Arrested Development: Top Banana - VIDEO
Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.
Many people will tell you that they got sucked into Arrested Development by its pilot. I wasn’t. For some reason, I didn’t watch the pilot when it first aired. But that’s just fine, because the second episode, “Top Banana,” was a perfect representation of everything AD ended up being. Throwaway jokes. Quick cut-aways and flashbacks. Subtle catchphrase generation. A “lesson of the week” couched in vicious barbs between members of the Bluth family. Oh, and two words that I’ll never forget: “No touching!”
What made this episode great is that it somehow was able to quickly establish who the characters were without having to use all the exposition that the pilot needed to do. If you were coming to the show for the first time, like I did, it didn’t take long to find out that George Sr. was in charge of the family and business, Michael is earnestly trying to run it the right way, GOB is a failed magician, Lindsay was over-privileged, Tobias is the world’s worst actor, Lucille was a shrewish drunk, and George Michael is secretly attracted to his cousin Maeby. The only character we don’t see is Buster, who, for some reason, isn’t in on the fun in this episode.
What struck me when I rewatched the episode (thank you Hulu! The episode is below for you to enjoy as well) was the same things that hit me like a sock full of nickels the first time around. The first thing was the throwaway jokes like “No touching!” All George has to do is brush an ice cream sandwich on Michael’s nose and he gets admonished for touching. Oh, and Michael’s line to George Michael about being Maeby’s boss at the banana stand made me howl the same way it did five years ago: “You stay on top of her, buddy. Do not be afraid to ride her… hard.” The horrified / titillated reaction on Michael Cera’s face — one that fans of Superbad and Juno now know very well — is priceless.
What I also loved was GOB’s saga with the dead dove. He claims that it died during his act, but pet store surveillance video shows otherwise. GOB’s plight reveals how the writers liked to layer callbacks upon callbacks, dropping funny lines without having to explain them to the audience like so many other sitcoms might. First he throws Michael’s mail in the water (many times, since an envelope isn’t exactly heavy), then, during the “next time on” sequence, he tosses the dead dove in the water (”Return from whence you came!” he bellows. Doves originated in the ocean?). When he subsequently drops the line “I’ve got a rabbit to buy,” we all know what’s coming next without having it explained to us. That’s the beauty of AD, and what kept me coming back after that episode.
Other fun stuff:
- Tobias’ shower sobbing when Lindsay gets the acting job he was going for. Notice that in some of those quick scenes, Tobias is wearing denim shorts. I was surprised to see him being a “nevernude” there, since I don’t think they had introduced that personality quirk of Tobias’ as yet.
- “There’s always money in the banana stand.” See, either Lindsay or GOB would have understood that line from George Sr. because, just like their dad, they’re both inherently corrupt. It figures that Michael, the “good son,” would take that line at face value.
- Lindsay about her daughter: “That stand won’t last a week with her there.” Wow. I don’t even think it lasted two days.
- For some reason, I forgot that Patrice O’Neal played T-Bone, “the flamer.” Tough Crowd was well underway by then, and that’s the way most people were introduced to Patrice. Anyway, I loved how he readily admitted to burning down the storage unit when Michael asked him about it.
- Lucille and Lindsay ever-so-politely trading insults over lunch. Linday is “fat,” according to Lucille. And Lucille is drunk, according to Lindsay, as well as everyone else.
- GOB on the Segway. That never stopped being funny.
Were there more slow spots than I remembered? Yep. But that’s OK. What’s remarkable about this episode is that, in retrospect, I’m shocked at how all the elements we loved about AD were on the show from the very beginning. It’s rare to see a show look the same at the beginning as it eventually does at the end. I remember laughing my ass off at the end of this one and saying to myself, “Wow. That was really, really good!” And that’s when I became hooked. And since AD was one of the best comedies I’ve seen in many years, I’ll forever remember this episode for making me a fan.
New Amsterdam: Soldier’s Heart
(S01E03i) I don’t know about you but this week’s episode almost lost me in the opening scenes. I like exposition as much as the next guy but when a cop show takes that long to get to the first crime, I start to lose interest.
I was glad to see the return of Robert Clohessy. When he wasn’t in the second episode I feared that he might have gotten axed from the series. With all of John Amsterdam’s philosophical ramblings, this show desperately needs a sarcastic character like Clohessy’s.
Once the show got rolling, I started to enjoy it more. I always look forward to the flashbacks, so I can see what new job Amsterdam is given. This week, he was a doctor, but not just any doctor, a medic in wartime. The image of Amsterdam taking a hacksaw to that soldier’s leg was pretty powerful.
I also really liked how Dr. Sarah busted Amsterdam the moment they were alone. I like a character who is realistic in their actions. It makes sense that an ER doctor would be smart and ballsy enough to face Amsterdam with the mystery of his “death.”
The other interesting part of their relationship is the difficult situation Amsterdam is being forced into. On one hand, he can’t really tell Sarah the whole story, at least not right away, cause there’s no way she would believe him but on the other hand, he has no choice but to get to know her in case she’s “the one.” Considering how unbelievably beautiful she is, though, I don’t see it as such a tough decision.
One thing I can’t forgive on this series is that fact that Amsterdam just isn’t a good detective. I’ve watched enough cop shows to learn that cases are solved by aggressive legwork and hunting down leads not hunches and gut feelings. I understand that he has over 400 years of experience to draw upon but that doesn’t change how things should be done. A cop who doesn’t trust fingerprints or confessions? After being alive for so long, he’s probably better suited to be a teacher or scientist or an archaeologist with a cool hat and a whip.
I like the kisses with history on shows like this but this week’s was almost embarrassing. Why on earth would Walt Whitman give Amsterdam a copy of his book? The entire scene was ham-fisted at best.
I liked the surprise ending with John meeting Sarah’s husband. It serves the story well in that it helps to explain why he and Sarah’s souls have yet to become one and it makes it more difficult for John to work his considerable charms on her.
I like this show, I really do, but honestly, unless the cop stories can step up and match the immortal stories, I don’t know if I can keep watching.
quarterlife: Quarterlife (series premiere) - VIDEO
(S01E01) Generally, when I watch a new show, I try to give it the benefit of the doubt before I make a decision. First episodes of new shows are often full of bad choices. Poor casting, too much exposition, bad hair styles. all of which are usually remedied by the second episode. With that in mind, i have to say that I found the first ten minutes of quarterlife incredibly irritating. First of all, the title and premise of the show is insulting to me. I assume since Zwick and Herskovitz already did thirtysomething, they were hesitant to call this show twentysomething. Unfortunately, that’s all the show is, a bunch of friends in their twenties, trying to make their mark.
I like the idea of a show that is based around someone’s personal blog. Everyone has a blog these days so it makes perfect sense. Furthermore, I like seeing what can happen when you cross the line in your personal blog. The internet is still a mystical thing to a lot of people. They don’t understand that what you put out there can be seen by everyone who will ever exist until the end of the world. People too often, treat the internet like a receptacle where they throw things away and never think about them again.
My real problem with this show is more a problem with myself. When I watched thirtysomething one of the reasons I loved it is because it was about people who were living a life I had no knowledge of. They were married, had kids, suffering from cancer, owned their own failing businesses and they lived in Philadelphia. They might as well have been from a different planet as far as the 25-year-old me was concerned. On quarterlife, these people are living a life that I have already seen. They’re idealistic, failing at relationships, taking acting classes and falling in love with each other. Personally, I’ve been there and the idea of reliving it doesn’t grab me. That being said, there may be plenty of younger folks who find the show interesting because they can identify with it.
As for the characters, my favorite has to be Andy. I always enjoy the supporting characters who don’t seem to have any problems and spend their time making funny comments. I’m sure eventually, Andy will be just as angst-ridden as the rest of the cast, but in this first episode, he was my favorite. My least favorite character would have to be Dylan. Her manufactured persona of the tortured artist trying to make it in the commercial world is only made worse by her jittery, irritating demeanor. I understand that, for the most part, the cast is made up of unknown talent, but aside from the pretty girls, there wasn’t much there to engage me.
The final nail in the coffin had to be the conversation about happiness and the Karaoke finale. Since when did getting on stage and doing a bad cover version of a pop hit become the ultimate expression of artistic freedom. I love Karaoke and I do it as often as I can but I never feel like an artist afterwards. In fact, part of the reason I do it is because it’s a great excuse to be stupid. Moreover any bar that filled with people that supportive of a Karaoke performance is far too pretentious for it’s own good.
All in all, I didn’t really enjoy the show, but I know it’s not really made for me, so take that for what’s worth.
Movie Review: The Kite Runner
The following movie review is from correspondent Elaine Mak.
The Kite Runner, directed by Marc Forster, follows the story of two childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, as they are torn apart after Amir witnesses the rape of Hassan. This film, based on the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini, begins in Kabul, Afghanistan, with the country on the verge of war. Following the rape incident, upper-class Amir leaves for America with his father, while lower-class Hassan remains in Kabul. Decades later, Amir is persuaded to return to Afghanistan during the Taliban rule to face his past.
I hadn’t read the book before I saw the film, so going into it, I had no idea what to expect. This might not have been an issue for someone who knew the story going in, but my first impression of the film was that it was very difficult telling young Amir from Hassan, because both looked very similar to me. The acting in the film is weak, especially from the child actors, but the adult actors do come across a bit stronger. The story starts off a little slow and picks up after the pivotal kite-fighting scene.
Towards the end of the film, I felt as if there was too much material crammed into one movie, and each scene felt like it was rushing to get to the next one. In addition, the individual scenes don’t seem to fit together very well, and it feels as if each piece could have been better as its own story. My biggest problem with this film is that it reveals too much information, treating the viewer as if he isn’t capable of making sense of exposition on his own. On a good note, I did find it very interesting to witness a piece of Afghan culture though the film.
Overall, I found The Kite Runner to be an interesting concept with a poorly adapted screenplay and a weakly directed film.