The Blooths Are Back!

After a seven year absence, Arrested Development has returned for a 4^th season. The long-awaited arrival had me both excited and worried, wondering if they could replicate the magic of a show that was a fan and critic favorite, but never garnered huge audiences. Would the older characters still have the same appeal? Since most of the stars had gone on to bigger things, could they still play the dysfunctional family members with such aplomb? And could the writers find the old flair for comic nuance rather than fall prey to the usual remake habits of insider-laden jokes, baser humor and tired character underdevelopment? Spoiler Alert: there are no real spoilers in this review.

Luckily, the writers, cast and director still have the old flair, with a tighter story line mixed with sufficient reference to the past. In the 15 episodes, all released on Netflix at once yesterday, we are taken through a ride of the past five years from all of the major character’s perspectives. While this does get a little tired as a plot device around the middle of the season, they finish strong – though with several hanging stories that one assumes will be resolved in either another season or the long-rumored movie.

So what has happened to the Blooths in the intervening five years? Nothing terribly good. Michael (Jason Bateman) no longer works for the Bloom Company and after several failed business ventures and a short-lived, and ill-advised, stay with his son and roommate in a UC Irvine dorm room, takes a job with Ron Howard, who wants to make a movie of the Blooth’s adventures. Getting the release forms that will make this venture possible turns out to be harder than Michael thinks, of course.

His father (George, Jeffrey Tambor) has also suffered a number of setbacks and his attempts at replenishing his fortune go terribly awry as he teeters on the edge of treason yet again. His mother Lucille (the excellent Jessica Walters) is a little less nefarious now that she is locked away in a luxury prison, but has plans to get her life back together after no one from the family shows up for her trial. Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) and Tobias (David Cross) continue their on again off again relationship, with a number of funny twists, while Maeby decides to never leave high school, before receiving a career-ending Opie lifetime achievement award at 22.

Gob (Will Arnett) and Buster (Tony Hale) are still trying to find themselves while George-Michael searches for an identity not tied directly to his father – as an Internet mogul in the making and boyfriend to a girl who has secrets of her own. All of the old side characters are back as well, with Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler) getting the largest part, as the inept and not-so-secretly-gay family lawyer. But another character dabbles with their own sexuality and the story lines come together in the end for an anti-climactic but clever finale. It is clear that more is to come from this beloved aughts series, though the form is still unclear. And while the Netflix format can lead one to waste an entire day getting through a series, they are clearly becoming a viable player in the new world of television – where commercials and hanging plot lines are replaced by good writing, good acting and compelling directing.