Today, we are continuing a ten part series on season 4, the Netflix season, of Arrested Development. In this series, much like in season 4 of the show, Matthew Pittman takes on one character at a time, considering what defines their character and what we might learn about ourselves by laughing at their foibles. Parts 1-5 will post each day this week. – Editor
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Lindsay
Ah, Lindsay. Everyone in the world of Arrested Development is basically a stereotype, but Lindsay Bluth as the insecure, shallow, vapid, flip-flopping cause-head still makes me laugh every time. “Other than her looks and her belief system, she’s the same old Lindsay.” Her selective hearing and memory are particularly delightful; whether interpreting an addict’s statement of, “You look like a junkie…what do you weigh, like 90 lbs?” as a compliment, or a shaman’s rebuke of “You are so full of s**t!” as encouragement, Lindsay hears what she wants to. I think her character is so bizarre because most of us do the exact opposite – over-analyzing every email, comment, or glance from strangers and friends in an attempt to preclude, predict, or prepare for any negative consequence.
Despite her life being a mess, Lindsay is remarkably optimistic. Certainly, now and then it behooves us to be able to focus on one thing at a time. Lindsay’s character is queen of the zoom-out gag, and that is where we can learn from her. She wonders why her marriage feels distant, then the camera zooms out and we see that, in their bedroom, she and Tobias each have their own outrageous custom beds that are 10 feet apart. She thinks the realtor is hitting on her when he asks if she and Tobias have kids, and after taking a minute or two to recall the existence of their child, the camera zooms out to reveal that Maeby was standing behind them the whole time. May we be blessed with the wisdom to know when to have singular focus, and when to zoom out and get a bigger perspective on a situation.
Tobias
“Hey, is that a gal I see? No, it’s just a phallus, seeeee!”
Ah, Tobias. Perhaps the fan favorite. I still laugh when I see a “never-nude” at a Halloween party. Reaching stunning new levels of layered comedy, Tobias’ episode makes his homosexual tendencies into a running joke when Lindsay tells him homosexual tendencies have become a running joke, thereby causing him to examine his homosexual tendencies, even as they become more of a running joke.
“All I need you to do is tell people what a terrific actor I am, because I can’t do it believably.”
When watching season four the first time through, it is right around Tobias’ episode that the strength of Arrested’s new format becomes clear. Jokes that were funny in Lindsay’s episode become funny again, but for different reasons. We realize, yes, we correctly heard her call a bad driver an “anus tart”, and now we know why.
“Oh, I assure you, there’s nothing ambiguous about me. I’m Johnny Storm, the human flamer!”
As the most exaggerated stereotype, Tobias is easy comedic fodder, but also the easiest for us to comfortably laugh at. It painful to watch Michael infringe on his son’s personal space; because we all struggle with relationships where boundaries of family or intimacy are breached, it can hit close to home. However, I don’t know many people who are so dumb as to tell the host of a “To Catch A Predator” show that his little girl is 19, but he likes to think of her as 15. Tobias’ distance from reality makes him a comfortable yardstick against which we can measure ourselves, but his hyperbolic tendencies can still serve as a reminder to watch what we say.
“Daddy needs to get his rocks off.”
Next time on Arrested Development Unwound… Lucille and Buster do their best to make Norman Bates and his mother seem normal.
