Arrested Development Season 4 Episodes 7- Review

Episode 7 - Colony Collapse - Gob

I really wanted to like this episode.  Gob is a personal favorite. So I was highly anticipating this episode. Unfortunately I was let down.

THE NEGATIVE

The plot spends a lot of time focusing on Gob's romance with Anne.  The show portrays her as dull and forgettable for a reason. She's just not pleasant. Then to make matters worse, they played up her Christian background. As a Christian, I'm certainly biased, but I just didn't find it remotely funny.

THE POSITIVE

The rest of the episode was exactly what I was hoping for.  Gob getting into all kinds of clueless situations.  Tony Wonder makes a welcome return.

The season is in full swing, and the plot lines are starting to cross each other and making things interesting.  By this point in the season I'm convinced I need to re-watch the season as soon as I finish watching it.  That may be a first time I've felt that way.

RATING - 6.75 out of 10

Episode 8 - Red Hairing - Lindsay

The first half of the episode spent far too much time focusing on the things I don't like about this season.  Scenes about single old characters spending time with single new characters aren't terribly interesting. Those moments feel like they're just a spin-off.  So it was a bit dull to me.


However, once the episode got going things got much better. The last half of the episode actually moved the story forward, and we learned a bit more about what's going on. The call backs are in full swing and the cameos are paying off.  

On the flip, at this point we've barely seen Buster!

RATING - 7 out of 10

Episode 9 - Smashed - Tobias

Another solid episode. Perhaps it's because my expectations have reset, but the season seems to be getting much better as it goes along.  

Tobias continues to seem far more empathetic than ever before, and he's found a wonderful new role in life: MUSICAL DIRECTOR.

I think for the first time ever, I'm watching a season and wanting it to be over just so I can quickly watch it again.


RATING - 7.5 out of 10

Episode 10 - Queen B. - Lucille

Lucille like George Sr. is not a terribly interesting or funny character to me.   She's written to be unlikeable  and unrelatable. In the ensemble she serves a distinct purpose, but alone she's just her unpleasant self.  So an episode dedicated to her was always going to be an up hill battle with me.  

In the end my skepticism towards the episode was both affirmed and disproven.   When the episode focused on her alone I was usually disappointed.  When it tied together the web of story lines, I was hooked.  The episode was always enjoyable, but it works best when tying stories together.

By this point in the season I'm starting to wonder if I will like the early episodes a lot more upon a second viewing.

RATING - 6.5 out of 10