Afternoon Baseball

Writing this is making me sad. "Arrested Development" is over. 53 episodes and the best show I feel I've ever watched is gone. It's much like watching the commentary on the final episode, or seeing the "last day on location" feature, where even the irrepressible Will Arnett can't say goodbye without choking up, and the never-serious Jason Bateman pours out his heart.
I've talked a ton about Season 3. It was mismanaged in the sense that it never gave itself hope for a fourth season, or even a full third. When the cast can't even figure out some jokes (the commentary on the otherwise-sublime "Mr. F"), then a show is too into itself. The writing is always a notch below and feels rushed except for the couple of Mitch Hurwitz and Jim Vallely-written episodes, which is understandable (the whole writing staff changed from Season 2 to Season 3) but sad because the rushed-but-not-rushed aspect was the show's genius. The rushed aspect was especially apparent on the still-great final four episodes, where at least two years of plot was compressed into 88 minutes. Tobias was a disaster all year, and wouldn't have been missed if he completely disappeared. On the other hand, George Sr. and Lucille were almost caricatures of themselves, they got so little airtime coming off Emmy nominations.
On the plus side, the show still sparkles on DVD viewing. GOB is undeniably a brilliantly acted and conceived character. Jason Bateman and Michael Cera make you care deeply. Alia Shawkat's Maebe is much more deep than a typical child star can muster. Even poor Portia de Rossi, whose character never really advanced, makes you believe that someone so hot can't land anyone. The Bateman-de Rossi scenes in all three seasons are at once the most touching and most illustrative of the family's dysfunction.
Even Charlize Theron comes out better than I imagined. She did doom the show's renewal prospects, as her character interacted with Michael but shut out everyone else. But she's amazingly funny, and you forget she's a big, serious Hollywood star. And so gorgeous. My God.

So, taking it as it is, it's still another chance to enjoy the Bluths. It's not Season 1 or 2, but it's something. And it's the end. The guest stars knew it; the list of stunt casting is immense and shows the respect the show had elsewhere -- almost no one is from FOX, and many don't do TV at all. When Gary Cole comes on for a throwaway role, and Zach Braff for a two-second wordless cameo, you know something special is going on.
Hopefully, the residual benefits will continue. Jason Bateman, one would hope, would get more opportunities to flesh out his resume from "that guy" from "Teen Wolf Too," "Starsky & Hutch" and "Dodgeball." Will Arnett is getting the recognition he deserves. Even the subtle "Veronica Mars" reference has landed George Michael and Maebe guest spots on that show. The sales at Amazon have been good, so maybe that'll spark a movie or something.

If you haven't seen the show at all, get Season 1 or 2 on DVD. But if you're somewhat familar, get Season 3. You'll see some brilliance amid terrible circumstances for characters and cast, and you'll, perhaps, see the passion that leads fans to be so sad at the show's passing.