Arrested Development

[The Boss]

At least Episodes 1 - 8 are available to those who want to put on their pirate patches . . .

[Ravenpig]

I'm only two episodes deep and I am NOT liking the "concentrate on one character" thing so far.  I am sure I'll have a different perspective once I see them all, but either way the second episode wasn't very funny.  It actually felt like it dragged, which is something AD never did to me before.

 

The first episode was top notch though.  Laughed a whole bunch on that one.

[Kittaan]

I watched the first ep the second it became available on Netflix last night, and another 6 eps today so far.  No further spoilers from me here, unless I use the spoiler tag maybe, but it's been worth the wait, and so far is living up to the hype.  Some excellent new story lines and fucking hilarious gags - glad I wasn't drinking milk while watching.  Plenty of references to old gags as well.  I am really happy with it up to this point.  Anybody else?

 

BTW, maybe it's makeup, but everybody looks pretty damn good.

[The Boss]

Tobias Fünke said
I watched the first ep the second it became available on Netflix last night, and another 6 eps today so far.  No further spoilers from me here, unless I use the spoiler tag maybe, but it's been worth the wait, and so far is living up to the hype.  Some excellent new story lines and fucking hilarious gags - glad I wasn't drinking milk while watching.  Plenty of references to old gags as well.  I am really happy with it up to this point.  Anybody else?

 

BTW, maybe it's makeup, but everybody looks pretty damn good.


That's all I need.

[UndKeineZwEier]

The general consensus from what I've seen is that the Gob and Tobias episodes are great while the Lindsay and George Sr. episodes are not great.

[The Boss]

Decided to start watching it while eating. That's pretty much the only chance I have.

First episode: Brilliant. I love it. So far, so good.

[UndKeineZwEier]

Starting on episode 2 now. Episode 1 wasn't bad, though I'm finding it kind of annoying that they have to reexplain all the characters and shit.

[Kittaan]

Just finished the last ep.  I don't agree that it's disappointing.  They packed a tremendous amount of highly inter connected material into the short time frame in focus.  I really look forward to watching it all again sometime soon.

[UndKeineZwEier]

Tobias Fünke said
Just finished the last ep.  I don't agree that it's disappointing.  They packed a tremendous amount of highly inter connected material into the short time frame in focus.  I really look forward to watching it all again sometime soon.


I just finished watching the second episode and while there were some funny parts I really feel like it would've worked better in the traditional format with other stories interwoven. I really didn't find it as engaging as an Arrested Development episode should be. Though oddly it has reaffirmed my faith in the resurrection. While it wasn't wall-to-wall laughs I did feel the plotline interesting and thought it really felt like Arrested Development. The format just kinda brought it down for me.

 

I thought the first episode was funnier, but this episode felt a bit more confident. Overall the first episode kinda felt like they were returning from a hiatus.

 

So far episodes 1 and 2 both get an 8/10.

 

[Ravenpig]

^man you're being generous with the second episode. It was a snoozer in my book.

First one was funny though.

[UndKeineZwEier]

Mr. F said
^man you're being generous with the second episode. It was a snoozer in my book.

First one was funny though.


I didn't mind it. I thought it was interesting and I feel like if it had broken up a bit it would've been great. Episode 3 on the other hand was pretty dull. There were some laughs toward the end, but overall it was just meh. Though really I shouldn't be surprised that Lindsay wouldn't be able to carry her own episode.

[void]

New seasons not good. Just face it. Oh well

[Kittaan]

void said
New seasons not good. Just face it. Oh well


This is a completely different animal to the first three seasons, and I think they did an amazing job with the approach they took.  Would it have been "better" if they had stuck to the original format?  Who knows?  But the point is that the writers/producers had a vision and they executed it.  Ballsy.  Hilarious.  It all comes together brilliantly in the end, layer by layer like an onion, each "episode" adding to the whole.

 

Have you watched all 15?  If not, I expect your opinion will change once you have.  Mine certainly did.  If not, oh well, that's your problem.  

[UndKeineZwEier]

Holy shit!

 

[spoiler]Steve Holt looks fucking awful.[/spoiler]

[joeypants]

This season is a real mixed bag. Most of the episodes so far are pretty great (I'm on ep. 10). But the ones that aren't are pretty awful (ep. 2, 3 to some extent, Lindsay's second ep and the first Lucille ep). Some characters just can't carry their own episode I think, plus the jokes in those are just not good or up to par for this show. They seem to be confusing plot complexity with success, I think, as are many audience members.

 

I hear a lot of "well, let's not judge just yet... we'll have to watch it again and see what connections we're missing." Not just here, but everywhere. Well, that's nice and all. But the show was always consistent at being FUNNY first and foremost. It was never solely a reference contest to see how complex you can make call backs and punchlines. That's missing the point and a distraction. When one of the more painful episodes is playing out, I'm just smacking my forehead watching them do plot gymnastics stitching this idiotically complex plot together all while ditching actual humor.

 

Having said that... the majority of this season is still hilarious and stands up next to the original run. The Michael, Gob, and Tobias eps are all fucking hilarious and to me, shows that the creative team still "has it." The biggest downfall has been the scheduling issues that kept the cast from ever truly coming together. It's become clear that's a huge part of what made the show initially, and separating them doesn't really work in the show's favor.

[UndKeineZwEier]

I just finished the first Gob episode and that was fucking hilarious.

[Kittaan]

joeypants said
This season is a real mixed bag. Most of the episodes so far are pretty great (I'm on ep. 10). But the ones that aren't are pretty awful (ep. 2, 3 to some extent, Lindsay's second ep and the first Lucille ep). Some characters just can't carry their own episode I think, plus the jokes in those are just not good or up to par for this show. They seem to be confusing plot complexity with success, I think, as are many audience members.

 

I hear a lot of "well, let's not judge just yet... we'll have to watch it again and see what connections we're missing." Not just here, but everywhere. Well, that's nice and all. But the show was always consistent at being FUNNY first and foremost. It was never solely a reference contest to see how complex you can make call backs and punchlines. That's missing the point and a distraction. When one of the more painful episodes is playing out, I'm just smacking my forehead watching them do plot gymnastics stitching this idiotically complex plot together all while ditching actual humor.

 

Having said that... the majority of this season is still hilarious and stands up next to the original run. The Michael, Gob, and Tobias eps are all fucking hilarious and to me, shows that the creative team still "has it." The biggest downfall has been the scheduling issues that kept the cast from ever truly coming together. It's become clear that's a huge part of what made the show initially, and separating them doesn't really work in the show's favor.


Hey JP - I agree with most of the points above, especially the last point on chemistry - really true.  The only things I would add:

Often the connections and "plot gymnastics" are what makes some of the gags funny (or funnier), and without having seen all the connections come together, it may seem lacking.  I don't think that's making an excuse, it's just a function of the approach.  

Also, stating the obvious... humor, like many other things, is subjective... Even the weaker episodes you mentioned were entertaining, and significantly better than most sitcom material being pimped today.  This is a really fucking ambitious undertaking, and I guess I am willing to cut them some slack for that.  

Please do update your thoughts after you finish the final countdown. (The FINAL countdoooooown! - queue music)

 

Also, @ Hot Ham Water - Yes!! Kinda shocking. 

[joeypants]

Yeah, I hear ya. Don't get me wrong, I'm on 10 now and 6/10 have been fucking great to me. It's just astounded me how bad the bad ones were. But again, I put that down to the different structure and limitations they were under. The original run had jokes/plots that didn't work too. The difference is, with the editing and ensemble nature there was always something hilarious literally seconds away to cover for it. Here you don't have that, you just have say, an episode filled with horribly racist and (possibly worse?) LAZY Asian stereotypes barely passing as "jokes," and a bunch of exposition explaining a plot that honestly... who cares?

 

Some of the complicated call backs and stuff have worked great. A lot of it hasn't. And that's fine.

 

Honestly, on the one hand the fact that this even "feels" like Arrested Development at all is a great accomplishment. And the good stuff this season, of which so far is the majority to me, contains some of the greatest gags they've ever had. The "Roofie Circle" fucking DESTROYED me. The Michael, Gob and Tobias eps have been pretty much gold front to back, in my opinion.

[joeypants]

And as always, I think the AV Club pretty much nails it with their review:

 

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-comp ... son,98241/

[UndKeineZwEier]

I like the little changes they make to the intro music for each character. It's a cool little touch.

[UndKeineZwEier]

Just finished the final episode and I have to say I enjoyed it. I would agree that the season is about a B.

 

[spoiler]

Though I didn't really care for the way it ended. I would have preferred if all the storylines had ended together in the final episode instead of concluding in the previous episodes. I think it would've a been a bit more satisfying then the ending they gave us.

[/spoiler]

 

That said, I can't wait to see what they do next.

[Kittaan]

Hot Ham Water said
I like the little changes they make to the intro music for each character. It's a cool little touch.


Yes, noticed that on about the third ep, as well as the personalized titles for each character's relationship to the other characters.  And the gags and details are just as dense if not more so than in the original series.  

 

Even the episodes people are slagging off, like Lindsay's (Indian Takers), are chock full of greatness.  

 

Some of the dozens of gems in this ep:

[spoiler]

A Nu Start = Anustart

"At least I was able to turn my queen around" "none taken" - Tobias "Lindsay's Acting Husband"

Mike, the hot seaman.

"Is that a gal I see, No it's just a phalluseeeeeee!" - It's from nothing

Ed Helms as the smarmy real estate guy - Ninja Loan, Ninja Please! "Double gatehouse? That way you have it"

Halted Development news headline when John Beard walks off air, and leaves his key to HIS massive mansion "Good luck getting the raccoon smell out of the gatehouse"

A Nu Start = Anustart

The cast of Outsourced playing all the Indian characters, taxi, , bus, hotel, scamming her "best on the mountain"

"Anything under a small is considered a David Spade"

Lindsay tells Tobias "I really love you" while thinking about fudge to make it seem real, and later, she's holding a box of Fudge in the clinic

"Are you Blue" and "25 and Homeless - Not a hit new series" flyers in the "Method One" acting clinic, where we also meet Debris and Marky Bark - son of Johnny Bark.  

The "cooooooooinidence" and "yeeeeeeesitiiiiiis" clips when she's talking to Marky at CJ Swappigans about the Shaman (who was actually Maeby) that turns into an Ostrich

Marky's motto, stolen from a Halliburton Teen ad

[/spoiler]

And the many, many set ups that pay off in later eps.

 

In short, even the worst of the episodes has a lot going for it.

 

I agree there are some aspects that could have been handled better, including the spoiler above, but nevertheless, I really enjoyed this ride.

[The Boss]

I've only seen the first one so far, but I reckon the "tipping" joke is one of the funniest they've done in the entire series.