Arrested Development, Season 4: What Worked, What Didn’t, And Why It Still Deserves the Hype

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The Bluths, for all intents and purposes, are immortal.

After a heart-breaking cancellation, the show disappeared for seven years. During which time, television entertainment regressed to reality shows of cranky teenage mothers and extremely frugal, coupon-cutting middle-class Americans.  By 2013, everyone, fans and the few-and-far-between naysayers alike, were talking about Arrested Development. It’s the sharp, cult comedy that separates the stupid from the smart; the boys from the men. I can’t tell you how many dates I’ve cut short because the gentleman caller completely missed my banana stand reference and instead took it as an open invitation for something more suggestive. (See the difference? Boys v. Men).

My friends and I planned an official viewing party for the Netflix premiere on May 26, binge-watching and belly-laughing our way through 10 of the 15 episodes just within the first night. They don’t know this, but I returned home and  broke the group pact when I watched the last five by myself well into the wee hours of the morning of May 27. Sorry, guys.  I just blue myself, I guess.

GainesvilleScene has taken a stab at AD before, and it wants to weigh in on the grand premiere now that the dust has settled.  It might go without saying, but it is worth mentioning again: this is an opinion piece. There are  no “spoilers” so feel free to read on, but only after you put yourself in time-out for taking this long to watch the new season.

It’s the story of a wealthy family that was abruptly canceled…so here’s a story written by one self-proclaimed comedy enthusiast who tries to digest it all.

 What Works:

Character-based Episodes

Writers, readers, comedians, authors, anyone with half a brain knows: The characters constitute the story, and the proof is in the pudding, especially with Arrested Development. I think all of the show’s characters are starlets in their own right. No matter the thousands of AD fans you encounter, there is no obvious, general consensus on a cast “favorite” – the Michael Scott of The Office, the Joey Tribiani of Friends – who everyone knows and loves, but more importantly, accepts is carrying the entire show. We’re all playing for each of these character’s teams at one time or another, although even I’ll admit that I’d step up to the plate to be the captain of Buster’s ANY DAY.

That being said, the strategy of reuniting the fans with the show by spotlighting individual characters is genius and nostalgic. There’s enough collective love for this cast to go around and divvy up by episode. It’s like eight different spin-off series in one, and it’s an implicit “thank you” from the writers and producers for being so incredibly loyal to this sometimes overwhelming family.

Netflix as a Network

I’d guesstimate that about 104% (I’ll be conservative and spare myself that one extra percent; trying to preserve my reputation for journalistic accuracy here) of Generation Y discovered the magic of the Bluths through our seemingly unlimited Netflix accounts.

Even if you were never on the Arrested Development train, or more so, proverbial Bluth banana stand when seasons 1-3 of the offbeat comedy aired on FOX (Case in point: me), you were drawn to the show by way the beautifully convenient instant streaming. For a show this convoluted, and for the most part, off the grid with its humor, Netflix is just the unorthodox platform to host a comedic beast. It allows for repeat watches to keep tabs on the approximately 200 different story lines that are all simultaneously unfolding. Perhaps, most importantly, Netflix lured its younger, eventually target demographic; the taste makers that, thanks to the Internet, are leading the popularity pack and showing us whatever this week’s flavors are (cats? Snapfats? Harlem Shakes? Where are my dentures?) But this is all pretty cool. If you think about it, us young chickens were turning  - flipping – Hollywood’s tables and setting the stage for what would eventually become the reality of successful television in 2013. Arrested Development was at the precipice of this curve, too. Y’know, – TV without cable. TV without commercials.

TV that you watched on your computer. My 57-year-old mom still doesn’t get it.

Not Relying on Old Jokes

Let’s face it: it’s still Arrested Development, and it’s keeping it real.

However, the show did go on a hefty hiatus, and a new season is just what that term suggests – new. It’s obligated to give in to its viewers from now and then in this fun, masterbatory way; calling on the jokes that we’ve come to expect and playing its cards wisely by rehashing the banana stands, the making of huge mistakes, the freezing of another set of assets and the blue-ing of one’s self that gave the show all its charm. Nonetheless, we were promised a batch of 15 new episodes. My biggest fear was seeing the comedy go stale after the writers were gifted so much time and leeway to push the envelope with fresh Arrested adventures. Not to mention, if they did their research, an entire Internet encyclopedia was created in the time since its cancellation, and it was spoon-feeding the writers just the direction they needed to reignite the project. These blogs and fansites were created by the fans and for the fans in place of actual episodes, giving the head writers a bank of inside clues, pro tips and free market research. By episodes 2 and 3 of the current season, fans are already basking in a new group of insiders that they can probably make memes of for their overly personal Tumblrs. The fourth season stands on its own, guaranteeing the show a couple more glory days as the abruptly canceled underdog that’s making a badass comeback.

Top-notch Celebrity Cameos

It’s no secret that Arrested Development knows how to pick a celebrity cameo when it wants to pay for one. Henry Winkler, Charlize Theron, Louis CK, Ben Stiller, Amy Poehler –  just a few of the bragging rights the show is endowed thanks to its star-studded list of appearances. What’s even more impressive is how the show snagged those cameos and implicit support from its hottest peers so early in the infancy of its existence. These familiar faces weren’t leaned on to spike ratings at the last-minute or carry the weight of a poorly written episode in hopes of slipping under the big, mean network’s radar and squeaking through another week. In the vein of damn good sketch writing that the show always delivers, these appearances were always justified and well cast. They truly developed the story of the show and  gave the audience an unexpected kick in the ass to make sure they were paying attention. Bravo, Arrested Development.

Not only is this another arena where the program doesn’t disappoint, it absolutely excels. The new season’s got a bunch of goodies, but I’ll highlight two of my favorites, two rookies that took my euphoria to new heights.

1. Kristin Wiig, young Lucille Bluth

There is no character former SNL alpha chick Kristin Wiig can’t master. She is exactly what I expected a young Lucille Bluth to embody, which, essentially, is herself, in all her vapidness, premature antiquity and poor integrity, just younger and with a healthier liver. This was a notable step up from earlier seasons, when the albeit incredibly talented Jessica Walker played herself in her youth. Kristin brings that element of quirk that the show always welcomes, and she even earned two thumbs up for her rendition from Walker herself, who also thinks she is a total natural at the character.

2. Workaholics Cast (Adam Devine, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson), as pissy Delta Airlines employees

I’m a big fan of Workaholics, and the administrative decision to cast the three drunk, adventurous musketeers was A+ in my book. It reflects the where comedy has gone in the past few years and shows Arrested wants to stay hip with what’s making people laugh by plugging three fresh-faced cameos in a situation they’re all too familiar with – stupidly breaking people’s balls. Recipe for success.

Retained Production Value

There is a seven-year gap between the film technology of seasons 1-3 and where the industry is at today. That’s just reality. Sure, it’s a new season, on a new sound stage, and hell, even on a new “network,” but you can skip over the past almost-decade in between seasons and the production team has remained committed to the same successful formula, and Arrested Development is still just as recognizable as before. I’m always disillusioned when a show returns for a new season and the characters are suddenly unrecognizable, the camera angles are making me dizzy and the quaint childhood home the family grew up in mysteriously resembles an overpriced Los Angeles villa.  Mama always says, “Don’t fix something if it ain’t broken” and “Life’s a bitch, and then you die,” but the latter isn’t immediately relevant right now, so I’ll move on…

Glad the show’s decision makers were perceptive enough to realize we’re all in a happy time warp, bent on what Arrested Development was from location to wardrobe and all the gnitty gritty details we fell head over heels for in 2003.

Don’t worry, we didn’t forget – There’s a Movie on The Way

Never too shy to break the fourth wall with its viewers (whaddup, narrator Ron Howard?), Arrested Development makes it clear there will be a full-length film in all of our near futures. The cast fully exploits the attention of the new season to set you up for its silver screen takeover. Not a second of air time is wasted; you’re getting more caught up than you ever expected, and you’re put in a perfect position to enjoy the movie you so ardently lobbied for. Respecting the intelligence of its fans, Arrested Development has no qualms admitting and playing off of its own real-life cast drama as Michael chases down his family, every single cast member, begging for the rights to use in a movie that could finally rescue the Bluths from their financial turmoil (But, save them from their utter dysfunction? That’s another thing…) It’s a story within a story, and it’s another inception mind fuck by the cast that always keeps us on our toes. Which is all the fun.

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What Doesn’t:

Character-Based Episodes

Hear me out. And give me a second to change into my Devil’s Advocate costume.

It changes the whole foundation of the show.  Welcome to Comedy 101, class. Fool-proof lesson #1: straight v. crazy foil characters play off each other perfectly. Let the straight characters normalize, neutralize and bolster the antics of their wackier foils, who jumpstart the action, drive the plot and keep the audience amused. You need the glue to hold the story together and the glitter to keep it interesting ( – Mariah Carey, 2010) (I’m fucking kidding.)

Exhibit A: Seasons 1-3 of Arrested Development when level-headed, earnest Michael Bluth holds the family together and impressively still keeps himself afloat all along, too. Now, each character is holding his or herself together? What? In terms of maturity, it’s about damn time, Tobias. In terms of comedy, it’s…weird.  There was a part of me who missed being Michael’s shadow as he cleaned up emergency after embarrassment after awkward moment that his relatives landed themselves in. Even if they’re failing at it, getting shipped off to the army or knocking up modern-day evangelists, they’re in this together. Like most families, they don’t always get along, and you’re not entirely proud of every member in your kin, but blood is relentlessly thicker than water.

Here’s the real danger: Let’s say you’re not as fond of one character or another, then you’re stuck with an entire episode’s worth of content that leaves you underwhelmed. This format doesn’t always do too much for Arrested Development’s characters. It exposes fans to the reality that maybe they don’t wholeheartedly LOVE every character like they once thought. Some of the Bluths have enough twists and turns to fly solo and hold their own in an episode. Some just don’t.

Episode Length

I’m an infrequent TV-watcher, so I love quick, fleeting programming that doesn’t eat up my time or burn a sore in my ass.  40 minutes of Workaholics would be mind-numbing. 40 minutes of the Jersey Shore would be agonizing. 40 minutes of Arrested Development is just plain exhausting. You’re weaving one too many tangled story webs in one sitting.

All I’m saying is the new episode length was an adjustment, moving from 22 to nearly 40-45 minutes. I do deem the extra length a rite of passage and a necessary evil, though. The show takes full advantage of being free of stringent network restraints and commercial breaks, and it has a lot of ground to cover, making every extra minute count. In a recent interview with Collider, creator Mitchell Hurwitz advised fans that the best way to approach the new season was in non-committal 30-second intervals. Maybe it’s my fault for not heeding his advice.

I Feel Stupid

Speaking of weaving too many webs, the story line is more maddening than how I imagine traversing the Matrix would be. On the early onset of the fourth season, it was legitimately difficult for me to follow along as the family planned to start anew. Stories were layered, which is old news for AD, but this time, they were perhaps a little too dense, and on top of everything, the cast was also time traveling. I kept hoping I could allow some of these details to evade me without experiencing intense FOMO repercussions later in the season. As if that’s not enough to make your head spin, the show maintained its well-known reputation for having the highest jokes per rate of any other television program, which is both a blessing and a curse. Don’t believe me? It’s math. Check it.

I admire the cyclical 360-storytelling. Y’ know, leaving one character in episode X, only to return to that very moment with a wealth of knowledge and a new perspective by episode Y. There’s definitely a pay-off in the final episode, which I presume makes all the complications worth it. I just think there was too much of an onus placed on Arrested’s viewership. On top of having the pressure of processing its far-from-obvious humor (which I’m a fan of, by the way) and working to reconnect with what the most rambunctious family in show biz has been up to for nearly a decade, you were also forced to pull out your own storyboard to keep tabs on what the hell was even going on. You’re also simultaneously working to familiarize yourself with new characters, their significance to the story and playing that endless game of trying to stay a step ahead of Arrested’s writing staff whose reputation is to pull wild cards at every opportunistic moment. I would never even try to assume this task, but the methods of dispelling, or more so, editing this information, could be a bit re-worked.

Portia de Rossi, you alright?

I sincerely hope this doesn’t come off as shallow (although I suspect I just shot myself in the foot by saying that), but Lindsay Bluth-Funke is looking a little, err, off, isn’t she? Buzzfeed noticed, too. I’ll just say it: In the new season of Arrested Development, the drop-dead gorgeous Portia is looking sickly, and so much so, it’s bizarre. While her style remains the same, she looks nothing like the Lindsay I used to drool over in earlier seasons. I’m as straight as an arrow and even I know how lucky Ellen DeGeneres is. I’d give up some of my heterosexuality to be in the middle of that girl gyro.

I understand this has nothing to do with artistic merit or the quality of the episodes, considering Portia is still killing it as the beautiful fruit loop who chases every dollar sign and gentleman imaginable as she doubles as the worst mother in the world. In fact, I think she’s funnier than I remember in earlier episodes. Yet, I’m actively making a concerted effort to focus on her acting, something I didn’t have to do before. Her appearance is genuinely distracting and for what it’s worth, I hope everything’s okay?

The Loudest Ukelele I Ever Did Hear

Now, I’m just nitpicking, but this was also distracting. In the first few episodes, the episodes that were crucial to playing some major catch-up, there was much more music than I ever remembered being utilized in earlier seasons. I love me some ukelele, and the opening melody to the show sends shivers down my spine from excitement, but I couldn’t focus on the truckload of anecdotes that were being thrown at me. Thankfully, the volume dropped down in later episodes, but I was more removed from the character dynamics in episodes 1-4 than I earnestly would have liked.

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Why It Gets A Free Pass:

Make no mistake about it, I am pleased with the new season of Arrested Development. Most people can’t get through seven straight minutes of reciting the alphabet without forgetting what they’re doing. Seven years passed and we’re all still unconditionally devoted to this show. People will rock t-shirts of their favorite bands and sports teams, but how often do we see so much public adoration for a television show? And a short-lived, off-kilter one at that? I think the hiatus was a blessing in disguise.

Good writing, spectacular comedy, wildly talented cast and production value aside (seriously), there’s a culture around Arrested Development, and the pandemonium gives way to a whole other lifestyle and society for Arrested Development lovers. It defied expectations for what’s viewed as the typical trajectory for a TV show, another one with a seemingly pre-determined fate to be canceled too early, but then quickly mourned over and forgotten until the time slot was filled with some flaccid sitcom or reality garb.

The break gave the Bluths time to watch their fan base organically grow, as, slowly but surely, more of us and our extended networks started to catch on to the trend and dive into a show that had painfully gone extinct. We wanted what we couldn’t have. We loved rooting for a something that was clearly and shamefully robbed of well-deserved seasons. There was plenty of time to develop an attachment and start to daydream about how you’d see the show coming back if that sweet, sweet, blessed day ever found itself on your doo–laptop…

 

And I don’t know about you, but I’m sure glad it did.