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Amazon.co.uk Review
Arrested Development--one of the greatest comedies in the history of television--went out in a blaze of glory. The truncated final season packed more biting humor per minute than ever before. In only 13 episodes, dozens of intertwining storylines spun in all directions: In addition to the overarching story about the fractious infighting of the Bluth family and the family's housing development company being investigated for treason in Iraq (a plot arc that comes to a dazzlingly surreal conclusion), the put-upon "good son" Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman, Teen Wolf Too) pursues romance with a lovely British woman (Charlize Theron, Monster) who turns out to be woefully inappropriate; swaggering magician Gob (Will Arnett, Monster-In-Law) flees from his newly-discovered teenage son while still pandering for the affection of his self-absorbed father (Jeffrey Tambor, The Larry Sanders Show); flighty Lindsay (Portia de Rossi, Ally McBeal) and her sexually blurry husband Tobias (David Cross, Mr. Show) both get the hots for the family's new lawyer, Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio, Charles in Charge); and much, much more.
It's difficult to describe what makes Arrested Development so brilliant. The ensemble is uniformly superb (Jessica Walter, as the family's boozing, scheming matriarch, is particularly devastating this season) and the surprising guest stars (including Andy Richter, James Lipton, Justine Bateman, and many others) are perfectly cast; the characters' abominable behavior defies conventional television notions of "likability", yet they only grow more endearing the more you watch; the humour embraces wild slapstick and sharp satire, often within a single scene; and the nimble documentary style allows for sly glancing references to jokes and scenes from long-past episodes, rewarding devoted fans. But the key is that, no matter how screwball Arrested Development becomes, the show offers a rich, textured, and wonderfully coherent world in which these characters feel genuine, a world completely unlike the flat, plastic simulacrum offered by the average sitcom. Arrested Development was true to itself to the end. Its followers will cherish it forever. --Bret Fetzer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have recently purchased all three seasons of Arrested Development on dvd and to my mind this has to be without question one of best and slickest tv comedies of all time.Great writing and great performances by all concerned.Highly recommended.I can only agree with the very commendable reviews of the previous contributors.In fact I never wanted it to end.How this fantastic piece of television came to be cancelled by so called TV moguls must remain one of the greatest mystery's and biggest blunders of all time.If there is any justice in this world.............bring it back !
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Arrested Development's third and final season could have been doomed by the fact that, halfway through filming of the series, Fox cut the amount of episodes ordered from 22 to 13. In the hands of other programme makers, this could have been the death knell for the series. However, series creator Mitch Hurwitz and his talented cast and crew managed to keep the show afloat, and arguably funnier than ever before, for its remaining episodes. To be able to tie up the many dangling plot threads in such a limited time can't have been an easy feat, but it is managed brilliantly, as you will see when watching the DVD.
There are appearances from a host of popular recurring characters (Barry, Kitty, Oscar, Franklin etc) and famous faces, the stand out being Charlize Theron, who appears in 5 episodes as the mysterious (and hilarious) British babe Rita. The story-arch involving Rita gives the producers several opportunities to spoof the James Bond films, and the surprise culmination, in which we learn the truth about Rita, has to be seen to be believed! Another standout episode is S.O.B.s, which was filmed after the news that the show had been cancelled. S.O.B.s has thinly-veiled attacks on Fox, not to mention those TV programmes that go to extremes to increase viewers (such as killing a character, a live episode or celebrity cameos). It is a brilliant example of why 'Arrested' became a standout critical hit in its first season.
This DVD package contains 13 episodes over 2 discs, with standout extras including several commentaries (featuring cast and crew); 19 deleted and extended scenes; and a featurette which deals with the last day of location filming for the show.
The episodes in this final season are:
1. The Cabin Show
2. For British Eyes Only
3. Forget Me Now
4. Notapussy
5. Mr.F
6. The Ocean Walker
7. Prison Break In
8. Making A Stand
9. S.O.B.s
10. Fakin' It
11. Family Ties
12. Exit Strategy
13. Development Arrested
There are appearances from a host of popular recurring characters (Barry, Kitty, Oscar, Franklin etc) and famous faces, the stand out being Charlize Theron, who appears in 5 episodes as the mysterious (and hilarious) British babe Rita. The story-arch involving Rita gives the producers several opportunities to spoof the James Bond films, and the surprise culmination, in which we learn the truth about Rita, has to be seen to be believed! Another standout episode is S.O.B.s, which was filmed after the news that the show had been cancelled. S.O.B.s has thinly-veiled attacks on Fox, not to mention those TV programmes that go to extremes to increase viewers (such as killing a character, a live episode or celebrity cameos). It is a brilliant example of why 'Arrested' became a standout critical hit in its first season.
This DVD package contains 13 episodes over 2 discs, with standout extras including several commentaries (featuring cast and crew); 19 deleted and extended scenes; and a featurette which deals with the last day of location filming for the show.
The episodes in this final season are:
1. The Cabin Show
2. For British Eyes Only
3. Forget Me Now
4. Notapussy
5. Mr.F
6. The Ocean Walker
7. Prison Break In
8. Making A Stand
9. S.O.B.s
10. Fakin' It
11. Family Ties
12. Exit Strategy
13. Development Arrested
36 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"I have made a huge mistake" should be gratified onto the office door of the Fox Executives that cancelled one of the greatest comedies of all time. Arrested Development is/was original, relevant and extremely funny. It is a show that anyone and everyone can escape to and find something to laugh about in. Full of fantastic comic performances and scripts even more intricate than the first two series of this is my favourite tv show. The jokes come thick and fast and knowledge of the first two series is essential to get proper enjoyment from the complex self referential humor. The episodes are also better on second viewing as you spot the more subtle jokes that litter each one.
One of the joys of Arrested Development are the grand narrative jokes, that you sense building up over an entire series and in this shorter series there are two fantastically worked plot twists. Arrested Development makes fantastic use of music, visual and physical comedy but its true heart lies in its characters. If you have the first two series you simply have to get this series to complete the set. Uncle Gob, Uncle Tobias and Uncle Buster are waiting for you. "Come On!"
And if you haven't seen any Arrested Development (so jealous, you have so much goodness to come) buy the first series now!
Joshua Davidson
One of the joys of Arrested Development are the grand narrative jokes, that you sense building up over an entire series and in this shorter series there are two fantastically worked plot twists. Arrested Development makes fantastic use of music, visual and physical comedy but its true heart lies in its characters. If you have the first two series you simply have to get this series to complete the set. Uncle Gob, Uncle Tobias and Uncle Buster are waiting for you. "Come On!"
And if you haven't seen any Arrested Development (so jealous, you have so much goodness to come) buy the first series now!
Joshua Davidson
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Outrageous. Hilarious.
If you know and love (and love to hate) the Bluth family, you will love the third season. The formula remains the same (and sometimes similar gags from previous seasons get a... Read more
Published 10 days ago by pitseleh
Arrested Development just never lets you down!
There's nothing better than sitting down to watch an Arrested Development show you've never seen before. Awesome. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Fanofarrested
Excellent end to it all!
It was a huge shame this got cancelled. The last season is not the best, and its only on the third watching I really appreciate the subtleties of Charlize Theron and her... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Louise Roberts
I'd argue for this as the best - and smartest - US comedy TV series of...
Always amusing, and often brilliantly funny, inventive, surreal series about a rich family gone terribly wrong, and the one
sane one trying to hold things together. Read more
sane one trying to hold things together. Read more
Published 13 months ago by K. Gordon
Great show, brillent..!!
It runs to three short seasons, but in that time you are introduced to some amazingly funny guys who get some laugh out loud lines to assault you with, no better bang for your... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Pat dublin
Best comedy show
The best comedy show ever comes to a conclusion (at least until the movie is out) on this box set. As usual it is hilarious.
Published on 24 Dec 2009 by Erik Engberg
One of the best comedies I've eve seen
All three seasons of Arrested Development are really great. It is one of the best comedies I've ever seen. Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2009 by J. Zekonyte
Think Phantom Menace
Series 1 and (particularly) 2 were works of genius. This is a horrible mess - a Phantom Menace scale betrayal of a wonderful heritage.
Published on 30 Sep 2009 by Disappointed
Shouldn't have arrested its development!
This is as good as Fawlty Towers. For verbal slapstick, sheer interpersonal comic cruelty, double entendres and pace, it doesn't get any better. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2009 by WHITLAM
Witness Charlize Theron RUINING tv
I adore Arrested Development- seasons 2 and 3 arrived on Friday and I watched both today. The cast was the best ever assembled for comedy, the gag rate mile-high and everything... Read more
Published on 27 July 2009 by Magnum Valentino
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