an arrested development rant (part 1) ((spoilers for this show i guess))
So first and foremost id like to say ive got no idea where this is gonna go but i guess im gonna start ranting about characters and my opinions on them and such. god speed.
- season 4-5 formatting
Okay so its no shocker that arrested development seasons 4 and 5 arent that well received by the majority of the fans and honestly? i completely under stand both sides. The formatting of season 4 however is actually genuinely so hard to watch. However, the original cut is actually MUCH muchmuchmuch better than the remixed (yes its called the ad remix fateful consequences in netflix) and like. i dunno maybe like they remixed it so the overlapping stories would be like actually ovrelaping and not like just one character per episode like it was in the original cut? i literally rewatched season 4 and then i checked out in the EXTRAS (no idea why they added it there) and saw the original cut i was like ohh shit and i watched the first episode i shit you not i was so taken aback like first of all not only do they NOT you fakeblock is a lie but THE NARRATOR IS NOT SUPER OVERUSED. it is actually insane how much the narrator is used season 4 remix. good god its like the johnny test whipcrack sfx you will not believe. until you see it for yourself.
season 5 formatting is okay and i think its really funny how much they dont like use the narrator
2. On paper
anyways formatting issues aside i do want to say that season 4 good in the sense that i love what it tried to do- it takes these characters who the audience knows well and throws them in situations where on paper they should shine the brightest, whether that be a good or a bad thing in terms of like how the little ad guys themselves see it. George Michael is on his own and becomes a college student! Michael, alone, finally with the rest of sudden valley built, can live for himself. Gob and tony wonder totally are gay actually ignore what the show is there is no hetero explanation for those guys at all. Lindsay (or is it with an e?) is finally seperated from Tobias- tobias is now primarily leading his own hijinks but in like a different way than last, Buster is more confident, Lucille is in jail rather than George, and Maeby is dealt the shit end of the stick as usual god i hope she lives a better life after season 5 christ almighty
anyways you get the idea like. these characters are pushed to their very limit because theyre not necessarily around their family so much so they really stand out compared to anyone they hang around that isnt used to the ad hijinks right? Its fun!!! It should work!!!! but it doesnt really because, and ive got no idea why i mean maybe its the long gap between the seasons but the writing for these guys its like. rather than allowing these characters to develop or regress within reason ofc- they sort of inhabit different traits from the very people they used to be around and express themselves in like a certain way because they dont have to constantly guard themselves in a sense.
For example, michael is wayyy more brash than he was in any of the previous seasons as a result of him no longer needing to hold himself together and make a good example for his son and maeby, right? He really inherited the much more manipulative end of the families traits and stoops to a low bar alot of the time and gets very clingy with george michael and stuff. its so interesting to see someone usually so cool and collected, once free to really be alone, all at once kinda let out this burst of energy he has because for a long time he didnt interact with anyone in sudden valley when he was alone there.
Gob actually ends up way more distanced and simultaneously clingy to any chance he gets to be apart of a group because he always shined in those moments, and i dont think the mark cherry group thing was about him being close to the top but its moreso that he had a contributing role to something that was him actually like. DOING something rather than being the last option picked or like. aside from not being picked at all, assuming his role has to do with debasing himself because he kind of uses his charms to his ‘advantage’ in seasons 1-3 so its like this refreshing thing for him. right? and his relationship with tony i do think they both can be friends of course but cmon. theyre totally gay. or i mean gob is like the most closeted guy ever and tony doesnt care all that much i promise. that one ad artist on here who makes really good ad artist on here knows exactly what im talking about. if you see this i'lll get your name and tag you
Maeby i just need her to stay the hell away from these guys honestly and i know george michael and her arent really blood related but i really do not like the incesty thing going on that they have and just in general. god i hate the incest jokes in this show but it wouldnt be a show from the early 2000’s if it DIDNT have anything problematic in it. right? unfortunately so.
they didnt need to make the senior citizen home route go that way i hated it so much they couldve just left it at the father figure thing and maybe have maeby realize it was like sort of an unobtainable goal for her and she just needs to get actual like therapy or something that can genuinely help her.