Arrested Development? More Like "Tennessee"!
So Arrested Development was like the comedy version of Veronica Mars: the low-rated-but-critically-acclaimed show with rabid, gushing fans who wouldn't shut up about how great and awesome and totally superior it was to everything else on television ever. I did try out two episodes (that turned out to be "Staff Infection" and "In God We Trust"), and while I recognized the excellent writing and plotting, I didn't find it all that funny. I had been told, of course, that this was a show heavily steeped in continuity, and it was best to watch it from the beginning.
Thus, I bought the DVDs. And to my surprise, the show was actually funny when you started from the beginning.
The reason AD is confusing and off-putting to a newcomer is because the majority of the comedy comes from the characters. It comes from knowing who they are, what they do, what they've done, how they react to certain things. Sitcom is short for "situation comedy," which implies that they're about characters stuck in wacky situations. And, well, they are.
Arrested Development is the story of a family whose life just happens to be a sitcom. And by "the story," I mean that literally, since there's a narrator (Ron Howard), who delivers some of the best jokes. I also think there's a bit too much expositional narration, though, which becomes more annoying when you're watching on DVD without commercials and without a week between episodes. Besides the "this just happened" stuff, there are too many times where the narrator describes exactly what we're seeing on screen (with no joke) or tells us what the characters are feeling or planning, even though it's terribly obvious. I'm hoping that sort of thing is network intervention, because I love narration humor. I mean, even in George of the Jungle ("Are you arguing with the narrator?").
But what is the story about? Well, the basic plot is that George Bluth, Sr., is arrested (get it? arrested!) for some sort of illegal business dealings, and now his family has to try to get the company back on track while also cutting back on their extravagant lifestyle. Throughout the two seasons, we learn more and more about what these illegal business dealings actually were or may have been, and we watch the government try to make their case. This doesn't sound very interesting, I know. But let's take a look at the characters.
George Bluth, Sr.: The patriarch of the family, he's never been a particularly good father to his children, and now he's put a huge burden on his family to try to get him out of jail, even though he may actually be guilty of his crimes. It doesn't help that he lies a lot, or maybe he just conceals the truth, as in the case of the banana stand. Yes, in addition to a large housing company, the Bluths own a frozen banana stand. Because...why not?
Michael Bluth: The one who now has to try to hold the family together. He's a good man, a nice man. He's probably the only adult Bluth with morals. I like Michael, obviously, because I identify with the nice guy character. But, like me, he's also aware that he can't just be the nice guy all the time, and he does have a not-nice side. The narrator is aware of this as well.
George-Michael Bluth: Michael's teenage son, whom he's trying to reconnect with. And totally one of my favorite characters. He's like a more socially inept Louis Stevens. Totally adorable. Everything he does is funny, and he doesn't even know it, but it's not like a mean "Ha, what a dork!" funny but a-okay, there are definitely some "Ha, what a dork!" moments. At one point, I realized Arrested Development kind of had a male Gilmore Girls thing going on, with the three generations of Bluth boys, and while the relationships aren't exactly the same, they're rather similar. He also has a mad crush on his cousin Maeby, and it's hilariously adorable. For serious. I don't even ship, but I'm a George-Michael/Maeby shipper.
Gob Bluth: Michael's older brother, a magician, and also one of my favorite characters. I honestly didn't expect the whole magician thing to last more than a few episodes, but it's an integral part of his character, and it continues to provide fodder for laughs. He's also terribly insecure since no one takes his career seriously (which, now that I consider it, I can also totally identify with). He's pretty sex-crazed and will [bleep] just about anyone. Also, he rides a Segway. Just because.
Buster Bluth: Michael's younger brother, the mama's boy in every sense of the word. He's kind of like a man-child, and he's hilarious. Watch him struggle to free himself from his mother's grasp, and then run back almost immediately! The latter half of the second season provides Buster with one of the funniest plotlines I've seen on a sitcom, but I'm not going to spoil you.
Lindsay Bluth Fünke: Michael's sister, who is hot. Her thing is charity events, though she doesn't really pay attention to what she's supporting. She's trying to keep her marriage together and remember she has a daughter.
Tobias Fünke: Lindsay's husband, who is a nut. A former psychiatrist, he soon discovers his calling as an actor. Well, not so much "discovers" as...decides. He's probably the strangest and quirkiest out of the bunch, though, really, it's a tough call.
Maeby Fünke: Lindsay's teenage daughter, and another of my favorites. A professional underachiever, she lives to rebel against her parents, if only so they'll notice her, but not so much that they'll actually spend time with her.
Lucille Bluth: Michael's mother. Emily Gilmore and Lucille Bluth would have a field day together. No, honestly, if there isn't Emily/Lucille crossover fic out there, there really should be, because they're practically the same person. Controlling, manipulative, overly concerned with appearances, and completely unaware of the first two traits.
The show is entirely Bluth-centric, so it relies on the character dynamics of this horribly dysfunctional family. Each episode is always fast-paced and never boring because the story keeps moving from one character to another, and the narrator gives it all a connected flow. The plotting reminds me of Seinfeld in the way that unrelated plotlines will end up unexpectedly intersecting at the end, and the continuity reminds me of Friends in the way that storylines will continue across episodes. But that's not really the continuity the AD fans always crow about.
You see, Arrested Development is in love with the running gag. I believe they are, in fact, married. If something funny happens in an episode, it is fair game to be used over and over and over and oh, we've gone ten episodes without-ooh, there it is again BOO-YAH! Some of them are more successful than others, some are more subtle than others, but it's one of the most rewarding aspects of watching the show in order. What AD does is craft this little world all its own, where all these things have happened, and thus they are bound to happen again.
Oh, and I love the visual style. It's shot like a documentary, as they say, so there's that, but beyond that it's full of quick-cut flashbacks á la Family Guy, except they're real flashbacks. You'll get quick cuts to Amazon.com listings and Google searches. Quick cuts of imagined photos. Quick cuts of fake movie posters. Often, with little arrows pointing things out. I love it when a medium makes full use of its resources. Oh! And the "next time on" previews aren't actually previews for what happens in the next episode, but they're hilarious and still part of the show's continuity.
And finally, the show has guest stars up the fucking ass. Here is a short list: Richard Simmons, Liza Minnelli, Judy Greer, Patricia Velasquez, Henry Winkler, Carl Weathers, Heather Graham, James Lipton, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Amy Poehler, Thomas Jane, Martin Mull, Ben Stiller, Andy Richter, J.K. Simmons, Rob Corddry, Christine Taylor, Martin Short, Dave Attell, Ione Skye, Alan Tudyk, Zach Braff, and Dick Van Patten.
There you have it, folks. Arrested Development really is as good as they say. It's clever and hilarious. If you haven't watched it, do so immediately. If you have, listen to some of my spoilery thoughts.
Marta was hot, and I really enjoyed that whole plotline, especially the confusion over "Hermano" and the fact that Gob knew "brother" in French and Italian, yet somehow forgot what it was in Spanish. The monolingualness of the Bluths doesn't stop being funny.
Kitty was hot (except, you know, when she took off her glasses and let down her hair), and I really enjoyed all that business too.
There haven't been enough J. Walter Weatherman callbacks. That shit was fucking hilarious.
"So you taught me a lesson about not teaching lessons?"
"That...was my last lesson."
I found Lucille Austero kind of annoying, but she did provide some good plots.
A misquote, but one of my favorite bits of narration humor:
So Michael did some detective work.
"Did you burn down the storage facility?"
"Damn right I did."
I love Gob's theme music and all the different variations. The cell phone ring, the funereal mix, the "Gob is Steve Holt's father" mix. And the chicken dance! Haaa. It's so ridiculous, and I love that Lindsay and Lucille have their own completely differently stupid chicken dances.
I didn't expect the Oscar thing to last so long, and I half expected them to actually kill off George Sr. but keep Jeffrey Tambor as Oscar. I never really liked Oscar, although the bits about his possibly being Buster's father were really funny (the "Pop Secret" pun was hysterical). And the twin thing sure came in handy.
And speaking of coming in handy, the stair car! I love that thing.
Tobias hijinks are kind of hit and miss for me. The Blue Man Group was funny at first, but I felt like it got old after a while. I did appreciate all the random blue paint stains on the walls, though. Oh, but the never-nude stuff always seems to work. Mrs. Featherbottom is all right. Oh God, the Burger King thing was awesome. Did they actually get product placement payment for that? So funny.
I love the two lawyers, Barry Zuckerkorn and Wayne Jarvis. The former cause he's so terribly inept, and the latter because he's so terribly...not ept. "I will hide myself behind that couch." Oh, and I love the Literal Doctor. So fucking hilarious, even though the jokes are obvious. I love how in his most recent appearance, Michael is all "Let him finish." Except now they have a new funny doctor, who is funny in a very different way.
I totally didn't expect the Ann thing to last this long. What the hell does George-Michael see in her? I mean, I know that's the joke, but come on, George-Michael! She's a terrible kisser, and you only get like one kiss every three months! Then again, she's really raring to [bleep], so there's that. I actually find her amusing when she talks, though. And while we're on the subject of George-Michael, his Star Wars kid act was so perfect. That is so totally something George-Michael would do.
dramaqueenducky told me she loved Maeby's plotline in the second season, and as someone who's into movies and the film industry, I really enjoyed it too. Ha. I couldn't quite figure out what her "Marry me!" catchphrase was about, as if that was supposed to make her sound old. Then she tried "Babysit me!" to make her sound young, and...heh. Also, she totally brought down the house by kissing George-Michael COUSINCEST FOREVER! (And remember, they might not actually be cousins!)
I didn't really like Martin Short's Uncle Jack character, and I hope he doesn't come back. It was too over-the-top. Martin Mull's Gene Parmesan, however, can come back. I love how Lucille freaks the fuck out at his disguises.
Buster's hook is the funniest thing ever omg. They milk that hook for everything it's worth, and it's hilarious. "I'm a monster!!!" "It's only natural, Mother, I'm part machine!!!"
Oh, I love that they keep on using flashes of "Mommy What Will I Look Like?" photos.
One thing that's slightly bugging me about the second season is the complete and utter incompetence of the law enforcement. Okay, it was funny when they mistook balls for Iraq, but they made a big joke out of everyone figuring out where George Sr. was hiding after Scandalmakers (also? the jokes about the narrator were hilarious), and yet, no one went to get him? The picture of Michael over Gob's face was cleverly set up, but it's still so obviously a picture. George Sr. is slipping in and out of the house at all hours; I'm sure he's been spotted. It was funny and all, but it just baffles me that he was never caught.
I think that is it for now. Let's share our favorite jokes and moments in the comments, then, eh?
And that's why you watch Arrested Development!
Thus, I bought the DVDs. And to my surprise, the show was actually funny when you started from the beginning.
The reason AD is confusing and off-putting to a newcomer is because the majority of the comedy comes from the characters. It comes from knowing who they are, what they do, what they've done, how they react to certain things. Sitcom is short for "situation comedy," which implies that they're about characters stuck in wacky situations. And, well, they are.
Arrested Development is the story of a family whose life just happens to be a sitcom. And by "the story," I mean that literally, since there's a narrator (Ron Howard), who delivers some of the best jokes. I also think there's a bit too much expositional narration, though, which becomes more annoying when you're watching on DVD without commercials and without a week between episodes. Besides the "this just happened" stuff, there are too many times where the narrator describes exactly what we're seeing on screen (with no joke) or tells us what the characters are feeling or planning, even though it's terribly obvious. I'm hoping that sort of thing is network intervention, because I love narration humor. I mean, even in George of the Jungle ("Are you arguing with the narrator?").
But what is the story about? Well, the basic plot is that George Bluth, Sr., is arrested (get it? arrested!) for some sort of illegal business dealings, and now his family has to try to get the company back on track while also cutting back on their extravagant lifestyle. Throughout the two seasons, we learn more and more about what these illegal business dealings actually were or may have been, and we watch the government try to make their case. This doesn't sound very interesting, I know. But let's take a look at the characters.
George Bluth, Sr.: The patriarch of the family, he's never been a particularly good father to his children, and now he's put a huge burden on his family to try to get him out of jail, even though he may actually be guilty of his crimes. It doesn't help that he lies a lot, or maybe he just conceals the truth, as in the case of the banana stand. Yes, in addition to a large housing company, the Bluths own a frozen banana stand. Because...why not?
Michael Bluth: The one who now has to try to hold the family together. He's a good man, a nice man. He's probably the only adult Bluth with morals. I like Michael, obviously, because I identify with the nice guy character. But, like me, he's also aware that he can't just be the nice guy all the time, and he does have a not-nice side. The narrator is aware of this as well.
George-Michael Bluth: Michael's teenage son, whom he's trying to reconnect with. And totally one of my favorite characters. He's like a more socially inept Louis Stevens. Totally adorable. Everything he does is funny, and he doesn't even know it, but it's not like a mean "Ha, what a dork!" funny but a-okay, there are definitely some "Ha, what a dork!" moments. At one point, I realized Arrested Development kind of had a male Gilmore Girls thing going on, with the three generations of Bluth boys, and while the relationships aren't exactly the same, they're rather similar. He also has a mad crush on his cousin Maeby, and it's hilariously adorable. For serious. I don't even ship, but I'm a George-Michael/Maeby shipper.
Gob Bluth: Michael's older brother, a magician, and also one of my favorite characters. I honestly didn't expect the whole magician thing to last more than a few episodes, but it's an integral part of his character, and it continues to provide fodder for laughs. He's also terribly insecure since no one takes his career seriously (which, now that I consider it, I can also totally identify with). He's pretty sex-crazed and will [bleep] just about anyone. Also, he rides a Segway. Just because.
Buster Bluth: Michael's younger brother, the mama's boy in every sense of the word. He's kind of like a man-child, and he's hilarious. Watch him struggle to free himself from his mother's grasp, and then run back almost immediately! The latter half of the second season provides Buster with one of the funniest plotlines I've seen on a sitcom, but I'm not going to spoil you.
Lindsay Bluth Fünke: Michael's sister, who is hot. Her thing is charity events, though she doesn't really pay attention to what she's supporting. She's trying to keep her marriage together and remember she has a daughter.
Tobias Fünke: Lindsay's husband, who is a nut. A former psychiatrist, he soon discovers his calling as an actor. Well, not so much "discovers" as...decides. He's probably the strangest and quirkiest out of the bunch, though, really, it's a tough call.
Maeby Fünke: Lindsay's teenage daughter, and another of my favorites. A professional underachiever, she lives to rebel against her parents, if only so they'll notice her, but not so much that they'll actually spend time with her.
Lucille Bluth: Michael's mother. Emily Gilmore and Lucille Bluth would have a field day together. No, honestly, if there isn't Emily/Lucille crossover fic out there, there really should be, because they're practically the same person. Controlling, manipulative, overly concerned with appearances, and completely unaware of the first two traits.
The show is entirely Bluth-centric, so it relies on the character dynamics of this horribly dysfunctional family. Each episode is always fast-paced and never boring because the story keeps moving from one character to another, and the narrator gives it all a connected flow. The plotting reminds me of Seinfeld in the way that unrelated plotlines will end up unexpectedly intersecting at the end, and the continuity reminds me of Friends in the way that storylines will continue across episodes. But that's not really the continuity the AD fans always crow about.
You see, Arrested Development is in love with the running gag. I believe they are, in fact, married. If something funny happens in an episode, it is fair game to be used over and over and over and oh, we've gone ten episodes without-ooh, there it is again BOO-YAH! Some of them are more successful than others, some are more subtle than others, but it's one of the most rewarding aspects of watching the show in order. What AD does is craft this little world all its own, where all these things have happened, and thus they are bound to happen again.
Oh, and I love the visual style. It's shot like a documentary, as they say, so there's that, but beyond that it's full of quick-cut flashbacks á la Family Guy, except they're real flashbacks. You'll get quick cuts to Amazon.com listings and Google searches. Quick cuts of imagined photos. Quick cuts of fake movie posters. Often, with little arrows pointing things out. I love it when a medium makes full use of its resources. Oh! And the "next time on" previews aren't actually previews for what happens in the next episode, but they're hilarious and still part of the show's continuity.
And finally, the show has guest stars up the fucking ass. Here is a short list: Richard Simmons, Liza Minnelli, Judy Greer, Patricia Velasquez, Henry Winkler, Carl Weathers, Heather Graham, James Lipton, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Amy Poehler, Thomas Jane, Martin Mull, Ben Stiller, Andy Richter, J.K. Simmons, Rob Corddry, Christine Taylor, Martin Short, Dave Attell, Ione Skye, Alan Tudyk, Zach Braff, and Dick Van Patten.
There you have it, folks. Arrested Development really is as good as they say. It's clever and hilarious. If you haven't watched it, do so immediately. If you have, listen to some of my spoilery thoughts.
Marta was hot, and I really enjoyed that whole plotline, especially the confusion over "Hermano" and the fact that Gob knew "brother" in French and Italian, yet somehow forgot what it was in Spanish. The monolingualness of the Bluths doesn't stop being funny.
Kitty was hot (except, you know, when she took off her glasses and let down her hair), and I really enjoyed all that business too.
There haven't been enough J. Walter Weatherman callbacks. That shit was fucking hilarious.
"So you taught me a lesson about not teaching lessons?"
"That...was my last lesson."
I found Lucille Austero kind of annoying, but she did provide some good plots.
A misquote, but one of my favorite bits of narration humor:
So Michael did some detective work.
"Did you burn down the storage facility?"
"Damn right I did."
I love Gob's theme music and all the different variations. The cell phone ring, the funereal mix, the "Gob is Steve Holt's father" mix. And the chicken dance! Haaa. It's so ridiculous, and I love that Lindsay and Lucille have their own completely differently stupid chicken dances.
I didn't expect the Oscar thing to last so long, and I half expected them to actually kill off George Sr. but keep Jeffrey Tambor as Oscar. I never really liked Oscar, although the bits about his possibly being Buster's father were really funny (the "Pop Secret" pun was hysterical). And the twin thing sure came in handy.
And speaking of coming in handy, the stair car! I love that thing.
Tobias hijinks are kind of hit and miss for me. The Blue Man Group was funny at first, but I felt like it got old after a while. I did appreciate all the random blue paint stains on the walls, though. Oh, but the never-nude stuff always seems to work. Mrs. Featherbottom is all right. Oh God, the Burger King thing was awesome. Did they actually get product placement payment for that? So funny.
I love the two lawyers, Barry Zuckerkorn and Wayne Jarvis. The former cause he's so terribly inept, and the latter because he's so terribly...not ept. "I will hide myself behind that couch." Oh, and I love the Literal Doctor. So fucking hilarious, even though the jokes are obvious. I love how in his most recent appearance, Michael is all "Let him finish." Except now they have a new funny doctor, who is funny in a very different way.
I totally didn't expect the Ann thing to last this long. What the hell does George-Michael see in her? I mean, I know that's the joke, but come on, George-Michael! She's a terrible kisser, and you only get like one kiss every three months! Then again, she's really raring to [bleep], so there's that. I actually find her amusing when she talks, though. And while we're on the subject of George-Michael, his Star Wars kid act was so perfect. That is so totally something George-Michael would do.
dramaqueenducky told me she loved Maeby's plotline in the second season, and as someone who's into movies and the film industry, I really enjoyed it too. Ha. I couldn't quite figure out what her "Marry me!" catchphrase was about, as if that was supposed to make her sound old. Then she tried "Babysit me!" to make her sound young, and...heh. Also, she totally brought down the house by kissing George-Michael COUSINCEST FOREVER! (And remember, they might not actually be cousins!)
I didn't really like Martin Short's Uncle Jack character, and I hope he doesn't come back. It was too over-the-top. Martin Mull's Gene Parmesan, however, can come back. I love how Lucille freaks the fuck out at his disguises.
Buster's hook is the funniest thing ever omg. They milk that hook for everything it's worth, and it's hilarious. "I'm a monster!!!" "It's only natural, Mother, I'm part machine!!!"
Oh, I love that they keep on using flashes of "Mommy What Will I Look Like?" photos.
One thing that's slightly bugging me about the second season is the complete and utter incompetence of the law enforcement. Okay, it was funny when they mistook balls for Iraq, but they made a big joke out of everyone figuring out where George Sr. was hiding after Scandalmakers (also? the jokes about the narrator were hilarious), and yet, no one went to get him? The picture of Michael over Gob's face was cleverly set up, but it's still so obviously a picture. George Sr. is slipping in and out of the house at all hours; I'm sure he's been spotted. It was funny and all, but it just baffles me that he was never caught.
I think that is it for now. Let's share our favorite jokes and moments in the comments, then, eh?
And that's why you watch Arrested Development!