So Far I Have Not Found the Science

This is not a life lesson. This is strictly for Arrested Development fans. This is the mantra you need repeat in your head:

Your expectations are too high.

Your expectations are too high.

Your expectations can not ever conceivably be met.

I haven’t seen any episodes of the new season yet, but I’m going in with a prepared state of mind: these aren’t going to be the same episodes I’ve come to love and cherish. First of all, from what we’ve been told, they will be structurally different. Michael Bluth will no longer be anchoring each episode. Many of the main cast will not be seen or heard (despite not being Milford Academy alum) for most of the installments

That’s quite the adjustment.

Second of all, these new episodes AREN’T THE WHOLE STORY. They are ideally leading up to a continuation in some form, whether it be a feature film, another short series, etc. THIS ISN’T IT. No episode of Arrested Development prior has ever been created with this in mind. This is something different.

Thirdly, I just want to say, we’ve had three seasons to watch and rewatch over and over again for SEVEN YEARS. That’s a long damn time. These characters are changed. The actors who portray them have changed. The writers who shape them have changed. The God of the AD Universe, Mitch Hurwitz, has certainly changed. And you are not the same person you were upon your first viewing, even if you just got caught up with the show recently. Expecting it to be the same, to evoke the same kind of joy and laughter as something that’s sat with you for years, is ludicrous. We need to let it sit. Let it sink in. Especially a show as layered as Arrested Development, a show that is built FOR repeat viewings.

Just a warning for anybody who may feel let down. Who may feel “Ugh after all this time and hype, it’s just not good, it’s just missing something.”

It may very well be not good. Nothing is infallible. For all I know, it may suck. I am not opposed to accurate criticism.. But give it a fair shot. For all I know, it may be missing something. But at the same time, it may have gained something we don’t immediately see.

You may end up enjoying these new episodes for completely different reasons than why you enjoyed the original ones. You may have to accept that.

If there’s ever a show that has the potential to not live up to hype it’s Season 4 Arrested Development. But if there’s ever a show that deserves faith in its creative team and patience for pay-off, it’s Season 4 Arrested Development. To dismiss it early on is to be no better than the people who watched a few seconds and switched back to Deal or No Deal back in ‘05, elbowing our beloved AD off the air in the first place.

Watch and enjoy. Worse comes to worse, we will still have 53 episodes of the best half-hour comedy ever produced for television that nobody can take away.

And of course the other important thing to remember is, there’s always money in the banana stand.

paulgulyas:

And may the First, Second, & Third lay untouched in your DVD case.

nikita-banana:

Sure I’m drunk.

Me too, guys.