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Arrested Development season 4

I came across this article regarding season 4 of Arrested Development from Cracked.com.
Y
eah, I read this one too.  I've been extolling the virtues of the George Maharis joke for a couple of weeks now, so it's nice to see it getting its due here.  As I noted in the comments of the other AD thread, the George/Oscar shows are pretty brutal and the Lindsay ones don't go anywhere, but the rest is pretty brilliant.  The Tobias "To Catch a Predator" stuff is so incredibly dark even by this show's standards that you have to respect it a little.  

Comments

  1. Something something caliber

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  2. damn you beat me to it.

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  3. quick question:


    You think now with original programming on netflix would it hurt to put failed pilots on netflix just to see if it would have an audience?


    i mean they waste space with movies like Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, why not failed tv shows?

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  4. That moment when a post has no comments, license to write anything!

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  5. I wondered if anyone else was gonna bring this up here. People (not just Gladstone here, but Todd Van Der Werff on AV Club) are all writing these fucking convoluted "well if you just look at it like this in this frame of mind then its actually brilliant". Gladstone goes so far as to sannoy to "have some fucking respect" and to say you have to watch it at least twice. They cannot just admit that, if it wasn't a complete failure, it at least was a disappointment. Obviously the problem is you're just watching it wrong! Gotta keep that sacred cow mooing!

    For me being someone who tried a million times to get into this show and couldn't figure out what I was missing to enjoy it, I am so full of smug satisfaction to see that the emperor has no clothes.

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  6. I was also confused by a lot of the negativity about the show from people who liked the first three seasons. It was quite a bit better than the end run of Season 3.
    Some people are just never going to like this show. My step mom, for example, loves Two and a half men. She thinks it's hilarious. Shockingly, she doesn't like AD.
    AD is hilarious and difficult and weird but I like things that are difficult and weird.

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  7. There was another Cracked article that touched on that, talking about how outdated the current system is. Amazon has those series its developing where they went right to the people to decide which to develop.

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  8. I loved the new season, mainly because it took the family's flaws and just increased it tenfold. Even Michael wasn't exempt from his family's failings and you realize he's just like the rest of them.

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  9. As someone who didn't like it at first but gave it a second chance and fell in love, it really *does* need multiple viewings to 'get it' entirely. Like the author said, they just pack in so many jokes, big and small, into every episode. I mean hell, they have 'callbacks' to things the audience isn't aware of yet but the characters are. That's brilliant writing even if you don't enjoy the content.

    It's definitely not a show for everyone and it doesn't make you smart if you like it and dumb if you don't; I love a lot of "stupid" shows so I'm not high-brow in the slightest. It's just different.

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  10. See if everyone had that fair of an assessment I wouldn't be so schadenfreude about it. I've tried and tried to love this show and it just isn't in me.

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  11. Hell even George-Michael, easily the most noble family member from the original run, let out his inner Bluthiness.

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  12. Arrested Development isnt for anyone who loves Two and a Half Men.

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  13. You spelled "Breathing" wrong.

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  14. The show's fourth season has received a positive critical reception, so that the emperor has no clothes is incorrect.


    And a fourth season not delivering to unfair and unreachable expectations would not take away the amazing first three seasons of the show.

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  15. The network TV way of picking shows is flawed, outdated and expensive, but it does serve a purpose. I think a better system is pilot presentations, not shooting the whole expensive pilot, but giving the network a glimpse of what they can catch.

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  16. I was all set to backlash against it. I loved seasons 1 and 2 but thought season 3 went way to meta (the whole 'save the Bluths' story) and folded in upon itself. I was content with where the show ended and was never particularly juiced about the endless 'they're going to make another season' and 'there's going to be a movie' rumors. I was pleasantly surprised when the new season actually came to fruition but I was also ready for it to prove that there wasn't any fuel left in the tank. Nevertheless, I was going to watch the whole thing because it still features a remarkable comedy ensemble.

    I found some things off-putting about the first episode. I didn't like how they started with the meta-references right off the bat: "This is the story of a family whose future was abruptly cancelled"--yeah, FOX cancelled your show get over it already. The episode was okay overall, but I didn't laugh out loud like I used to. Then came the George/Oscar episode and I was sure this endeavor had failed. Not only was the story boring but I thought the single character focused style was a mistaken approach. The Lindsay episode did not offer me a reason to think otherwise. But I don't have a whole lot going on, so I soldiered forward.

    Anyway, by the 5th episode I started to see how it was coming together and the bitter taste from the first few eps resided. The latter portion was fantastic as all the storylines began to weave together and as I actually started to feel invested in the characters once more. I wasn't crazy about how it ended, but my faith in the series was at least renewed by that point.


    It wasn't flawless but it was clever and it rewarded its devoted viewers--I don't think I would have been pulled in if I hadn't been such a fan of the first two seasons. I couldn't argue that its the greatest series ever but it offers something unique and caters to its humor niche very well. Tobias and GOB are definitely comedic forces to be reckoned with.

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  17. "Did you ever notice that whenever GOB rolls up on his segway that he always changes the subject? Effectively making the segway, an actual segue?"

    " Mind blown"

    Saw this on another site. Had to share.

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  18. Is this your new gimmick or something? No buys, sparky, back to developmental with ya.

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  19. Disagreeing with everything I say by being condescending and presenting your own opinion as fact? You're basically just wasting a lot of words on saying "nuh-uh is not!"

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  20. I hold no higher esteem for any TV critic than Tod Van Der Werff at AV Club (Alan Sepinwall generally gets lauded as the top dog but I think TVDW is every bit as relevant) and even he wrote a similar "well if you just look at it like this and with this frame of mind" column. I think people are too blinded by their hope that this show would be what they wanted it to be, that they can't accept being let down as an answer. I'll buy someone's opinion a year from now, if they go back after the shock and thrill and hype of the AD revival dies down and views these episodes out of cultural context.

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  21. Have you read your posts?

    Your assessment of the D-Bryan situation and Arrested Development were off-base and I disagreed with it, so I presented my opinion. There were also some facts that needed correcting.

    That's what discussion is.


    I was a bit of a prick with the D-Bry stuff, but your post was obnoxious, so it was eye for an eye.


    If I disagree with something posted here, I'm going to respond.

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  22. I like Todd, but he's a bit too full of himself sometimes. His Glee reviews where he kept going on about the three Glees could be eye rolling bad and I'm disappointed that he stopped reviewing 2 Broke Girls. I mean, I get it, the show isn't that good, but I liked that they reviewed it.


    Will Harris is really good, I love his Middle reviews.


    It seems like the initial reaction was a letdown, as it sounded like people didn't get the new format and I don't think binge watching a show is the answer. Plus, it sounded like the first few episodes kind of sucked. I think people had sky high expectations.


    For the record, unfortunately, I don't have Netflix. I was watching reruns on IFC, the Ann Veal stuff is amazing.

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  23. Also, I was kind of agreeing with you about the pilot system being outdated, but I don't think the Amazon way is the way to go.

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