard in ‘The Electric State’ is quite a clever easter egg, and considering the timeline of the show and the movie, it makes perfect sense. The true nature of Barry’s incompetence as a lawyer comes to light when George Bluth Sr. is arrested. This happens in the early 2000s, while the events of the movie take place in the early and mid-90s, which means that he has been operating without consequences so far. It would be unfair to say that no one knows how bad of a lawyer he is yet, but it would show that the Bluths are yet to catch up with him.
The Barry Zuckerkorn reference joins the increasing list of ‘Arrested Development’ easter eggs the Russos have placed in their movies in recent years. Fans of the Marvel movies will remember the stair car reference in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and Tobias Fünke’s cameo as the Blue Man in ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’ With ‘The Electric State’ joining the list, fans of the director duo will be excited to see what reference they drop in their next movie.
Read More: The Electric State Ending, Explained: Is Chris Dead or Alive?
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