Arrested Development; Season 4 (TV / 2003)The moment that many have dreamed of, and for some dreaded, has finally arrived. We were treated to 15 new episodes of what I consider to be one of the greatest comedies to show on TV, and season 4 did nothing to raise or lower it's reputation.
First off there is the jarring narrative break from the previous 3 episodes, due to the scheduling problems of the very busy actors. It is a testament
to the writers and Ron Howards narration that we are able to make any sense of the story in front of us. I do take issue with the need to fill in so many breaks in the last seven years, with many of the stories falling flat until we arrive at the here and now.
Also brought to the forefront is the fact that many of these characters cannot stand on their own. Lindsay Bluth is the most obvious loser here, with Busters episode scraping by on sheer oddity. In the same vain we are treated to very strong episodes from the Bluth children, particularly with Maeby's episode shining. Strong as always are Tobias, Michael and GOB, with Lucille and George Sr. merely passing. It's hard that you judge an episodes merit on staring character alone, yet that is the universe we live in.
While watching season three years ago I had the strange feeling that it would not hold up like the previous 2 seasons, yet it has grown to be my favorite. Here I have a very similar feeling, and I've already taken to quoting many of the episodes. If there is a season or the long rumored movie, I am hoping that all of this will look like a necessary experiment. The final word on season 4 is that we have another 15 episodes of a fantastic series, and that is not so bad.
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