Arrested Development Season 5 - Partially A Prequel???

[DrGreggles]

Are those trailers created by Netflick's or Hurwitcz approved?

[up_the_hampipe]

Wanna see something awkward? Some of the cast on Good Morning America https://youtu.be/8wVAzIhgcuI

[BritishHobo]

So are they dropping the murder mystery and film production plots?

[Bhazor]

God that fucking film.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

So are they dropping the murder mystery and film production plots?

Ron Howard appears in the trailer and Buster's in the orange prison jumpsuit, with the Lucille2 chalk outline appearing in posters, so both look like they're continuing in some capacity.

[Ornlu]

Wanna see something awkward? Some of the cast on Good Morning America https://youtu.be/8wVAzIhgcuI

Douche chill!

[Sgt. Duckie]

Reviews are trickling in for season 5...

http://www.metacritic.com/tv/arrested-development/season-5

[C_Larence]

Reviews are trickling in for season 5...

http://www.metacritic.com/tv/arrested-development/season-5

I picked two reviews to read from that link, the AV Club and The Daily Beast. Both positive, but it's as if they were watching completely different shows:

Tobias isn't mentioned at all in TDB review, is called a standout character in AVC
TDB says George Sr's plot is offensive. AVC says it isn't.
TDB says the Trump jokes are the best of any comedy yet (it also laughably says the bar is high), AVC says there aren't any.
TDB says the jokes about Ron Howard's production company are "masterful", AVC says they add nothing to the story

There are probably more examples, but it just goes to show that reviews are absolutely meaningless.

[Ja'moke]

Well, this interview kind of makes you hate the entire cast except for Jessica Walter and Alia Shawkat: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/arts/television/arrested-development-netflix-interview-jeffrey-tambor.html

[BritishHobo]

Was just coming here to post that. Very rough. A lot of the male cast members talking a lot, in relation to this incident where Tambor verbally harassed Walters, to varnish and defend Tambor and emphasise that these things happen, that people make mistakes and learn. A lot of varnishing and normalising going on while Walters cries and says nothing else like it has ever happened to her in sixty years of acting.

Really don't feel good having read that. Bateman especially does not come off well. It is very difficult not to come away with the impression that Tambor has done something that's deeply upset and affected Walters, and that she feels obliged to make nice because her male castmates are more interested in clarifying that these things happen and we must accept them, as if they're a noisy neighbour or an itchy foot rather than an actor haranguing his coworker so viciously that it still makes her cry.

[up_the_hampipe]

Shame there's one small audio snippet. I'd rather see and hear this interview than read it. There's a lot more that could be gleaned from the body language and delivery.

Side note: What does Walters mean by "verbal harassment"? There's reference to one instance where Tambor yelled at her, which wouldn't constitute harassment, I don't think. Is she saying he bullied her?

[Bhazor]

Without being told specifics I have to imagine he wrestled her to the floor and farted on her head. It's really the distillation of bullying.

[lankyguy95]

Maybe I'm overreacting but my excitement about watching this has just plummeted. I mean, how can you be so dreadfully unsupportive in a cast interview? Why any of the men other than Tambor even spoke during that question, I've no idea. Bateman going on about the context of acting, as if Walter doesn't have an equal or better understanding of it, was bizarre. And then Cross and Hale decided to chip in with excuses too. Ugh.

[Ja'moke]

Was just coming here to post that. Very rough. A lot of the male cast members talking a lot, in relation to this incident where Tambor verbally harassed Walters, to varnish and defend Tambor and emphasise that these things happen, that people make mistakes and learn. A lot of varnishing and normalising going on while Walters cries and says nothing else like it has ever happened to her in sixty years of acting.

Really don't feel good having read that. Bateman especially does not come off well. It is very difficult not to come away with the impression that Tambor has done something that's deeply upset and affected Walters, and that she feels obliged to make nice because her male castmates are more interested in clarifying that these things happen and we must accept them, as if they're a noisy neighbour or an itchy foot rather than an actor haranguing his coworker so viciously that it still makes her cry.

Bateman comes across terribly. He keeps saying things like "not to belittle it" and "not to excuse it" and "I didn't mean to speak for you." Then shut the fuck for a minute and let her speak.

And then him lecturing her about how the industry works, as if she hasn't been working in the TV and movie business for 60-plus years. Jeez.

[up_the_hampipe]

It wasn't surprising that Cross was so quick to explain Tambor being a dick to someone, as he faced a similar accusation a few months ago.

[Twed]

Arrested Development is so soured by now and will clearly never live up to the magical first two seasons, that I want it to die. I don't want more. Just stop it post-haste, even before The Simpsons if you like.

[Twed]

Jesus Christ, that audio clip! Wonderful, funny Jessica Walters crying like that just remembering what happened? Kill this upsetting zombie show.

[VelourSpirit]

Good that Arnett just stayed out of it, and interesting that Shawkat did for the most part considering she was actually in Transparent. Don't know what Bateman was thinking there. lots of 'not to belittle it', 'not to excuse it' and then belittling it and excusing it.

[lankyguy95]

Good that Arnett just stayed out of it, and interesting that Shawkat did for the most part considering she was actually in Transparent.

I think once the interviewer turned it to Walter, she probably realised that it wasn't really her place to talk about it. It's a shame Bateman, Hale and Cross didn't seem to understand that.

[up_the_hampipe]

The men of Arrested Development are "cancelled" now, according to some twitter users. I'm sure this outrage will magically evaporate by Tuesday.

[VelourSpirit]

Whoa, whoa, let's wait for Michael Cera's take on it first.

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Side note: What does Walters mean by "verbal harassment"? There's reference to one instance where Tambor yelled at her, which wouldn't constitute harassment, I don't think. Is she saying he bullied her?

Aggressive intimidation does constitute harassment. It doesn't have to happen more than once to be harassment.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Everything I've seen of Tambor, behind the scenes, he's always struck me as a very intimidating character and, despite admiring his capacity as a comedy actor, not someone I'd ever want to meet. Seeing the effect his behaviour has had on the equally remarkable Jessica Walter is deeply unpleasant.

[Shaky]

Wow, that interview is a shocker. I'm all for giving people second & third chances but it's unbelievable that the male cast sit there and condone Tambour's arseholery again and again while Walters is visibly upset. Fucking hell. Textbook passive/aggressive bullying. "We don't mean to speak for you... but we'll not let you get a word in while we witter on about acting processes and such."

Good on the interviewer for broaching that stuff, though. Just a shame it sounds like the first time they've all spoken about it.

[up_the_hampipe]

Aggressive intimidation does constitute harassment. It doesn't have to happen more than once to be harassment.

Ah okay.

[dontrunyoullfall]

Self confessed sometimes difficult to work with actor proves himself at one point difficult to work with. Not that there's anything right with that.

There was mention in passing in a piece in the Guardian the other day that Joan Didion's reputation may suffer in the future because people have found her difficult to sit next to at dinner parties. I thought that might be satires but it probably isn't.

[Soup]

Yeesh. Bateman's a fucking plum isn't he? The most galling thing about that him going back again and again to that tired "ah acting is so hard, the process the process, these things happen when you are an artist" bullshit. As Shawkat is trying to point out, that excuse doesn't fly any more and was never adequate to begin with.

Still, Bateman's always been a plum. I'm still looking forward to this.

[dirkgonnadirk]

bateman twitter apology:

Based on listening to the NYT interview and hearing people's thoughts online, I realize that I was wrong here.
I sound like I'm condoning yelling at work. I do not.
It sounds like I'm excusing Jeffery. I do not.
It sounds like I'm insensitive to Jessica. I am not.
In fact, I'm-

- horrified that I wasn't more aware of how this incident affected her.
I was so eager to let Jeffrey know that he was supported in his attempt to learn, grow and apologize that I completely underestimated the feelings of the victim, another person I deeply love - and she was..

... sitting right there!
I'm incredibly embarrassed and deeply sorry to have done that to Jessica.  This is a big learning moment for me.
I shouldn't have tried so hard to mansplain, or fix a fight, or make everything okay.
I should've focused more on what the most important...

...part of it all is - there's never any excuse for abuse, in any form, from any gender. And, the victim's voice needs to be heard and respected.
Period.

I didn't say that and instead said a bunch of other stuff and not very well.
I deeply, and sincerely, apologize.

[up_the_hampipe]

Not bad. Needs more grovelling though. On your knees, Bateman. Kiss twitter's feet!

[dontrunyoullfall]

Was Seinfeld's Marriage Ref just ahead of its time? It should be revisited and broadened out.