The Plaid Pladd

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After much debate, Steven and I decided that TV show seasons we own should be reported on by DVD instead of by season. Because the whole point of the project is to watch all our DVDs. Also it’ll better keep us on track, especially in the interminable year it’ll probably takes us to get through all Steven’s Stargates. So this report covers the first disc of Arrested Development season one, which is the first six episodes.

Summary
Episode 1: Pilot
George Bluth Sr. is arrested by the SEC at his retirement party after naming his wife Lucile his successor instead of his son Michael. Michael is pissed and tells his son George Michael that THEY’RE LEAVING SO THERE. He’s eventually convinced to stay through guilt from his son, his father, and the rest of his family.

Episode 2: Top Banana
Michael forces George Michael to hire his cousin Maeby at the family’s banana stand, not knowing that George Michael is trying to work extra hours there specifically to avoid her and his awkward crush. George Senior is still trying to run things from jail, including hiring an ex-con arsonist to destroy evidence, giving George Michael the idea to burn down the banana stand to escape his problems. Gob tries to dramatically hurl things into the ocean.

Episode 3: Bringing Up Buster
George Michael auditions for a role in the school play in the hopes of getting to kiss his cousin Maeby, who’s auditioning in the hopes of getting to kiss Steve Holt.

Buster crashes his bike. Everyone who goes near the corn baller regrets it.

Episode 4: Key Decisions
Gob tries to break out of prison as a publicity stunt, only kind of succeeding when he’s rushed out in an ambulance after getting stabbed by White Power Bill. Michael escorts Gob’s girlfriend Marta to an award show and starts to fall in love with her. Buster accidentally flirts with his mom’s friend (also named Lucille) while mostly-blind without his glasses.

Episode 5: Visiting Ours
Michael asks Gob to help get some info from George Senior’s secretary, Kitty, because Kitty has a crush on him. Gob is beaten up by the prison warden and accidentally witnesses his parents in the conjugal trailer. Taking the stair car to prison turns out to be a bad idea.

Episode 6: Charity Drive
Lucille and Lindsey both prepare for the bachelorette auction despite being married. To prove to each other that they are capable of good deeds, Lindsey gets lost in the wetlands and Michael kidnaps a woman. Buster accidentally bids on Lucille 2 instead of his mother, and George Senior finally confesses to Michael.

Trish’s Review

I love Arrested Development too much, and it’s so great so early on. Some shows take a season or more to really hit their stride, but these episodes are awesome and already filled with the memorable parts people love to quote.

Rating: 5 out of 5 frozen bananas
Kill/Fuck/Marry: Kill Tobias because he’s the most painfully awkward and it makes me embarrassed for him to the point where I’m physically uncomfortable. Fuck Lindsey because she’s obvs the hottest. Marry Marta, Gob’s girlfriend and Spanish-language TV star. Because she seems nice, unlike literally anyone else on the cast.

Steven’s Review

Arrested Development is one of those shows that took me awhile to get into. It’s not that the humor isn’t great (it’s hilariously on point at all times) or that the acting is poor (it’s superb on all counts). It’s just the physical gut-wrenching awkwardness of some of the characters, which their actors portray to perfection. Still, it’s kind of like the proverbial trainwreck; you just can’t look away. After all, it’s the show that gave us the most punchable face of our generation: Michael Cera.

Rating: 5 out of 5 prison shankings

Kill/Fuck/Marry: Kill Tobias because it’s honestly for his own good at this point, as well as everyone else’s. Fuck Lindsey, but you have to convince her that by doing so she’ll be spiting either her mother, her brother, or her husband. That ensures best performance, apparently. Oh, and marry Lucille 2, who is clearly single, wealthy, caring, and apparently not mentally unstable (unlike most of the rest of the cast).

Previously: 10 Things I Hate About You
Next: Arrested Development 1.2