• Check out the relaunch of our general collection, with classic designs and new ones by our very own Pissog!

It's Arrested Development

Layell

Layell

Alas poor Yorick!
is a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Top Artist Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Top Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
No thread about the return of the funniest show of all time? COME ON!

cDdGHhK.jpg


Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything — and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It's Arrested Development. A show from 2003-2006 that was dearly loved and cancelled before it's time. Since then it has gained a cult following and is being revived on Netflix on May 26th. This is monumental. Netflix has been promoting this show heavily, the legendary banana stand has been on tour which can be found via twitter. There has also been some hilarious viral marketing campaigns such as http://insertmeanywhere.biz/ which has resulted in hilarious videos such as this gem.

If you haven't watched the first three seasons do it, then watch them all again, and a few times. Then watch the netflix episodes once they release. This is one of the series that benefits greatly from running gags and information you find out later.

Lets keep spoilers from the Netflix season in hide tags for the first week, but anything from season 1-3 is fair game.
 
Got a picture with the banana stand at The Grove in Los Angeles. They also gave me a "Mr. Manager" sticker and a free banana which was one of the best I've ever had. I'm so glad they got the entire cast back together after 7 years. I've been watching seasons 1-3 on dvd for the past year or so on repeat so I'm definitely excited for the next one!
 
Best show. Probably one of my all-time favourites (then again I don't watch much to begin with). I have to admit that I'm a little worried about this revival being a huge mistake, but I really hope it isn't. So much of the shit in seasons 1-3 worked so well for me, though my favourite running gag by far is the chicken dance... and the FAMILY LOVE MICHAEL banners, the latter of which I can't explain my love for at all. They're not even that funny but I laugh every time I see them.
 
I'm really hoping they can make the magic happen again, the first run was amazing but it's been such a long time since then.

Insert me anywhere is a great concept.
 
I'm just hoping this revival doesn't tarnish the legendary status this show has held among comedy fans.
 
 
so far: this is fantastic

i am only on episode 8 but really it has lived up to the hype so far
GOB's episode is absolutely hilarious and cool cameo by george watsky which is nice

isla fisher is v funny

Lindsays first episode is great as well as tobias'

i dont rly like kristen wiig and seth rogen but alas
 
I've been finding a lot of the jokes hit or miss (moreso than the first three seasons at least), but when they hit, they really really hit. I think some of the episodes have gotten bigger laughs from me than the original run ever did.

I'm on episode 11 right now.

Both GOB episodes have been amazing. Definitely the standouts of the season so far. I was also really partial to the first Lindsay/Tobias episode. The scene where they bought the house was perfect.

There seems to be a lot of forced racial humor that is pretty bad. Especially against asians. None of it is really landing and the scenes are pretty brutal to watch. Also, like Rodan, I'm not really feeling kristen wiig and seth rogen. I prefer jeffrey tambor and jessica walter in wigs. Also, there's definitely not enough interaction between the family members. The best scenes are definitely when two or more of the Bluths share more than a few minutes together.

All that being said, this has been really enjoyable so far. The way the episodes are intertwining is amazing, and I'm sure, in the Arrested Development spirit, there'll be a ton of new stuff I pick up on future rewatches.

Favorite joke so far: when tobias and lindsay are buying the house and lindsay says they don't have children only for it to eventually pan out and show maeby in the room. alia's deliver of "i was going to speak up but i wanted to see if you guys would get there eventually" was so good i had to pause the episode to laugh.
Worst joke so far: everything with the chinese prison gang

Episode 13 edit: holy shit, any complaints i had up until this point are useless because i just watched the best half hour of tv i've ever watched in my life. hurwitz is a fucking genius. the way everything ties together by this point had me grinning ear to ear the entire episode. fucking faceblock.
 
after watching 4 episodes, i wouldn't call it "terrible" but there are some bad flaws but good news for anyone wondering what to expect

1.) the music is really distracting at times. netflix really fucked up here with the sound because its nonstop and actually drowns out the actor's dialogue at some points

2.) 1 person per episode doesnt really work when these characters bounce off each other amazing

3.) over-reliance on running gags. they're being overused a bit

4.) very hit/miss, goes long stretches without great jokes

so why should you watch it? because some jokes are good, its nice seeing the characters again, and its like a puzzle that will make the previous episode slightly better every time. i've talked to a lot of people and the consensus is that every further episode is better than the last, and that the gags and the jokes hit their stride around 5 episodes in (so im about to watch the next one)

im really looking forward to further episodes, everyone really seems to enjoy this season so far
 
I did it, I watched it all, so unless more do that only my opinion matters (not really)

-Dang it I knew Wiig was gonna be as unfunny as ever but I actually swore when the first character onscreen was her. She is lucky they have the brilliant writing and the temple of talent of Walter to make her homage bearable. Cinco de Cuatro however is still a very AD styled joke

-The character specific plotlines are definitely a weakness overall of this season but despite that they did it the best they could. The character specific intros were fantastic, Lindsay's, GOB's and GM's were the standout ones.

-I haven't seen such good acting for two scenes since Back to the Future, the entire George/Oscar plotline as well was just pure joy.

-The way everything layers upon itself with the scene at the penthouse, the carnival, and wow everything that happens at the police station is just insane. I just need to wait a few days for the inevitable fancut of the events in chronological order (if that is even possible)

-Some of the guest stars are used extensively well and others are painfully underused I will categorize them

Well: Andy Richter (taken to a logical conclusion), Barry Zuckerkorn, Bob Loblaw (sure it was only one scene but he did what he needed to do and said what needed to be said, Kitty Sanchez, The Ed Helms character (I can't believe they brought him back), Sally Sitwell (I was shocked at this one, but she did get one really good scene in with Lindsay), Stan Sitwell (best used in moderation and he certainly did), TONY WONDER

Bad: Steve Holt (holy crap do I feel bad for this actor), Annyong (this guy deserved so much more), Ron Howard (the disparity between narrator Ron and actual Ron was jarring at one point, should have had him in as little as possible), Warden Gentiles (Carl less so), Kristen Wiig and Seth Rogen.

-Geez they added another 'Tobias is secretly an albino black man' with Lindsay feeling like when she first was with Tobias while flirting with Love (this was a plotline that was dropped in the original series, see The Man Inside Me and when Tobias compares himself to Ice and Carl Weathers each time removing 'black' as something different). I guess this is just one of those Tobias jokes that will really fly under the radar

-Speaking of Tobias they took his sexuality to the next logical conclusion and it was fabulous "you haven't seen my gay character" and when he signed the script as "Tobias Funke MD SO" I died laughing. Maebe getting the same treatment was just a bad karma punch which I do hope they fix up.

-Faceblock was complete genius and their insertion of its reveal completely floored me, turning one of George-Michaels smallest quirks in the TV series into something so huge. It just set up this impending disaster which had me laughing at where it could possibly go wrong. They set it up in his intro music perfectly (and from a quiz pre-release they were setting this joke up too).

-They included Tracey which I swear should have been Taboo (it might have been the same actress as Rebel, will need to check those credits). Half the fun was never showing who she was. To be fair we still know very little about her.

-The final scene (pre-credits) is game changing; if you wanted some sort of 'happy ending yay family look at Banner Michael!' ending this isn't is holy crap. The father/son relationship took a downright crazy turn with Michael proving just how much he is family and George-Michael growing in some ways that nobody expected. If AD had continued on in a conventional TV fourth season we would have never seen something like this, all I can say now is bring on the movie or heck season 5. Mitch said he wanted it to be a murder mystery well we have that now don't we???

-It will take some time before I can fairly judge this season, and this one truly needs to be judged in its entirety. I don't think anything here can unseat the greatest episode of Pier Pressure but I'm just glad it got made and we got to binge and obsess over it.

Also here is the final credits song by Lucy Schwartz (minor spoilers in comments). She's the sister of the main AD musician David Schwartz. A fitting enough ending song that in many ways establishes the new AD status-quo, I enjoy it. Also you can just go and get it free on her site with an email address.
 
Finally got around to watching this show. Several of my friends are huge Arrested Development fans, so after realizing it was all on netflix I watched seasons 1-3 this weekend.

Seasons 1 and 2 were fucking hilarious. So many clever lines and jokes and the acting was all great. Season 3 really disappointed, though. The entire Rita plotline was really unfunny and drawn out, and even when it ended the season didn't really pick up. But, there were still some great moments, so it wasn't all bad.

I'm excited as fuck to start season 4, though. Should be pretty good.
 
Alright, I need to ask since I feel like I'm going crazy while watching this shit... I'm on episode 5, did Portia de Rossi get a nose job or something? It really feels like Lindsay is being played by someone completely different, despite the pictures of her in the credits looking almost exactly like she used to (besides the hair). I know people age but it really does feel like there's some sort of stand in despite it sounding exactly like her.

Maybe I really am just going crazy, but I spent the last month rewatching the series and Lindsay is the only character I'm having this trouble with. Unless there's some joke here that I'm missing...
 
elcheeso said:
Alright, I need to ask since I feel like I'm going crazy while watching this shit... I'm on episode 5, did Portia de Rossi get a nose job or something? It really feels like Lindsay is being played by someone completely different, despite the pictures of her in the credits looking almost exactly like she used to (besides the hair). I know people age but it really does feel like there's some sort of stand in despite it sounding exactly like her.

Maybe I really am just going crazy, but I spent the last month rewatching the series and Lindsay is the only character I'm having this trouble with. Unless there's some joke here that I'm missing...
Click to expand...

you are not alone. portia de rossi has ostensibly had some work done(plastic surgery) since the last time the show was on including what looks to me like a nose job. the more i look at it the more i am sure. possibly botox too. it's not unthinkable; she is 40.
 
They make so many jokes at the nose job it is totally obvious she has.

And given that everyone in the cast has other mega commitments and I'm sure they didn't get paid much to be in this (Netflix being notoriously cheap) I think they did a fine job putting together 15 episodes. When you have to write around other real life commitments for a bunch of actors getting every interaction is probably not going to happen. Tony Hale for example, is in like 3 other things right now, and it is pretty evident given he barely has any screen time.

I can't hate the "season" at all, and while I love old AD dearly, this had a lot to live up to and couldn't really fill those shoes. It was solid and adequate, hopefully the movie (which is going to happen given the lack of resolution in most of the storylines) can help fill those holes and they don't touch AD again. Don't want a Family Guy syndrome ruining such a great series.

Also young Barry Zuckercorn is the greatest thing ever.
 
On episode 14 right now. I actually thought Kirsten did a great job as Lucille. She captured all of her mannerisms and everything about her demeanor perfectly. Seth Rogan though, I thought he wasn't a very good George Sr., like remember that episode where Tobias tried to play George Sr. but then he was told he wasn't man enough or something? I think that's what's going on here. Seth didn't really bring any of that classic fierce personality of George.

I liked the season a lot so far, some of my favorite moments were:

The entire George Michael episode, I laughed so hard when it became evident that he was still interested in Maeby. Some things never change. And that whole Social Network parody with P. Hound was well done.

GOB's episodes are probably the best this season, especially the 2nd one.

Tobias' To Catch A Predator thing is something that could have easily fit in the old series too.

Lucille's episode wasn't the funniest but it definitely put a different spin on her. It's nice to know that she didn't always have to be the bad guy.

Michael's first episode was also really good, along with Maeby's, they just didn't stack up to the other episodes.

Also did anyone notice Tom Jane in the Methadone clinic? They didn't bring attention to it but I thought it was hilarious
 
I just got ten episodes through. So far it's pretty good, and I'm especially thrilled with how the show went out of its way to get the best guest stars, such as the cast of Workaholics.
 
Welp I just finished it. Not much to say that hasn't already been said, so I'll just follow up on my last post... it was weird because as soon as de Rossi put on the red wig and/or had short hair it was like her face transformed back into her regular face. IDK what to think now. I mean it's possible she's had work done (I don't consider the running gag to be evidence of anything, especially since it's been used since S1), but her face in the first few episodes she was in was almost unrecognisable to me... then it went back to normal. Oh well.

Also holy shit the last half of the season stepped it up so hard, I fucking loved episode 11. Might even be my all time favourite episode.

George Michael hitting Michael in the face wasn't nearly as cathartic as I was expecting, probably because it's one of those rare occasions that Michael wasn't to blame for being an ass. Was kind of expecting a Michael/Gob style fight at the end though!
 
so i finished all 15, season was great id rank the seasons: 2 > 1 = 4 > 3

my thoughts:

- gobs 2nd (which i believe is 11) is a serious contender for best episode of a tv series ever. tony wonder is the greatest and the whole episode had me laughing extremely hard

- tobias 1st ep is a close second, so quotable

- i thought lucille wasnt really as sharp as she usually was but she did great in her own episode

- buster (the worst character) actually had a fairly entertaining episode

- i was not a fan of michaels self destruction but it makes sense. i love that george michael turned out to be just as crazy as the rest of his family, even if he tried to make things right at the end

- maeby's episode was great

- this whole season put together was just an amazing experience. individually, the episodes of this season are very weak compared to old AD standards but you put them together and rewatch old things and it is just so much better. my personal favorite is tobias twirling

- i still cant stress how awesome this season was, even shitty characters like marky bark had great moments from things happening in other episodes, like gob locking the chest because he expected tony wonder to hide in there
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top