BY MICHAEL PASSMAN
Published September 19, 2006
The list of TV shows on which Charlize Theron is willing to play a five-episode arc has got to be pretty short. Luckily, she chose to play a mentally retarded English woman on the third and final season of "Arrested Development," instead of, say, an impromptu Vinny Chase hookup.
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And while a stint on a TV comedy (apparently watched by nobody) may not have the career-defining power of her Oscar, it does say a lot about the show and those who love it. It's this small devoted fan base, consisting of Hollywood A-listers and college undergrads, that should pick up the truncated third season DVD of television's greatest comedy (sorry, "Seinfeld").
The 12-episode set is primarily focused on two extended plotlines. The first is Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman, "Dodgeball") unfortunate relationship with Rita (Charlize Theron, "Monster"), a "special" young woman from southern California's Wee Britain, essentially the British equivalent of Chinatown. The second set of episodes centers on the resolution of George Sr.'s (Jeffrey Tambor, "Twenty Good Years") legal problems and effectively ties up the series.
Season three may not be on par with the second, but it's uncommonly funny - although probably a little too self-referential for its own good. Once the writing staff knew their days on Fox were numbered, they loaded the show with tiebacks and gags from past seasons that left casual viewers not knowing what they missed.
For a show in its final season, with such a devoted fan base, the features are a disappointment to say the least. Three episodes have audio commentaries from the full cast sans Jeffrey Tambor, and although it's nice to hear the actors interact outside of their fictional world, it's a mess that resembles a cast reunion more than a show commentary. At one point, creator Mitch Hurwitz calls Tambor on his cellphone to get an explanation for his absence and chaos ensues. Also included is a short feature documenting the last day on set, a blooper reel and deleted scenes.
Although the special features can't stand up to the likes of "Freaks and Geeks" and other cult comedies, the episodes alone validate this set and firmly place it in the pantheon of comic television.
Arrested Development: The Complete Third Season
Fox
Show: 5 out of 5 stars
Special Features: 3 out of 5 stars
