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 Arrested Development - Season Two
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| The axe of cancellation dangled perilously over Arrested Development during its second season, but the award-winning comedy fought against fate to deliver a hilarious if scattershot 18 episodes (reduced from the original show order of 22), and stayed alive for the beginning of a third season. Most likely, the creators and actors knew the clock was ticking down, so they didn't hesitate to throw their all into these manic, hilarious episodes, which have only the thinnest of plot arcs but an electrifying energy that makes them hard to resist. Some of the story antics were more of the same: good son Michael (Jason Bateman) tries to keep his company afloat, but is often foiled by older brother Gob (Will Arnett); the precarious marriage of Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) and Tobias (David Cross) undergoes a trial separation; and young George-Michael (Michael Cera) fights his attraction to his cousin Maeby (Alia Shawkat). Other show developments, though, were new and stunningly, uproariously bizarre: Buster (Tony Hale) joins the army, but later finds his hand bitten off by a seal (yes, a real seal), and Oscar (Jeffrey Tambor), the hippie brother of jailed George Sr. (also Tambor), rekindles an affair with sister-in-law Lucille (Jessica Walter), which may have resulted in Buster's conception years ago. Jokes flew fast and furious, as did guest stars--Ben Stiller, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Christine Taylor, Thomas Jane, Ed Begley Jr., Ione Skye, and Zach Braff among them--making it hard to keep straight who was doing what and why. No matter, as each of the episodes was in and of itself was a perfect gem of comedy, strung together by sharp writing and fantastic performances. In addition to the regular cast, both Liza Minnelli, reprising her role as "Lucille Two," and Martin Short, as an, um, eccentric family friend, deserve special mention, with the episode both appeared in, "Ready, Aim, Marry Me," a frenetic exercise in slapstick farce. Typical examples of the show's offbeat humor were found in "Afternoon Delight," in which various members of the Bluth family discover the true meaning of the '70s ballad, "Meet the Veals," wherein the Bluths encounter the conservative parents of George Michael's girlfriend, and "Motherboy XXX," surrounding an unsettling mother-son traditional dance. The entire cast cohered perfectly through this season, and their give and take provided a perfect balance among the actors, all of whom were even better than the previous year. However, it's Bateman who should be singled out as the show's anchor, mixing dry sarcasm with impeccable comic timing. Despite plummeting ratings, Arrested Development didn't just keep its head above water, it swam with grace and hilarity. --Mark Englehart Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
Arrested Development is by far the best sitcom to come in a long, long time. Fox hasn't had anything this good since the early Simpsons. Unfortunately, they don't know how to advertise a show that's wone god only knows how many awards!
I won't get much into plot details, since you can read those anywhere. I will say that you buying this and season 1 on dvd will make you a much happier person. This show deserves to stay on air, despite bad ratings. Maybe DVD sales can help that! So buy copies of both seasons for all your friends, family, enemies, whoever! Everyone you know should Get Arrested!
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Author: Guest
Now granted, when I first heard that Jason Bateman was fronting the cast of Arrested Development my first thought was that this was a financial blessing. I already owned his poster from his "Family Ties" days, so I had that going for me. But where to hang it? I certainly couldn't move my "Guffman" cast photo, reposition my "Remains of the Day" lunch box, or adjust my snap of Jeremy Piven and me hugging it out (I love photoshop). I was in a quandary. I tabled the decision pending my review of the Season 2 DVD.
Enter Tobias and the Blue Man Group, Lindsey's "Volvo," Buster's Army induction and discharge, "solid as a rock," hermano, a great Saddam Hussein thread, Charlie Browns, Ice (bounty hunter and party planner), Ann, Kitty, and Gob turning 100 dollars into a hundred pennies. With the notable exception of the Entourage team, no other TV writers expect so much from their viewers and reward them so well for their loyalty. This is a can't miss DVD.
So where did I hang my poster of Jason Bateman? That, my friends, is for British eyes only...
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Author: Guest
I thought Season 1 of this show was the most hilarious thing I'd ever seen on TV. Never had I sat on my couch and actually laughed out loud at a TV show. Unfortunately, Season 2 is not QUITE that funny. The jokes seem a little more crude and something just falls short. It's still a lot funnier that a lot of what I've seen on TV and several cuts (or seal-bites perhaps) above other shows but it simply doesn't live up to the second, which is one of the reasons I have to regretfully remove one star.
Another reason is because not all of the promised extras are actually included. The packaging promises "Campaign videos from the 'Immaculate Election' episode" but after looking in the Special Features section of all three discs, I didn't find them. Maybe they're an easter egg? I was extremely disappointed by not finding them, because I think that's one of the funniest episodes in the season and would have liked to see those videos. (A third reason, albeit a minor one, is the packaging itself -- having to remove the entire boxed set from a slipcover before getting to the individual discs is pretty annoying.)
And my final reason is that a lot of things are dropped with no explanation or warning. What ever happened to Anyung? He just disappeared and none of the characters ever mention him anymore. What the heck is THAT about? It's even more baffling than when they abruptly replaced Marta last season with another (far less attractive) actress. Things like that happen a few times (I don't want to give too much away but you'll see if you watch.) and they also introduce major things with no real explanation. Gob is Steve Holt's father??? Hello, when are we going to hear more about THAT?
In spite of the problems, several episodes stand out and still made me laugh out loud, including "Immaculate Election", "Good Grief", "Sword of Destiny" and "Meet the Veals". There's a lot to love about this season -- Tobias' stint in the Blue Man Group (and the streaks he leaves around the model home for episodes afterward), all the clues leading up to Buster's accident, Ben Stiller's cameo appearance as Tony Wonder, Franklin the puppet and all the Liza Minelli scenes, just to name a few. Zach Braff and Christine Taylor also make appearances, and Carl Weathers pops up as well. Hopefully the show won't become entirely dependant on its guest stars for humor as it ages, Ã la "Will & Grace."
Bottom line: still better than any other comedy currently on television, even if it ISN'T funnier than last season. Well worth the price of the DVD set (only $30!) even if it doesn't have all its promised extras. Four happy yellow stars -- even if they aren't really that happy.
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Author: Guest
I was listening to a radio interview with the creator of this brilliant, critically-praised, ratings-challenged show, and the subject of his Emmy acceptance speech came up. When "Arrested Development" won, he said something like, "The Academy says it's great, so why isn't anybody watching it?" During the interview, he also mentioned that while the ratings are poor, the DVDs sell well.
I was thinking, "Here's another great show, like 'freaks & geeks,' that's just going to go down the tubes." But then it occurred to me, *I* don't watch the show. At least not when it's broadcast. Between time-slot shifts and baseball delays, I'm not even sure I know what night it comes on anymore. During the first two seasons, I kept missing it until finally I just wound up catching them all when they hit disk.
That got me thinking that "Arrested Development" really benefits from the DVD format. Stripped of commercials, each episode is really just under 20 minutes. And with such detail-heavy, in-joke-oriented plots and characters, this is a show that improves when you can sit down and watch three episodes in an hour, rather than watch it week-by-week, shot through with ads and Fox pop-up promotions.
Given the popularity of TiVo and DVR's, and the continued endurance of VHS (as I can't afford most modern technology, I actually don't watch any shows as they're broadcast, but tape them and watch them afterward, so I can pause, skip commercials and rewind stuff I might watch to scrutinize), we may one day see the advent of shows that are produced to go straight to DVD, if they can figure out how to siphon profits from sources other than advertisements (though considering the staggering profits made from, say, "Chapelle Show Season 2" dvd's, they may not need other sources).
If we do see such programming, I hope it's as smart and funny as "Arrested Development" which, in its second season, has only grown more complex and brilliant.
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Author: Guest
An absolute lol experience.
Buy both seasons for less the 50 bucks!!!
SWEET!!
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