It's been a longtime coming for Arrested Development fans. Since going off the air in 2006, show fans have been clamoring for a movie or TV series to bring back the Bluth family. After the long wait many worried that the series would come back rusty. Luckily, showrunner Mitch Hurwitz knew that the series new Netflix format and lengthy delay would mean the show would never quite be like those original episodes. Instead, Arrested Development season four is something different but just as funny.
Season four works best as a send up of the last six years. Jokes about the housing crisis, military drones and Country Club Prisons really hit their mark. The Bluth Family always was a sort of mirror to the issues of its time, so when the show takes jabs at modern society it really hits its stride. Other mainstays of the series also get play during the shortened season. Inside jokes about piracy to the movie within the show plot sees the series continue to hit its hallmarks. The series writers never feel like their imitating past seasons, but all the trademarks of the show still exist.
The cast is once again great. Michael Cera and Jason Bateman continue to show great chemistry as a father/son duo. Will Arnett plays the man child character of Gob to great effect. While the rest of the cast get to play a little bit weirder on Netflix then they had on Fox. Great guest spots also came into the fold this season. Previous guests of the show like Ron Howard, Liza Minnelli and Ben Stiller return for season four. New guest stars like Terry Crews, Isla Fisher, Seth Rogan and Kristen Wiig also show up to the series.
While the show is still quite funny, it's not like the past seasons. It feels like a show that is very much made for Netflix. The Rashomon-style story makes season four feel like something that could only be done on the web. It probably didn't need a 15 episode run but the show never felt boring. Hopefully the show will get another season on Netflix. Season four almost felt like an experiment that still need to work out some kinks. It could have been plotted tighter with some of the excess cut away, but fans of the show are sure to be pleased.
To Binge or not to Binge
Like anything, binging on a TV show is probably not the best idea. Especially for a show that works best on repeat viewings. At times, the show felt like it dragged on or failed to follow up on a plot thread that was introduced in the previous episode.
It's preferable to watch the series in small chunks because there are so many little touches thrown throughout an episode. Like the original series, viewers are better off spending time appreciating the small touches laced throughout each episode.
Favorite Guest Spot
Maria Bamford kills it in season four. The stand-up comic/actress steals every scene she is in this season. Bamford uses her physicality to bring a sense of wonderful awkwardness to her drug-addicted former actress character DeBrie. Coupled with David Cross's performance as Tobias, Bamford is able to bring one of the strangest (and funniest) characters to the series.
Favorite Performance
Jessica Walters as Lucille was wonderful this season. Since season three of the show she has taken on a variety of roles which feel like retreats of her character from Arrested. Her character on Archer especially feels like Lucille was simple transplanted to an animated show.
That is why it was so wonderful to see Lucille gain much more depth this season. While she is still a terrible and conniving woman, this season lets the viewer in to see what fuels that awfulness. It's a nice touch for a comedic sitcom and Walters really gives a wonderful performance to a character that could have ended up one-note with lesser writers and actors.
