The Genius Writing of Arrested Development

During the years of 2003 and 2006 one of the funniest and best-written shows was on television struggling to find an audience. Arrested Development was an American sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz and follows a wealthy and dysfunctional family as they fall apart due to their father’s arrest. Even though it earned six Emmy awards in its first season including best comedy series, due to the network’s program and time shifting it could not attract an audience when it was on. After its cancellation it has developed a huge cult following and it was just recently announced that it would be coming back for a 10 episode season before a full feature length movie.

From the acting to the directing everything on the show was top notch. However it was in the writing where it really excelled. Most comedies and sitcoms do not plan or have arcs for a full season. Usually when something wants to be referenced the earliest you may see it be mentioned is an episode or two before. On Arrested Development they would bring up something in season one and then it would show up and be explained in season three! A lot of the jokes would feel like they were written with the entire series planned out. For example, Buster who is socially inept due to his mother Lucille’s sheltering and dominance begins dating another older woman named Lucille. In one episode Buster is told not to go into the ocean by his mom because it was dangerous. Later on he goes in the ocean to go against his mother and what happens? A loose seal (sounds just like Lucille) bites off his hand! His hand is later replaced with a claw. Earlier that season the production team made clear points to show Buster’s hand chair and him winning a seal in a toy claw game. Talk about genius writing! Other great jokes include the family accidentally calling their adoptive son Annyong (which is Korean for hello). This happened after when they originally asked for his name he said tried to say hello before he said what his name actually was.

The show is also full of pop culture references. A great situation was in the episode purposely entitled “Good Grief.” Every character has a depressing moment and walks slouched over like the character Charlie Brown. They even used the music and put a red dog house with Snoopy look-a-like in the back! Another pop culture reference went all the way back to Happy Days from 1977. Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, literally jumped a shark water skiing in one episode. Since then the term “jumping the shark” has become an idiom for when a show hits a decline in quality beyond recovery. On Arrested Development Henry played the family lawyer and in one episode when they found a shark that bit off the tracking device on the seal that bit Buster, Henry hopped over the shark on his way to Burger King!

The references on the show even include their own show! In one later episode Michael Bluth is on the company phone complaining how it was unfair that they were cutting their housing construction orders from 22 to 13 when they already have the blueprints made up. This is a reference to when their episodes were cut back from 22 to 13 episodes due to low ratings! In another episode Tobias, who wants to be an actor, explains how those Hollywood show sets are so detailed and life-like. As he says this he opens up the cabinet in the model home the family lives in to find one conveniently placed food prop and a McDonald’s cup left by the crew. They further picked on their ratings by having the narrator just come out and say please watch our show and to tell your friends!

Arrested Development was one show that was cut too soon and was not a show made for network television. Today if it was on a cable network like FX or even on something like Showtime I think it would have been more successful. In the end I am happy that it is coming back and that I get to spend at least a few more hours with the Bluth family.

The Moth

My all time favorite television show is Lost and I am currently re watching it from the beginning. For anyone that hasn't watched it, every season is available on Netflix instant watch so you have no excuse. I can remember back to 2004-2005 when the show had just begun and having to download episodes off of Itunes for the brand new Ipod Video. We've come a long way. For the Lost haters out there I'd like to let you know that as I see the episodes for a second or third time it just reconfirms to me how powerful the show actually is, so go watch Glee or something and leave me alone.

Anyway I recently watched episode 7 of Lost season 1, it is titled "The Moth". The whole episode deals with two of my favorite characters in the series; John Locke, a once wannabe adventurer and an armchair general restricted by a spinal injury who has all his dreams fulfilled on the island, and Charlie, a church boy turned rock star who has always been in the shadow of his older brother and turned to heroin as a crutch.

The characters of Lost have just found freshwater and a series of caves on the island, two resources they needed dearly, shelter and freshwater. Also in the cave is a small chunk of the survivors downed plane with more supplies they may need. Locke and Charlie both volunteer to stay and survey the caves for two very different reasons. Charlie wants to be able to use the very little heroin he has left in peace, and Locke wants to "get to know Charlie better". But the wise Locke knows Charlie uses drugs and wants to break him of his addiction.

Every time Charlie goes to use his heroin Locke interrupts him warning that the jungle is dangerous and he shouldn't venture off. Eventually Locke confronts Charlie and convinces him to hand over his drugs in exchange for Locke to search for Charlie's guitar, which he misses being a rocker. Being an addict Charlie starts going through terrible withdrawal and asks for his drugs back. Locke tells Charlie to have faith and that if he wants his guitar back from the island Charlie is going to have to give the island something. So he agrees and Locke points up to the sky, where you see a guitar case trapped in a tree. Locke also tells Charlie that if he asks him three times for his drugs back he will return them.

The second time Charlie asks for his drugs is what is in this video I have added.



I found these quotes very powerful and inspirational. The moth metaphor is very clever. I thought it must have been said before, or at least a reference to something. But after scouring the internet I could not find a quote just like the one in this clip. Good job Lost writers. But what I did find that I believe is more powerful and intelligent than remixing scenes from other television shows or movies, is the similarities between the philosopher John Locke and the character in Lost of the same name. We owe John Locke respect because many crucial decisions in the Declaration of Independence were based on the 17th century philosopher. He has several quotes that I believe the writers of Lost used to come up with this piece of dialogue.

"It is one thing to show a man that his in an error, and another to put him possession of the truth."

A drug addict does not believe he is in the wrong, especially someone addicted to heroin. Even if he knows he is wrong he still needs his fix. But to show him the truth by explaining how giving up drugs will make him a stronger individual, a strong moth, could fix the issue.

"To prejudge other men's notions before we have looked into them is not to show their darkness but to put out our own eyes."

You learn later the extent of Locke's own pain before he was on the island, but I won't spoil that for you. I will just assure you it is way more intense than a drug addiction.

"What worries you, masters you."

As all the other survivors are panicking, demanding drugs, starving, dehydrated, wounded, consumed by fear, Locke is chilling there cutting up his fresh kill, the happiest he's ever been. He has faith, no worries, he is his own master.

I admit I need to watch a lot more old television and movies to get the references that are brought up in class that influence all modern day media. But I find it refreshing that Lost goes very big with its references. It draws from philosophers, scientists, multiple religions, as well as classic tales.