[9.0/10] One of the things that always amazes me about Arrested Development is how many of the shows plots and gags play out like clockwork. There’s just such perfect comic timing and intricate plotting that makes everything land perfectly, and this episode is a great example of that.
I like the theme of whether or not to let go of your children, with all the various parents in some state of letting their kids fly free and pinning them back into the next. The best of these is Buster. For one thing, I just love the recurring gags about two people having a conversation (usually about him) only to zoom out and reveal he’s right there. The episode escalates that nicely. I also get a big kick of his bleeped foul mouth and everyone’s reaction to it.
But Buster’s guilelessness about the whole thing is dopey yet endearing. The way everyone puffs him up after he makes fun of Lucille, and then just as rapidly returns to her is amusing, especially how big a deal he makes out of little bits of dignity like getting to ride in the front seat.
I also got a huge kick out of the play-focused part of the episode. For one thing, the elaborate love triangle of George Michael, Maeby, and the first appearance of Steve Holt(!), each trying to finagle a kiss out of the deal is delightful. But even better is Tobias, who’s trying to get involved with Maeby’s life by directing it. His capering around, getting on stage in an awkward manner, and flipping the genders of the actors playing each character, are all classic Tobias. David Cross has his problems in real life, but he just inhabits that role.
Otherwise, GOB is amusing here; there’s subtle signs of Michael being too deep into controlling his son’s life, and my god, the escalating hilarity of the cornballer gags! Plus, little bits like Lindsey’s dress finding their way into the production, only for it to turn off Maeby after she finally gets her kiss in Tobias’s gender flipped version of Much Ado About Nothing is just brilliant comic writing.
Overall, a fantastic episode in only the show’s third outing!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-06-05T02:19:54Z
[9.0/10] One of the things that always amazes me about Arrested Development is how many of the shows plots and gags play out like clockwork. There’s just such perfect comic timing and intricate plotting that makes everything land perfectly, and this episode is a great example of that.
I like the theme of whether or not to let go of your children, with all the various parents in some state of letting their kids fly free and pinning them back into the next. The best of these is Buster. For one thing, I just love the recurring gags about two people having a conversation (usually about him) only to zoom out and reveal he’s right there. The episode escalates that nicely. I also get a big kick of his bleeped foul mouth and everyone’s reaction to it.
But Buster’s guilelessness about the whole thing is dopey yet endearing. The way everyone puffs him up after he makes fun of Lucille, and then just as rapidly returns to her is amusing, especially how big a deal he makes out of little bits of dignity like getting to ride in the front seat.
I also got a huge kick out of the play-focused part of the episode. For one thing, the elaborate love triangle of George Michael, Maeby, and the first appearance of Steve Holt(!), each trying to finagle a kiss out of the deal is delightful. But even better is Tobias, who’s trying to get involved with Maeby’s life by directing it. His capering around, getting on stage in an awkward manner, and flipping the genders of the actors playing each character, are all classic Tobias. David Cross has his problems in real life, but he just inhabits that role.
Otherwise, GOB is amusing here; there’s subtle signs of Michael being too deep into controlling his son’s life, and my god, the escalating hilarity of the cornballer gags! Plus, little bits like Lindsey’s dress finding their way into the production, only for it to turn off Maeby after she finally gets her kiss in Tobias’s gender flipped version of Much Ado About Nothing is just brilliant comic writing.
Overall, a fantastic episode in only the show’s third outing!