“Arrested Development”
Plugged in
Even before season five of “Arrested Development” released on Netflix, I had already decided to go back and rewatch the series.
What I learned was the show is still laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Sure, not all seasons are created equal. The newer seasons, four and five, released on Netflix don’t quite live up to the original three seasons that aired on FOX, but they come pretty close.
“Arrested Development” follows the Bluth family as Michael (Jason Bateman) tries to keep his family and their crumbling business together, despite the precarious legal situations they always find themselves in.
The series is a masterpiece of comedic form, from characters, situations, dramatic ironies and the narration; every time you watch you uncover a new joke you never noticed before. It also never forgets its own jokes as some continue on from the first season to the most recent.
While the comedy never stops, it really is the characters that make the jokes work. Every character has their own quirks and personalities. Tobias (David Cross) always says things with dual meanings he never intends. Gob (Will Arnett) insists on performing subpar magic tricks to no one’s amusement. Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) is an activist who really only cares about money and expensive tastes. Buster (Tony Hale) is a timid momma’s boy who hardly ever leaves the house.
Watching or rewatching “Arrested Development” isn’t a waste of time. This family puts the “fun” in dysfunctional.
