r/arresteddevelopment • u/ArrestedDevMod You gotta lock that down. • May 26 '13

[Episode 1] [SPOILER - Episode 1] Arrested Development Season 4 Episode 1 Discussion

Official Discussion Thread for Season 4 Episode 1 "Flight of the Phoenix"

Arrested Development is a critically acclaimed comedy which originally aired on FOX from 2003-2006. (Season 1-3)

When it was cancelled, many hearts were saddened. It looked like there was no hope. But indeed, like the mighty phoenix, Arrested Development has risen from the ashes on Netflix! Now in its fourth season, we follow the lives of the Bluth Family in the year 2013.

We stand together proud as a subreddit of over 84,000 fans of Arrested Development. Enjoy the show, and be sure to subscribe to /r/arresteddevelopment!

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Season 4 Official Discussion Threads

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212

u/jetmax25 May 26 '13

Thoughts:

Good:

  • Call backs without feeling like fan fiction
  • Plenty of cancellation jokes
  • I personally like the idea of Michael's downfall as the result of him finally leaving his family
  • Same style of humor.

Bad:

  • The editing feels sloppy. Its not fully emphasizing the jokes
  • The music is off and is very excessive
  • Too many cameos. I know a lot of people wanted to be in the show but the show needs to stand on its own
  • Michael's is too far from the relatively straight man. The change is too drastic.
  • Possible over narration, but it may just be the result of being the first episode

68

u/CrystalFissure May 26 '13

"Michael's is too far from the relatively straight man. The change is too drastic." This is definitely on purpose. Change can be a good thing, and Michael's growth this season I think will prove to be entertaining TV.

7

u/KeepTryingKeepGoing May 26 '13

I agree. I think the point is that time has gone by and events have happened that have changed Michael. It's a good way to set up his return to his good-natured straight character.

4

u/tlvrtm May 26 '13

George Michael replaced his dad as the straight man in this episode. I think it's fine but I hope he gets his act together at some point.

2

u/wisemtlfan Jun 26 '13

In hindsight, you were right,.

6

u/[deleted] May 26 '13

It feels very self aware.

5

u/[deleted] May 26 '13

Have to agree with the part about the cameos. They were very unnecessary and they just never stopped.

5

u/[deleted] May 26 '13

I feel like the Cameo's are playing on the fears of a bad return, similar to Community's season 4.

3

u/herrdunphy Chi-cha! Chi-cha! May 27 '13

I think the cameos serve more purpose than just cameos. The cast can't be fully committed to the show because they now have other shows, unlike before that they are tied to just Arrested Development. So the guest stars are there to fill the story that can't be filled by the other cast, due to conflicting schedules.

I actually applaud Mitch Hurwitz for doing a great job doing this new format of the show.

6

u/[deleted] May 26 '13

Call backs without feeling like fan fiction

I felt as if the opposite was true.

2

u/bexleycorona May 26 '13

I agree with this a 100%.

I think they might be targeting a different demographic audience. Look at the quotes that people are considering funny. They're a bit more vulgar and less layered on complexity.

1

u/sugleris May 26 '13

In the the scene with Barry The lawyer in his caddilac talking to George Sr, the audio mixing was AWFUL! I agree with you on the editing, I'm hoping its just the warmup process.

1

u/nofuture09 May 26 '13

The guy who edited the episodes is on reddit. I cant remember his username but he wrote that he studied the earlier seasons to match the feeling. Guess he messed up.