DVD REVIEW: Arrested Development: Season 3

Episodes: 13
Run: September 19, 2005-February 10, 2006
Broadcasted on Fox Network
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
Starring:
Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth
Portia de Rossi as Lindsay Bluth Fünke
Will Arnett as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II
Michael Cera as George Michael Bluth
Alia Shawkat as Maeby Fünke
Tony Hale as Byron "Buster" Bluth
David Cross as Tobias Fünke
Jeffrey Tambor as Geogre Bluth, Sr. and Oscar Bluth
Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth
Ron Howard as The Narrator

Guest stars for Season 3:
Henry Winkler as Barry Zuckerkorn
John Beard as Himself
Justin Grant Wade as Steve Holt
Justine Bateman as Nellie
Mae Whitman as Ann Veal
John Michael Higgins as Wayne Jarvis
BW Gonzalez as Lupe
Charlize Theron as Rita Leeds
Dave Thomas as Uncle Trevor
Justin Lee as Annyong
James Lipton as Warden Gentiles
Scott Baio as Bob Loblaw
Bob Einstein as Larry Mittleman
Nathalia Ramos as Hope Loblaw
Jamie Kennedy as Himself
Frankie Muniz as himself
Steve Ryan as J. Walter Weatherman
Andy Richter as himself, Donnie Richter, Larry Richter, Rocky Richter, and Emmitt Richter
Judge Reinhold as himself
Bud Cort as Himself
Carrie Preston as Jan Eagleman
William Hung as himself
Andy Dick as himself
John Fremont as Brian
Peter Michael Goetz as Dr. Farmer
Bronwen Masters as Adelaide
Rob Riggle as Representative John van Heusen
Ben Stiller as Tony Wonder
Richard Belzer as himself in "S.O.B.s" and as Detective John Munch
John Larroquette as himself
Zach Braff as Phillip Litt
Gary Cole as Richard Shaw
Jeff Garlin as Mort Meyers
Ed Begley Jr. as Stan Sitwell
Jim Cramer as himself
Charlie Hartsock as Ted

In the third season, Michael once again begins searching for his runaway father. Gob gets an invitation to a father/son reunion outing, and believes it to be George Sr. trying to contact him. In reality, the invitation was meant to reunite Gob with Steve Holt, son of Eve Holt, a girl with whom he had slept in high school. Meanwhile, George Michael and Maeby deal with their previous kiss by avoiding each other.

George Sr., in an attempt to remain in disguise, joins the Blue Man Group. Michael discovers this, and arranges to have his father placed under house arrest. George Sr. claims that he was set up by an underground British group. Michael goes to Wee Britain, a fictional British-themed city district, to investigate, and in the process meets new love interest Rita (Charlize Theron). Michael and the audience are led to believe that Rita is a mole for the underground British group, working for a man named "Mr. F." In the end of the episode titled "Mr. F," it is revealed that Rita is actually an MRF, or "mentally retarded female." The unknowing Michael proposes to her, and the couple run off to be wed. Michael eventually finds out the truth, however; despite this, the family pushes him to go forward with the marriage because Rita is, in fact, quite wealthy and they desperately want the money. Michael is not persuaded, and gently ends the relationship just as he and Rita are about to walk down the aisle. Meanwhile, Tobias and Lindsay variously seek legal help from Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio) concerning their troubled marriage.

Disturbed by both Lindsay's and Tobias's advances, Bob Loblaw chooses to no longer represent the Bluth family. Attorney Jan Eagleman offers to represent the family, on the condition that they participate in a mock trial in a new reality courtroom show called, and presided over by Judge Reinhold. Michael uses an illegal threat from prosecutors to have the mock case "dismissed," while Gob and Franklin briefly appear in another eponymous courtroom show presided over by Bud Cort. Meanwhile, Maeby and George Michael perform in a mock wedding which is accidentally conducted by a real priest, and the two become legally married.

The family members are afraid to testify at the mock trial and later deposition, so Buster fakes a coma, Lindsay and Lucille fake entering rehab, and Gob flees the country to perform in a USO Tour in Iraq. All of the deceptions are uncovered by the prosecution, and in Iraq, Gob is arrested for inadvertently inciting an anti-US riot. Buster and Michael travel to Iraq to rescue Gob, and while there, uncover evidence that the mini-palaces George Sr. built in Iraq were actually ordered and paid for by the CIA for wiretapping purposes. After this discovery, the US government drops all of the charges against George Sr.

To celebrate, the Bluths throw a shareholders' party on the RMS Queen Mary. During preparation for the party, it is revealed that Lindsay was adopted, meaning that George Michael and Maeby are not blood relatives. At the party, the Bluth's other adopted child, Annyong, reappears. He reveals that he is there to avenge his grandfather's deportation, an event orchestrated many years earlier by Lucille Bluth. Annyong has turned over evidence implicating Lucille in the Bluth Company's accounting scandals. Before the police arrive, Michael and George Michael flee on Gob's yacht, the C-Word, and depart to Cabo with half a million dollars in cashier's checks, finally leaving the family to fend for themselves. However, it is revealed in the epilogue that George Sr. is also on the yacht, having lured his brother Oscar into taking his place once again. Also in the epilogue, Maeby tries to sell the television rights to the story of the Bluth family to Ron Howard, who tells her that he sees it as a movie rather than a series. (Source for plot Wikipedia.org)



Now this was sadly the last season of this wonderful, smart, and downward fucking funny show. The writing was topnotch again and this had some big guest stars. Jason Bateman's sister Justine showed up as a hooker, Scott Baio was lawyer (but sadly Henry Winkler was only on one episode so there was no mini "Happy Days" reunion. Sorry guys.), and Andy Richter as well a lot of himself.

But hey we had a Bluth family chicken dance off!


But sure this wasn't the best season but it was a good one! Most notably the first episode of 2006 "S.O.B.s". In this episode the Bluth family is struggling to stay afloat and remain in business. They decided to hold a fundrasier with big celebrity guests. This episode was just pure plain funny. It used several satires of things other shows have used to garner higher ratings. Like the episode will be in 3D, one of the characters will ie by the end of the episode (it was not a main character but just a racist old lady. Hey they spoil it for you first not me!), and the Live ending. The show also poked the show's chance of being picked up by HBO (which wasn't gonna happen) or Showtime (which I wished did happen!). Plus the 4 episode, 2 hour series finale on February 10, 2006. Ever since the show went off the air talks of an "Arrested Development" movie came about. It would be written by series creator Mitchell Hurwitz and directed by Ron Howard to be released in 2009. PLEASE OH PLEASE GOD MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!! Hey Keith Olbermann agrees with me.

Plus you all want another reason why Fox cancelled this great series to focus more on that shit called American Idol?
MARKETING BITCHES!

Well bye bye Arrested Development. Until now!

Special features: commentary on three episodes, 19 deleted and extended scenes, behind the scenes featurette, and Season 3 blooper reel. The "Last Day" featurette on the making of the last episode was really nice to watch. Plus the bloopers were funny as hell.

Star rating: 4 stars/4
Grade rating: A

Next review: My top 10 movies of 2007!