Arrested Development: Character Flaws (Part I)

Arrested Development: Character Flaws (Part I)

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We here at Rookerville are big fans of Arrested Development, and we wanted to break down what its return was like and whether it managed to reach expectations.  If you watched the new episodes, you know that each one was centered around a certain character, so it seemed only right that we would analyze the season by its characters’ arcs.  

Michael

There’s an episode of Portlandia where Fred and Carrie decide to give Battlestar Galactica a shot and immediately become addicted, initiating a binge-watching bender that quickly spirals into a complete eschewing of all previous plans and worldly responsibilities. They eventually finish the entire series but thirst for more, seeking out someone they mistakenly believe to be show runner Ronald D. Moore to write additional episodes. Hilarity ensues, but with the inevitability of the remix being far inferior to the original.

This is Arrested Development Season Four. This is Michael Bluth 2.0.

The AD cult worshipers demanded more episodes, and after years of waiting and constant delays, they got them. The bar was set high, and the mild letdown from unrealistic expectations all but guaranteed. That’s not to say season four wasn’t well-written or entertaining. It was just different. Saturated with cameos and trying its best to appease with the inclusion of fringe characters and references (both Gene Parmesan’s appearance and the Mr. F jingle were a bit forced), it seemed at times more like a victory lap than a continuation of the story. Negativities aside, however, I am certain that, much like the original run, the second and third viewings of each episode will bring out the inner layers and plot lines that went unnoticed to the untrained eye upon first glance.

Early on in season four, Michael’s constant threat of leaving the family for good appears to actually gain some momentum. Unfortunately for him, this lifestyle choice turns out to be far worse, and he, like many of the other characters, begins the long process of bottoming out and trying to recover. This is a more pessimistic Michael, a far cry from the protagonist family savior of the first three seasons. Jason Bateman seems more in tune with the character he played in Juno (also with Michael Cera), still interesting, yet self-centered and kind of a jerk.

And still, despite being only officially featured in two shows, Michael finds a way both to be involved in more than one story line and act as a central character in other family members’ episodes. Lucille is the behind-the-scenes schemer, dictating the moves on the board, but Michael is still very much the person in charge of executing those decisions, begrudgingly or not. Even as he attempts to push his family away, he must do so by seeking them out and engaging in discussion and compromise as he obtains their signatures for release. As he distances himself by getting closer, conversely, the one person he tries to connect with is more interested in gaining space via pack-first-no-talking-after roommate vote-off scenarios. And when given a chance to reconnect, he manages to sabotage this relationship as well with secret liaisons and a deceptive game of phone tag. Perhaps it was poetic justice that it was Michael standing in GOB’s place on the receiving end of George Michael’s punch, providing a tangible illustration of how far everyone had fallen. Same dysfunctional family, different, darker problems. Let’s hope we’ll be lucky enough to see the resolution.

 

Tobias

Ah, Tobias. The Analrapist. ANUSTART. The aspiring actor with an appetite for meaty leading man parts. For the first three seasons of Arrested, Tobias was both a cringe-inducing estranged husband and a mine for comedy gold, an endless supply of quotable one-liners in an oftentimes multilayered series of jokes. In this most recent installment of the show, he again represents a microcosm of the season at large. In the first Tobias-centric episode, our hero laments how he has recently discovered that he’s been something of a running joke in the family, but let’s be honest – the running jokes, lasting multiple episodes or even multiple seasons, are what make AD great. Think of Tobias’s own personal foibles – the unfortunate double entendres, the misreading or misspelling of phrases, the veiled(?) homosexuality, the misguided scheming – these are all greater themes of the entire show. His personality and running jokes are an integral part of AD’s story arc, and when he shines, so does Season Four. Of course, there are the lulls and forced moments as well – the unnecessary blueing, the seemingly-contractually-obligated jean cutoffs clips – that reflect the apparent desire to satisfy the fanboys by whatever means possible. This is a nice gesture by the writers and creators, but also one that runs in contradiction to the we-will-do-it-our-way attitude of the first three seasons (a philosophy, admittedly, that likely contributed to its cancellation).

Tobias and Michael’s abrupt interaction with Ron Howard in the midst of a hat-on haircut also serves as a subtle allusion (no, not illusion) to the emotions that may have been present during the pitching of this season. There’s Tobias, still dreaming the impossible dream, and Michael, selling out to the brand name corporation, a dichotomy of the attitudes necessary to make this installment possible. Despite not being a Bluth by blood, Tobias represents everything the family stands for, and everything it wishes it didn’t. But he keeps persisting all the while, navigating bumps in the road and cracks in the skull, one of the few adult family members who didn’t have to whore himself out to pursue a goal. Perhaps this determination is a trait necessary to successfully revive a series cancelled seven years earlier as well, but maybe we’re getting a little too meta with that assertion.

The season finale left a lot to be desired, but it certainly left the door open for another season, or maybe even the constantly-rumored Arrested Development movie. If that means more Tobias, and (hopefully) more interaction between his fellow cast members, then I just blue myself.

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