“Arrested Development” Season 4 Premiere Review: “Flight of the Phoenix”

By Guest Reviewer Tomas Nieto

2013 has been a very interesting year for cult classic TV show returns, with Veronica Mars making a comeback with its record breaking Crowdfunded movie. Arguably, the biggest uproar has been Arrested Development’s Netflix exclusive release of its fourth season. Arrested Development has always had a special place in my heart, as well as many others. With its endless use of foreshadowing, the constant inside-puny jokes and its laundry list of today’s top comedians and entertainers, it has rightfully earned its title as pop-culture gold. Now that the wait is finally over, Arrested Development is poised to make its comeback as the platform that launched many of today’s stars’ careers.

The odd thing about this Netflix release is all the episodes are available all at once. I personally enjoy having all the episodes ready and waiting for my view pleasure from the get go. Some argue that there’s no time to digest the awesomeness, but this Arrested Development—you have to watch it at least a couple times to get all the jokes and references anyways. The first time is to enjoy the obvious jokes, and the following times are to laugh at all the ones you missed during the initial viewing. I might be a little bit too excited, but bear with me. The main reason why I like having all the episodes available all at once is because there isn’t any of that agonizing waiting for next week’s episode.

With that being said, the first episode, “Flight of the Phoenix”, was a bit of a letdown. Arrested Development has set itself apart from all the shows that came before and after—its cleverness and the cast chemistry is unrivaled in my eyes. But with great power comes great responsibility. Sadly, the first episode did not live up to the precedent.

It comes down to the new character-driven plot. The first run of the series was so focused on the relationships between the characters, and highlighted the great chemistry between the cast mates. This first episode, however, was more of a storyline focused on Michael’s character with other essential characters floating in and out of his experiences. Gob’s scene was hilarious in itself, the references to the seal were greatly appreciated and the quick appearances of the rest of the family were a nice nod to the Arrested Development style. Still, it was not quite the Arrested Development I was familiar with.

This episode has a touch of odd humor that Arrested Development is known for. For example, like the weird closeness shared between Michael and George Michael, like sharing a dorm room and the affair between Lucile 2 and Michael. One of the hit and miss moments was Maeby’s appearance. It seemed a bit tacked on at the end of this episode, but the dialogue between Maeby and George Michael was an ode to what Arrested Development is known for—its unique ability to reference itself in such a funny way and the odd pairings of characters. But on that same token, the dorm room arc dragged on for a bit too long, because it did not conclude in an outstanding way. With so many amazing moments during the previous seasons concluding in hilarious genius, the over-arching theme of this episode was not on the same level of the Arrested Development I love. This all comes down to strengths of the cast and writers—the interconnection between the characters.

Despite my criticism, I will have to give this episode a solid B. I have waited a very long time for this series to come back but I am left a bit disappointed by the first episode of its return. But it is just the beginning, and this series is known for its amazing ability to entertain and laugh so, of course, I will continue watching.