Why So Blu?

Oh, and I just remembered in watching episode 12, which was Maeby's arrested development, they paid tribute to the sorority girl letter. How fucking cool and fast of them to do so was that? Epic.

RichC2

She had a lot of additional practice doing Archer.

JuryDuty

That's good to hear. I've been only through the first couple episodes so far, but I have to admit that as a huge AD fan, these are a bit jolting.

I think the opening of episode one with the young Bluths, and the whole Cinco de Mayo storyline (still not sure what that was about) had me wondering what was happening. Plus, it really is different largely focussing on one character per episode and jumping back-and-forth in time. I kinda wish they weren't showing what happened right after the finale and just built the storylines around the current characters instead.

I have a lot of faith in Hurwitz, but it hasn't hooked me yet like the originals did. Looking forward to starting with #3 tonight!

Troy Stiffler

**** punt!

BambooLounge

Didn't listen to this advice. Watched them Sunday morning/afternoon. Only ill-effect of binging was the inevitable withdrawal, but I am going to wait a while before I revisit.

Only complaint I have was the insertion of Wiig and Rogen in the flashbacks. Rogen wasn't believable at all and the flashbacks overall only really were fun b/c of Max Winkler and his "great" advice.

RichC2

I didn't mind Rogen so much, but Wiig over did it.

golden_rod

Is it just me or does it seem like many critics are savaging these episodes just to tear down the mythological status they helped, in part, to create for AD? It's almost uncomfortable to read, but I certainly saw it coming with Mary McNamara's tantrum in the LA Times last week about not getting advance episodes.

These episodes, to me, are startling good. Different, yet still Arrested Development. The actors are portraying their characters with infectious enthusiasm and the scope of the writing & humor is something to behold. You can tell just watching it that the people involved adore this show.

I don't mind the anthology-like format, either; after seeing nothing new from these characters for over seven years, I'll gladly follow their antics for 35 minutes that show me what they've been up to. Especially knowing that this is only the first act that is meant to bring the family together.

Can't wait to give this season anustart by rewatching it next week.

BambooLounge

Very well done.

I haven't read any critical reactions yet. I tend to enjoy the TV coverage over at NYMag, but normally it is the drama critiques written by MZS, but the AD work were merely plot synopsis recaps with some running joke pointing out, no actual critical analysis.

Any recommendations? I'd love to read some worthwhile criticism of these episodes.

Supermallet

Onion AV Club gave season 4 a B, saying it's triumphant when it's not falling apart.

I think it's fair to say that this season isn't perfect. But considering how high expectations have been, the fact that it's even good is a minor miracle. This could easily have been another Family Guy, where their return descended into safe, recycled schtick that didn't go anywhere new.

Jack Straw

In episode 8, and the best line so far "I guess the special tonight is red snapper." I can't believe how far out there this show goes.

BambooLounge

Agreed and I was so afraid of a Family Guy happening. But, unlike Family Guy, Arrested Development decided to tread new ground for better (seeing a more mufti-dimensional Buster) or worse (flashbacks).

Surprised how much they pushed the envelope content-wise...drone strike jokes...too soon? But, then linking it to George Michael's Spanish sexual awakening was amazing (I didn't catch this right away, but Buster's fatigue induced misfire hit in Spain).

Supermallet

I think a lot of the criticisms are coming from the structure, which is very dense and not something I've ever seen on television. It can be a barrier to entry, because of how close you have to pay attention, but it's also something that pays dividends if you're willing to put in the work.

In conversation last night I called it "The Primer of television sitcoms" and I stand by that. It's not something you can passively watch.

bluetoast

Never seen Primer, but I understand what you mean by density. And now I understand why my friend in college was watching 17 episodes in a row and was saying "I'm still not sure if this is good or not."

It's like, she was addicted, but was also doing her nails and fiddling with stuff while watching.

Why So Blu?

I just started re-watching the first season and am on episode 3.

Deftones

Ok, just finished episode 3. This is starting to get more like the old AD. About halfway through Lindsay's episode, things just started clicking.

Supermallet

Just finished the last episode. I am really impressed with what Hurwitz did here. He really pushed forward and tried something new. I hope that instead of a movie they decide to make a season five, but they definitely can't end it the way it ends here.

Guru Askew

You mean when they returned from the commercial break of the very first episode?

Supermallet

I'll stand by the first few seasons of Family Guy. They were great for a while. But when the greased up deaf guy showed up and said "Thanks for bringing us back, America!" or something like that, I knew it was over.

feenst

I was disappointed Season 4 didn't have more new jokes. The season was clever and well-crafted, but on first viewing it didn't have as many original laugh-out-loud moments and recurring jokes as past seasons.

Supermallet

I think it had a lot of new jokes, but the jokes take more time to develop due to the structure of the season.

dex14

I burned through them all on Sunday. I am now going through again at a slower pass. It is MUCH more funny having seen them all, and now seeing where certain jokes were set up. It is absolutely a season you will need to watch more than once.

Go back and rewatch them again now. I think your statement will change. They created many recurring gags for this season. But you didn't know they'd be recurring obviously when you first saw them.

Exactly.

Why So Blu?

Especially with that Dove gag I'd forgotten all about. What episode in season 4 did that come out on? Well, when I started rewatching the first season again, BAM, that Dove gag was in the first episode of the first season. This new season has more in common with the other 3 that most aren't realizing. I'm also gonna go out on a limb and say that some of the haters have probably ourgrown the show altogether, which is why they aren't liking this new season. Yes, it has been 10 years. How long is that in pop culture years? A generation?

mdc3000

Well, the lyrics are "Go away Getaway, Stay away Getaway, Get away Getaway"...so take your pick on what the song is actually called

bjh_18

Unless he gave another interview where he said something different (which is entirely possible since he previously said the new episodes could be watched out of order, a statement he has since backtracked on), he never said it wasn't a good idea, just that there were benefits and losses:

For the most part, I think he's right with what you gain and lose by watching them all straight through. The big story is much more apparent if you watch them all one right after another (although I'd contend it's also a lot of fun too). It's easier to keep track of many things if it's all fresh in your mind. But I know there was quite a bit I missed, much of which will add to the humor. I plan on going back through and watching the season again, only an episode or two at a time, and I think I'll catch more that will make the season even more fun.

There's no way that I'm only going to watch 30 seconds a day for three years.

Interview that the above quote is taken from: Creator Mitch Hurwitz Talks ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, How to Watch Season 4, and Possibility of a Movie or “Some Mechanism of Doing More Content”

movieking

Up to episode 5, and really did not enjoy the Tobias or Lindsey episodes at all. I know about the issues with scheduling, etc so it was difficult to get all the actors together, but this shows functions the best when everyone is together working off each other. The other episodes were solid, but a bit disappointed at this stage.

BTW, Alia Shawkat was on Craig Ferguson last night, and talked about being a painter. She seems more manly than I thought, and when googling her, found out she dated the guy that Lena Dunham is dating now, Jack Antanoff. He definitely has a type...