Why I think my Brother-in-Law would like "Arrested Development."

I always seem to stumble upon popular facets of entertainment late in the game. It wasn’t until season 4 of Curb Your Enthusiasm was already out on DVD that I had first viewed the show. The same goes with the show Arrested Development. Although I am usually aware of these shows (it’s difficult not to be), I tend to take my time getting around to them. After I did fall for the show, I immediately thought of my brother-in-law, Larry.

Larry has opened many artistic doors for me, the most notable was his subtle insistence I listen to the band Jellyfish. Eventually I did, and Jellyfish opened many of my musical doors through the introduction of many other amazing musicians, namely Jason Falkner, Jon Brion, and the numerous derivations thereof. Since the time I was re-born, musically speaking, I knew I had to pay Larry back. So I keep trying with little things here and there, but to little avail. Sure, I have introduced Larry to a few bands or movies, but even when I do, he either didn’t latch onto it or, in the case of Cotton Mather, there was nothing to latch on to, because the CD has been off the market for years.

Part of the problem is due to our differences in opinion on what makes a good show or not. I think musically we are formed by a similar nucleus of bands and songs, but with Hollywood entertainment, we can often be like two positively charged ions. Still, we share many similar tastes. For instance, we both love NBC’s The Office, or the mini-series, Band of Brothers, among many others. Among the failed recommendations I’ve made to Larry:

The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Ben Folds’ music.

Some of my successes:
Crash.
Cotton Mather.

That’s it.

In an attempt to grow the list, here is my case in favour of the now-defunct Fox show, Arrested Development (why does Fox always cancel successful shows?)

At the risk of over-hyping the show, allow me to define why I think the show would appeal specifically to Larry (which he asked me to do the other night at dinner), besides just being enjoyable on its own merit; that merit being humour and sympathetic characters.

Damn, Larry, we Canadians really do qualify everything, huh? Well, here goes:

First off, the show features a crazy family of questionable ethics, however, the protagonist (a smartly-named Michael Bluth) is an honorable man who often does the right thing. I noticed how impressed you were with that kind of character in Cinderella Man and, considering that movie’s director is the narrator and executive producer, I thought some of that morally-strong character might spill over. I thought you might like that.

The family business is a development company. As such, there is light real estate talk peppered throughout the episodes. I thought that might give it relatability.

The show is about having crazy family members living with you. Can you relate to that, Mr.?

Finally, I think the writers might be conservatives. I say that because of some of the jokes in the show seem to poke playful fun at liberals. One of the characters on the show, played by Portia, is a limousine liberal, who spends a lot of time hosting fundraisers and protests, but whose lifestyle constantly contradicts what she’s in favour or against. Also, I think the writers subtly (I mean very subtly) betrayed their feelings in favour of pre-emptive war and military aggression, through the off-hand remarks of the protagonist. I may be completely off base here, but the way Michael interacted with an obviously left-wing ethics teacher seemed to disclose the assumptions the writers make (kind of what you were talking about in your Vaughn article) about the audience. Or perhaps not. It’s not overt; it’s sort of playful; perhaps it’s tongue-in-cheek and I just missed it (entirely possible). But even so, I think Larry would enjoy the show. Now if only a few more friends would recommend it to him, it might counteract the points the show has lost at my very recommendation (just kidding, Lar. I know you’re open to what I suggest).