And so the decline of Arrested Development begins with the second episode of season 3. It's a season which doesn't really recover until its last five episodes. The decline isn't severe- not until Prison Break-In, anyway- and the show is still good, but not as good as it was in seasons 1 and 2.
This episode sets up the rest of the season: On a "Previously on Arrested Development" segment, which like the "On the next" segments of other episodes, doesn't actually refer to a real episode, we learn that George is now under house arrest at Lucille's apartment. That may have been a good choice; it keeps George in the show without doing things already done, like prison or the attic. Buster feels a bit ignored with his father living in the apartment again, which suggests it might have been a good idea to dedicate a whole episode to George moving back in, but the makers of the show instead chose to move onto other things. The problem is that some of these things spell trouble for the show: Michael suggests Buster should get a pet turtle (which will lead to a gross joke about its demise), Tobias gets hair plugs (which will be even more gross), George starts with his attempted escapes (which quickly become ridiculous), we start getting more recycled jokes (hop-ons become live-ins), and Rita is introduced. Rita may be a love interest for Michael, or she may be a British spy, or maybe she's just a stupid person. Her story is often selected by fans as being their least favourite part of the show.
At this point you may be wondering why I gave the episode a good rating. There's still some good material in this episode. Most of the writers of seasons 1 and 2 may have left the show, but some sharp humour remains. Be it a cutting shot at Donald Rumsfeld (yes, I am a liberal), or a double meaning of losing pounds or being "buy-curious," or GOB talking about feeling love and feeling erections, these are the things that make Arrested Development Arrested Development. We also get the ultimate chicken dances (we see George's for the first time, and it's good), with Michael's funny reaction, asking if any Bluth has "ever even *seen* a chicken." We also have the ultimate joke about Michael being a loser with women- the fact that he manages to compare Rita to a prostitute and himself to Jack the Ripper is good stuff. That's the Michael we love in what is still the show we love.
This episode sets up the rest of the season: On a "Previously on Arrested Development" segment, which like the "On the next" segments of other episodes, doesn't actually refer to a real episode, we learn that George is now under house arrest at Lucille's apartment. That may have been a good choice; it keeps George in the show without doing things already done, like prison or the attic. Buster feels a bit ignored with his father living in the apartment again, which suggests it might have been a good idea to dedicate a whole episode to George moving back in, but the makers of the show instead chose to move onto other things. The problem is that some of these things spell trouble for the show: Michael suggests Buster should get a pet turtle (which will lead to a gross joke about its demise), Tobias gets hair plugs (which will be even more gross), George starts with his attempted escapes (which quickly become ridiculous), we start getting more recycled jokes (hop-ons become live-ins), and Rita is introduced. Rita may be a love interest for Michael, or she may be a British spy, or maybe she's just a stupid person. Her story is often selected by fans as being their least favourite part of the show.
At this point you may be wondering why I gave the episode a good rating. There's still some good material in this episode. Most of the writers of seasons 1 and 2 may have left the show, but some sharp humour remains. Be it a cutting shot at Donald Rumsfeld (yes, I am a liberal), or a double meaning of losing pounds or being "buy-curious," or GOB talking about feeling love and feeling erections, these are the things that make Arrested Development Arrested Development. We also get the ultimate chicken dances (we see George's for the first time, and it's good), with Michael's funny reaction, asking if any Bluth has "ever even *seen* a chicken." We also have the ultimate joke about Michael being a loser with women- the fact that he manages to compare Rita to a prostitute and himself to Jack the Ripper is good stuff. That's the Michael we love in what is still the show we love.
