GIVE IT TIME . . . PERSEVERE . . . THIS JUST MAY BE A WORK OF GENIUS
I have received a few messages of very disappointed AR fans . . . they just don't get it. If I hadn't forced my way through the first six or so episodes I may have agreed. But . . . there was something there . . . something I couldn't quite put my finger on. So I wrote back saying persevere . . . I think it may be worth it. I'll get back to you.
OK. Here's the conclusion after Maeby's Arrested Development (episode 12 or 13?)
Whoever decided to go with this format just may be a genius. Or perhaps budgetary constraints have, for once, played a blinder. I have to say it puts me in mind, somewhat, of 'Soap'. Confused? You will be.
I think this format was hit upon because it will have been so much cheaper to make than a fully fledged series. By using the same conceit that Ayckbourne used for 'The Norman Conquests' it means that individual character stories do not require all actors on set for each episode. By telling the back - or forward - accompanying story, they can use footage already filmed to explain the developing story. Confused? You will be.
So I can understand if in the beginning you think crap and give up. However.
It's not crap you're seeing. You're confusing it with confusion. Did you see Inception? The amount of people who gave up cos it was difficult to understand. Some thought impenetrable? I loved it for the way it looked. I accidentally - long story - saw it again two days later and suddenly I understood what it was about and I loved it even more. This AR is going to be like that. Second time you are gonna be so all over what at the moment seems fragmented confusion. I can't wait to get to the end to start again. I have a suspicion that this is a series you'll be able to watch time after time and still spot something new.
It's gonna take perseverance and faith to get there but like all hard work, the rewards will be worth it. The analogy I would use is that of a new album by a favourite artist. They have changed tack. It's not so instantly accessible. First instinct is to dismiss. We all do it.
Now sometimes someone prevails upon you to just keep playing it because it is ultimately worth it. And damn me if sometimes you suddenly find it turns out to be a great album. It just needed the work. So, if each episode here is the playing of the album once, by the time you get to episode 8-9 you are suddenly getting the tunes. The lyrics start to hit home. The more you play it the more you get from it. It may not have been instantly accessible but boy now it is so rewarding.
And so, IMHO, this will too be the case with AR4. Keep at it. This just might be the classic we were hoping for.
