The Unfathomable Delirium An online repository of my informal writing

Arrested Development was a half-hour sitcom that aired from 2003-2006. The show revolved around the story of the Bluths, a once-wealthy and almost completely dysfunctional family of very self-involved people, and the desperate effort of a one son to keep them solid and still surviving. The show was cancelled after its three-season, 53-episode run. But not because it was a bad show (it wasn’t), but because it garnered rather low ratings. 

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Since its pilot, the show received much critical acclaim (winning 6 Emmy awards) and drew a cult following. Although I couldn’t quite claim to be part of that following, I have to say that I’m a fan of Arrested Development. Why? Now I start talking.

It’s different. I have seen a lot of sitcoms that are all funny in their own small ways, but Arrested Development kind of shies away from just being funny in its own “small ways”. It’s a rather devious show, filled with new clever ways of showing funny situations and delivering witticisms. While most sitcoms provide timing for punch lines, which usually are predictable and obvious, Arrested Development keeps the situation (and thus the jokes) real and unpredictable, at least most of the time.

Arrested Development also employs an ingenious supplementation to the scenes, sometimes cutting them abruptly to show an anecdotal video from the past, family photos, and screenshots that support the scene and just make them funnier. The narration by the show’s producer Ron Howard not only makes the continuous story of the show easier to understand, but also sometimes provide its own humor. For example in the episode The Ocean Walker, Michael (played by Jason Bateman) tells his British girlfriend, Rita who was actually mentally-retarded, that she was brilliant, and then the narrator says “Yeah, she really wasn’t”.

Unlike the usual multi-camera format used by most shows, a handheld camera style was adapted by AD, amplifying that real feel to it. This is another deviation that is not entirely uncommon. I especially liked this approach, maybe because it made it look like a reality show that admits to being scripted.

Photo taken here 

Every character is great. There are nine members of the Bluth family which constitute the main cast. There’s Michael, the second eldest son, who is basically the sanest member of the family. His twin sister Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) is the materialistic socialite who feeds her self-esteem by getting into causes she does not really care or even know about. One of her charities is HOOP (Hands Off Our Penises), an anti-circumcision foundation. Lindsay’s husband Tobias Fünke (David Cross) is an ex-psychiatrist, who wants to believe that he’s meant for acting (though he hardly ever landed an acting part). Basically, Tobias is the total oddball in the show, being a never nude, completely obsessed with his acting, and suspicious about his real sexual orientation.

Photo taken here

Then there’s the eldest son Gob (Will Arnett), a self-assessed playboy and magician (oh, illusionist), with the unmistakable husky voice. He likes to call his tricks “illusions”, because he thinks “a trick is what a whore does for money”. He has daddy issues. Their youngest brother Buster (Tony Hale), despite being over 30, has lived with their mother until adulthood. This explains why he’s socially-inept and overly attached to his mother. Lucille (played by the great Jessica Walter) is their narcissistic, controlling, and highly-judgmental mother. George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) is their equally-manipulative father. He is behind bars for fraud and lavish personal use of the company money. He basically caused family’s bankruptcy. He often tries to escape, pinning the arrest to his twin brother Oscar (also played by Tambor), who is an ex-hippie.

Now the kids. George-Michael (Michael Cera), Michael’s son, is awkward. Yeah, that trademark Michael Cera type of awkwardness. He always tries to live up to his father’s expectation and therefore wound up being the nice kid. He has a crush on his cousin Maeby (Alia Shawkat), daughter of Lindsay and Tobias. Maeby is the direct opposite of George-Michael, having almost no connection to her parents and being the the independent teenage rebel.

I like all characters of Arrested Development. Although some are more obviously funnier than the others, they all have their moments. And I’m not just saying this, because I’m in love with the show. It’s true! Also, the recurring characters and even the guest characters have their own entertaining quirks, not to mention a lot of these guests are popular TV and movie actors. So how’s that for another bonus?

Everything’s like a running gag. What I loved most about Arrested Development is its knack to draw me into the Bluth family, as if I was living with them. The continuous format of the show is perhaps responsible for creating its inside-jokish elements, such as Gob’s recording (it ain't easy being white, it ain't easy being brown...)or George-Michael’s reenactment of his favorite Star Wars scene, which for me make AD a truly enjoyable sitcom and oddly one to empathize with. 

Photo taken here

AD is a really inventive show filled with well-executed new ideas and brilliant writing that is acted by the best bunch of actors I have ever seen in my (not-so-extensive) entire TV experience. I think it’s pretty obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: Arrested Development is totally my favorite TV show now. You should watch it too.

After finishing all the three seasons, the blooper reels, and the other additional videos included in my download, I’ve been re-watching AD at least one episode a day. The jokes aren’t getting old, I am telling you.

I am excited for the movie!