So, I finished up season 5. And... I really didn't like. Really didn't like it. A lot.
I'm gonna echo a lot of thoughts already posted in this thread but it's hard to not to when the problems with the season are obvious. First of all, from the technical point of view, it's a disaster. Season 5 simply looks absurdly cheap. It's badly lit which is the main culprit for it's cheap look. Direction and editing are really boring, there is absolutely nothing imaginative about it (compare it to earlier seasons, direction and editing of first 3 seasons was really good for a comedy show and often supplemented the joke, now that's completely gone). Compositing is just bad and makes the rampant use of green screen very obvious (that one was a problem in season 4 too, but you'd think they would improve 5 years later).
Secondofly, writing is just bad. Maybe it's gonna be somewhat redeemed by the back half, but it doesn't feel to be building up to these intertwined jokes like season 4 so I can't imagine right now it can stick the landing as well as season 4 did. As said by
Ushojax previous seasons had self-contained stories that built up towards a larger overarching narrative, now it's a continuing narrative that's chopped up into parts... and it's not really too interesting of a narrative either. This season is completely stuck between wanting to break away from season 4 while shoddily trying to continue from the individual cliffhangers and building towards... something new perhaps that's not entirely apparent at the time. Thing is, it's not doing good job at neither continuing old plotlines nor breaking away from them. Not to mention some bizarre continuity breaks that make no sense (the move from 2012 to 2015 for some cheap Trump jokes is at least handwaved somewhat within the narrative but it still feels sloppy... not to mention Buster ending season 4 with his arrest... and then not being arrested in season 5? For the murder that seemed to have been confirmed immediately after Cinco de Cuatro but nobody really knows what happened? What?). Arrested Development always had great use of continuity and what they're doing now is thoroughly disappointing. Overall, a lot of jokes fall flat, are either unfunny or badly timed due to sloppy editing (as mentioned on the last page, Milford Academy Parade) and entire plotlines are just thoroughly unfunny (George Sr. and GOB's Mexico adventure.... eh....).
Now, onto individual Bluths....
Lindsay and Buster - there's not much to say here, is there. Lindsay is barely in the thing and is just green screened into several scenes. Buster appears in some scenes but barely has any material to work with and desperately needs some better material to play off other family members.
Lucille, George Sr and Michael are all there and have some material that's decent at time but most of the time they're just boring. At least Michael got my favorite joke of the season, with navigation towards the cottage.
Tobias plot line is just a disaster. Unfunny, messy and Tobias really doesn't work without Lindsay. Murphybrown's appearance falls completely flat for me and is thoroughly perplexing. Was it supposed funny in on itself that Tobias suddenly has an adult bastard son? I don't know. It doesn't work. And his character is cringy throughout the entire thing - and not in a good way, like in the past seasons.
GOB is the biggest disappointment. GOB's character arc in season 4 was amazing and his episodes were among the best in the entire series. All of that is.. gone, just like that, poof. His plotline is completely unfunny, the jokes are unfunny and Will Arnett does a surprisingly bad job at playing the character. His acting is really off and his comedic timing is absolutely awful (though it does seem to get a bit better in later episodes). I don't know what happened but he went from the best character in season 4 to the worst in season 5. I just couldn't stomach his scenes.
George Michael and Maeby are clear stand-outs of the season. Michael Cera seems to have really cared about the character and his character works really well. And Maeby's material is easily the best thing about season 5, funny, original, true to the character and Alia Shawkat does tremendous job at playing her. I never considered Maeby among my favorite characters (except maybe for studio executive plotline for it's sheer ridiculousness) but I'm honestly 100% sold on Maeby in season 5. A very pleasant surprise in a huge ocean of disappointment.
Bluth being together was supposed to be a huge aspect of the season but they don't play off each other too well anymore and the reunion is wasted on half-baked plotlines and unfunny jokes. It's a shame really, but that's what it is. Season 4 at least did something interesting with the story and structure of the show and the back half was really great, now all the mojo is lost. Arrested Development is a shell of it's former self, what a shame.
