Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m continuing my look at Arrested Development (2003-2006, FOX; 2013, 2018-2019, Netflix), which is currently available on DVD and Netflix!

Arrested Development stars JASON BATEMAN as Michael, PORTIA DE ROSSI as Lindsay, WILL ARNETT as Gob, TONY HALE as Buster, DAVID CROSS as Tobias, MICHAEL CERA as George Michael, ALIA SHAWKAT as Maeby, JESSICA WALTER as Lucille, and JEFFREY TAMBOR as George and Oscar. With RON HOWARD as the Narrator.

The final FOX season of Arrested Development is more mixed than its predecessors. Although Two sagged when it seemed to lack forward momentum, Three has bigger, bolder ideas with wider discrepancies in their comedic values and situational relevance, all exacerbated by an even more inconsistent pacing. Overall, I don’t mind this too much, for the leads are still well-defined and brilliantly played, and Three does boast a restored emphasis on the premise (via the family’s legal woes), which is helpful in encouraging direct character interaction. However, not everything ties well to that main plot or is up to the series’ prior standard. For instance, the arc with Rita (Charlize Theron) — which inspires a variety of different fan opinions — is a toughie. I like the concept: Michael thinks she’s a kooky Brit, we think she’s an undercover spy, but she’s actually intellectually stunted. It’s a funny logline and an audacious reveal. But it’s a totally idea-driven construct that doesn’t use much of the regular cast and lasts five long weeks, expecting the pay-off to be its blanket justification. Now, perhaps on a show not known for being so brisk with its turnover of comic ideas this would play better, but to me, it feels like a time suck, especially because the story’s misdirect yields a narrative dead end. Also, it’s an arc built around a single joke — one dependent on hindsight, when we look back and see that its drawn-out rom-com spoof and spy parody actually had easter egg triple meanings about her limitations. This provides a specific appeal — it evidences the forward-and-backward-thinking command of narrative and comedy for which the show is known. And I would argue that this crass notion only can amuse due to Michael’s own self-delusion — a character value implied retroactively… Yet, to that point, I fear that favoring a theoretical repeat viewing over the initial one only works if the first is great by itself, and in this case, I think it’s debatable — an example, perhaps, of the show over-embracing some too-clever, gimmicky, stylistic markers of its identity at the expense of basic actualities. This is a concern that will more obviously cause trouble in the Netflix revival… Of course, compared to that run, Season Three is excellent, and indeed, with big laughs and real premise-fulfillment aided by a rising self-referentiality, Arrested Development is still among this decade’s finest when it bows out here. And, frankly, I still like every episode.

 

01) Episode 43: “Forget-Me-Now” (Aired: 10/03/05)

Michael is unable to prevent Rita from meeting his family.

Written by Tom Saunders | Directed by John Amodeo

My favorite episode from the Rita arc (which features both Charlize Theron and Dave Thomas) is this one, for it’s less about her idea-driven gimmickry, instead using her presence to reinforce the central situation of Michael’s position within a dysfunctional family, as he lies about them to avoid an introduction that might scare her away. Of course, they do eventually meet though — in a hilarious centerpiece that corroborates the Bluths’ awfulness and sets up all the regulars to shine, especially Gob, whose “forget-me-now” pills are established. That’ll become a running gag as the show’s mythos expands. Additionally, we’re introduced to Bob Einstein (Marty from Curb Your Enthusiasm) as George Sr.’s professional surrogate and he’s, as usual, a riot. Oh, and Scott Baio, Henry Winkler’s Happy Days mini-me, takes over as the family’s lawyer; he’s not as amusing, but the winking media literacy is a noted, and rising, part of the series’ identity.

02) Episode 45: “Mr. F” (Aired: 11/07/05)

Michael suspects that Rita may be a British spy.

Written by Richard Day & Jim Vallely | Directed by Arlene Sanford

Probably the most singularly emblematic excursion of what the Rita pentalogy is actually like in its entirety, this one most leans into its dominant idea-driven framework, as our false belief that she’s an undercover spy allows for many parodic beats, including a climactic “tunnel of love” Bond-inspired sequence after Michael’s initial rom-com delusion is overtaken by fears of her keeper, the mysterious “MR F.” This all builds to a surprise reveal, as we learn what “MR F” really means — completing our understanding of this conceptually layered but ultimately simple gag while finally picking up the narrative pace, getting things back in line with the series’ expectations. Speaking of expectations, the rest of this entry boasts a terrific display of what we expect from Arrested Development on behalf of character, story, and comedy, with a handful of fun ideas and big moments that showcase the leads — specifically, this script does a good job setting up a centerpiece with Tobias, a mole costume, and a bunch of Japanese investors whom Gob is trying to dupe. Also, Maeby’s role as an imposter Hollywood exec (with the recurring Jeff Garlin) is used to great effect as well. So, all the way around, this is a standout showing.

03) Episode 48: “Making A Stand” (Aired: 12/19/05)

Michael and Gob team up to teach their father a lesson.

Written by Mitchell Hurwitz & Chuck Tatham | Directed by Peter Lauer

My choice for this season’s Most Valuable Episode (MVE), “Making A Stand” is an obvious sequel to the first year’s absolute classic “Pier Pressure,” in which Michael conspired with Gob to teach George Michael a lesson, inspired by the tactics used on them by their father. Now, this one’s not at the level of its predecessor, and the fact that the series is again turning to a classic idea may seem like the kind of recycling we saw in the middle of Two with the formulaic returns of several reliable guests. But this doesn’t play as redundantly as those arcs did in Two because it’s a) self-contained, and b) better supported by elements of the regular situation. To that last point, the two brothers attempt to get back at their father here for manipulating their rivalry. This plays with the series’ self-referential continuity about George Sr.’s established tactics and explores some core ensemble dynamics within the dysfunctional family premise, thereby allowing this narrative template to be resonant for the characters’ situation in a more actual, ante-upping way, and not merely as a cursory callback resting on prior laurels. Additionally, with the revival of the banana stand — and a fun recurring gag about Lucille’s post-surgery face — this looks like quintessential Arrested Development, something unique to this series and a testament to so many of the individual attributes that make it sublime. An easy MVE selection.

04) Episode 49: “S.O.B.s” (Aired: 01/02/06)

The Bluths plan a fundraiser to help pay their legal fees.

Written by Richard Day & Jim Vallely | Directed by Robert Berlinger

This premise-backed entry is notable for its metatheatrical plea to the audience about the show’s diminishing fortunes on FOX — a kind of self-awareness that’s always been part of its makeup (given the series’ application of a mockumentary format) but has continued to become more and more specifically associated with Arrested Development over time, as such indications of intelligence have grown both more common and more central to its appeal. However, beyond that projected comedic trait, what I love most about this installment is how situation-based it is, with a plot about the family attempting to fundraise for their legal fees, and a strong dramatic fulcrum via the father/son bond between Michael and George Michael — predicated on a farce that’s also reflective of the series’ storytelling and enlivened by the meta casting of Andy Richter, playing himself and several identical Richter brothers. So, in a few key ways, this is a stellar sample of the series (particularly here in Season Three), with some big laughs in validation of its earned reputation. (Zach Braff cameos, as does Ben Stiller as Tony Wonder.)

05) Episode 53: “Development Arrested” (Aired: 02/10/06)

Michael thinks all is well once his father is cleared of his charges.

Teleplay by Chuck Tatham & Jim Vallely | Story by Mitchell Hurwitz & Richard Day | Directed by John Fortenberry

Arrested Development’s FOX run concludes with an outing that brings us full circle to the pilot, getting all the characters back aboard a ship and effectively ending the show’s status quo by first solving the Bluths’ legal troubles and then reigniting them, while Michael once again tries to do what he couldn’t when the series began: finally escape this dysfunctional group. That means the show can end, for its premise — Michael’s reluctant commitment to his family — also ends. This story is thus well-constructed and, with our knowledge of what will happen when the series returns on Netflix, I must admit that I sort of wish this was indeed an official farewell for these characters, as this half hour evidences everything that makes the series great, including its leads, the premise, and its unique comic identity. Never again is the show as clear-eyed about itself and the things that enabled it to be one of the absolute funniest sitcoms of the 2000s.

 

The closest episode to the above list was “The Ocean Walker,” the conclusion of the Rita arc and the only entry that displays the idea’s full raison d’être on a first viewing, allowing the audience to be conscious of its primary joke, along with Michael’s initial obliviousness. It’s a memorable offering — I very much considered highlighting it, especially for what it says about Michael. Meanwhile, I’ll also take this space to honorably mention: “Fakin’ It,” which invokes the family’s premised legal troubles, “Family Ties,” where the series winkingly casts Jason Bateman’s real-life sister Justine, and “Exit Strategy,” the plot-heavy penultimate half hour with big, hilarious ideas that help support the forthcoming finale.

 

*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Three of Arrested Development goes to…

“Making A Stand”

 

 

Come back next week for Season Four! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!