Search - Arrested Development - Season Two on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 9/3/2022...

Big fan of Jason Bateman and wanted to really like this show but never got there. Bateman was not at his finest hour in this. Try the Ozark series or Bad words movie and you will see the unlimited and fantastic acting ability of Bateman!

*****+ for the funniest show on television!

K. Smith | Nebraska | 07/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Normally I hate it when people (including myself) write reviews for DVDs that haven't even come out yet. But I'm so excited for the 2nd season of Arrested Development to come out on DVD that I'm going to write one anyway! (Don't worry, I'll come back and update the review once I actually get the DVD.)

This is, in my opinion, the funniest show on television. My favorite thing about this show is how it is a "comedy for smart people." If you like dumb and "easy" humor, then there is probably still some stuff in here that you'll enjoy... BUT if you like clever/witty humor, you'll LOVE this show. The more you watch it, the more jokes you'll understand and the more funny the jokes will be. There are even jokes foreshadowing other jokes several episodes down the road (e.g. Buster's "I never thought I'd miss a hand so much" when looking at his old hand chair in "Amigos"). There's no way you could ever catch everything on your first viewing, and that's why the DVDs are so great.

While the 1st season is incredible, I'd have to say that the 2nd season might be even better. The jokes just keep building (so it's even funnier if you've seen the 1st season). The running storyline of Tobias as an "on call" understudy of the blue man group is great... even at the end of the season (well after that story has ended) you can still see blue smudges on everything in the house. The whole thing about Buster losing his hand is hilarious and contributes greatly to my favorite episode of the season, "Motherboy XXX" (which has one of the funniest endings I've ever seen). I could go on and on: the Veals, Gene Parmesan, Mrs. Featherbottom, GOB's wife, Maeby's job, "Scandalmakers"... it just never stops!

FOX cut back this season's original order of 22 episodes to only 18 (allegedly so they could introduce "American Dad"... but there are even jokes about the cut, like when the Bluth Company's order for homes is cut from 22 to 18). While it's disappointing to think we could have had four more episodes, I'm more than willing to trade those four episodes for a whole 3rd season. This is the funniest show on TV!
"

Rush right out and get yourself Arrested!

R. M Simms | Fort Lee, NJ | 09/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Over the past few years there has been much talk about the supposed death of the sitcom on network television. And if those preparing to mourn the genre consider Friends or its ilk to be the standard-bearer, than perhaps they are right.

But maybe, just maybe, with Arrested Development we are seeing the future of the situation comedy... and if that's the case, things are looking up!

Arrested Development isn't your standard "set up a punch line, deliver punch-line, listen to the studio audience roar" show. In fact, rarely is there a set up or punchline, but rather keenly written and expertly delivered dialogue. And rather than the standard "Joey and Phoebe get stuck in an elevator while Rachel and Monica plan Thanksgiving dinner" storylines, Arrested lets each episode unfold in an intricate and intriguing manner with humor that ranges from subtle to sublime.

The basic premise? We're spending time with the Bluth family, who, to borrow a phrase, put the "fun" in dysfunctional. The characters range from maniacal (especially the Emmy-worthy turn by Jessica Walter as matriarch Lucille Bluth) to misguided (perhaps best exemplified by Will Arnett's desperate-for-attention-at-any-cost Gob). These aren't cookie-cutter cardboard characters as you'll find on other comedies. Each is a fascinating character study, with flaws and faults and quirks unlike those seen in other television households.

Best of all - and perhaps the main reason to purchase the DVD - the show is (gasp) laugh-out-loud funny and will be whether this is the first or one-hundred-and-first time you view the episodes.

Comedy, dead? Not as long as the Bluth family are around!"

Primetime Delight

Andrew | Chicago, IL, USA | 08/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the second season of the critically acclaimed Arrested Development, the show continues to display the clever wit, stellar acting, and overall insanity that won multiple Emmys, including the award for Outstanding Comedy Series, in the first season. The show is set in Orange County, California, and follows the exploits of the Bluth family. While they were once one of the richest families in the country, they lost nearly everything when George Bluth, Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) was arrested for white collar crime. However, at the end of last year, it was revealed that he had also committed "light treason" by building houses in Iraq for Saddam Hussein. George's son Michael (Jason Bateman), who is basically the only sane member of the Bluth family, was forced to take over, while the rest of his clueless family continued buying, mooching, and acting as if nothing had happened.
The year starts off as Michael and his son George Michael (Michael Cera) are driving to Arizona in order to once and for all escape the greed and corruption of their family life. However, Michael soon learns that, since his father had escaped after faking a heart attack, he is next in line to be prosecuted. His family posts bail, so while Michael is allowed to go to work, live at home, and for the most part live his life, he is banned from leaving the state, forcing him to once again help out his family. With Michael under investigation, his older brother GOB (Will Arnett), short for George Oscar Bluth, Jr., becomes the new president of the Bluth corporation, while Michael secretly pulls the strings. This of course leads to many catastrophes due to GOB's greed, arrogance, and overall incompetance (remember, GOB is one of the world's worst magicians, yet he believes himself to be the next Copperfield).
Meanwhile at home, Michael's mother Lucille (Jessica Walter) restarts an old affair with George's twin brother Oscar Bluth (also played by Tambor), and she sends poor Annyong (Justin Lee), her adopted Korean son, away to the Milford Boarding School. Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) and Tobias (David Cross) decide to try an open marriage in an attempt to save their marriage. At the same time, Tobias decides to try out for the Blue Man Group (the stage show, not the depression focus group). And Maeby (Alia Shawkat) becomes jealous that George Michael is spending most of his time with his new (and very religious) girlfriend, Ann Veal (now played by Mae Whitman). Lucille is confronted by a Michael Moore lookalike, she enlists Buster (Tony Hale) in the army, unaware that there is a war going on in the Middle East. Finally, Ron Howard is absolutely brilliant as the show's narrator. He often fills us in on references made by the family members, and he even picks on a few characters.
Early on, George, Sr. returns home, and spends most of the season hiding out in the attic of the model home, with Michael as his confidante. He observes many of the going-ons around the house, many of which go way beyond bizarre. The stories this year involve Buster going AWOL from the army in order to play the crane game at a small carnival, GOB playing AGAINST the Bluth company in a corporate softball game against a rival developping company, Ann getting left in Mexico by Michael, and a dishonest campaign to try to get George Michael elected to Student Body President.
The single-episode stories are all hilarious (I can't think of a single bad episode), but it's the multi-episode story arcs that make me laugh the hardest. Buster's army training is hilarious to watch, seeing as how he is a mama's boy who is prone to panic attacks, and it gets even better when he tries to put his training to use. GOB's puppet Franklin is utilized incredibly well, especially when he tries to make a CD of his act called "Franklin Comes Alive". When Maeby conned her way into an executive position at a movie studio, the results were all hilarious, and Michael's undying dislike of Ann, as well as his inability to remember her name or what she looks like were great. Unlike most comedy shows, Arrested Development is fairly serialized, and it foreshadows many of its plots and jokes (pay extra attention when, in an early episode, Buster says, "I never thought that I'd miss a hand so much," when he refers to an old hand-shaped chair).
The season is consistently funny; I can't remember a single dull episode. In fact, the quality of the jokes increase as the season goes on, leading to the season finale, which actually had me falling out of my seat, because I was laughing so hard. Make no mistake, the early episodes are great and will make you laugh out loud (the second one features what I believe to be the greatest game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in history), but as the story develops, and there are more and more things to reference and build upon, things just explode at the end.
While the main cast are all hilarious and extremely talented, the weekly guest stars should not be overlooked. The family attorney, Barry Zuckercorn (Henry Winkler), returns and is more incompetant than ever. George, Sr's old secretary Kitty Sanchez (Judy Greer) makes a welcome return and is involved in a few very unexpected plot twists. Also, a few other great side characters return from Season 1, including Liza Minelli as Lucille 2 and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the dishonest attorney Maggie Lizer. But this year, we are introduced to a bunch of new and very hilarious characters. Gene Parmesan (Martin Mull) is a private investigator who is terrible with disguises, but he is always able to fool Lucille. Tony Wonder (Ben Stiller) plays one of GOB's rival magicians, while Stiller's wife Christine Taylor plays Sally Sitwell, one of Michael's old flames. We are also treated to Zach Braff, Alan Tudyk, Iona Skye, Dave Attel, Tom Jane, and Martin Short.
Sadly for the show, the ratings are not very high. Despite a rabid fanbase and nearly unaminous critical acclaim, Arrested Development is struggling (the fact that it is extremely self-referential may be a factor, and I advise everyone to see Season 1 before this, or at least a quarter of the jokes will go over your head). In fact, there are only 18 episodes this year because the network wasn't sure if it was worth keeping this show on. However, even in the face of adversity, the show was still able to joke about its predicament. At one point, Michael is shocked to learn that a customer had reduced his order from 22 to 18 houses, and in real life, FOX cut the episode order from 22 to 18. Also, a popular website was plauged by Family Guy pop-up ads (another reason the show was cut short was to get Family Guy and American Dad on quicker). Also, the show gets in a great jab at its more popular competitor Desperate Housewives.
I guess the one gripe that I have with this set is the fact that the episodes are in broadcast order as opposed to production order. Seeing as how the show is very serialized for a comedy, episode order matters more than it would on a show like The Simpsons. The good thing is that only one episode was aired out of order, and that is The Sword of Destiny. It is supposed to be the second to last episode (right before Righteous Brothers), but instead, it comes a few episodes early. While continuity isn't messed up too terribly, there are a few things that someone wouldn't understand if they didn't know about the order problem. For example, something that happens at the very end of SoD (in the "On the Next Arrested Development" segment) isn't "fixed" until Righteous Brothers, which makes sense since RB should have been the next episode (hint: look for the band-aids on GOB's fingers). But, if that is the worst problem, then things aren't so bad.
Fortunately, the FOX executives are smart enough to realize that this is an amazing show that will win them plenty of awards, and they decided to give it a third season even though its numbers continued to be poor throughout two seasons (the fact that Arrested Development won USA Today's Save Our Show poll and came in second in the E! poll probably helped a lot).
This is a collection that no Arrested Development fan should be without. And if you're not a fan, definitely start watching. No other show on television is this funny, clever, or just plain fun. Do yourself a favor and get arrested."