1/8/07: Arrested Development (2003-2006)The cable channel G4 spent a lot of December pushing their big Christmas Day
Arrested Development Marathon. This kept us wondering what kind of loser would spend all of Christmas watching multiple episodes of an admittedly fine sitcom. As it turned out—to quote another great man with a button-down mind—that would be us.
Yes, a fun-loving virus managed to usurp the holiday enough to have us stuck in bed for just about all of Christmas Day. It was still pleasant to have the distraction of
Arrested Development—even if it was a reminder of how conservatives once again missed out on claiming a cultural marker. We can’t get by on
South Park forever, people.
To be fair, Republicans should’ve been wary of
Arrested Development. Reliably liberal newspaper critics adored the show, and the cast includes two genuinely annoying Leftists. Unlike
Six Feet Under, though,
Arrested Development wasn’t ambiguous in its surprisingly conservative message.
Jason Bateman stars as Michael Bluth, who reluctantly takes over his family’s housing firm after his father is sent to prison. The laffs come courtesy of Michael’s self-absorbed mother and siblings, who pursue an amoral and frivolous lifestyle while Michael attempts to keep them afloat. The humor ranges from subtle to ludicrous, and manages to overcome a fairly repetitive storyline. In their defense, the writers didn’t have much motivation to advance the plot. The underseen show was constantly at risk of being cancelled.
Arrested Development still remains consistently funny. The Bluths are a perfect parody of liberated morons who think it’s better to be glib than smart. The series’ best running gag is Michael’s inability to manage clever repartee. It’s pretty bold for any television show to suggest that you can be a good and decent guy without sounding like the lead character in a sitcom. Michael would eventually fall for a lovely Englishwoman (played by Charlize Theron) whose own seeming wit would turn out to be the result of mental retardation.
Michael isn’t a saint, as seen when he bonds with his son over an act of arson. Even that, however, is a touching display. In contrast, Michael’s siblings are taking pride in banning public displays of the Ten Commandments. Michael and his son, George-Michael, still manage to make
Arrested Development a family show. It’s not for family viewing, but the show wasn’t so edgy that it couldn’t be unabashedly sentimental.
Michael’s a widower who's determined to protect his kid from ending up anything like a Bluth. In one episode, we see Michael at work and handling a crisis by announcing that everyone just needs to “put [their] heads down and power through this.” Meanwhile, his son is using the same words while addressing a crisis at the family’s Frozen Banana stand. There’s a moment worthy of any TV show from the 1950s. Put your kids to bed and give
Arrested Development a shot. G4 shows it late at night, which is how things should be.
Make it your own: Against all odds—and thanks to some encouraging Emmys—
Arrested Development lasted for
three whole seasons on the Fox Network. Dedicated viewing pays off, too, since the series wrapped up on a nicely conclusive note that even explained the Bluths’ association with Saddam Hussein.
