Arrested Development: Season 4

[afleitch]

Get yourself a stew going, have some hot ham water, grab a Burger King (It's a wonderful restaurant)as Season 4 is on Netflix this weekend. It's as Anne as the nose on plains face that this is probably one of the best comedies of the last ten years.

I cannot wait

[Gustaf]

Me neither!

[Paul Kemp]

I meant to re-watch the whole serious but never got around to it. I suppose I'll just re-watch the finale, although I may miss out on a lot of the subtle running jokes I don't remember.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I wish they had this on IFC or something.

[Lief 🗽]

I wish they had this on IFC or something.

Do you not have Netflix? I'm pretty sure when you sign up the first month is free, so you can just cancel after that if you want (though it's only like $8 a month if I remember correctly).

[7,052,770]

Very excited.

[DINGO Joe]

I'm firing up the cornballer as I type.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Extremely excited for this.

[Lief 🗽]

IT'S LIVE

[afleitch]

It takes a while to get used to but it all starts coming together a few episodes in.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

It takes a while to get used to but it all starts coming together a few episodes in.

My thoughts exactly.

[Paul Kemp]

Only 6 episodes in but what happened to Portia De Rossi's face? Dammit Ellen.

[afleitch]

Finished it.

It's very good. There isn't much else to say. Each episode opens up more and more so that you end up remembering things that didn't make sense earlier on. Now I need to watch it again

[Lief 🗽]

This is so great. Each episode builds on the one before it and gets funnier and funnier. They really took advantage of the "season" being released all at once on Netflix and made something really unique and entertaining.

[dead0man]

I watched the first episode last night and I wasn't all that impressed.  I remembered liking Michael, George Michael and his sexy cousin...but they all just pissed me off this episode.  I'll keep watching though.

[afleitch]

I watched the first episode last night and I wasn't all that impressed.  I remembered liking Michael, George Michael and his sexy cousin...but they all just pissed me off this episode.  I'll keep watching though.

The whole point of the season is that you're supposed to keep watching. Shame some of the reviewers aren't getting it.

[dead0man]

Not everybody has 7 hours in a row to sit around and watch TV.

[afleitch]

Not everybody has 7 hours in a row to sit around and watch TV.

Indeed. TV reviewers have 24 hours to sit around and watch TV

[Paul Kemp]

I'm on episode 10 and I have to admit I'm a bit underwhelmed. I'm not sure the new individualized structure works and I feel like they may be giving us too much information. I also don't think the new jokes and bits are that great (the best ones being Tobias' To Catch a Predator incident and Gob's "entourage"). Some of it does seem a bit forced and the storylines aren't really drawing me in. I also feel like they've made Michael a cartoon character a bit like the rest of his family, whereas the big draw of his character in the original seasons was that he was the only sane member of the family.

I also read that there's no Franklin or chicken dance thus making me doubt my commitment.

This all being said, I'm still enjoying it but it just doesn't feel right. I suppose it's a bit my own fault for expecting every thing to be the same seven years later.

[Lief 🗽]

Meh, Michael was never really that sane or responsible. He's always been just as selfish, cruel and incompetent as the rest of the family. He's a really bad father, he lies as often as the rest of the family, he stole his brother's girlfriend, and let's remember his first acts upon becoming president of the Bluth were buying a box full of whistles and a worthless lemon grove. Season 4 Michael is just the natural progression of his character when he no longer has the sense of superiority that comes from thinking he's taking care of his family.

There's a really good chicken dance joke in one of the last episodes, but the lack of Franklin was very disappointing, yes. And while I do think the individualized episodes ultimately worked pretty well, one of the series' original strengths was the chemistry and interplay between all the characters, which there's a lot less of this season. Hopefully if they do a season 5 they'll be able to schedule it better so that all the actors can take part together.

[Paul Kemp]

Meh, Michael was never really that sane or responsible. He's always been just as selfish, cruel and incompetent as the rest of the family. He's a really bad father, he lies as often as the rest of the family, he stole his brother's girlfriend, and let's remember his first acts upon becoming president of the Bluth were buying a box full of whistles and a worthless lemon grove. Season 4 Michael is just the natural progression of his character when he no longer has the sense of superiority that comes from thinking he's taking care of his family.

Yea, you're right. I suppose I didn't put it correctly. I'm not sure what it is but his characterization doesn't feel right to me. I still had some sense that in the first three seasons he was the "straight man" character to the rest of the family, as much of an ass as he might have been.

And while I do think the individualized episodes ultimately worked pretty well, one of the series' original strengths was the chemistry and interplay between all the characters, which there's a lot less of this season. Hopefully if they do a season 5 they'll be able to schedule it better so that all the actors can take part together.

I agree, although from what I gather this is the last "season" and they plan on making a movie to cap it off. The chemistry and ability of the actors to work off each other really was what made it work.

I'd be interested to see how these storylines would work re-edited into conventional episodes out of curiosity. Obviously a lot would be lost but it would be interesting.

[dead0man]

Meh, Michael was never really that sane or responsible. He's always been just as selfish, cruel and incompetent as the rest of the family. He's a really bad father, he lies as often as the rest of the family, he stole his brother's girlfriend, and let's remember his first acts upon becoming president of the Bluth were buying a box full of whistles and a worthless lemon grove. Season 4 Michael is just the natural progression of his character when he no longer has the sense of superiority that comes from thinking he's taking care of his family.

Yea, you're right. I suppose I didn't put it correctly. I'm not sure what it is but his characterization doesn't feel right to me. I still had some sense that in the first three seasons he was the "straight man" character to the rest of the family, as much of an ass as he might have been.

Yeah, I was feeling your way (Michael as "straight man") as well, but suppose Lief is also correct that he always was a pretty sh**tty guy too.

I hope the jokes are better in the next few episodes or I don't know if I'm going to make it.

[bgwah]

Only 6 episodes in but what happened to Portia De Rossi's face? Dammit Ellen.

...Ellen is responsible?

Puh-lease.

[Eraserhead]

I guess this is one of those shows that someone like me is supposed to enjoy but I never really found it all that interesting or funny. It's definitely not horrible but I always felt like they were trying a bit too hard and I find Ron Howard's voiceover kind of grating. Based on what you guys are saying, it definitely sounds like the new season won't be any more appealing to me.

[Paul Kemp]

Only 6 episodes in but what happened to Portia De Rossi's face? Dammit Ellen.

...Ellen is responsible?

Puh-lease.

Yea, that was totally serious.