Ok, so I really didn't catch this series all that much later than anyone else did, and it doesn't actually exist on DVD or anything, but I'll post anyway. It's a slow month, and the precedent has been set. Arrested Development is back with 15 new episodes, and now without the constraints of network television, creator Mitchell Hurwitz was able to experiment and let the show try something new. Given the busy schedules of the cast, most of whom are now working on other shows and projects, the episodes focused specifically on one character each, no longer conforming to 23 minutes of A, B and C-plots. This led to varying results for the different characters- George Sr and Lindsay have a few weak episodes each, while GOB, Maeby, Tobias and George Michael have really strong showings. Those poor episodes occured towards the start, too, while the best episodes rounded out the season. I suppose this was by design as the best episodes tie together a lot of loose threads and plotlines from the earlier ones, so the whole thing does come together nicely. Still though, I have no regrets about the way I watched Arrested Development's fourth season- a few episodes at a time spread out a little over a month. Most of my fellow bloggers got together to power through it on day one, and while a nice get-together with my friends is something I wish I could have been there for, I'm curious how it seemed. I imagine after a slightly dull first 2 hours or so people were checking cell phones and chatting, and I wouldn't blame them- I think I'd get restless. I haven't really read the older posts on Arrested, so I ask. How was the group watching? Worth it?
I can't speak for everyone, but here's how watching it all at once was for me:
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Obviously I'm gonna give the whole season a rewatch at some point, and probably at another point a while after that, but at this point in time I do believe it was the greatest season of the show to date, which is obviously saying a great deal. A lot of people have focused on how a few of the earlier episodes weren't necessarily great. I'm not saying this isn't a valid criticism, but when's the last time you or they watched Seasons 1-3? Because there were a handful of every episodes each season that didn't deliver quite as much as most others.
Now, I think that of the ten or so people at the viewing party, I was the happiest, least tired, whatever you want to call it, by night's end. When I do rewatch the show, it certainly won't be all at once, so maybe I'll have a better idea of which specific episodes worked best or dragged hardest.
To re-emphasize though, I loved this season. They brought back almost every recurring gag you wanted them to, added a good deal more (ANUSTART, "Same!", Hello darkness my old friend, all the references to Modern Family, all the non-chicken birds that appeared throughout the season, "Get away get away!", etc.), and honestly I thought the laughs-per-minute ratio was as high as it ever has been, from what I at least once (and probably still) thought of as the funniest show of all time. Just perfect. I can't think of any way in which they could have made it better, except of course possibly wrapping up the Lucille 2 mystery. I have faith that a 5th season or a movie is coming, though, and that it will address exactly that.