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Arrested Development |OT| Season 4 - May 26 - Netflix Unmakes A Huge Mistake

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F

FantasticMrFoxdie

Mumber
Anticitizen One said:
Don't really get why they turned
Sally Sitwell
into a villian. In the old series she was just a girl that was the daughter of George Bluth's rival who happened to have romantic feelings for Michael and vice versa.
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Anticitizen One said:
Holy shit guys did y'all know that Ben Stiller is married to Sally Sitwell in real life??
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Yep, I have a feeling thats why they put her together with Tony Wonder.

Could also be some sort of meta-callback to the Will Arnett and Amy Poehler thing. lol
 
L

Lee Chaolan

Member
FantasticMrFoxdie said:
Yep, I have a feeling thats why they put her together with Tony Wonder.

Could also be some sort of meta-callback to the Will Arnett and Amy Poehler thing. lol
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It's so funny, as Jason Bateman was in Dodgeball with Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor. Everybody loves each other :D

Although the best Chemistry was between Will Arnett and Ben Stiller. Too damn good.
 
R

RC

Banned
Quick said:
Getaway, getaway
Getaway, getaway
Getaway, getaway
Click to expand...

The best part of an ultimately disappointing season. Where do I even begin? The forced humour that often fell flat, gags that went on for too long, (more of an issue for first few episodes) an overabundance of callbacks, returning guest stars who were used too often (John Beard), new characters who didn't fit into the universe (Love, anyone?) and story lines that were overly ridiculous. (Even for AD)

The character centric direction was a mistake. These characters work best interacting with one another instead of off in seemingly separate adventures. If it was that much of an issue to bring the cast together, they shouldn't have bothered with the revival.

Despite my criticisms, they're still classic moments of AD brilliance scattered throughout each episode. And surprisingly enough, I enjoyed the ones that focused on Maebe and George Micheal the most. (The George Sr. episodes were mostly crap)
Hopefully the entire cast can be on camera at the same time for the movie, and erase some of the damage this season has caused.
 
B

brianmcdoogle

Member
I haven't finished the season yet, so I'll refrain from comment, but the fact that there is no high quality clip/ringtone of Getaway is incredibly disappointing.
 
Q

Quick

Banned
Desibabu said:
The best part of an ultimately disappointing season. Where do I even begin? The forced humour that often fell flat, gags that went on for too long, an overabundance of callbacks, returning guest stars who were used too often (John Beard), new characters who didn't fit into the universe (Love, anyone?) and story lines that were overly ridiculous. (Even for AD)

The character centric direction was a mistake. These characters work best interacting with one another instead of off in seemingly separate adventures. If it was that much of an issue to bring the cast together, they shouldn't have bothered with the revival.

Despite my criticisms, they're still classic moments of AD brilliance scattered throughout each episode. And surprisingly enough, I enjoyed the ones that focused on Maebe and George Micheal the most. (The George Sr. episodes were mostly crap)
Hopefully the entire cast can be on camera at the same time for the movie, and erase some of the damage this season has caused.
Click to expand...

Hopelessly hopeless.

I haven't finished the season, but I've been enjoying most of it, so far.

Of the episodes I've seen, George Sr's has been the weakest. I do agree that the cast works best when they're together, and it definitely shows when each episode isolates them.
 
R

RC

Banned
Quick said:
Hopelessly hopeless.

I haven't finished the season, but I've been enjoying most of it, so far.

Of the episodes I've seen, George Sr's has been the weakest. I do agree that the cast works best when they're together, and it definitely shows when each episode isolates them.
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I need a forget me now.
 
V

Ventilaator

Banned
Finished it.

Had a shaky start, but I appreciated how it tried to continue the story without just being "Hey guys, remember this joke?"

Then the episodes got way better, but the callbacks got way worse. Audibly groaned when Annyong appeared. Gob reading the contract going "bla bla bla" was fine, but Loblaw's earlier appearance before that seemed to just be there for the sake of being there.

AD is better than that.
 
F

FantasticMrFoxdie

Mumber
A fascinating thing I read has been stuck in my mind the past couple of days when I reminisce on this season. The entire meta-reference and concurrent social commentary:

And it’s even more aware of itself as a show than the original Fox series was, as if such a thing were possible. It’s a bit of a shock of seeing Arrested Development’s narrator, Ron Howard, onscreen playing a hard-case version of himself... But the scenes involving Howard and his Imagine partner Brian Grazer turning Michael into the producer of a movie about the Bluths (like the Arrested Development film that Hurwitz wants to make someday) is the best kind of self-referential fiction. It’s wise to the complicated, sometimes underhanded means by which stories get told. It’s also hip to the reams of critical commentary about Arrested Development as a satire of post-9/11 American cluelessness. (I love Howard telling Michael that he sees the Bluth story as a way into the market crash of 2008, and that his partner Grazer had been trying to make a film on that subject ever since he was tipped off to the crash three months before it happened.) Seeing Howard onscreen while hearing him narrate the show (so abundantly that some sequences feel like extended “next episode” montages) reminds us that we’re seeing a season that exists because of economic imperatives, not just artistic ones — that it’s here to make money as well as please the fans, and that the realities of production dictated a lot of the storytelling choices.

http://www.vulture.com/2013/05/tv-review-seitz-on-arrested-development.html
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The darker tone really fits this season and I don't think i'd have it any other way. The entire 7 year roller coaster of whether or not the show was coming back has been crazy. We've had outright Yes and No on whether this was actually happening. Even down to the meta-joke of trying to get George Michael's signature in order for the movie to go forward.

Hopefully, with all this seeming successful, the next season or movie reverts back to a lighter mood.
 
S

stktt

Banned
Ventilaator said:
Finished it.

Had a shaky start, but I appreciated how it tried to continue the story without just being "Hey guys, remember this joke?"

Then the episodes got way better, but the callbacks got way worse. Audibly groaned when Annyong appeared. Gob reading the contract going "bla bla bla" was fine, but Loblaw's earlier appearance before that seemed to just be there for the sake of being there.

AD is better than that.
Click to expand...

AD is, always has been, and likely always will reference prior episodes. It happened in season one. It happened in season two. It happened in season 3. It happened in season 4.
 
M

Mr. Saturn

Member
Ventilaator said:
Finished it.

Had a shaky start, but I appreciated how it tried to continue the story without just being "Hey guys, remember this joke?"

Then the episodes got way better, but the callbacks got way worse. Audibly groaned when Annyong appeared. Gob reading the contract going "bla bla bla" was fine, but Loblaw's earlier appearance before that seemed to just be there for the sake of being there.

AD is better than that.
Click to expand...

Uh, AD has always done callbacks, I don't see what the problem is if they're done organically, rather than just for nostalgia's sake.

Besides Annyong only showed up for a brief time on one of the next time segments. Considering he was a mole and his role in the season 3 finale, I figured he would have shown up more.
 
M

masud

Banned
Ok what's with the Mr S jingle that plays when Lucille 2's brother appears. I remember it from the older seasons but I don't remember the context. I also don't remember his character.
 
C

cacophony

Member
masud said:
Ok what's with the Mr S jingle that plays when Lucille 2's brother appears. I remember it from the older seasons but I don't remember the context. I also don't remember his character.
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Mr. F

referencing Rita from S3, but in this Mr F = Mr Fantastick
 
U

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
masud said:
Ok what's with the Mr S jingle that plays when Lucille 2's brother appears. I remember it from the older seasons but I don't remember the context. I also don't remember his character.
Click to expand...

Argyle is a new character. And they re-used the Mr F jingle as he was playing 'Mr Fantastic' in Tobias' musical.
 
V

Ventilaator

Banned
Mr. Saturn said:
Uh, AD has always done callbacks, I don't see what the problem is if they're done organically, rather than just for nostalgia's sake.

Besides Annyong only showed up for a brief time on one of the next time segments. Considering he was a mole and his role in the season 3 finale, I figured he would have shown up more.
Click to expand...

I don't have a problem with callbacks, I have a problem with lazy callbacks. Annyong seemed to just be there because it was reunion time.
 
B

bigwinnerx

Member
I'm through two watches of the whole season. Definitely has a few dragging moments where I'll get up and grab a snack, but, by and large a huge amount of it works and it feels like a great season. It forces you to try and connect to characters you may have avoided in previous seasons and appreciate what they're doing. Love it, can't wait for a possible Season 5, if that happens.
 
V

VistraNorrez

Member
Ventilaator said:
I don't have a problem with callbacks, I have a problem with lazy callbacks. Annyong seemed to just be there because it was reunion time.
Click to expand...

You have to better explain what a lazy call back is. One that takes a second to do? One that is there for no reason? The Annyong one has a reason, at the very least it's a joke. And it was joke they setup. Him being the punchline after the build up of the Bluth tab (which is seems to be another running gag), especially knowing the season 3 finale where he tried to screw over the Bluths (after they screwed him over), is really pretty damn clever. It subverts a lot of expectation and makes for the second best "On the Next" after Ocean Walker's.
 
W

War Peaceman

You're a big guy.
Ventilaator said:
I don't have a problem with callbacks, I have a problem with lazy callbacks. Annyong seemed to just be there because it was reunion time.
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The only really bad callback I thought was Ann. There were some nice subtle references to Ann made by George Michael which were great. However the overabundance of hers/ands by Tony and GOB in combination with the giant HER? (I realise the joke) seemed unnecessary. You do one or the other, not both if you ask me.
 
F

Fantastical

Death Prophet
Ventilaator said:
I don't have a problem with callbacks, I have a problem with lazy callbacks. Annyong seemed to just be there because it was reunion time.
Click to expand...

I could be wrong, but I thought the Annyong joke was the writers saying "DON'T ASK US TO BRING HIM BACK. HE'S GONE." The narrator sounded pretty satisfied saying "Goodbye, Annyong", but that may be because he's saying "Goodbye, Hello".
 
Arkos

Arkos

Nose how to spell and rede to
vcassano1 said:
The only really bad callback I thought was Ann. There were some nice subtle references to Ann made by George Michael which were great. However the overabundance of hers/ands by Tony and GOB in combination with the giant HER? (I realise the joke) seemed unnecessary. You do one or the other, not both if you ask me.
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Haha I feel like a lot of people, if try have a problem with anything, have a problem with the Ann jokes

I actually really liked all the Ann jokes in S4, but I didn't really find them too funny in the original seasons. Go figure

(I loved the "and" jokes lol. Poor egg)
 
S

strobogo

Banned
The question mark in HER? was a shepherd's crook. I didn't even notice the banner the first watch, but that isn't a question mark at all.
 
V

VistraNorrez

Member
Another thing is AD throws jokes at the viewer constantly. It's way too many jokes for everyone to agree what's good and what's bad. There are all kinds of jokes no matter what your sense of humor is.

I personally don't feel strongly about the Sound of Silence gag, which lots of people really love. It's okay, I guess.
 
H

Hindle

Banned
George Michael and Maebys episodes are brilliant, simply because we get to know them more. In the original series they always took a back seat to the other characters which means IMO they never got thier share of the jokes. Definatly the best eps of this series easily. Busters episode was also very well written.
 
D

deleted

Member
ctkayedisto said:
Haha I feel like a lot of people, if try have a problem with anything, have a problem with the Ann jokes

I actually really liked all the Ann jokes in S4, but I didn't really find them too funny in the original seasons. Go figure

(I loved the "and" jokes lol. Poor egg)
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Way to plant, ant.

For a moment, I was taken aback by Gobs Roofy cycle.
It didn't seem funny to me, but sad and pretty disturbing.
 
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