Netflix review: Arrested Development Series 4 Episode 8
Review Overview
Laughs
7David Farnor | On 05, Jun 2013
Lindsey Bluth’s second episode of Arrested Development Season Four, Red Hairing, is a 37-minute collection of sex jokes and misunderstandings. It sees Lindsey move away from Marky Bark following a disastrous attempt at terrorism and become a fling of political champ Herman Love (Terry Crewes), as she avoids finding herself as much as she can – and avoids her adopted family even more.
This is a surprising episode because everything that came before suggested that any further adventures of Lindsey Bluth-Fünke would be tedious to watch, but with the entertaining story that unfolds once Marky Bark is out of the picture, things fly by. The writing for Lindsey feels much more vain and ludicrous, hitting funny peaks, such as Terry Crewes’ Herman Love as a love interest. Early characterisation of Herman struggled, but as a simple sex-crazed politician, it’s a lot of fun watching Lindsey try to manipulate him into not building a wall on the border of the US and Mexico.
The episode only struggles when Michael and Rebel Alley (Isla Fisher) pop in for an awkward and extended double date with Love and Lindsey. It’s nice to see the two together again but in this case, Lindsey was starting to feel level-headed next to Love and then has to be a little too over the top again – Michael, at this point, has turned into a vain, self-absorbed Hollywood schmoozer. It’s not a good scene.
Still, the Narrator throws some decent jokes out, playing with moments of Lindsey’s stupidity plus a quite sweet mothering relationship that Lindsey has with Lucille Austero (Liza Minnelli). It’s a strong episode.
As we pass the halfway mark of Season Four, it’s clear that there won’t be much conclusion to some of these stories. George Senior, for example, still has a long way to go and he’s got no more episodes. We’re also still yet to see much of Buster and Lucille, while Maeby and George Michael have episodes in waiting too. Hopefully, given the way they’ve managed to bring Michael into other people’s episodes, and even taken focus away from the main character for a few scenes, they can conjure up similar moments to compile their stories as we move along.
It’s a shame that this season is like Lost, all questions with no answers – perhaps if we were able to get lost more in the situations, looking for answers wouldn’t become such a priority.
Lindsey’s second episode, though, is fulfilling and entertaining, much more than George Senior’s, because we are enjoying the journey, not caring where the destination might be. It feels exactly how Arrested Development in this style should: focused, silly, but reaching a conclusion that wraps up Lindsey’s character before the promised eventual movie.
For more on the Bluth’s new outings, read our Arrested Development interview with the case, our chat with Annyong, or our other Arrested Development Season 4 reviews.