Catching Up: Arrested Development (episodes 4-6)

Three episodes, one article. Let's dive right in.

Key Decisions

The guest star is a convention as old as TV itself. Some shows use them properly, most don't. In fact, The Simpsons has based much of its humor on a subtle satire of how guest stars are used. How many times has an animated version of a celebrity popped up on that show to a chorus of main characters (ironically) shouting the guest's name in surprise? In this regard, Arrested Development has an interesting approach to guests. Most of their performances are primarily self-deprecating. The bigger the celebrity, the more humiliating the role. While the first celebrity guest on the show was Patrice Oneal in "Banana Stand", he had a muted bit-part. The first too-big-for-TV guest was Liza Minnelli in "Key Decisions", playing the recurring role of Lucille Austero. That character, a chronic sufferer of vertigo who ends up having a deeply creepy romance with Buster, is as unflattering on the surface as it gets. The genius underneath it is that Lucille Austero is consistently funny. A similar twist happens with just about every other guest star on the show after that. We get another guest in the form of Clint Howard as an environmentalist named Johnny Bark who spends the night in a tree with Lindsay. It was nice to get some more background on her character through her conversation with Johnny.

Charity Drive

Speaking of great guest stars, how about that Judy Greer? The list of tragically under-utilized performers is long and Greer definitely has a place on it. As Kitty, the Bluth Company receptionist, she's wonderfully weird. I'll have more to say about her concerning the next episode, but it's great to see her nonetheless. The really nice thing about this episode is that it's the first time a really twisty, ironic plot comes to fruition on Arrested Development. A series of unrelated events and simple mistakes surrounding the family's one car lead to Michael being mistaken for a serial killer. Much to Jason Bateman's credit, that plot keeps a good balance between funny and creepy. Combine that with GOB's chipped tooth and Lindsay's misadventures in the wetlands, and you have a stellar episode.

Visiting Ours

Oh, guest stars galore. First, GOB's seduction of Kitty is side-splitting. Judy Greer's wild hair, crossed eyes and disturbing enthusiasm is downright vaudevillian, not to mention the stills of her and George Sr. As if that weren't enough, it's Bob Odenkirk! Few comic pairs have shown the genius and chemistry of the men behind Mr. Show with Bob and David. Seeing Odenkirk and Cross bring an extra layer of weirdness to an already weird show was nothing short of awesome. And as always, despite all of the craziness, poor Michael doesn't get what he's after. If it weren't for the constant goofs, Arrested Development would be a pretty depressing show.

Another week, another three episodes. I'll be back next Tuesday to round out the last of the single-digit episodes of Arrested Development, where I believe the show really starts to hit its stride.