-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Arrested Development S5 |OT| And the one producer who had no choice but to keep them all together
- Thread starter GK86
- Start date
Just finished. Those first two episodes were terrible. They had me questioning whether I ever really liked this show to begin with. I laughed maybe twice and had absolutely no idea what was happening.
With episode 3 it's like a switch was flipped and suddenly it got good. Obviously not as good as seasons 1-3 but I liked it a lot more than last season. I'm glad it stuck with it.
With episode 3 it's like a switch was flipped and suddenly it got good. Obviously not as good as seasons 1-3 but I liked it a lot more than last season. I'm glad it stuck with it.
Had to force myself to finish this. First couple of episodes were really bad with all the exposition and recapping and continuing storylines from S4 which aired over 5 years ago.
It did get better in the last three episodes, but overall it just wasn't that funny and most of the cast seemed like they were simply there to collect a paycheck. Maeby was the only decent part of this (half) season. Show has lost its mojo and should probably come to an end.
It did get better in the last three episodes, but overall it just wasn't that funny and most of the cast seemed like they were simply there to collect a paycheck. Maeby was the only decent part of this (half) season. Show has lost its mojo and should probably come to an end.
Just finished this first half of season 5. I enjoy it, but first few episodes were terrible. I felt like they had no idea about how to end some of the plotlines from S4. The first few episodes tried to streamline some of them and still felt awkward.
Portia said she was returning for five episodes and she's been in four (by my count) so far, so she's still got one more to go in the second half.
I'm actually happy they brought DeBrie back just to tone her right down. I could actually tolerate her this season.
I have a feeling that some people are tuning out parts of the show that never were that hot (there were only a few truth to be told) and only remember the payoff of a good building joke but not the building up to it.
Finished the season. I really liked it so far. It has less Ron Overhead than the season 4 recut where it was beginning to get out of control. It's also paying off some developments that began earlier and you can see characters coming around again. Michael is very slowly getting back into tune and is coming around as a character again. They are doing somewhat clever (sometimes meta) things with the arcs they set up but can't continue like George and Lindsey.
And I feel like episode 3 or 4 is when the season really kicks in.
Finished the season. I really liked it so far. It has less Ron Overhead than the season 4 recut where it was beginning to get out of control. It's also paying off some developments that began earlier and you can see characters coming around again. Michael is very slowly getting back into tune and is coming around as a character again. They are doing somewhat clever (sometimes meta) things with the arcs they set up but can't continue like George and Lindsey.
And I feel like episode 3 or 4 is when the season really kicks in.
Really struggling with this, I stopped watching episode 5 halfway through the other day and haven't turned it back on since.
I found season 4 very enjoyable and funny, but this is barely raising a chuckle so far, and the storylines seem lacklustre. A real shame :(
I found season 4 very enjoyable and funny, but this is barely raising a chuckle so far, and the storylines seem lacklustre. A real shame :(
It cuts between an awkwardly-framed shot of Ron, and Michael talking to what is obviously a stand-in of Ron facing opposite the camera.
Arnett looks like he has a wig.
Episode five is great, like old AD. Hopefully I'll get to 6 soon.
As someone that actually thought Season 4 was genius given the context of the restraints placed on everyone involved (and the remix being even better)... I can't believe how bad this is. I didn't think it was even possible for this combination of individuals to put out something that feels so... uninspired.
The biggest culprit for me is Jessica Walter's playing of Lucille. It's completely lacking the atrebellious vitality that the character's sarcasm is known for. Anytime the character attempts something that's even remotely acerbic; Walters comes across as more adorable. It's as though she's completely forgotten how to play the character. To be fair, it's always been a delicate balance between precious charm and biting sarcasm, but it feels like she's completely off in terms of balance here. There's no bite, no arrogance, no swag.
Will Arnett is overacting in the wrong places. He's usually on point with his dramatic beats.
Alia seems like she's bored, or she's trying to play George Michael.
Ron Howard's narration is way too pervasive.
Jason is solid, but his straight man portrayal doesn't work when everyone around him is off with their caricatures.
I just straight up don't like what they're doing with George Senior.
The tone of this shit is just way off. It's like everyone involved forgot how to do this show. I have to watch the season again to be sure of it
The biggest culprit for me is Jessica Walter's playing of Lucille. It's completely lacking the atrebellious vitality that the character's sarcasm is known for. Anytime the character attempts something that's even remotely acerbic; Walters comes across as more adorable. It's as though she's completely forgotten how to play the character. To be fair, it's always been a delicate balance between precious charm and biting sarcasm, but it feels like she's completely off in terms of balance here. There's no bite, no arrogance, no swag.
Will Arnett is overacting in the wrong places. He's usually on point with his dramatic beats.
Alia seems like she's bored, or she's trying to play George Michael.
Ron Howard's narration is way too pervasive.
Jason is solid, but his straight man portrayal doesn't work when everyone around him is off with their caricatures.
I just straight up don't like what they're doing with George Senior.
The tone of this shit is just way off. It's like everyone involved forgot how to do this show. I have to watch the season again to be sure of it
Last edited:
Overall I liked it. Lots of good stuff In it.
Maebe got a chance to shine finally.
Cera was great. His psycho look and demeanor was amazing.
GOB seemed like the off character this time around. He looked puffy.
WTF no Lindsay?
Lucille was her usual great stuff. Her and Tobias scenes were fun.
Murphybrown had me laughing.
Michael was consistent. I love his under the breath lines. He delivers them so well.
Buster was nothing special.
George. I don't recall him taking estrogen in S4. His character Needs to get back to S1-S2.
Looking forward to the back half. Any idea when it's airing?
Maebe got a chance to shine finally.
Cera was great. His psycho look and demeanor was amazing.
GOB seemed like the off character this time around. He looked puffy.
WTF no Lindsay?
Lucille was her usual great stuff. Her and Tobias scenes were fun.
Murphybrown had me laughing.
Michael was consistent. I love his under the breath lines. He delivers them so well.
Buster was nothing special.
George. I don't recall him taking estrogen in S4. His character Needs to get back to S1-S2.
Looking forward to the back half. Any idea when it's airing?
Aww, Rance Howard died late last year.
That wasn't the gag.
That wasn't the gag.
The gag was making it seem as if the voice of Tony Wonder was coming from the Ben Stiller stand-in talking on his phone.
Last edited:
Agree with a lot of people that the season really improves after the awful first two episodes. However, I'd still put in behind the S4 recut. This season seems obsessed with having a big group of the family together in one spot, often it seems like for almost no reason other than to show the cast really was together.
Tobias and Lindsay are the weakest parts of the season by far. I know that Portia quit acting and then agreed to come back for a few episodes, but why the need for green screen? Was she not willing to work with the other cast? It's very disconcerting and obvious.
Tobias and Lindsay are the weakest parts of the season by far. I know that Portia quit acting and then agreed to come back for a few episodes, but why the need for green screen? Was she not willing to work with the other cast? It's very disconcerting and obvious.
I thought s5 was fine, it has funny moments but some not so funny ones. GOB was the weakest one, not counting Lindsay, as he had, like, only one joke that was stretched out for eight episodes. The part with the Closet Conversion was good, though. He's also looking like Quico from Chavo del Ocho or something.
Also, I didn't know the season was split in two parts, so I got really shocked when e8 finished without any resolution lol
After finishing s5 I decided to watch the s4 remix and I'm really enjoying it. I liked the original s4 but I'm loving it now. I think is pretty good and better than s5.
Also, I didn't know the season was split in two parts, so I got really shocked when e8 finished without any resolution lol
After finishing s5 I decided to watch the s4 remix and I'm really enjoying it. I liked the original s4 but I'm loving it now. I think is pretty good and better than s5.
I think the only good part about this season is how it actually gave George Michael and Maeby good writing to work with. Maeby especially has a lot of fun moments that weren't there in Season 4, and George Micheal is actually starting to feel like a real character rather than just a prop for Micheal to play off of.
Couldn't disagree more on these two. Alia is the MVP of this season and didn't seem bored for a second.
Do agree with this one though.
Bleh. Finished last night. Should've cut out George Sr. honestly. Still the worst character of the bunch and you can show there are consequences to yelling at your female coworker.
Maeby and Tobias are still my MVPs. But the whole plot this season just felt weird. And can we please, for the love of god, fix the scheduling issues? Or just change some stuff? The green screen was horrendous again. Spend some of that Netflix money!
Biggest laugh of the season was the Mexican Romney family by far.
Maeby and Tobias are still my MVPs. But the whole plot this season just felt weird. And can we please, for the love of god, fix the scheduling issues? Or just change some stuff? The green screen was horrendous again. Spend some of that Netflix money!
Biggest laugh of the season was the Mexican Romney family by far.
MTV NEWS | How well do Jason Bateman and Will Arnett know their own show? MTV News's Josh Horowitz puts them to the test in the Super Duper Hard "Arrested Development" Trivia Challenge.
"I can do this one in charades"
heyo
"I can do this one in charades"
Answer: hancock
heyo
Watched episodes 5 and 6. Some more humorous moments but I cannot believe what they did with Lindsay. I can't understand how Mitch Hurwitz thought that was an appropriate way to write out one of the principal characters. I genuinely cringed every time she was on screen in her final episode. Not only did it look terrible but her interactions with the other characters were completely unnatural and stilted.
If her availability was such an issue they should have just written her out offscreen, say she's away on the campaign trail or that she's run off to find her real parents. The core of the show is the interaction between the family members and you just can't fake that. If that's the last we ever see of her character I think it's a disgrace and is essentially the end of the show. Without her, characters like Tobias, Lucille and Maebe feel incomplete. The family is the show.
Completely agree. Lucille is my favourite character and she's basically gone soft. This is what happens when you wait half a decade between seasons.
If her availability was such an issue they should have just written her out offscreen, say she's away on the campaign trail or that she's run off to find her real parents. The core of the show is the interaction between the family members and you just can't fake that. If that's the last we ever see of her character I think it's a disgrace and is essentially the end of the show. Without her, characters like Tobias, Lucille and Maebe feel incomplete. The family is the show.
Completely agree. Lucille is my favourite character and she's basically gone soft. This is what happens when you wait half a decade between seasons.
Last edited:
She's in one more episode.
That said, she's gone for 11 of the 16 episodes we're getting this season. The green screen was distracting but I actually kinda found the sheet thing funny, plus I enjoyed her interaction with Maeby ("mom? it's Lindsay. Oh I mean yes mom, I'm mom to you" or something like that) as well as the bit in the limo on the Mexican border.
I'd much rather have that than writing her out off-screen.
I'm not down on season 5 as much as a lot of folks are, but yeah I feel like maybe there doesn't need to be a season 6 (but maybe a series finale episode would be ok if they can get everybody in one place and somehow bribe Portia to do it but like what could they even offer her, she got Ellen money)
Finished it last night. Laughed out loud a number of times each episode and concur that it's gets progressively better after the first 2 eps are done with.
Maeby and George Micheal are stand outs for me, and I did love GOB and Tony desperately trying to reenact their "SAME!" Moments. I get that it was a bit "broad" at times but I still bought into it.
George Michael going all craycray in the car behind his dad was pitch perfect too!!
Maeby and George Micheal are stand outs for me, and I did love GOB and Tony desperately trying to reenact their "SAME!" Moments. I get that it was a bit "broad" at times but I still bought into it.
George Michael going all craycray in the car behind his dad was pitch perfect too!!
After my excruciating re-watch of season four, I finally got to five. Right away I'm puzzled why the show has a separate mini-recap and then the first episode has a lengthy Narrator-led recap.
I feel like I have no idea where they're going with the Lucille Austero plotline and it's actually kind of stressing me out.
I've been having this weird sinking feeling ever since the Season 4 recut changed events so that you actually see what appears to be her corpse rather than just a suggestive and possibly misleading bloodstain.
I'm not sure this show could tonally survive an actual murder, but at this point I also can't see a comedic way out of this if they're actually going to show an unconscious Lucille 2 lying in a pool of blood.
Like, even if it wasn't directly someone's fault, the implication that she fell down a flight of stairs, was grievously injured or killed and then her corpse was used for a quick joke is just over-the-top dark.
Actually, come to think of it, the George Sr. suicide jokes with him sitting on the balcony railing were pretty uncomfortable, too.
I've been having this weird sinking feeling ever since the Season 4 recut changed events so that you actually see what appears to be her corpse rather than just a suggestive and possibly misleading bloodstain.
I'm not sure this show could tonally survive an actual murder, but at this point I also can't see a comedic way out of this if they're actually going to show an unconscious Lucille 2 lying in a pool of blood.
Like, even if it wasn't directly someone's fault, the implication that she fell down a flight of stairs, was grievously injured or killed and then her corpse was used for a quick joke is just over-the-top dark.
Actually, come to think of it, the George Sr. suicide jokes with him sitting on the balcony railing were pretty uncomfortable, too.
Last edited:
Been a while since I watched it but fairly certain you see her unconscious at the bottom of the stair car with that flickering light during original s4 too
Finished all the episodes. Six and seven were actually kind of fun for the most part! Eight went right back to the pretty boring standard of one through five :/
I don't understand what they're thinking with Gob's Beard, like, she's the most nothing character I've seen in ages. At least Gob-proper finally got some good material with the closet store.
Also, Tobias is now unbearable.
I don't understand what they're thinking with Gob's Beard, like, she's the most nothing character I've seen in ages. At least Gob-proper finally got some good material with the closet store.
She actually retired from acting, and only came back for this season as a favour to Hurwitz. I'm not sure why that means she had to be greenscreened in for every moment she appears, but /shrug.
Also, Tobias is now unbearable.
Last edited:
That wasn't the gag.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah that was one of my favourite jokes of the season. The green screen/body double stuff is obvious but I like that they can make jokes about it.
I need to watch through again but I think it was a fun season.
The gag was making it seem as if the voice of Tony Wonder was coming from the Ben Stiller stand-in talking on his phone.
Yeah that was one of my favourite jokes of the season. The green screen/body double stuff is obvious but I like that they can make jokes about it.
I need to watch through again but I think it was a fun season.
Ugh, what have they done with Lucille.
So far, in four episodes, absolutely nothing has happened. This is moving at a Hamlet like pace with George Michael and Michael unable to speak in any regular human fashion, and the flow of time is very odd and disorienting. The Lucille Austero plotline is crawling.
Lucille One, my poor Lucille One. In four episodes you've had like one joke. You used to be the funniest thing going.
Frankly they should not be using characters at all if they can't be in the shot with the rest of the family. I get Portia de Rossi hates how rich and fabulous she is but the framing of her in nearly every scene is not right and clearly the viewer will pick up on how uncomfortable it is. Every shot excludes her head. It's like playing four notes of a five note measure. We're all waiting on the fifth note! You can't just end it there.
I only saw the remixed version of Season 4, and while it was obviously struggling with the narration and with the plot also being stupid, at least there was forward momentum. I feel like absolutely nothing is happening with this new season.
So far, in four episodes, absolutely nothing has happened. This is moving at a Hamlet like pace with George Michael and Michael unable to speak in any regular human fashion, and the flow of time is very odd and disorienting. The Lucille Austero plotline is crawling.
Lucille One, my poor Lucille One. In four episodes you've had like one joke. You used to be the funniest thing going.
Frankly they should not be using characters at all if they can't be in the shot with the rest of the family. I get Portia de Rossi hates how rich and fabulous she is but the framing of her in nearly every scene is not right and clearly the viewer will pick up on how uncomfortable it is. Every shot excludes her head. It's like playing four notes of a five note measure. We're all waiting on the fifth note! You can't just end it there.
I only saw the remixed version of Season 4, and while it was obviously struggling with the narration and with the plot also being stupid, at least there was forward momentum. I feel like absolutely nothing is happening with this new season.
Last edited:
Normally on reflection of an underwhelming season of a show like this I can normally find some things to like, but honestly I still feel this was terrible and only Maebe as an old lady stands out as funny in retrospect. This is even worse than the later series of Community when all the cast was leaving one by one, at least that still had its moments.
Time to let this show die. I'm not even sure I want to watch the rest of Season 5.
Time to let this show die. I'm not even sure I want to watch the rest of Season 5.
A major flaw is that the new episode structure is just one overarching story chopped into arbitrary slices, whereas in the classic seasons each episode had it's own plot and would slightly further the overarching one at the same time. Every S5 episode it feels like nothing is happening, by the time the credits roll I feel like the episode still hasn't started. They've completely forgotten how to make a TV show.
Oh and I know Will Arnett had some personal issues with substance abuse but his face is so off. It's weird to me that Portia de Rossi got absolutely dragged through the mud for season 4 but there is only a dull roar about how bad Arnett held up. Sad considering the shape he was in for Season 4. Honestly he feels like David Hayter playing Snake in a hypothetical Metal Gear Solid 9. Let it go.
Finished it, absolutely loved it. Aside from a bit of a slow start, I disagree with almost all of the complaints I've seen. Can't wait for part 2. It also doesn't seem like it was fully intended to be released this way, as that felt more like a mid-season episode than a cliffhanger. Guessing that part two will release July 2nd, but could be wrong.
GOB's still my favorite character in anything. This season he's more of a dramatic character, but I kinda like that.
I thought Will Arnett looked identical here to in season 4, but I thought season 4 Arnett was noticeably different looking from seasons 1-3. It really worked for the character though, made it a lot funnier whenever The Sound of Silence kicked in because he had a bit of a darker look to him.
GOB's still my favorite character in anything. This season he's more of a dramatic character, but I kinda like that.
I thought Will Arnett looked identical here to in season 4, but I thought season 4 Arnett was noticeably different looking from seasons 1-3. It really worked for the character though, made it a lot funnier whenever The Sound of Silence kicked in because he had a bit of a darker look to him.
You have to rewatch season 4 if you think so, he was really fit during season 4 and out of the adult cast he has aged the most in the last five years, it's very noticeable. Maybe not as distracting as with George Michael, but he went from 24 to 29 between filming season so yeah, that's unavoidable.
I watched the season 4 remix last month. Maybe I'll notice it more if I go back. I'm pretty bad at noticing this kind of thing though. Anyways, I at least think his face looks the same, and I didn't think it looked the same between seasons 3 and 4.
Yeah the flow of time is jarring as hell. It's really hard to know when weeks and years pass by without additional narrative clues.
They really should have just jumped ahead to a year and stayed there and allowed the show a few weeks or a month to work with, like a normal narrative. Don't worry so much about filling in each little bit of the story between the end of S4 and the beginning of S5 (which wastes like two episodes)
Um, actually Annyong Bluth is actually the youngest of the Bluth children.
Just watch the scene with him doing the Jesus cave trick. He was in amazing shape. Now he looks like his collapsed bee colony stung him repeatedly.
I liked Arnett going out of his way to defend Running Wilde. The episode with Andy Richter and Peter Serafinowicz's Alan Alda impression still gets me.
I really like the first half of Season 5, it feels more like a return to form for me than Season 4. I like Season 4, but it felt very distinctly different than the first 3 seasons in a way that 5 doesn't so much. Alia Shawkat is the MVP.
I'm not sure it's just aging. He's gained quite a bit of weight, possibly had some work done on his face, and may or may not be wearing a hairpiece.