The Movie Journal

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 22 "Let Em' Eat Cake" June 06, 2004 We have finally come to the Season One finale of Arrested Development . There are many things that happen in “Let Em’ Eat Cake.” The episode is critical because we finally see how scathing and biting the show can be regarding political events of the time period. The episode makes direct references to Saddam Hussein and Iraq. The show remains funny as ever making great use of incest themes (Michael saying “it is a struggle” when Lindsey asks if Michael wanted sex with her), to the events that are occurring in the world at the time (Iraqi war and Atkin’s Diet(!!)), and setting up events for the second season (we meet Ann, George-Michael’s rather bland girlfriend). With all the humor in the episode, the episode does get surprisingly tender at certain points especially within the storyline of George Sr’s. The episode focuses on George Sr’s case of “light treason.” We learn that George Sr...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 21 "Not Without My Daughter"  April 25, 2004 One of the things I love about Arrested Development is how the show won’t hold back against certain political or social notions. We have seen and will continue to see the show rip off things like the idea of controlling corporations, the Iraqi War, and the media just to name a few. This episode tackles one of my favorite childhood memories-Take Your Child to Work Day, or Take Your Daughter to Work Day in AD’s case. The episode incorporates this event to often wildly hilarious moments. The slight visual gags that explain this event is funny- when the girl shadowing her prison guard father shouts, “No Touching!,” I knew this would be a very funny episode! In the past, Michael took George-Michael to work on “Take Your Daughter to Work Day,” but he decides to take Maeby to act as a proper role model for her unlike her parents. They even decide on a pact to not lie to each other. Tha...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 20 "Whistler's Mother"  April 11, 2014 “Whistler’s Mother” is a solid episode of Arrested Development , but it is certainly not the best episode of the series. I feel like the main plotline with Michael finding new capital and the Bluth family wanting to exploit the new capital is not quite inspirational and a tad rote. Plus, we meet Oscar (George Sr’s twin brother) for the first time, and he is my least favorite character of the show. That being said, there are some extremely wonderful and hilarious moments I need to discuss. Two things actually. Number one is the whole plot with the whistles. Michael wanted to extend some power to his company’s board, so he gives whistles to them which they are to use if they see wrongdoing. Of course, the board starts blowing the whistles nonstop. We cut away to 20 minutes later where we see Michael recollecting the whistles like a teacher. That was very funny. The other thing worthy of m...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 19 "Best Man for the Gob" April 04, 2004 We are now speeding towards the end of Arrested Development’s first season. It’s been a season full of weirdness and comedy and every episode is memorable…. even this episode. I say it like that because outside of one hilarious subplot, I was not able to recall much about this episode. What I do remember that we have a bunch of visual gags, the whole plotline where Tobias and family are in band designed to sell pharmaceuticals which had me rolling in stitches, and George Sr. entrusting GOB to set up a fake murder because he believes Michael is ‘no fun.” The episode also is noticeable for speeding up the wife of GOB’s (played by Amy Poehler) exit. I find it funny how much he enjoys Tobias’s band by saying, “It’s like you knew every side effect I went through.” In “Best Man for the GOB,” Michael decides to throw a post-wedding bachelor party for GOB and his still unnamed wife. The fam...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 18 "Missing Kitty"  March 28, 2004 As George Sr. wisely quotes, “Never fire crazy!” The Bluth family and friends are no strangers to the term “crazy”, but craziness is certainly abound in this episode, “Missing Kitty.” Remember Kitty Sanchez (played by the awesome Judy Greer), the Bluth’s oversexed office assistant? She is back and comes off as the villain here albeit dim-witted villain. She knows all the secrets of the Bluth’s family thanks to her affair with George Sr, and of course Michael had the weird sense to fire her from the company thus making her disappear to become the antagonist here. Honestly, I did not care for this episode much at first, but I have grown to appreciate it based on my reflection here. Tis episode features two of the famed motifs of the series: Kitty flashing her breasts seemingly every second, and the Spring Break video series called, “Girls With Low Self-Esteem.” The performances are all great in t...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 17 "Justice Is Blind" March 21, 2004 “Justice Is Blind” is Arrested Development’s sister episode to the last episode, “Altar Egos.” These two episodes almost play together like a mini-movie, as the storylines presented in these episodes are wrapped up. The show best trait is the sharp verbal humor, but the show can surprise you from time to time with funny physical humor, as seen in this episode. Whether it is Tobias trying to avoid the touch Maggie Lizer, or Michael throwing a Bible at Maggie to test her blindness, or finding out that Maggie’s guide dog is actually blind, there is no shortage of physical humor. Even the use of a thick plea agreement that Barry refuses to read has some time to shine. Just like the last episode, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is incredibly funny as the lawyer, Maggie Lizer. In this episode, Michael receives a file of evidence in the case against George Sr. after sleeping with Maggie. However, he becom...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 16 "Altar Egos" March 17, 2004 Ah, now we get to one of my favorites. This episode, “Altar Egos,” plays two-fold with the next episode, “Justice is Blind.” I liked these two episodes together because it proves that Arrested Development can have a storyline that lasts for more than 22 minutes an episode. It also introduces one of my favorite guest stars-Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the blind attorney Maggie Lizer. People seem to be cool on her character, but I really laughed at lot. We get the typical blind jokes, but they work very well. I liked the overall theme of this episode and the next. People pretend to be the person they say they are even though they really are not. Lots of stuff happen in this episode and every storyline shown here is good for multiple laughs. Michael has a one-night stand with lawyer Maggie Lizer who feels bad for her blindness. But that pity goes away when he finds out Maggie is the lead prosecutor in...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 15 "Staff Infection" March 14, 2004 This fifteenth episode in the first season of Arrested Development , while not a classic, remains a very funny and engaging episode. There is much to enjoy here in the episode. The two character standouts are Buster and Tobias. Buster basically is given work at the construction site for the Bluth Company and is amazed by all the men cursing around him. Plus we learn in a very satisfying flashback that Buster is afraid of sheep due to a terrifying incident in Catalina. Tobias, on the other hand, decides to check himself in a prison for acting research-the same prison as George Sr’s. It’s a funny thing that sheep plays to the overall theme of the episode. In addition to Buster’s childhood fright, Buster is called Bob which sounds like “baa”, the workers of the Bluth Company are herded around like sheep by a person of authority, and their company bus is named “The Good Shepherd.” It’s an interestin...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 14 "Shock and Aww" March 07, 2004 For the first time all series, Arrested Development can now look forward to its future instead of looking back in the past as previous episodes may have done. “Shock and Aww” feels like a new beginning for the series. New characters are introduced, and we have quite a few guest stars in the lineup. Heather Graham plays George-Michael’s ethics teacher whom every Bluth male seems infatuated with. Jane Lynch plays Cindi Lightballoon who seems like a crazed fan of George Sr’s teachings, but is actually an FBI agent. Finally, we meet one of my favorite new characters-Annyong who is a Korean kid that Lucille adopted in a drunken stupor. These new characters added more life to the episode and Heather Graham is the episode’s MVP. I wish she was in more episodes, because she is the perfect actress for the serie’s overall quirkiness. Miss Baerly is George-Michael’s new ethics teacher. Michael attemp...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 13 "Beef Consomme" February 15, 2004 “Beef Consomme” is a very entertaining episode of Arrested Development . This is the thirteenth episode of the first season, and it would have been the last episode of the series if the 22-episode season order was not picked up by Fox. Understandably, there is a lot to digest in this episode. Fortunately, the episode being jam-packed did not affect its quality in the long run because this episode had many consistent laughs, especially when it came to the climax of three Bluth brothers rolling around on the ground and fighting each other in public. The episode uses more visual gags and slapstick when compared to the last few episodes, and it works well! The acting remains fantastic-especially from Jason Bateman, Tony Hale, and Will Arnett. This episode continues the story from the previous episode, “Marta Complex.” GOB finally figures out what “hermano” means. Now that he understands tha...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 12 "Marta Complex" February 08, 2004 We just had a fantastic four-run episodes of Arrested Development that can be considered classic. Does the run continue with “Marta Complex”? Yes and no. The episode does not quite reach the heights of the previous four episodes, but I would still consider this episode to be a minor classic. This is a Valentine Day-themed episode and the romance takes the reign as the A-plotline which basically has Michael trying to understand what on earth does “hermano” mean? It’s Spanish for brother, but of course Michael does not realize that. The episode starts off at the anniversary party for Lindsay and Tobias. Michael makes a speech where he says, “you can’t really heal yourself until you stop living a lie.” After that statement, the family decides it is time to make some changes. George-Michael will act on his feelings for Maeby, Buster will reach out from the grasp of his mother, and Lindsay...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 11 "Public Relations" January 25, 2004 After “Pier Pressure,” Arrested Development must have had some pressure to follow up that episode. Never fear, because “Public Relations” mostly succeeds on what is yet another magnificent episode. Not only do the writers remain sharp and the acting from the nine leads remain great, I liked the overall theme of having a family name tarnished by the media causing the public to dislike the family. This episode also cranks out two memorable supporting character turns; The Bluth’s publicist, Jesse (played wonderfully by Jill Ritchie) and Carl Weathers ( Rocky, Happy Gilmore ) as himself. How the media and the Bluth family’s reputation interferes with everyone’s daily life is the central theme of the episode. Michael is set to have George-Michael attend the Milford Academy-a school where the entire Bluth family previously went and has the motto- “children should not be seen nor heard.” How...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 10 "Pier Pressure" January 11, 2004 “Pier Pressure” is the tenth episode of Arrested Development and may be the best episode of the entire series. This is one of those episodes that is instantly rewatchable and also propelled the entire series to comedic greatness although the show never got the necessary viewers to be labeled as a smash hit. But that is a story for another day. The episode has it all. Excellent writing, capable direction from Joe Russo, fantastic acting, biting dialogue, an anti-drug message, and the introduction of a one-armed man named J. Walter Weatherman (love that name!). The episode basically begins with a flashback. If any of the Bluth children did something wrong, George Sr would use the one-armed man to teach them lessons. This parenting technique was quite gruesome and…perhaps just a tad immoral. But this flashback explains the awkward parenting techniques of Michael and Lindsay. You can see the...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 9 "Storming the Castle" January 04, 2004 This ninth episode of Arrested Development when paired up with the next episode, makes for two of the funnier episodes this season. There is much to like here, and a lot to think about. The show mainly focuses on GOB’s life as a (failed) magician, and this is what I was looking forward to seeing. What also intrigued me here is seeing Michael portrayed as a bad guy (after all, he is a Bluth). Up to this point, Michael has been made out as a sympathetic character despite his shortcomings, but here we see a more treacherous side of him. He takes an office chair home from work (which George-Michael points out as stealing), and he schemes away to take Marta from GOB once and for all. It was funny seeing this side of him. There were also B-storylines concerning Maeby’s interest in leather and Buster continuing his relationship with Lucille Austero. These storylines were solid and provided laugh...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 8 "In God We Trust" December 21, 2003 In my earlier review for the last Arrested Development episode, “My Mother, the Car,” I mentioned the episode is a more tight, focused episode compared to other episodes. This episode, “In God We Trust” really revs up the engine. There is so much going on with characters, set locations, and plot. Everything is so big, and it pays off in a handsome way. The episode also has many firsts: the first Christmas episode, the first episode written by Abraham Higginbotham who wrote many of the better episode of the series, we finally learn the reasoning behind Tobias’s cutoff shorts, George Sr escapes for the first time, and we meet two lawyers who would have recurring moments over the course of the series: Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler) and Wayne Jarvis (John Michael Higgins). Let’s discuss these two lawyers because of their importance to the show. It helps that they are two of my favorite g...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 7 "My Mother, the Car" December 14, 2003 Arrested Development is known for being a big comedy with many characters and subplots as we have seen in the previous episode. That being said, “My Mother, the Car” is a smaller, more focused episode. We get little snippets of all the characters, but this episode focuses mainly on Jessica Walter and Jason Bateman. Walter’s Lucille is the series evil ‘villain’ with a drive to control the entire family and business, and she’s at her most evil here. Even though her character is deplorable, the show manages to find sympathy for her. Finding sympathy in despicable characters is hard to do, but creator Mitchell Hurwitz pulls it off very well, especially here. In addition to the mother/son dynamic, there are several other things of note that occurred here. GOB is one of best sitcom characters in all of television history, and this episode furthered that notion. Also, we see a very popular shirt...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 6 "Charity Drive" November 30, 2003 I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, “Charity Drive.” This episode is the sixth episode of the first season of Arrested Development , although it was meant to be the fifth episode. Both episodes have many similarities. The first similarity is that each episode focuses on rapid character development. We get to learn more about these characters and their past. For example, we learn here that Michael has an irrational fear of eating ice cream in his father’s car because he spilled ice cream when he was younger. The second similarity is both episodes were directed by Greg Mottola. People may recognize the name because he would eventually go on to direct the super funny 2007 movie Superbad. Mottola definitely brought his own vision to these episodes. While Mottola exceled at character development, the plot in these episodes are a little scattered. That is to be expected with all of these subplots, but ...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 5 "Visiting Hours"  December 07, 2003 This episode, “Visiting Ours,” is the fifth episode of the first season of Arrested Development . Or maybe it is the sixth? Between the fifth and sixth episodes of the first season, we see that 20 th Century Fox sometimes broadcasted the episodes out of order as is the case here. That being said, I really enjoyed this episode. Each episode is jam-packed with material so I feel these episodes are important by who we meet in each episode. Here, we meet Kitty Sanchez (played incredibly well by Judy Greer). She is George Sr.’s secretary….and apparently she had some kind of extracirricular activities going on with him. She looks attractive on the outside, but somehow seems to turn into a very ugly person without her glasses (part of the joke….but man those eyes are freaky!). This episode is also home to one of the best phrases of the series, “Daddy horny, Michael,” where George Sr. admits he misse...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 4 "Key Decisions" Release Date: November 23, 2003 We are now here at the fourth episode in the first season of Arrested Development and I continue to marvel how the show is able to carry on multiple strong storylines at once. Generally, I would focus on one storyline because the subsequent subplots are often weaker. So far, not in this series. Take for instance this episode, “Key Decisions.” There are three major storylines: Lindsay taking a stand with Johnny Bark (played by Clint Howard, Ron’s brother), GOB claiming he can escape prison with his magic, and Buster finding love with Lucille’s rival (by accident). It amazes me how much care the writers put forth into each storyline. They all add up to a theme where none of the Bluths care about a single thing for more than a day, but that really makes for some fun comedy! Also, we are introduced to another famous prop of the series: The staircar! With all modes of transportation gon...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 3 "Bringing Up Buster"  Release Date: November 16, 2003 When the offspring of a parent is given independence for the first time, how does parents/offspring alike react? That is the question that the extremely-detailed writers try to answer this this incredibly funny and uproarious third episode in Arrested Development’s first season. After staying out of the spotlight in the second episode, Buster Bluth makes a triumphant return in this episode, titled “Bringing Up Buster” (yes, you have noticed this title was ripped off the 1938 screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby. ). There are two important things introduced to us in this episode: fan favorite Steve Holt (!) and the infamous Cornballer. Steve Holt (played brilliantly by Justin Grant Wade) is the high school quarterback whom Maeby has a giant crush on even though Steve Holt is basically a brainless…ahem dolt. Every time we see the guy, he always says his name with the exclamation po...