"Arrested Development" Season Three Talkback (Spoilers)

[Hatter]

Oh man, what great eps. Loved the bleeped word discussion, George Sr. going into the wrong tent, escaping in the Pope-mobile, and George-Michael & Tobias' reaction to having something thrown at them...
Second ep was pretty good, too... Tobias in a mole costume was a bit much, until it turned into a kaiju battle. That was genius.
I look forward to seeing George Sr.'s adventures in the crawl-space.

 

[Sr.Infierno]

Astro Boy reference!

George Sr. running from the rat was priceless!

The Kaiju battle was awesome!

 

[Fone Bone]

The first episode was great but the second one easily had the funniest ending this show has ever done. I laughed HARD at the handprint note Rita left and finding out that what she wanted was really a chocolate bar. I don't care how politically incorrect it is, having Charlize Theron playing a mentally challenged character was a stroke of genius. I also have to say it will probably be fun rewatching her earlier eps to pick up clues.

I was SO glad George Micheal didn't have to join the army. And good news about Ann ditching him. I still am a George Micheal Maeby shipper and I was disappointed nothing was happening on that front in either of these episodes.

I LOVE Bob Loblaw. He is almost as funny as Barry Zuckercorn but in a VERY understated way.

I loved Tobias' early mix-up with the guy at the gym. If there were still any doubts about him that erased them.

I loved both episodes but the second was one of my favorites ever. First ep: ****. Second ep: *****

 

[Lord Dalek]

OMGAnyong.

 

[Animelee]

The first episode was great but the second one easily had the funniest ending this show has ever done. I laughed HARD at the handprint note Rita left and finding out that what she wanted was really a chocolate bar. I don't care how politically incorrect it is, having Charlize Theron playing a mentally challenged character was a stroke of genius.

Isn't that a tad contradictory? Saying you couldn't care less about being PC, and then using a PC term?


I found the MR F thing offensive, actually. I didn't think Arrested would stoop as low as Family Guy does. I mean, you expect that kind of stuff from Family Guy, but Arrested is known for its sophisticated humor, and not picking on people who unfortunately drew genetically-mutated shortstraws.

It's funny how FOX censors things that won't hurt anyone (fart jokes and gay marriage issues), but when it comes to things like picking on people with mental retardation, Down's syndrome, psychological disorders, blindness, etc. -- no one could give two *****.

 

[Fone Bone]

Isn't that a tad contradictory? Saying you couldn't care less about being PC, and then using a PC term?

A witty TV show doing a mentally challenged joke in an unexpected way=okay. A not particularly funny Toon Zone poster such as myself commenting on it in a mean-spirited way=Not okay.

I found the MR F thing offensive, actually. I didn't think Arrested would stoop as low as Family Guy does. I mean, you expect that kind of stuff from Family Guy, but Arrested is known for its sophisticated humor, and not picking on people who unfortunately drew genetically-mutated shortstraws.

I understand this viewpoint, I really do. As a person with schizo-effective I know that a lot of shows can be offensive to people with disabilities. But to say this is not something that AD usually does is just not true. Half of AD's cast is mentally unbalanced and it has done a pretty thorough job of making fun of alchoholics, gay people, blind people and people in wheelchairs during it's run. I think AD is a very sophisticated show too but it has NEVER shyed away from cheap laughs at other people's expense. It's just that when it does it, it does it in unexpected and clever ways. I really LIKED the revelation about Rita because I didn't see it coming and it explained a LOT about the character's odd behavior in previous episodes. It worked on a different level than simply OMG what a retard! That is usually how AD does "cheap" laughs and is the reason a lot of people often forget how much they use them.

It's funny how FOX censors things that won't hurt anyone (fart jokes and gay marriage issues), but when it comes to things like picking on people with mental retardation, Down's syndrome, psychological disorders, blindness, etc. -- no one could give two *****.

Fox's censoring policy is so puzzling that I won't even TRY to get into a serious conversation about it. That new Trading Spouses ad is so horrible in depicting an obviously unbalanced woman as a monster and seems to be a slam against Christians in general by some of the insane religious stuff she spouts. That seems to be perfectly okay but animated butts? A threat to the decency of America.

 

[RD!]

I really LIKED the revelation about Rita because I didn't see it coming and it explained a LOT about the character's odd behavior in previous episodes.

 

[Christopher Glennon]

OMGAnyong.

Heh, I said the same thing...now THERE was a cameo I didn't see coming!

Two great episodes. There's just way too many funny things to name (although the bleeping and Tobias telling George Michael to have sex with Ann was a highlight). I actually feel sorry for George Michael, I mean, to have Ann say that she's outgrown him? Geez, the poor guy can't catch a break.

I still can't believe the truth about Rita. Wee Brain...nice pic, Strawberry, but there has to be so much more. I'm having trouble coming up with examples from past episodes about Rita being an MRF. It's not like she's completely out of it, she and Michael have had normal conversations. Can anyone think of any huge "Duh!" moment when you go back and re-watch it?

 

[Hero Supreme]

Heh, I said the same thing...now THERE was a cameo I didn't see coming!

Two great episodes. There's just way too many funny things to name (although the bleeping and Tobias telling George Michael to have sex with Ann was a highlight). I actually feel sorry for George Michael, I mean, to have Ann say that she's outgrown him? Geez, the poor guy can't catch a break.

I still can't believe the truth about Rita. Wee Brain...nice pic, Strawberry, but there has to be so much more. I'm having trouble coming up with examples from past episodes about Rita being an MRF. It's not like she's completely out of it, she and Michael have had normal conversations. Can anyone think of any huge "Duh!" moment when you go back and re-watch it?

well, not are overtly obvious, but if you rewatch you will definitely see the clues. she is fingerpainting with the kids and implies that she is well behaved in class, she loves riding the mechanical space shuttle, she won a silver medal in the "olympics," her dad refered to her as a "stupid person" in his family. and look at her outfits.

 

[Eddie G.]

I watched this season pretty much knowing about Rita from the start and was a little shocked that not a lot of other people had figured it out.

Also, don't take this as a completly absurd idea. I did know a mentally retarded man who was able to flirt with women and actually get himself some dates before the women figured it out. There really wasn't any specific scene where she didn't come off as atleast mildy retarded.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

OMGAnyong.

That and the fight at the end was what made the second episode so much better than the first! And we got to see Maeby in her executive position again!

I kinda had an idea she was a bit weird (what with the toy plane at the American restaurant, the Oympics, her general behaviour in certain situations, her eating of food - and paper), so I kinda figured that something would be brought in to explain it all.

What I'm most looking forward to, however, is Michael and Rita's "wedding".

 

[Peter Paltridge]

This show is much easier to understand now that I have a DVD-R and can rewind to replay any joke that didn't make sense the first time. I find myself rewinding every other gag--you miss one and everything falls apart.

There have been many feats of writing, but concealing Rita's retardedness for over five episodes while still having it show has to rank among the biggest. Out of all the nerdy, overanalyzing internet fans, nobody ever guessed. How'dtheyDOthat??

 

[Stewie]

I am the nerdy.

Out of all the nerdy, overanalyzing internet fans, nobody ever guessed. How'dtheyDOthat??

From Page One of this thread.

We're supposed to think she's in with the threatening British people, but she's actually mentally challenged?

And someone else said that they knew it. Eddie G.

 

[Fone Bone]

I loved tonight's episode. I think my favorite thing was that even though they did a lot of silly gags with Rita she was still portrayed as so nice and sweet. Micheal's last scene with her was great and was about as touching a scene as this show has ever done. George Micheal's scene with Micheal was touching too even though it was funnier. I think everybody's worries about the show taking a cheap shot at the disabled turned out to be unwarranted. Yes, there were a couple of tasteless gags. But Rita is such a neat character and I really liked her and her relationship to Micheal.

I also liked her uncle's "cricket" magazines and that a year ago she looked like the lady from Monster. *****.

 

[VCXZX]

While not the best AD, the best part were the various continuty. It saved the show this week, since Charlize Theron dominated the past few weeks and wasn't the best character.

 

[Carolina Red]

Charlize Theron really accentuated the fact that Rita is a mentally retarded female, considering that we know now that Rita is one. She was actually better this time around. The cricket magazine stuff was pretty good.

Buster in the car was great, but I actually noticed a good allusion there - Tony Hale was in a famous Volkswagen commercial a few years ago. I don't remember if he was the driver or the passenger in the car with Styx on the stereo.

The Water Walker - hmm, wasn't Love Indubitably bad enough? Gob's illusion he made was pretty cool.

I guess George Michael isn't getting away from that old Star Wars routine that easy.

 

[Stewie]

Buster in the car was great, but I actually noticed a good allusion there - Tony Hale was in a famous Volkswagen commercial a few years ago. I don't remember if he was the driver or the passenger in the car with Styx on the stereo.

He was in the Styx one? Cool.

That was a bad commercial. It was fun and entertaining and all, but it made
people think that Styx was good to listen to.

 

[Christopher Glennon]

That Monster thing was great, and I totally didn't see it coming. I liked how Ron Howard said this creeps him out and how George Michael knows all the laws about marrying your cousin in California. Plus one of the funniest "Next time on Arrested Development" gags ever.

I really did feel sorry for Rita, but at least now I know the reason I didn't pick up on her retardation was the fact that she spoke with an English accent.

 

[ClockStomper]

Damn you FOX! I didn't know new episodes were airing again...

Has FOX ever aired commercials for this show? Never seen one.

 

[EightOh]

http://www.eurotuned.com/media/vwcommercials_nolinking/Golf-mister-roboto.mov

Tony Hale's Mr. Roboto commercial.

What can I say? I'm crazy about the little dullard!

Hilarious. It was kind of slow early on (not without its moments, of course, but "slow" by AD standards), but by the midway point, it was ROLLING.

I loved the aforementioned VW commercial, and it was yet another great callback (my favorite was easily Uncle Trevor's response to Rita wanting to make Pop-Pop, though); in the end, however, it was, err, the end that stole the show. Best "On the Next" segment EVER.

"Not going to be easy, she's an Olympic silver--just figured that one out."

Jason Bateman's delivery of that line was beyond perfect.