Even if you put aside the Jeffrey Tambor and the male cast members’ poor defense of him at a press conference, the return of Arrested Development is disappointing.
The first episode of the first half of the fifth season (titled ‘Family Leave’) consisted mostly of flashbacks to previous episodes. That would have been helpful had we not had the ability to binge watch the older episodes until we get every obscure joke in the series.
If you cut out the recaps, all that’s left is with Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) trying and failing to get away from his family. Michael and George Michael (Michael Cera) are still both dating Rebel Alley (Isla Fisher), Ron Howard’s fictional daughter. The remaining family are still running from the law. While I did just mention every plotline in the show, it’s because none of those stories progressed much in the first episode, which is the problem.
As The New York Times’ television critic James Poniewozik wrote, “Arrested Development was once the story of a wealthy family who lost everything. Now, it’s mostly a story about having watched Arrested Development.”
Poniewozik’s comment isn’t even about all the references. Based on the first episode, hardcore fans will love the new season because it’s a vast improvement over Season 4. However, the show’s become less about the Bluth’s and more about keeping the fanbase happy.
I enjoyed the first episode, not because it was good television, but because he provided me with the same satisfaction making references to Arrested Development in conversation with other fans does. Pandering to an audience with an episode specifically designed to make the fans go “Oh yeah, I remember that now” does not make good television. However, Netflix knows it will suck fans back. If that’s the company’s only goal, they’ve succeeded.
Rating: A conditional 9 out of 10.
(Heavily skewed by the fact that Arrested Development used to be a brilliant show and the writers are riding on the show’s history to maintain future success.)
Arrested Development Season 5 (Part 1) is currently streaming on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXg2_yExgVY
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