Arrested Development: Season 2 DVD: Review By Dodd

In the jungle of crap on television known as reality shows, I am glad I can still find solace in smart entertainment. Television networks may have done away with sitcoms in favor of one-hour crime programs and reality programming, but there is still a comic gem on the air. Thank god for Arrested Development.

I remember when the show hit the airwaves two years ago that I had little interest in investing my time. Despite the rave reviews coming from all directions, the previews didn't look as funny as the critic blurbs touted. When MovieWeb let me cover the first season, I took in every episode laughing, and wondering why I couldn't sit down before for just thirty minutes to see why this show is so brilliant.

The second season is now available on DVD, and my opinion remains consistent: Arrested Development is not only the funniest shows on television, but it may be one of the funniest shows in the history of television.

The second season rejoins us with the adoring Bluth family. George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) is incarcerated for illegal business practice, and has left the family business for middle child Michael (Jason Bateman) to clean up. Of course, this is not what Michael wants to be doing with his life. Thanks to the spoiled, lazy attitudes of his family members, he is their only hope.

His brother GOB (Will Arnett) is a moron magician, his twin sister Lindsey (Portia de Rossi) is a materialistic drama queen, and his borther-in-law Tobias (David Cross) is a nude phobic therapist-turned-actor that is sexually ambiguous. Of course I failed to mention his simple-minded brother Buster (Tony Hale) and his bitchy mother Lucille (Jessica Walter).

The second season picks up from the last season and focuses on the Bluth Company's dealings with Iraq. George Sr. escapes from prison only to find himself jealous when his twin brother Oscar has an affair with his wife. George Michael (Michael Cera) is still infatuated with his cousin Maeby (Alia Shawkat), or is she now infatuated with him? GOB has aspirations of taking over the company. Last, but not least, Tobias and Lindsey experiment with extramarital relations while Tobias aspires to join the Blue Man Group.

To explain the season any further would be a crime. Arrested Development is not gross or obnoxious. It wins the laughter of those willing to take in the punch lines and deliveries. The writing is what makes the show solid gold, and the cast is such a winning ensemble that I will sob if any of them quit the show. The show's shaky doc*mentary feel is similar to the films of Christopher Guest and makes the audience feel like the Bluths could indeed be out there among us. Perhaps what makes the Bluths so entertaining is that we know there are people out there just like them.

The special features go on a little diet after the first season. It looks like the featurettes were burned up the first time around.

There are commentary tracks on three of the episodes with the same ensemble on each one. This includes creator Michael Hurwitz, and stars Will Arnett, Dave Cross, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Jessica Walter, and Tony Hale. I can't say I got too much insight on the show's production, but these actors are a hoot. Arnett and Cross are definitely the clowns of the pack.

There is a selection of deleted scenes and extensions on each disc. The deleted scenes are the usually batch of good eggs and bad eggs. Some of them are classic and were clearly cut for time constraints. Others are just plain pointless.

There is a blooper reel that proves to be worthwhile thanks to the talented cast living it up on the set. As well, there are a series of campaign ads used in the episodes, that one can watch by themselves.

The picture is in widescreen (1.78:1 Aspect Ratio). The show did not require much restoration since it only premiered last year and it shot on higher quality film stock with one camera. The aesthetic of the show is a doc*mentary feel that is a little shaky, but does overdo things by making us nauseous.

The sound is 2.0 Dolby Surround. Like most television shows, it is not equipped with a 5.1 track to blow us away. The show is pretty quiet for the most part, and I had no problems taking in the humor. It sounds just like it does on television, except this time on a DVD player.

Three discs come in their own thin cases. The cases are packaged in a thick sleeve. Each case shows listings of the episodes along with descriptions and airdates.

The second season of Arrested Development is winning and hilarious down to its very core. I cannot think of a funnier show on television than this one. Will Arnett and David Cross are especially scene-stealers as GOB and Tobias.

My Recommendation: Buy this DVD for laughs! Not willing to risk the blind purchase? Then please find the third season on Fox and watch it regularly. The ratings for this comic gem fall lower every year and I fear it will cease to exist next season.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com