ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Gets "Off the Hook" (Season 4 Episodes 11-15)

Article first published as ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Gets "Off the Hook" (Season 4 Episodes 11-15) on TheTVKing.

Netflix has resurrected Arrested Development, seven years after its cancellation on FOX, and now, starting this week, presents fifteen brand new episodes. For ease of review purposes, I am breaking down my coverage into three articles covering five episodes each, and this review is for the final five installments.

I was surprised by the lack of finality at the end of the season. Yes, season four was always talked about as a "first act" for either a film or another season. There is more story to tell, and we will presumably get it. But leaving so many things open-ended, from Lucille 2's (Liza Minnelli) disappearance, to George Michael's (Michael Cera) app, to Rebel (Isla Fisher) being torn between father and son, to Gob's (Will Arnett) relationship with Tony Wonder (Ben Stiller), to Linday's (Portia de Rossi) run for office, is unexpected.

Lucille 2's apparent murder or kidnapping is the most enticing unanswered question. She is a memorable character, and considering her increased presence and involvement in season four, it makes it even harder to lose her now. I hope, whatever has happened to her, she's all right, and will survive to get into more wacky situations with the Bluth family in the future.

That's not to say some arcs haven't run their course. While we may get some more milk out of them, Tobias's (David Cross) return to show business with the Fantastic Four musical seems doomed, Michael's (Jason Bateman) movie may be done, the wall Lucille (Jessica Walter) wants to build could be finished, and Maeby's (Alia Shawkat) run as a CEO seems a failure. Yet, based on the way Arrested Development breathes new life into old running gags frequently, these things might not be over with yet, either.

Overall, the final five installments feel much the same as the first ten, partially owing to the fact that they tell the tales of different characters than the early ones. Episode eleven, "A New Attitude," completes Gob's story, but the other four all have new characters at their center, whom were not featured until now. It's a little strange that all of the characters who have two episodes this year have their installments set close together, but it seems to work.

Part of why the flow is not interrupted is because the earliest episodes begin with Michael, and the latest end with George Michael, which may be Michael's most connected-to character in this season. Michael and George Michael have a bit of a falling out, which is finally addressed, but not resolved, in George Michael's episodes, number 13 "It Gets Better" and number 15 "Blockheads." It's this father-son through line that makes the year feel somewhat complete. Plus, Michael appears in almost all fifteen episodes, so he is the thread that keeps everything together.

George Michael's episodes are important because it finally feels like he joins the adult members of the Bluth family in all their craziness. He has his own eccentricities, but his have always seemed tamer and separate from his father, aunt, uncles, and grandparents. Now, though, dating the same girl as Michael, much as Gob and Michael once did, and letting a lie create an entire company, raises him up to their level. I'm not sure this is a good thing, but it does feel like he has a bigger part to contribute.

It's interesting that George Michael finally gets over Maeby at the same time Maeby might actually be interested in him. She won't like him any longer when she realizes he's a big liar, probably, though who knows? However, it's nice to see their dynamic change, and character growth for them.

Maeby's development isn't so much arrested, as moving into a new chapter. In "Señoritis," her episode, the twelfth, she is getting a lifetime achievement award in the film industry, a sure sign that her career is over. She's way too young to be done working and has a bit of an identity crisis, which is what pushes her into trying to run George Michael's non-existent company. This is a Maeby more desperate and insecure than we've seen her before, which is a fascinating direction to take her in.

Buster's (Tony Hale) turn, the fourteenth installment, "Off the Hook," isn't particularly notable. Of all the Arrested Development stars, Buster gets the least to do in this fourth season, rarely seen in other installments. His feature is a very typical, predictable Buster story, with the episode title alluding to the hilarious new attachment on Buster's wrist when he gets rid of his hook. But it doesn't break any fresh ground for him, basically repeating past arcs.

Gob's arc with Tony is one of my favorite Arrested Development bits ever. I adore the way Arnett and Stiller play these roles so sincerely, showing vulnerable men who don't like themselves and love themselves at the same time, unsure what friendship feels like. I doubt they will become a full-fledged couple, as neither really seems gay, but their stunted emotional maturity makes their dealings both awkward and very funny at the same time.

The supporting character I want to see more of in the next Arrested Development incarnation is Steve Holt (Justin Grant Wade). We glimpse him a couple of times, but it's more of a reminder of his existence, than any actual plot. Biological father Gob is wrapped up in his own stuff, so there is no time for Steve, but I'd really like to see the two of them forced to work things out in some manner. Ah, well.

In the end, it feels really good to have Arrested Development back, and I'm grateful for these fifteen episodes, but at the risk of sounding spoiled, it isn't enough. Because of the lack of closure, there absolutely has to be more. It's almost guaranteed to happen, but until production begins, it leaves me a little on edge. The season three finale was more conclusive.

All fifteen episodes of Arrested Development's fourth season are available on Netflix now.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Same "Double Crossers" As Always (Season 4 Episodes 6-10)

Article first published as ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Same "Double Crossers" As Always (Season 4 Episodes 6-10) on TheTVKing.

Netflix has resurrected Arrested Development, seven years after its cancellation on FOX, and now, starting yesterday, presents fifteen brand new episodes. For ease of review purposes, I am breaking down my coverage into three articles covering five episodes each, with this article focusing on episodes 6-10.

The thing that strikes me about the first four of this grouping of five is how much they seem like "typical" Arrested Development episodes. Sure, each one still centers on a single character, technically, but these middle installments include a lot more of the rest of the cast than the earliest episodes do, with more scenes and plot where the featured actor doesn't appear. As such, it allows the multiple story lines to be served and continue.

It also brings back a lot of the family dynamics fans of the show are used to. Beginning in the sixth episode, "Double Crossers," George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) manipulates his children against one another, especially Gob (Will Arnett) and Michael (Jason Bateman), who may possible now be dating the same woman, again. This is classic Bluth shenanigans, and eventually the Bluth children talk and compare notes. While family togetherness is the stated purpose of the Bluth parents, they are happy to chuck it out the door to serve their own purposes, which usually works for a time on their children.

Which is not to say that the kids don't follow in the footsteps of their parents. George Sr. may need Michael's help with his business deal, but Michael is also making agreements in order to get his film made. Soon, many bargains are being struck between the various sides, each Bluth worried only about their own selfish needs, no one helping the others out. Which will likely lead to the failing of everyone, per usual.

Why can't the Bluths just support one another? Why do they have to back stab and bicker? It makes for great, entertaining television, but sometimes it becomes a little sad, even when viewers are laughing.

We also get a return of many more recurring players and subplots. The mysterious Mister F. theme comes back in episode nine, "Smashed," when Tobias works at Lucielle 2's (Liza Minnelli) rehab clinic with her brother (Tommy Tune). Steve Holt (Justin Grant Wade) resurfaces in episode seven, "Colony Collapse," wanting to reconnect with his dad, Gob. Also in the same episode, Gob is finally forced to figure out what to do about his relationship with Anne (Mae Whitman), turning to magic to escape, much to chagrin of her father, Pastor Veal (Alan Tudyk).

Add in the new arcs, which feature new players, and this all begins to come together in the cohesive tale we are accustomed to, with each Bluth's plot running through each other Bluth's plot. Edited differently, these four episodes could easily serve most of the main cast (or at least the ones featured in them) with connected stories and situations, rather than being so concerned with just one Bluth.

In fact, although Michael is not the lead of any of the five, he bickers with Gob in "Double Crossers" and "Colony Collapse," and goes on a double date with Lindsay (Portia di Rossi) in her installment, episode eight's "Red Hairing," which we then again see in Tobias's (David Cross) "Smashed." Then, Michael finishes up his Ron Howard (himself) / Rebel (Isla Fisher) confusion. So the stories are getting more expansive and inclusive.

Episode ten, "Queen B.," though, follows Lucielle (Jessica Walter) and feels like the beginning of the end. This installment seems to finish off the boat chase plot begun in season three's finale, go through Lucille's trial, and takes her all the way up to the Cinco de Cuatro night we've seen so much of. The various threads begin to really tie together, bringing things back around and paying off bits started earlier in season four. I cannot say for sure, but it seems like season four might have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and we're moving into the end now.

Knowing season four can't go on forever, I'm hesitant to rush through the final five. It has been so satisfying returning to these characters, and I don't wish to let them go. For every old story that somewhat concludes, like Anne's involvement with the family and Lucille's long-running feud Lucille 2, we get another continuation, like Gob and Steve Holt's unfinished business, as well as another story just starting, like George Sr. and Oscar's (also Tambor) personality switch, Lucille 2's disappearance, Lindsay's run for office in Love's (Terry Crews) place, and George Michael's (Michael Cera) continuing avoidance of Michael, which seems to be carefully planned. This so much rich material to mine, and it's being handled very well.

That being said, I look forward to learning the fate of some of the newbies that may be near the end of their run, and I'm anxious for Maeby (Alia Shawkat), George Michael, and Buster's (Tony Hale) turns in the pole position, as well a second outing for Gob. Time to watch more Arrested Development!

All fifteen episodes of season four are currently available for Netflix streaming video subscribers.