-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Arrested Development returns March 15
- Thread starter Spectromixer
- Start date
I wonder if this was the original ending or they made alterations (in the year-long split) between part one and part two, in response to the negative reaction and cast implosion. Hopefully Hurwitz will talk about the original season 6 plan.
I'm disappointed Tobias was underused and they didn't commit to exploring his heritage even if it would've been controversial.
And definitely felt like it was missing a closing note for those characters.
Scramblethink They are. But the show justifies it.
Last edited:
100% there was a change of plans in the edit. I can't believe otherwise.
I expect the repercussions of the Michael confession might have originally been strung out a lot longer.
The Murphy Brown - Debrie reveal came out of nowhere and the resolution had a lot of comic potential so surely it would have been filmed if that was the original ending to Tobias' storyline.
The Austero murder plotline could've gone on for longer and am I mistaken or did the show foreshadow Argyle's involvement... but with the show wrapping up the other storylines they seemed happy to just leave Busters confession as an end point. Where would Buster find the body otherwise? Why was the corpse happy? What was the Sitwell disappearance about?
Such an odd ending, but a pretty definitive one for the main cast. I kind of feel bad for Hurwitz the reaction it's recieved.
The Murphy Brown - Debrie reveal came out of nowhere and the resolution had a lot of comic potential so surely it would have been filmed if that was the original ending to Tobias' storyline.
The Austero murder plotline could've gone on for longer and am I mistaken or did the show foreshadow Argyle's involvement... but with the show wrapping up the other storylines they seemed happy to just leave Busters confession as an end point. Where would Buster find the body otherwise? Why was the corpse happy? What was the Sitwell disappearance about?
Such an odd ending, but a pretty definitive one for the main cast. I kind of feel bad for Hurwitz the reaction it's recieved.
Last edited:
For closure only. If you haven't seen S5 Part 1 or S4, relish your memories of S1-3 and leave it at that.
It's nowhere near late-season Archer bad. More like Yahoo Community mediocre.
I really didn't like the first half of season 5. I haven't finished the second half yet, but it seems better... But still far from the previous weakest series (3 or 4, but both were still great).
I have no memory of how S5 Part 1 ended, and I don't think I'll ever bother to rewatch it. S4 had a lot going for it: tons of special guest stars and a keen understanding of the characters, even while they were off doing their own stuff. It felt like a huge event (and it was!) whereas S5 feels like a failed attempt to give fans what they think they want.
And to your last point:
dear god, Adam Reed, take off those golden handcuffs and make something completely new.
I didn't hate it, but it definitely squandered the momentum the first half had managed to build up. I don't think I've ever seen something so cobbled together in an editing groom like this, even Suicide Squad didn't have characters lips saying different things then what was coming out of their mouths.
Did Maeby and George Michael really get together at the last second in the background of one shot before him and Michael just left off screen?? I guess I'll take it.
I was glad I watched it and though it was flawed, I found it a lot more enjoyable than the first half of the season. Messy, some poor structure, but some jokes I really liked, and some clever new bits. I was happier than I expected to be with it, but my expectations were quite low. I also just needed a bit of escapism after the last couple of weeks, so that could have skewed my judgement. Not a big fan of the actual final episode, but I enjoyed most of the rest and was happy I watched it.
No, they really pull away from it here. Tobias in general feels quite underused, though with how they were going with it that may have been a good idea.
It has a couple of decent pay-offs in theory - but they're resolved off screen, which is why I think they may have rewritten the ending. So to answer your question: Not really.
Season 5.2 so far seems at least better than the garbage 5.1. And thank god they let up on the constant narration. Killed S4 for me. And there's finally some decent jokes, though the "balls" joke is worse than "hot mess" from S04.
And to the guy that claimed S01-S03 would not hold up nowadays: Bullshit. I rewatch them at least once a year, and S01-S02 are easily as funny as anything on TV/Streaming.
And to the guy that claimed S01-S03 would not hold up nowadays: Bullshit. I rewatch them at least once a year, and S01-S02 are easily as funny as anything on TV/Streaming.
I just finished it, it was a decent ending.
But they should just end the series now, it's painfully obvious that they aren't able to rekindle the magic.
But they should just end the series now, it's painfully obvious that they aren't able to rekindle the magic.
Michael falling down the stair car because he was doing a chicken dance is amazing.
I got a few chuckles, but this was awful. Don't know if it was really an improvement over S5P1 or not, but I'll never watch it again and I hope that's it for the series.
Also, there was a ton of obvious ADR throughout and it was super distracting. They probably did a shit ton of retooling between parts 1 and 2 in an attempt to fix this mess.
Also, there was a ton of obvious ADR throughout and it was super distracting. They probably did a shit ton of retooling between parts 1 and 2 in an attempt to fix this mess.
Agreed about Maebe. GOB was brilliant I thought - his interactions with Buster were particularly excellent.
Ok, just finished season 5. the last episode was great, though I'm not sure we needed season 5. hell, for the live of me I can't recall anything from S05.1 and the plot in S05.2 isn't much better. and damn, some of the actors look rough or have aged horribly. Think they should have just ended with S04, at least that one is rewatchable.
The ADR in this is shockingly poor. Not only in terms of matching mouth movement but they didn't even try to blend the new dialogue with the original. It was so jarring in ep15 with Michael and George Michael in the attic that I thought it was some sort of dubbing joke.
I liked S5 overall though. Definitely more than most people here. Doesn't come close to S1-3 but I'd still take this and S4 over most television I could come across. I appreciated how dark it got at the end though I admit it was kind of weird for this show.
I opted to not watch it due to the Tambour thing + the interview. Sounds like I did pretty well for myself.
Even during the glory days they did some awful ADR but this new batch of episodes is something else. It's obvious that they tried very hard to fix as much as they could after the first half of S5 went down like a lead balloon.
Just finished it and sort of... loved it. Considering all the reviews I've seen and how much of a slog the first half was I'm very surprised by how good it is.
My wife and I were cracking up the entire time and I enjoyed how the convoluted ass story came together and wrapped up nicely.
Pretty sure that's intentional.
My wife and I were cracking up the entire time and I enjoyed how the convoluted ass story came together and wrapped up nicely.
Pretty sure that's intentional.
Season 4 was weak and Season 5 was boring. Definitely a pass for me. The show just isn't as good as it was between S1 and S3
The overall structure of the plot was a huge mess. Season 4 was set up alright, but season 5 didn't work at all in the plot department. It either felt rushed or way too stretched out.
And I have no idea what happened, but there have to have been massive rewrites in the middle of this season.
The scene with Michael in the car talking to Buster was unbelievable - the lense flair masking Michael's lip movement..I have never seen anything like it.
There were a lot of gags that worked, there was still a lot of clever writing (use less earth) but they should have filmed season 4 to '6' in a normal way, the way they tried with 4 or not do it at all. Stretching it over 6 years didn't benefit it.
The ending in 5 felt right on a reference level - they had many callbacks to the earlier seasons in there and tried to tie up loose character arcs in a minute, but on a plot level it was already too far gone at that point.
And I have no idea what happened, but there have to have been massive rewrites in the middle of this season.
The scene with Michael in the car talking to Buster was unbelievable - the lense flair masking Michael's lip movement..I have never seen anything like it.
There were a lot of gags that worked, there was still a lot of clever writing (use less earth) but they should have filmed season 4 to '6' in a normal way, the way they tried with 4 or not do it at all. Stretching it over 6 years didn't benefit it.
The ending in 5 felt right on a reference level - they had many callbacks to the earlier seasons in there and tried to tie up loose character arcs in a minute, but on a plot level it was already too far gone at that point.
The referential humor in Season 5.2 is taking the cake (just starting the final episode), but plot is bonkers disorganized. To the point that it took away from my enjoyment. I'm happier that the show got back to being somewhat funny again though, so I don't have too much to add to that. It's also unfortunate that the quality of the first half and second half feel rather at odds to each other (from what I recall at least. Perhaps it's more consistent than I believe).
I won't call for the show's death like others, but I don't believe I'll "feel" much one way or the other if another season is off or on the books. I like this considerably more than Season 4, but the show's best moments truly are far behind me.
I won't call for the show's death like others, but I don't believe I'll "feel" much one way or the other if another season is off or on the books. I like this considerably more than Season 4, but the show's best moments truly are far behind me.
Also Lindsay Bluth was never the biggest star (besides having the best Chicken Dance), but having a family member missing from Arrested Dev really takes a leg off the show. Her actress dropping out (of acting i think?) really is a blow.
OH COME ON!
Last edited:
I only had one laugh out loud moment and it was with Buster and the elevator. Definitely not the same show in terms of witty comedy compared to season 1-3.
should I bother to rewatch the first half of season 5 before finishing this? Is it referential and rewarding to be reminded of the first half of episodes even if I didn't find them to be good or funny?
I don't think it's worth the bother. When I say referential, I mean to Season 1 through Season 3 jokes. Nothing rewarding from Season 5's first half enough to watch through all of it again.
I actually liked season four. It tested my patience until about the halfway point, then the jokes they seeded early on started paying off and ultimately I loved it. It wasn't really what I wanted out of a fourth season of AD, especially with the characters being so split up when the ensemble was kind of the point, but I thought they succeeded at what they set out to do conceptually.
Felt zero reaction to the first half of season 5. It had no reason to exist. Not sure if I'll even watch this. Can't believe I'm saying that.
Felt zero reaction to the first half of season 5. It had no reason to exist. Not sure if I'll even watch this. Can't believe I'm saying that.
I don't even remember anything that happened in the first half of season 5 and thought the second part was decently enjoyable. At the very least I think they wrapped up the show pretty well if this is going to be the last season (as it should be).
5B is much, much better than 5A for what it's worth. It's up there with season 3 for me.
Might have to watch after all, then.
Totally agree. Season five part two is the closest the show got to its original run. I don't think it comes close, but it's leagues ahead of season four. They did as good a job as they could given how crazy season four was. Also, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but, I can't believe how many people are now singing the praises of season four. Season five is so much better in every respect, some of the latter episodes feel like classic AD.
I was going to mention this. The original one did this all the time, so much so that I thought it was a stylistic choice. No other show I've ever seen does this quite like AD and given how frequently it happens, I think it was intentional.
I think if you're already out midway through the first episode, the season will do nothing for you... and I'm not sure that's entirely on the show.
It was a good season. Not great, and not the peaks of S1-3, but it was better than the last season and a half, for sure.
It ends on a VERY dark note that I'm both wanting more of while also feeling like they kind of tied up every lingering loose end. This season was NOTORIOUSLY difficult to make so I think this is the bittersweet end, and for all its many flaws I'm still happy we got more Arrested Development.
It ends on a VERY dark note that I'm both wanting more of while also feeling like they kind of tied up every lingering loose end. This season was NOTORIOUSLY difficult to make so I think this is the bittersweet end, and for all its many flaws I'm still happy we got more Arrested Development.
So far I've watched two episodes of part 2 and I'm pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed them more than part 1.
Watched a bit of it so far, not terrible. Lack of Lindsey hurts since they made Tobias a one note character over it.
The payoff for that was classic AD. I knew what was probably coming but the execution was perfect.