It's proof that Arrested Development is the greatest show of all time that one of its weaker episodes like Switch Hitter is still very good. There are more laughs in the first five minutes than some shows have in an entire episode. Coming in the second season, Switch Hitter is an episode about softball, being to AD what Homer at the Bat was to The Simpsons. But Switch Hitter in certain ways outdoes Homer at the Bat. Switch Hitter is more complex, tying the game in with the dynamic of the family. In it, the Bluths' rivals, the Sitwell family who also build houses, hire GOB. This comes at a time when the Sitwells and Bluths are about to have one of their softball games against each other. The Sitwells are the antagonists of the show, but because the Bluths are flawed, the Sitwells paradoxically sometimes come across as the good guys. I like how it's open to debate what Sitwell's intentions really were. Why did he hire GOB? Was it because of GOB's skill at softball? Or was this possible motive disproved when Sitwell called the event "only a game"? Did he just say that to motivate GOB? If so, it worked. And Sitwell did seem to care about whether GOB was safe. Or, did Sitwell think GOB really would be good at his job? Personally I'd take a middle position, that Sitwell wanted GOB at his company to publicly embarrass the Bluths.
But all this discussion on Sitwell's motives overlooks the point of the episode. GOB is just a pawn, and Sitwell is an outside force. This episode is really about Michael needing the approval of his father and finally being able to stand up to him. Still, again it reflects good on this episode's complexity and quality, that even though GOB is a just a pawn, there's still humour and emotion when he is confused by how Sitwell was becoming a father figure. This ties in nicely with the episode Key Decisions.
What else is good in this episode? Plenty of stuff. The salad dressing joke is funny because it's true and Michael kissing George Michael was funny because it was awkward. The episode also gives us more of Lucille and Oscar's back story. Maeby is funny when she asks Michael to write an essay in her own words. Top quality stuff.
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