Arrested Development: Double Crossers, Review
Even on its bad days, its better than most shows. Is this a bad day or just plot-heavy? Is George going to start living as a woman? Come find out.
I mentioned this in my first review of the new season of Arrested Development, but let me reiterate; it is super difficult to fairly review an episode of this season after only one watch through and without having seen the remainder of the episodes. The way that the new season is set up, with each character having their own episodes that involve action that intercuts with other character’s stories, means that certain plot points, jokes, and sight gags don’t quite pay off until after you see the same scene from another character’s perspective or watch the scene for a second time with new information from other episodes. I gave the first George Sr. episode only 3 stars out of 5 after my initial screening, but after moving further into the depths of season four, I think maybe I should have given the episode an extra half point. There were so many things that whizzed right by me, that in hindsight and with new info, were actually well executed and crafted jokes.George Sr.’s second episode of the season also seems to be troubled like the first, but not as much. The problem is that George’s storyline is one of the more convoluted and uninteresting threads running through the big, overall picture, but this time around he at least has some help livening things up. Not only does John Slattery get another guest-run as the hilariously inept, disgraced anesthesiologist Dr. Norman, but Terry Crews also pops up as Herbert Love, a right-winged republican with the swagger and catchphrases of Herman Cain. Also, unlike his first episode, George gets more time with his family, making deals with Michael, taking orders from Lucile, and giving the criminally underused Gob something to do. George Sr. spends the episode still fixated upon erecting a wall between Mexico and the United States, well, that is until Lucile puzzlingly orders him to make sure that Herbert Love DOESN’T try to erect a wall. All while this is happening, George Sr. starts acting weaker and more feminine, sprouting off self-conscious lines like, “I was just wearing this blouse because I was driving…and I hate my arms.” Another thing that the episode benefits from, and that most of the later episodes benefit from, is extended time with Michael. After his second episode, it seems that the later episodes save a little time to clue you in on what Michael is up to, and this time around that’s drinking a ton of Mike’s Hard Lemonades in the model home while catching up with his brother Gob.Without a doubt, George Sr.’s episodes are the weakest of the new batch of Arrested Development, but that’s because they’re the most plot heavy, and I think that in the end, they will have a lot of significance in bringing everyone together. You also can’t blame Jeffery Tambor, who slays the audience like the George Sr. of yesteryear, but this time wearing red wigs and acting like a menopausal grandmother. Even when it’s subpar, Arrested Development is still funnier and better than most programs on air.
The Best of the Rest
When Oscar talks about his “sweaty old hot box”, Lucile thinks he’s referring to, what in an early season was referred to as, her “musty old claptrap.”Gob breaks the countertop of the model home by trying to uncap a bottle of twist off top Mike’s Hard Lemonade.Buster’s cartography background comes back into play after George realizes that the land he plans on selling is actually in Mexico.Gob shows up to the sweat lodge with a limo full of bees.George, with the help of Buster, films himself driving around silo to give the impression that he’s driving past a long wall. The circular driving, of course, makes Buster sick.At the end of the episode it is inferred that George is going to begin living life as a woman.Dr. Norman: You know, the Hopi Indians believed that this spot here, when manipulated, can create sexual feelings.George: That’s my penis.
Den Of Geek Score: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
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Nick Harley is an entertainment journalist and alumnus of Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Nick also works as a Senior Content Specialist for the…