Arrested Development Disclaimer: It's hard enough to comment on four episodes of a show that requires multiple viewings to catch every subtle joke; then add in the factor that I'm in mourning here. We haven't heard anything about the potential Showtime deal in weeks. Meanwhile, Fox is stabbing me in the heart with all these "season" finale promos. So, yeah, I'm going to miss some stuff, but please write in and maybe I'll add them in by the end of the day.
"Faking It": Honestly, the convoluted details of the case have taxed my short attention span, so I was relieved we'd be treated to the simplicity of the fake trial on "Judge Reinhold." The "My Name Is Judge" talking ads, spoofing on the ubiquitous Earl ads of last fall, marked the night
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Fox may have buried the final (and some of the finest) hours of Arrested Development against Friday's Opening Ceremonies of the (yawn along with me) Winter Olympics, but the show's devoted core fan base got a gold-medal treat.
To the very last moment — an inspired cameo by exec producer (and heretofore never-seen narrator) Ron Howard, saying, "I don't see it as a series. Maybe a movie." — Arrested never compromised its extravagantly peculiar vision, its dense narrative style or its twisted sense of humor. The last four episodes, bundled together and thrown away by a network that had finally given up the good fight, were deliriously funny for those precious few with a taste for such inspired absurdity.
Just a partial list of things you'd never find anywhere else: A ventriloquist puppet wearing a "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black Puppets" T-shirt. A
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