This is it everyone… the countdown to the final three. Hit it Gob.
After you hopefully watched the clip provided, you’re either cracking up or just sitting there in uncomfortable silence. And that is Arrested Development at its core and is precisely what makes it so amazing.
Arrested Development is widely known as a “cult classic,” because it has a small group of loyal followers and everyone else just doesn’t get it. As one of these loyal followers, I can say that’s one of my favorite elements of the show. If you love smart humor, inside jokes, paying attention to detail, impeccable timing, and artfully constructed silences, I BEG you to try watching this show.
Well, let’s kick things off with a summary. Arrested Development follows Michael Bluth, heir to the Bluth Company (as well as the Bluth Banana Stand), and his family, after his father, George Bluth, is arrested for some “light treason.” This “light treason,” is nothing too serious, only building houses for Saddam Hussein. If your curious, this is George Bluth’s defense:
While Michael Bluth is an average family man trying his best to keep everyone else afloat, the same CANNOT be said for the rest of the Bluth family. Each character is distinctly destructive in their own way.
Let’s start with the immediate Bluth family.
We already detailed a bit on George Bluth, but his wife Lucille is the embodiment of not giving a… fork (thanks The Good Place!). She ruthlessly critiques anyone who crosses her, voices her disappointment in all her children, and knowingly switches romantic partners between her husband, George, and his twin brother, Oscar (who are hilariously both played by the same actor, Jeffrey Tambor). I highly recommend taking a look at some of her best quotes, but here’s a favorite of mine:
Just for reference, she’s talking about Michael’s wife, who is actually dead.
Next, we have Lindsay Bluth (Michael’s twin sister), her husband, Tobias Fünke, and their daughter, Maybe. Lindsay is narcissistic, lazy, loves fashion, and pretty much just mooches off of Michael. Her husband, Tobias, is an ex-therapist who can only be described as clueless, and no, not in a Cher and Dionne way. This quality of Tobias drives Lindsay crazy, and the two are always on the verge of a divorce. One of the major plot points of the second season is following Lindsay and Tobias competing to see who wins their “open marriage.”
I think this sequence of scenes sums up their marriage quite fittingly:
In addition to their entertaining marital troubles, Tobias has some perfectly-worded one-liners that VERY accurately portray just how clueless he can be. After having his therapist license revoked when he performed CPR on a person who was very much conscious, Tobias pursued a career in acting. One of the few gigs he lands is being a backup member for the Blue Man Group in Las Vegas, and this is how he broke the news to Michael:
Next, we have two more Bluth brothers: Gob (pronounced jobe) and Buster. You got a brief introduction to Gob in the first paragraph, but in essence, he’s a failed magician who thinks he’s about to make it big, and he’s just about as clueless as Tobias.
Then, there’s Buster, the socially-awkward brother who still lives with his mother (Lucille). Buster has an irrational fear of confined spaces, outdoor spaces, sheep, and being without his mother. Even though Buster’s education was profuse, he has yet to find a job and read a map:
Lastly, we have Michael’s son, George Michael, who is a sweet boy who is stuck in a dysfunctional family. His innocence highlights the absurdities of his aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
While I’ve tried to think of the best way to describe the humor on the show, the easiest way to explain is that the show rewards people who pay attention. There are a number of ongoing jokes that span multiple episodes and even entire seasons. While you would expect these jokes to grow tiresome, they somehow grow even funnier the more references are made.
If you were confused at all by some of the jokes referenced in this post, well that’s actually GOOD. When you watch the show and start to understand these inside jokes, they get even better!
In addition to the crazy cast of characters, the narrator of the show helps to drive the jokes home because he tends to directly contradict what the characters say. This juxtaposition only heightens the humor of the show.
I will end this post with a perfectly-narrated scene of Gob:
This show actually looks good. Needless to say, is the fact that the characters really make this show different; I think they will make it more fun. Especially George Bluth haha. How did you find out about this show?
This show looks very funny. A lot of people would call this dry humor, but I enjoy the types of comedy that draw on awkwardness and awkward moments of silence. I think this is the type of humor that attracts me to film like Borat 1/2 and Nathan For You. I’ll certainly have to check this show out, thank you for the recommendation! Also, I always enjoy the lively commentaries you give about your recommendations.