Arrested Development

Started by Weak2ndAct, October 24, 2004, 12:25:59 AM

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samsong

did the whole season in one sitting.  it is a bit rocky to start but i ended up enjoying it.  that said, arrested development was always just a funny show to me.  the new season picks up where it left off and pushes things a little further with the absurdity and vulgarities, though why they're still bleeping curse words is beyond me.  some unwelcome stunt casting and it isn't as sharp as the first two seasons were, but i laughed.  it entertained me.  so i enjoyed it.  looking forward to watching it again.

abuck1220

Quote from: The Perineum Falcon on May 27, 2013, 01:30:40 PM
2) The surprising use of greenscreen. Did anyone else notice that some of the actors were not present on the set? I've also only watched the first three eps, but it's present in all three; most noticeably in ep2 with Winkler. Why are they doing it, and such a poor job of it at that?

because they couldn't get all the actors together at the same time.

Brando

I finished all fifteen episodes. I'm sure the Arrested Development die hards will love the season and will praise Mitchell Hurwitz genius for creating a new format to view shows streaming. While I loved the first three seasons, I didn't like season 4.

I think a lot of the genius for Arrested Development seasons 1-3 is owed to Fox for putting a leash on the mother fucker cause Hurwitz cannot self-edit. Did they cut anything from the writers room? It comes across as every single idea made it to the screen.

While it feels like they didn't cut a damn thing from the writers room, the season feels incomplete. There are so many loose ends. It feels like this season was only a set up for the next season or a movie.

I think there is a good to great season of Arrested Development there in the bloated mess of season 4. It's need to be whittled down to 8 episodes or maybe even less. Get rid of the stupid format and go back to the greatest strength of the show which is it's ensemble cast. Micheal was always the heart of the show. He was the one selfless character while being around the most selfish individuals we have have ever seen on tv. While it's fine for him to go to the darkside for a little bit you don't want the heart of your show being a Dick the entire season. He was even a dick to George Michael.
If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

AntiDumbFrogQuestion

I liked it plenty. The idea of keeping the cast separate for huge chunks was rather difficult, but mostly the writing and the way things tied together was the most engaging part of this macro-format experiment. Nothing was tied up completely, true, and plenty of small connections are still left to the audience to make despite the expository weight of Ron Howard. Gags were set up only to be revealed many episodes down the line, which I see as rewarding to an audience and respectful on behalf of the creators.

The only thing I really had issue with was the way in which one or two episodes were handled. Some were filmed WAY too nicely and not in the fun, almost junky A.D. way. It's as if a certain director wanted to exalt the memory of how people feel about the show, as opposed to letting the show be itself (see: 2nd Tobias Episode, dinner scenes with Michael, Rebel, Howard and Lindsey). Hell, even though the green screen was obvious, was this show ever really a technical feat?

While not entirely disappointed in the season, I think it would definitely be weakened if there was no follow up, like this movie idea or a 5th season. Or at least a version of the show where, y'know, the ENTIRE CAST was able to act together in more than just two scenes.

diggler

On second watch I liked it a lot better, there are a lot of subtle things that pay off on rewatch, like all AD seasons. I appreciate them trying something new. If it was exactly like the show was, people would complain about it being too same-y, I think this approach will hold up better over time. Andy Richter was my favorite cameo, and George Sr.'s crack about Portia's plastic surgery was a funny meta moment. If I had to pick a favorite story it'd be Gob's, great use of "Sounds of Silence" and the "and Jeremy Piven" gag was brilliant.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

03

three episodes in and this show is now bad. anyone trying to redeem it is being overly optimistic and doesnt realize this is a completely different show now.

Sleepless

Quote from: Brando on May 28, 2013, 07:13:14 PM
I finished all fifteen episodes. I'm sure the Arrested Development die hards will love the season and will praise Mitchell Hurwitz genius for creating a new format to view shows streaming.

Has anyone actually tied this new way to watch shows streaming. I remember in the lead up, there was a lot of stuff about how you could jump from the midst of one episode to another, which would alleviate the dullness of following a single character for 30+ minutes. So far I've watched the first three episodes via my Apple TV and I've not tried this. Suggestions would be most welcome.

Three shows in and I'm glad there's a lot of negative feedback out there. I was worried it was going to be a case of the emperor's got no clothes. All I can do at this point is echo what everyone else has already said: it's a different show, Michael is a prick, it doesn't work, Portia de Rossi's new face.

Going to take another dip tonight. At least there's eps of Weeds and Breaking Bad to catch up on so renewing Netflix for the month wasn't a total waste.
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.

Brando

Quote from: Sleepless on May 29, 2013, 05:24:19 PM
Quote from: Brando on May 28, 2013, 07:13:14 PM
I finished all fifteen episodes. I'm sure the Arrested Development die hards will love the season and will praise Mitchell Hurwitz genius for creating a new format to view shows streaming.

Has anyone actually tied this new way to watch shows streaming. I remember in the lead up, there was a lot of stuff about how you could jump from the midst of one episode to another, which would alleviate the dullness of following a single character for 30+ minutes. So far I've watched the first three episodes via my Apple TV and I've not tried this. Suggestions would be most welcome.

I'm not really sure how they intended viewers to watch the show. I thought the new format was due to all the episode being released at once and created for binge viewing. I can't imagine they meant for you to watch partial episodes then skip around cause all that is doing is making the viewer the editor.

After I kept watching, I think Portia de Rossi is significantly skinner now and is why she looks so different. It does make for great moments when George Sr comments on Lindsay's constant plastic surgery and her boyfriend that can't recognize her.

I don't know if I read this in a review or in the comments of a review but it was mentioned the season feels like one episode. That describes it perfectly. It's one episode of Arrested Development in fifteen parts.
If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

Lottery

Up to 5 and it seemed to be really picking up around episode 4. Looking forward to the following episodes.

modage

Quote from: Brando on May 28, 2013, 07:13:14 PM
While it feels like they didn't cut a damn thing from the writers room, the season feels incomplete. There are so many loose ends. It feels like this season was only a set up for the next season or a movie.

I haven't watched this yet but everything Hurwitz and co. have made clear in every interview indicates this "season" (which they don't consider a season) is only Act 1 of the movie/further season etc. So it feeling like all setup is be design. If that's still unsatisfying, that maebe a problem in the design.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

Sleepless

Only watched ep 4 last night. Best one so far by a looooong shot. But still not great by comparison with earlier seasons. The fact that the episodes are so long is a big problem. They're just not tight at all. The scene where Michael and Ron Howard are talking in the spaceship (and the one with Carl Weathers) felt like they were largely ad-libbed and rather than editing them down to the best bits, they just let them play out in real time. It kills the pace, and these new eps are exhausting to watch as a result.
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.

Brando

Quote from: modage on May 30, 2013, 06:24:30 AM
Quote from: Brando on May 28, 2013, 07:13:14 PM
While it feels like they didn't cut a damn thing from the writers room, the season feels incomplete. There are so many loose ends. It feels like this season was only a set up for the next season or a movie.

I haven't watched this yet but everything Hurwitz and co. have made clear in every interview indicates this "season" (which they don't consider a season) is only Act 1 of the movie/further season etc. So it feeling like all setup is be design. If that's still unsatisfying, that maebe a problem in the design.

That's exactly what it is. It's like going to a movie watching the prologue and then leaving when the first act ends.
If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

03

ok i continued watching. its really not as bad as everyone has been saying, including myself.
the single character episodes are pretty clunky at first, but it really does pay off, in case anyone is as reluctant as i was.

Drenk

I loved it. As simple as that. Loved it.

QuoteSeason four's masterstroke – the element that welds the show's extreme self-consciousness and (yes!) cornball sincerity — is its decision to build our fears and anxieties about a resurrected Arrested Development right into the master narrative. Rather than pretend it could just pick up where it left off and dust off the characters like so many precious figurines, season four takes time and distance into account. It's all about elapsed time and lost opportunities, and how families grow apart geographically and emotionally, and make peace with their personal limitations (and their families'), or continue to live in denial, or force some kind of confrontation, or stumble into one, and end up taking baby-duckling steps toward enlightenment. That's why so many people have described it as sad, or dark, or depressing: It has a heart, but you can see how bruised it is.

http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/tv-review-seitz-on-arrested-development.html
Ascension.

Jeremy Blackman

Just finished the season last night. I watched it over a period of a week or so. It kind of works beautifully as a whole... as if the Bluth family's densely chaotic unraveling broke the fourth wall and manifested itself in the season's structure.

There is definitely some weak stuff. Both of Lindsay's episodes, a surprising amount of Michael's content, and more. (Though I enjoyed George Sr.'s episodes more than most people, apparently.) I'll re-evaluate when I rewatch in a little while.

"Colony Collapse" (Gob #1) is transcendently good. It could be my favorite episode of the whole series. (MILD SPOILERS) Gob's stammer-screaming breakdown and his "Sound of Silence" moments completely floored me.

Tobias #1 was also great, and the season finished really strong. I loved the last four episodes.