After many, many hours of research, compiling and page layout, I’m done. And I wanted my folks on the Straight Dope to be among the first to see it. Enjoy…
Wow, nicely done.
We’ve been working our way through the season, and while I like it, I don’t think I’ve ever had to think so hard while watching a sitcom. The weird over-lapping timelines, the lack visual queues on how much time has passed between scenes and the fact that every other joke relies on remembering something that was revealed in another episode to be happening at the same time makes it feel more like a puzzle for an IQ test then a sit-com sometimes.
Yeah, it’s live a boss-level memory game.
Very impressive.
I’m tempted to go over it with a fine-tooth comb and error-check it for you (a process that would require at least a couple more watchings of the series). But at first glance, it looks pretty carefully and accurately done. You’ve clearly put a lot of work into this. Very clever blurb at the top, and professional quality throughout.
This is AWESOME! I’ve been meaning but unable to do something like this from day one. Sharing this right now!
Haven’t finished the season but I looked at the chart some - great job! I will be assisting in it’s viral-ness anon 
Very nice! I think I enjoyed your chart more than I enjoyed the actual season.
This is great! There are a few specific dates for events as well – here are a few that I noticed:
February 10, 2006: At the harbormaster’s lodge, John Beard mention’s the Winter Olympics opening ceremonies (Fox broadcast the final four episodes of season 3 against the Ceremonies).
May 1, 2008: Michael gets the $700k from Lucille 2 (date on check).
April 20, 2012: The Opies, and Herbert Love’s fundraiser, and Tony Wonder’s appearance for Schnoodle (date on invitation).
**May 4, 2012: ** All events of Cinco de Quatro.
Thanks, jrepka!
Another date I could add was the repeal of DADT, September 20, 2011, when Buster re-enlists to the Army. At one point, I was going to add a layer of dates, and demarcating individual days in the graphic, but here’s the thing: it doesn’t work. The flaws in the show’s internal continuity starts becoming way more noticeable (George Michael spent 5 years away at school, but 6 years actually elapse). That, and it reminded me it’s just a TV show and maybe there’s a limit to how obsessive I should be getting about all of this.
The personal timelines of the kids have always been kind of an issue – note that:
In “Exit Strategy” (S3E12) we have Maebe’s 16th birthday (“and a lot of us just didn’t want to drive all the way down to Orange County”).
In “Development Arrested” (S3E13) GM tells Michael that his obsession has been going on for “about 53 weeks” (a nod to the number of episodes in the first three seasons). Later Michael tells GM “you’re only 15” (though he was also 15 in the pilot). And of course we also find out that Egg is just about to turn 18.
In fairness, Michael (like Tobias and Lindsay) might be clueless as to his son’s age, since he had a birthday in “Mr. F” S3E5 – this would make him 16, not 15, in the finale. So he’s a month or so older than his cousin.
Therefore in February 2006 George Michael is 16 (22 by May 2012), Maebe is 16 (22 in May 2012, though they say she is 23) and Plain is 18 (24 in May 2012).
Her?
Very well done.
Incredibly impressive!
This is fantastic. It would be interesting to see how the viral process work by tracking the spread of this
Huh, Tobias was in jail a long time on a false arrest.
I suppose he adapted quickly to prison life.