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Arrested Development: Smashed

"FANTASTIC FOUR
IN 15 MINUTES
NO KIDS"

This episode alone was so funny that it made the whole season worth it. The plot is much more visibly coming together, too. Unlike this off, way off-Broadway production.

Tobias's megalomania and lack of talent led to the production of an 8-minute-long musical about the Fantastic Four, containing the atrocious five :

1) a pitiful plot;
2) ridiculous choreography;
3) childish scenario;
4) repetitive music; and
5) terrible amateur actors.

It was also illegal and caused one member of the cast to fall off the wagon and do drugs. If you haven't seen Smashed, it might sound depressing (and I pity DeBrie, the poor girl), but it made for a hilarious episode.

I spoke of his lack of talent as an actor/writer/producer, but he is an even worse therapist. His pep talks, both to Michael and to DeBrie were just awful. How long did he get away with it?

On the side, but intersecting sometimes, Michael's story also advanced a little bit. The scene where he confronts Ron Howard was very funny, as was the moment of revelation, but his plot felt much more like an afterthought.

All in all, dreadful musical theater and an injection of Lucille's snark made this an enjoyable episode, a turning point for the season. And for the better.

Bits and Pieces

- The audition reel for Dr. House was greatly overacted.

- Gob's celebrity lover is so obviously Rebel that I'm starting to suspect it's not her.

- Ron Howard is a terrible actor. I'm not a fan of his directing, either, but he's a great narrator for this show.

- Only now do I realize DeBrie's name is a pun on "debris". I don't think I like it.

A few funny lines

Tobias: "I'm also an analyst and a therapist, which makes me..."
Narrator: "Prison had taught Tobias at least one thing..."
Tobias: "...a theralyst."

Lucille: "Hello, anus tart."
Narrator: "And she never even saw the license plate."

Tobias: "I was arrested as a sex offender, but at least I knew it was my daughter I was arrested for coming on to."

Narrator: "And so DeBrie, who had been in the safe harbor of a drug-free zone, found herself in the free drug zone of an unsafe harbor."

Three and a half tap dancing rehab center directors.

1 comment:

  1. This really was one of the best (if not the best) of the season. It felt much more like original run AD. Stuff is finally beginning to pay off and it's such a relief.

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