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Arrested Development - General Discussion

JayInChicago

By JayInChicago
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desertflower

desertflower

When Gob is showing off his sword to Michael, and he stabs himself putting it back in the holder.

Michael: "Are you bleeding?" (Or something to that effect)

Gob: "Probably, my socks are wet."

 

It doesn't look that funny on paper but once again Will Arnett brings it with his stellar delivery.

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JustAlison
JustAlison

You are correct, as it came out on Netflix, not DVD.  I was referencing a dvd my son made me of the show,  and not an actual Season 4 DVD.  I should have said 'we got Netflix as soon as AD came out'.

Sesquipedalia
Sesquipedalia

Michael: Turns out I'm the worst. I'm the worst Bluth. Lucille: Never say that. Gob is the worst.

DrSpaceman
DrSpaceman

Just finished all 8 episodes While they were enjoyable and I won't say I disliked them, there was not much that stood out as making me laugh or that I found hilarious like the original 3 seasons.

mstaken

mstaken

So now that so much time has elapsed, which seasons, episodes and characters would you guys say are your favorites? Least favorites? Have some of your AD-related tastes changed with multiple viewings? 

 

 I think my order of favorite seasons goes:

 

Season 1: The Marta triangle doesn't annoy me nearly as much as it used to, and for me the characters and their hilariously dysfunctional yet sneakily sweet interactions are at their most funny, interesting and lovable here. I love Prison George a lot more than the George storylines we get in subsequent seasons, and Maeby is definitely most awesome for me before she gets mired in that same studio exec storyline for the rest of the series. There are so many episodes here I love and the fewest I'm 'meh' on...and even those I'm meh on have some great scenes and moments.  

 

Season 3: I like the Rita stuff more than most, Forget Me Now, Notapusy and Making A Stand are all among my very favorites of the series, I adore Bob Loblaw, and I've found there's a surprising amount of heart in this one. I actually used to rank this one first, but S1 has (re-) captured my heart! 

 

Season 2: I know this is many people's all time favorite season and it definitely does have some terrific episodes, but I just hate the, IMO, insanely repetitive stuff about Maeby as studio executive, Tobias in the Blue Man Group, Oscar, Ann as 'Egg', etc...it just feels this season repeats some of the same stuff over and over, and it doesn't happen to be stuff that I'm overly fond of. And somehow the characters this season feel less likable to me than they do in S1 and even S3 (and, yes, describing most of these characters as 'likable' is a stretch anyway, but you know what I mean!) It's just a little more shrill, over the top and wacky for my taste, and I can never shake the mixed feelings I have about Buster's accident. However, I still love it loads more than...

 

...Season 4, which as many of you guys have covered  seemed devoid of most of what I loved about the first three seasons of the show. 

 

My overall favorite characters are George Michael, Gob, and Michael, but it's hard for me to imagine the series without any of the major characters---especially Lucille. I prefer Tobias/David Cross in slightly smaller doses (though the 'analrapist' gag cracks me up more than it should!), and I find Maeby far more amusing and endearing in S1 than in the subsequent seasons. I'm always happily surprised all over again by how much I enjoy Lindsay. One very popular minor character who I'd have preferred to see in just one or maybe two episodes: Kitty. I never tire of the lawyers for some reason...Wayne Jarvis, Barry Zuckercorn and Bob Loblaw are all among my very favorite non-Bluth characters :) 

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desertflower

desertflower

Buster and Gob have remained my favorite characters, with George Michael close behind. (I HATED that it took so long to get to Buster's episode in season 4. I love him.) But I'm with you, MsTaken...I appreciate something about all the characters and can't imagine the show without all of them. David Cross comes off like a jerk in almost everything I've seen him in, so I was prepared to not like Tobias, but he has a pathetic sweetness about him so I even enjoy him. (It reminds me of Andy Dick as Matthew on "NewsRadio"...don't like anything of what I've seen of the guy in real life, but the character is strangely sweet.)

 

Season 1 is my favorite, I think. Honestly I have a little trouble remembering exactly which plots happened in which season but I know I loved all the prison stuff in season 1, especially Gob getting stabbed by the white power dude. "But I am white!" Hee hee. That's when I knew this show would be awesome. I don't know if I can pick a favorite episode but Motherboy XXX has to be up there. So much weird, funny stuff there. 

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mstaken

mstaken

so I was prepared to not like Tobias, but he has a pathetic sweetness about him so I even enjoy him.

 

This is such a perfect description of why Tobias isn't nearly as insufferable to me as I'd expected him to be! I still cringe during the over-the-top "fire sale" bit, though, and some of the Blue Man-related jokes they wrote for him got kind of stale for me. 

 

don't know if I can pick a favorite episode but Motherboy XXX has to be up there. So much weird, funny stuff there.

 

I think the 5-6 episodes I'm most attached to (I won't even try to argue these are the 'best', just the ones I happen to love and rewatch most!) are Best Man for the GOB, Whistler's Mother, Amigos, Spring Breakout, Forget-Me-Now and Notapusy. An eclectic collection of favorites :) 

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benteen

benteen

Season 5 is happening, at some point. Considering the huge amount loose ends at the end of Season 4, it would have been a real shame not to have a next season.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/08/netflix-says-new-season-of-arrested-development-is.html

 

Netflix says Season 5 is happening...is that a threat?

 

Unless they can get the main cast working together (understandably difficult to be sure) and realize that the show works better at 22 minutes long, I don't want to see another season of AD.

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Kalliste

Kalliste

Agreed. I never realised that the characters needed each other to play off to make it the show it was. Season 4 just wasn't the same, if season 5 is the same I'd prefer not to have it.. better to have it end good than what is happening to Community.

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desertflower

desertflower

I saw another short article (forgot where it was, sorry) where the Netflix president said he agreed with the criticism that the whole cast wasn't together enough, and that organizing their schedules will be key to a successful season. So it sounds like they might be heading in the right dirsection, if he has any say in it.

 

Will Arnett was on Jimmy Fallon the other night and confirmed it is happening, they just didn't know when.

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Mayonegg

Mayonegg

Tobias: Here he comes. Here comes John Wayne. I'm not gonna cry about my pa. I'm gonna build an airport, put my name on it.

Love this because this is my dad's level of impressions and we call him the man with one voice.

Lindsy: (sobbing, while fondly remembering George Sr) I can hear him now " Who left the cap off my fucking Glisten?"

I love this because that is so something my grandfather would have said.

And of course

Micheal: I don't feel so good.

For me the mayonegg scene and Micheal's nauseated face is the pinicale of comedy.

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Muffyn

Muffyn

Lucille: I know it's a bird, I'm on the phone.

Buster: It walked on my pillow. - I don't know why that's so funny but the first time I watched the episode through that's the line that really stuck with me.

Tony Hale's delivery is genius on that line.  He does a creepy whisper and pulls his shoulders up and head down like he's trying to hide.  Always makes me laugh.  

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Splash

Splash

Michael:  George Michael, I'm sure Egg is a very nice person, I just don't want you spending all your money getting her all glittered up for Easter.  

 

Also, in the same episode, I loved the payoff to the rock, paper, scissors gag.  Narrator: "Gob charged at Michael with the scissors, but Michael, as he always did, picked rock, which beat scissors.  Unfortunately, the whole incident was covered by the paper."

 

I feel like I could do this for every episode.

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Muffyn

Muffyn

Lindsay: Did you enjoy your meal, Mom? You drank it fast enough.
Lucille: Not as much as you enjoyed yours. You want your belt to buckle, not your chair.

 

George Michael: I have Pop Pop in the attic.
Michael: What? The mere fact that you call "making love" Pop Pop tells me that you're not ready.

 

Your father with his disgusting tweaking. I couldn't breast feed any of you kids because of that man! -Lucille

 

Buster so excelled at being neither seen nor heard that he remained at the school undetected for a full two semesters after he was supposed to graduate. -Narrator

 

There are dozens of us. Dozens! -Tobias

 

Some of Tobias' finest:

Okay Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over? An analyst and a therapist. The world's first analrapist.

I'll be your wingman. Even if it means me taking a chubby, I will suck it up.

I'm afraid I prematurely shot my wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, if you will. So now I'm afraid I have something of a mess on my hands.

Oh come on, don't leave your Uncle Tea Bag hangin'

I'm afraid I just blue myself.

Well, Michael, you really are quite the cupid, aren't you? I tell you, you can zing your arrow into my buttocks anytime.
Michael: Okay. You know what you do? Buy yourself a tape recorder. Record yourself for a whole day. I think you're gonna be surprised at some of your phrasing.

 

GOB -Well I will tell you this, Michael. I don't have a son (Narrator: He does), but if I ever do, I'm either gonna take him to the cabin in the woods, or I'm gonna promise to take him and then not take him. But the one thing that I will never do, is not tell him that I'm taking him to a cabin in the woods and then not take him!

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Delwyn

Delwyn

Not sure if anyone is still out there, but I just watched Season 4 for the first time. I hadn't seen an episode of the show since 2009ish. I didn't have Netflix when S4 came out, and then all the fans were so disappointed that I didn't make an effort to seek it out.

Years later and still spoiler free, I decided to take a chance. Ten minutes (less, probably) into the first ep I had already cringed a couple times and paused it, thinking "I can never un-see this".

But... I'm glad I did. With low expectations, the misses didn't sting so much and as a binge watch it was pretty rewarding to see it all tie together. They went some pretty dark places with all of the characters which felt rewarding to me because you assume that that are messed up, but the depths of that made me love them more.

There was also some really funny moments once you got used to the heavy meta references, which grew more subtle in places. Sometimes.

Anyway, is anyone still interested in a chat about this season? Or did I miss the boat? Will I just have to explain to my cat why I laughed out loud at the advice that you shouldn't put all your Anns in one basket?

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JayInChicago

JayInChicago

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i still haven't watched the last four episodes or so of season 4. At this point I think this season was a probably a mistake, but if it hadn't gotten made we would still be clamoring for more...so, knowing what 'more' looks like, eh, not that impressed.

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VanillaBear85

VanillaBear85

I have been doing a bit of a rewatch and the beginning of the 2nd season has got to be one of the strongest and funniest ever.

 

I only watched the 4th season once, but plan on watching it again sometime in the next week or two. I am thankful that there was another season though and know that it may not be the same, but I will enjoy it anyway.

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CMH1981

CMH1981

S4 was of course not the best, but i'm glad that Mitch learned from the mistake of not having the cast clear off a block of their schedules for the show and has said that will be rectified for the S5.  I mean to do another season, what would it take to shoot once the script is all ready to go, a month?  I think the cast and crew could make it work, especially since it seems it's just Bateman, Hale, and Tambor that have the busy schedules these days.

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Trick Question

Trick Question

But after rewatch it was easier for me to accept the plot. I just picture Tobias as the villain, and Debrie as the heroine, and I hope season 5 or whatever will have a better outcome for her.

Wait, Tobias was a doctor leading Debrie to her doom.....oh lord, was Tobias really "Dr. Doom" and this was yet another subtle Fantastic Four joke?  Good lord, this show.  Mitch Hurwitz clearly should've directed the new FF movie instead of Josh Trank.

 

My problem with S4 was that it wasn't until the back half of the season that it really started feeling like Arrested Development.  The first six episodes were such massive information dumps and plot setups that there was barely any room for actual jokes.  It also didn't help that the first six eps were so strongly centered around just half the cast (Michael, George, Lindsay, Tobias, with a decent side helping of Lucille) so it just made the absence of Buster/Maeby/George Michael/GOB even more pronounced.  It was essentially a different show, which is why it took at least a few episodes to really get used to what the 'new' AD was going to be like.

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amensisterfriend

amensisterfriend

(edited)

I just had dinner with someone who's a huge Arrested Development fan, and I figured I'd share some of his (and my!) opinions in case anyone wants to agree, disagree or just revisit the series in general :) 

 

His favorite season is definitely the first. I'm not nearly as big a fan of AD as he is, but I think S3 is actually the season that contains most of my favorite episodes. I think my rankings would be S3, S1, S2 and then S4.  

 

He "ships" (though he wouldn't call it that!) Buster with Lucille Austero and, probably in response to my slight grimace, actually made a pretty awesome argument as to why they were/could be both the funniest and sweetest couple of the series. 

 

Buster, Gob and George Michael are his favorite characters, but he seems to love them all. I'm more snarky and critical :) He did seem amused by my irrationally deep fondness for Bob Loblaw. 

 

He agreed with me that they should have done something with Maeby other than dragging out the repetitive studio exec stuff for so long. Maybe some sort of private detective...?!  

 

He liked Marta the best of Michael's love interests. I always found her dull and am more of a Maggie Lizer fan. 

 

We definitely differ on the "continuity" issue---he thinks the recurring jokes and  frequent callbacks are a huge part of what makes the show one of his favorite ever, and i totally get that. But for me it often felt like just reiterating the same stuff over and over to remind us that they recall their own scripts, and some of the stuff wasn't even especially funny to begin with. We also disagree on the narration---for me, the (IMO!) excessive narration is often unnecessary at best and intrusive and unfunny at worst. It's probably my least favorite thing about the show. He loves the narration, though, and thinks it makes the show both funnier and more accessible. 

 

We both love the show's jabs at politics, religion, the way it shows how families simultaneously love and hate each other, the general wordplay, etc. We both think the cast is amazing even when (I feel) the writing is repetitive/over the top for my personal taste. I'm not a big fan of the incest stuff and the more juvenile sex jokes in general, but he finds that aspect of the show hilarious. 

 

The most simultaneously amusing and frightening part was realizing that we both know a couple who's A LOT like George and Lucille! 

 

I'd love to hear other people's favorite seasons, episodes, and general thoughts :) 

Edited by amensisterfriend
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Kalliste

Kalliste

We definitely differ on the "continuity" issue---he thinks the recurring jokes and  frequent callbacks are a huge part of what makes the show one of his favorite ever, and i totally get that. But for me it often felt like just reiterating the same stuff over and over to remind us that they recall their own scripts, and some of the stuff wasn't even especially funny to begin with. We also disagree on the narration---for me, the (IMO!) excessive narration is often unnecessary at best and intrusive and unfunny at worst. It's probably my least favorite thing about the show. He loves the narration, though, and thinks it makes the show both funnier and more accessible. 

 

This, to me, is what makes the show what it is. I can't imagine Arrested Development with out the chicken dances, or the 'her?' references or the candy beans or the corn baller 'issues' or the 'lessons' (especially the lessons and the chicken dances).

 

I was watching a video on youtube the other week when Kevin Spacey was with Jimmy Fallon and there was a bit that had Mae Whitman and someone made a comment about how she was in Arrested Development and all the replies were stuff like "her?" "egg?" "bland?" which to me, is the greatness of the fans of Arrested Development, we're all in on the joke and like to use them as much as possible.

 

And the narration! I love it, especially when he contradicts pretty much everything Gob says. I like the next time on stuff where none of it actually happens, I like how in season 3 he was plugging the show nearly every episode.

 

These are definitely some of my favourite parts of the show, to the point where I don't know how you can like Arrested Development and not like them, they are so much of what the show is.

 

I also like how the family interacts with each other, and although they're all terrible people I really enjoy them all. If anything I like George Snr the least because he is just so terrible to Michael.

 

I also really like Michael with Marta and couldn't believe she'd be with Gob. I would definitely choose hermano. :P

 

And to end:

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Petunia13

Petunia13

"Ignore them. Their bark is louder than the dogs they eat back home...And anyone who comes after me will be one unfortunate cookie. 

Haha! I made a pun." 

lucille about the mahjong gang in prison who hates her. 

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qtpye

qtpye

On 10/24/2014 at 6:45 PM, Muffyn said:

I'm afraid I just blue myself.

When that ridiculous doctor made them think Tobias was dead and they were asking Michael for Tobias's last words...flashback to:

"I just blue myself"

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Kiddvideo

Kiddvideo

On 3/21/2017 at 7:57 AM, HotRats2112 said:

We're just blowing through nap time, aren't we? 

I loved this one because of how it was set-up. George Sr. and Michael having a discussion about what was wrong with Buster: Claw marks on Lucille's uterus, he was their miracle baby, that made him soft...camera pans out and there's Buster yawning.

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