Just a warning, there are SPOILERS ahead. Nothing huge or anything, but I would definitely recommend that you watch the entirety fo Season 4 before reading this. So let's get on with the review, shall we?
Season 4 is structured differently than the original series. Instead of a single timeline that will occasionally jump back and forth like the original series, this takes place over several years in each character's life. The earliest the show goes back to is the aftermath of the season 3 finale. After that, the series jumps through whats been going on with the Bluth's for the past 6 years or so.
This is where the series runs into the only major problem: STRUCTURE. The new structure jumps around several different timelines, one for each character. At certain junctures, the timelines converge and characters have time to catch up with each other. There are maybe four or five key events in which all or most characters are present and have some sort of important revelation or event happen to them. Sometimes they don't even run into each other, they're just there. I found myself kind of confused by the constant time jumping in each episode. Maybe it's only because I've seen the new season only once (as opposed to six times for the original series) but I was definitely lost on more than one occasion. Not lost in terms of where they are, just when all of this stuff happens. Maybe another marathon will help fix that.
Because each character gets his or her own episode to recap their lives, there is just simply less character interaction amongst the Bluths. Sure, Maeby and George-Michael share a lot of screen time together in their episodes, but some characters like Buster just goes almost completely missing until his episode comes around. Michael is the only character in every episode, then again, he's kind of the main character.
The only major story element that goes through everyone's timelines is the construction of a wall in between Mexico and California. It all becomes very business oriented and just less funny. George Sr and Michael have this problem with their episodes, being business oriented. Some of the ideas are good, but they just are not as comedic as they should be. The idea of the wall gives Lucille and George Sr some good scheming to do and Oscar has some funny stuff, but he seems almost overused at times. I found that the best episodes had less of this. Gob, Maeby, Buster, and George-Michael had some of the best material because there was no wall story.
What's actually really impressive about the structure is how complex and deep these new episodes are. It's a beautifully woven web of stories and character interactions through several of the same events. This actually is really impressive on the writer's part, even if it isn't quite what I was looking for in a new series. I still would rather have a single timeline of events instead of several long recaps.
The only other major problems I have is just small nitpicks. The Banana Stand just disappears without a trace, there is no mention of Maggie Lizer's pregnancy, Lindsay explains to Tobias that everyone thinks he's gay because of the way he talks, and why the hell does Buster have barely any material outside of his own episode?! Come on!
So now that I'm done complaining, what does this series do right? Holy shit, SO MUCH!
The new series brings back tons of great old jokes as well as several new ones. New jokes consist of ostriches, facial blindness, Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel, mongol hoards, Ron Howard as himself, and a Fantastic Four musical. Wild shit, right?
I loved the return (and original casting) of minor characters. One of the biggest surprises was the return of Egg, who planted some great material with Gob. Tony Wonder makes a big return, playing a very significant role in Gob's story. Oscar comes back in a big way for both George Sr. and Lucille. Carl Weathers and even Warden Gentiles make small but funny comebacks as well. Bob Loblaw and his Law Blog make a tiny appearance, and so does everyone's favorite lawyer Barry Zuckercorn! Even Lucille Austero (AKA Lucille 2) also plays an important role in just about everyone's story.
Another thing that I love is that some of the characters actually change over the course of the season, something that the original series never had. Maeby and George-Michael have some great material together and watching them grow up (especially George-Michael) is simply wonderful.
The best thing that the new season does is set us up for more. There are a few unanswered questions, and the ending before the credits on the last episode leave a LOT of tension that has to be solved eventually... so can we get a movie now? Or a season 5? PLEASE?!
Also, its a REALLY GOOD IDEA to stick around after the credits of the 15th episode.
Overall, I think that while Season 4 is hilarious and amazing, it isn't quite as good as the original series. It serves as a great sequel and promises some great things to come... let's just hope that it delivers on those promises. I want to see the end of the Bluth family saga end on a single solid note this time. Even the ending of Season 3 left me satisfied. This only leaves me wanting more, which I guess is a good thing. The only thing that really brings it down is the structure, which can cause some confusion in the complex web of events that unfolds.
If I had to give it a score (which I wasn't planning on doing) I would give it a solid 8/10.
But I want to know what YOU think! Leave a comment or something below if you agree or disagree with something I've said, or just have something you might want to say.
