Synopsis
Michael thinks he has made a shocking discovery when he finds a picture of himself as a baby with a girl named "Nellie." He shows it to Lindsay and they theorize that their parents had given up Nellie years before and were now trying to pin the family's crimes on her—the mysterious "N. Bluth." During their discussion, Tobias enters the kitchen ready for a day of bulking up at the gym so Lindsay would find him more attractive. Tobias and Lindsay had made an awkward attempt at lovemaking the night before, but Lindsay was turned-off by Tobias' lack of masculinity (and Tobias was turned-off by Lindsay's lack of masculinity). They decided to try again in 31 days—after exchanging a list of "can't"s and "won't"s.
G.O.B. enters, complaining that his religious girlfriend dumped him after he suggested a "Holy Trinity," which he thought was a threesome. Uninterested in G.O.B.'s relationship troubles, Michael asks him if he remembers growing up with a sister. Despite Lindsay sitting right in front of him, he does not.
Upstairs, George-Michael breaks the news to Maeby that their fake hospital wedding was real and shows the marriage certificate he got in the mail. He wants it framed; she wants it destroyed.
Deciding to find out more about Nellie, Michael went to see his parents. In Buster's room, he finds George Sr. surrounded by computer equipment from the Bluth Company's office and worries that George Sr. is on one of his "Black Friday" firing sprees. Actually, he's trying to delete the hard-drives on the company's computers with an electromagnet. Lucille complains to Michael that she knows Buster is faking his coma (although she doesn't know that the reason was that he had fallen for his nurse). All Michael gets when he asks about "Nellie" is another dig about Tobias.
Michael returns to an office full of old computers and paranoid employees; he assures the employees, who had not received pay, that they won't be fired. Investigating the old machines, Michael finds an old Kay-Pro computer containing what he thinks is information on his missing sister. Unfortunately, Tobias arrives from the gym dripping with sweat and shorts out the PC. Michael is upset that he won't be able to copy Nellie's phone number from the unit, until Tobias tells him to hit the "print screen" key and print out whatever had been showing on the screen. Then Tobias tells Michael that he's attracted to the female trainer at his gym, who is also named Michael.
While visiting Buster in the hospital, Lucille finds Rep. John Van Heusen standing besides Buster's bed, protecting his right to life. He claims that he was tipped off earlier in the day by someone who wanted to save Buster. That somebody was actually Buster himself.
Meanwhile, Michael's search for Nellie turns up "Frank," an acquaintance of hers, who sets up a meeting for them at a hotel bar. Michael feels a connection with Nellie that he has never felt with another family member. The next day Michael introduces Nellie to the company staff. As they still haven't been paid they aren't happy to see her, but he encourages them to take full advantage of Nellie's "expertise." As Michael leaves for more important business, Nellie specifies exactly what kind of work she will do for them. Michael plans to tell Nellie that he thinks she's his sister over drinks that evening. Lindsay also plans to have drinks, but with a man other than her husband.
Michael arrives for his meeting with Nellie, only to find Tobias waiting for his trainer, "Michael". He soon realizes that the "Girl-Michael" Tobias was there to meet was actually a man. Upstairs, Nellie confesses that she's mildly attracted to Michael, but it's a setup for Michael to be confronted by her pimp, Frank. Recognizing the pimp's voice, Michael turns on the lights and discovers Franklin, voiced by his brother G.O.B. Franklin informs Michael that Nellie is a prostitute, and Michael reveals that he thinks she is their sister. Downstairs at the bar, Lindsay arrives for her date and finds Tobias sitting with fitness trainer "Michael", whom she was also there to meet: Fitness trainer "Michael" was under the assumption that the two had wanted a "Holy Trinity."
Michael confronts his father about Nellie. George Sr. insists that Nellie is his prostitute, not his daughter. When Michael says he gave Nellie access to the "N. Bluth" account earlier, George Sr. rushes to his computer to try to close the account. But it's too late: the account has been emptied.
The next day, Michael heads to the office to tell the employees that they'll be fired after all. Fortunately for Michael, Nellie used the "N. Bluth" account money to pay herself and the employees and upgrade the company's computers; she tells Michael that "It's only embezzlement if the money is spent outside the company." Impressed by her handling of the situation, Michael offers Nellie a job at the Bluth company, but she declines. After all, she made $300,000 last year.
Read more about this topic: Family Ties (Arrested Development)