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Arrested Development Ongoing thread (1 Viewer)

Adam Lenhardt

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Having plowed through all of the exposition last week, they were able to just hop into the meat and potatoes of things this week. I thought the pacing was a lot better and the humor hit more often. I think this show would perhaps work better as an hour long comedy, but I'm digging it the way it is, too.
I loved all of the parallelism, as seemingly unrelating things click together from one storyline to the next in surprising ways.
I also get a kick out of George Micheal's reactions to the rest of the family's comments about him and Maeby; the innocent comments that sound horribly vulgar and perverse from his point of view.
Most of all, though, I loved the outright cluelessness of them all; from Maeby doubling their losses in an attempt to balance out the cash register, to Lindsey sleeping through her acting part, to Gob's inability to dispose of the letter into the ocean.
The only danger is that with all of the satirical elements, there is very little to like about these characters coming out of tonight's episode. I think the little family moments, like them all playing monopoly in the pilot, need to be there to balance it out.
 

Steve Felix

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I've seen a lot of nervous comparisons to Andy Richter, a show I didn't think highly of, here and in articles and reviews. I think Arrested Development is a much closer sibling to Action, which is a high compliment. And Action was... um... cancelled too. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they all start with "A."
 

Steve_Knutzen

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This is the only new show I've been watching this season. Everything involving the dove was great and Patrice was funny as hell as 'the flamer.'
Here's to a long and healthy run of AD.
 

Mark Hedges

Second Unit
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Mar 21, 2003
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Fox is now being sued by an Atlanta hip-hop group (split up for several years, just now getting back together) for using the name Arrested Development:
Maybe the group is just being pro-active. Given Fox's recent history I would almost expect them to sue Arrested Development (the group) if they re-formed.

Mark
 

Mikel_Cooperman

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I really enjoy this show. What does that mean? FOX will cancel it in the next two months.
I hear the ratings arent as good as they thought they would be so who knows how long it will last.
I am not understanding why the same people who watch shows like The Simpsons or South Park arent watching this.

Anyway, very funny stuff.
 

Jeremiah

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I thought the show is pretty funny and I would definantly get a Season Pass on my TiVo, but the problem is Fox has it going against Alias and Law & Order CI, why, I have no idea.
 

Jason Seaver

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They've got to show something, and put every show somewhere. Everyone always acts like there's this magical timeslot where there's a large audience and no strong competition and a new, different show can flourish. It doesn't exist today.

As to why Sunday at 9:30, maybe Fox figured that the audience that likes the single-camera/animated comedies sans laugh-tracks about odd families they show all night will enjoy something in the same vein.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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I liked this week's episode even more than last week's. In addition to more LOL moments for me personally, I really got a vibe of them being a family for the first time. Before, they seemed like an eclectic mix of induviduals under one roof; not so much connected. This week's episode gave us insight into the quirky ways they function, including group bitch sessions about the mother. Tobias and Lindsey's connection to their daughter while intentionally not tight, was too non-existent in the previous weeks. This week maintained the distance between parents and child but made it atleast plausible that they shared genes. I loved the way Lindsey tries to use Maeby as an excuse for all her frivolous spending and Tobias continously misinterprets his daughter's actions.

And everything about the Cornballer was funny, from the name to the various reactions of the people who touch it.
 

Steve Felix

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Yep, I thought this was, by a hair, the funniest one yet.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." :laugh:
 

Ivan Lindenfeld

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I caught this for the first time. I had no idea that Jason Bateman could act. He is really good. Holding deadpan on the conversation with his brother about the bike with the entire meeting underway (unknown to the audience) takes some serious concentration and prep.

There is a lot about this that reminds me of The Royal Tennenbaums. And if they ever get rid of Ron Howard as the narrator it's over. The annoying parts (purposefully annoying, I know) are balanced by his familiar and soothing voice.

It really looked like Seinfeld meets TRT. I found myself LOL inadvertently which is good.

As soon as my dish gets reinstalled next week I am sure I will be watching whatever HBO has on at 9, so...I predict cancellation in 3 weeks. :)

Off to look for the Carnivale synopsis for last night, come to think of it....
 

Patrick Sun

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I don't find myself laughing (like I do when I watch Scrubs) during the episode, but it's more like my mouth is agaped at what I'm watching, and then finally at the end, I bust out laughing at the entire episode all at once.
 

Jeremiah

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I love this show, it is so funny and odd. The wanna be actor ends up casting a guy for the female lead and a girl for the male lead(lol). The mother saying cornholes instead of cornballs was another subtle and hillarious moment, the whole show is freaking insane. I love Jason Bateman in this also an dit looks like I will have to move L&O CI to another spot on my TiVo.
 

Mikel_Cooperman

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God I love this show.
I love the dialogue in the show and the writing is great. The chracters are sooo way out there and unpolitically correct.

It is one of the few shows that makes me laugh.
I hope FOX doesnt can it.
 

Kevin Leonard

Supporting Actor
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Mar 11, 2001
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"Steve Holt!"

Only three eps in, and this is fast shaping up to be my favorite new show of the year; I guess because it harkens back to a style of humor that is often subtle and completely off-the-wall, like my beloved "Newsradio." Let's hope this makes a DVD debut quickly, like "24" and "Malcolm In the Middle."

Holding deadpan on the conversation with his brother about the bike with the entire meeting underway (unknown to the audience) takes some serious concentration and prep.
That scene was great, but my favorite was the Cornballer infomercial...which was even funnier when it was done a second time in Spanish. :)
 

Ken_McAlinden

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I would have loved to find out exactly what Buster's bleeped out dialogue was. :)
I have mixed feelings about it. I am, of course, curious, but I'm also sure that whatever it was, it won't be as good as my imaginary version, and not knowing, of course, makes the punch lines funnier.

Regards,
 

Craig S

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Damn, this show is funny. David Cross as Tobias may be the breakout character for me. I loved the little roll he did to get up onto the high school stage. :laugh:

The Cornballer was great too. With that & the banana stand, you've gotta wonder how this family ever GOT all the money they've now lost.

Good stuff - let's hope it doesn't suffer the fate of my other favorite new show, "Karen Sisco". :frowning:
 

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