Arrested Development

I thought this…but with the sense that they were going tie the plot up in a whole new set of complicated knots instead. It is a show that loses it’s power as they run out of feasible scenarios to create…and along with that, only a handful of characters (Gob, Lucille, George Micheal at a push) who have anywhere interesting to go. I will still watch it for old times sake, and probably enjoy parts of it too.

I quite enjoyed the first two episodes. Enough of it made me laugh, and they’re still good at presenting these absurd scenarios*, but the main story is pretty unfocused and I don’t really care for it^ (I didn’t re-watch season 4 in advance); which is a shame because Arrested Development’s strength in those first three seasons (and, to a lesser extent, the fourth) was everything being anchored to a fairly tight set of ongoing narratives.

Maybe there’s a sense of them not having so much to push back against? The originals felt almost like virtuoso displays of how to pack as much as possible into an unshakeable (-)20 minute run-time, and got a lot out of subverting the rules of broadcast TV. Makes me wonder how you’d subvert the conventions of streaming?

In conclusion, I watched two episodes: can’t really remember why everyone is where they are doing what they’re doing, but it’s pretty funny

*COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD

A cut to Michael Bluth yelling in fear is always a guaranteed laugh from me /// “I’m glad someone had the guts to give the Minions their own movie” for some reason /// Lucille’s sayings and idea about violent criminals being sent to an island /// Steve Holt

^ This seems like a lame criticism, given that I’m only two eps in

3 eps in

have laughed about once

:frowning:

Ep 3

I’ll be honest TOTAL REGRESSION has just done me; I also enjoyed the inexplicably chosen audio clips when Michael reminisced about the house in an earlier episode

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This very much. My main takeaway from season 4 was that the tight Fox restrictions and how it ran with them and subverted them had made the show what it was. most obviously the episode length, as S4’s longer episodes felt meandering and slow (same goes for the 30 minute original cut of the pilot back on the season 1 DVD, which I always skip in favour of the TV edit instead) compared to the ludicrously frantic pace of the old 20 minute episodes. But also how meta they would be about their network troubles, like barely veiled discussion of their own cancellation through season 3 and stuff like that. and just the knowledge that it would always be utterly baffling for someone who tuned in one week for the first time in the middle of a season.

while it’s nice to have those characters back on your screen, they definitely have nothing really to subvert on a streaming platform with free reign and a huge cult legacy behind it, in a world now populated with possibly more popular sitcom that it influenced, so they’re not pushed into being anywhere near as inventive.

i went to that Oxide Ghosts film and Q&A with the Brass Eye director a few months ago and i vaguely remember him saying a fairly similar thing about Brass Eye in answer to a question about whether it would get made today - that you could probably make a show like that with complete freedom, do whatever you want and put it online, but that a lot of what made it great was the whole thing of seeing how far you can push it and see what makes it past the broadcaster, and the creative holes that sort of sends you down.

i could be over analysing this.

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anyway i’ve watched the first 6 episodes now. sometimes it feels like it’s really got going and sometimes it falls flat. i really liked episode 4, with the beach house. also enjoying Tobias trying to play various members of the family. also delighted at the return of Barry.

George Michael and Maeby’s bits feel quite slow, i feel a bit like maybe they’ve struggled to give them much to do as adults and even though i love them both, their scenes together have been the most uninteresting parts.

Will Arnett is still great at being Gob.

i still find it very very jarring when Ron Howard is in front of the screen, and I’d forgotten that he’s a very very bad actor.

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I think maeby is nailing it personally

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so I somehow blitzed through the whole half series in a day & night yesterday (I’d forgotten about the split so was a bit like underwhelmed when it just… stopped). It’s fine, it feels a bit more like the old show than the last series, is a bit tighter and less clunky and has some good laughs here and there but it’s not even close to the original run… but then given this stupid teasing out of the story it’s hard to fully judge.

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I thought it was really picking up steam in the last two episodes (the Milford Academy marching band!), which makes Netflix’s decision to split the season in two all the more baffling. I guess they wanted the new subscribers to shell out for a few more months…

Making him a character in S4 was a bad idea, and they really doubled down on it this time by putting his entire family in it (although ironically I enjoyed his dad’s cameo).

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hahaha the marching band was a great, great joke, yes :smiley:

Already through 8 episodes…relieved to hear that’s only half the season…because for a moment I thought that was it. Going to revisit the first 4 seasons now whilst I wait for the rest.

This feels more simplistic than some of the points mentioned above…but I think the primary problem is having most members of the family disconnected with their own narratives does naturally makes the whole thing feel more disjointed. This was a problem with season 4 and, despite early signs that they were going to simplify things now…its still continuing.

HOAX!

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really irked by all the backgroud music they keep playing throughout it

Thought I’d do q quick, half way point character review (I’ll spoiler it to be on the safe side).

Michael - Continuing his Season 4 persona of becoming one of the most dislikeable characters in hte show (even if you separate him from your feelings towards Jason Bateman - which is becoming harder and harder to do). I guess there is something to say about how perceptions of him being the personable everyman are wide of the mark…as if the show is mocking it’s audience for not always seeing Michael for what he really is.

George Michael - Not bad, not great. I think Gm has some of the best potential for ending up in situations through his own politeness and sheltered upbringing…didn’t think that was used enough in these epissodes.

Gob - On a basic level, Gob remains the best written character (with the possible exception of Lucille)…so a storyline about him forcing his feelings into a closet using an actual closet making company should be great…and it largely is…but something is missing. I wonder if Gob is a character who suffers most from all the divergent narrative threads…as he thrives best when the story is more connected to the family.

Tobias - Started off poorly, where I started to wonder if his character had become too unbelievable to be funny…but was arguably the star of the last few episodes. His acting portrayals of the Bluth’s are fantastic and the his illegitimate son provides potential for a new dynamic to form.

Maeby - The most consistently entertaining character of the series so far. Maeby’s scheming was a tad too precocious when she was younger…but it fits perfectly now. I think her disguise as Annette is brilliant.

Lindsay - it’s a good job she disappeared early… (to be “replaced” by dupree :smile:) )

George Snr - Neither here nor there, really. Can’t remember much of what he did,but tbh that’s how I feel about his character for all of the seasons.

Buster - Watching this season made me realise how good an actor Tony Hale is in this role. While some of the cast appear to have lost the feeling for playing the characters, there is absolutely no difference in this Buster to season 1 Buster. Probably the best physical comedy involves Buster.

Lucille - The plot focuses upon her more so than any other character (even Michael) and it is understandable why given her past portrayal. In this season she just felt a little…flat, as if the same acerbic barbs weren’t quite as sharp.

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think you need to spoiler tag each para separately

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Cheers, sorted (there isn’t even that many spoilers in it).

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This is only really partially relevant but my friend’s book is being made into a film at he minute…and Maeby is the lead character. She keeps posting photos from on set and nights out with her and I am all the kinds of envy.

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I think

2>1>3>5>4

I really grew to enjoy season 5 tbh, there is a cohesion missing but it still has that quality I like about Arrested Development where (for all that bullshit criticism about “oh it’s more clever than it is actually funny”) it can pull off some of the most gleefully stupid jokes and ideas – “she’s disrespecting ghosts” / the whole thing with the closet conversions / etc.

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I find S5 unwatchable , just like S4

Gonna pretend they don’t exist

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But season 5 isn’t finished yet!