As someone who grew up with my parents mostly being at the hospital with my disabled sister, I kinda get the idea of feeling lonely sometimes. We always imagine that the people that we shouldn't have to feel lonely around are our family, but sometimes we do. Especially if we're solely dependent on certain members who then grow up and find other people that they cling with. That can be difficult. It feels like losing a good friend. Now, put that into the mix in this family, which is already falling apart because of things that they themselves are completely masters over, and you get a quite chaotic episode. Mix that in with some classic funny jokes and a surprisingly hilarious subplot that deals with themes of sexual harassment, and you get an episode of "Arrested Development." I know, that's not often what you'd think of when thinking about this show, but I've made my case that I think this is actually a drama masquerading as a great comedy. It's funny as hell, but it's all based in some scenarios that could have easily been shown in a drama series as well. But Mitchell Hurwitz is so brilliant that he makes it more accessible for the audience by doing it through this medium. And this episode provides another scathing look at his incredible abilities. This is one of the funnier episodes of this show I've ever seen and one that offers a great deal of satire on top of the usual.
I'd love to have been in the room when Hurwitz pitched an episode that dealt with sexual harassment in this way. There's not a lot of seriousness to it, but the themes in itself could be alienating for a studio head to accept if it wasn't done that. Luckily, Hurwitz got his way and produced a seriously funny half hour of television that had a moment of George Michael sitting in a very awkward and uncomfortable situation, and four different family members singing "Afternoon Delight" in the funniest of circumstances that you can imagine. It doesn't get much funnier than that. Not in most cases.
What the episode does manage to handle with a smitch of seriousness is the idea of loneliness. Michael is clearly dependent on his son, who has been the most common source of companionship for him, so when he suddenly starts spending more time with his girlfriend, it hurts his father's feelings. So, the subplot here with him starting to spend more time with Maeby actually comes from a real place and gives room to explore a relationship that hasn't been touched on so much. Hopefully, the little dose of it here will continue to grow in a few upcoming episodes.
This may have been the funniest episode of the show that I've seen so far, and it's not due to the obvious things like watching Gob walking around in a banana outfit, but it's the lengths they go to. I love the idea of Lucille getting high and almost killing her son. I love the idea of Buster almost killing his brother. And in the end, I do think it is really funny that there were multiple circumstances that probably should have left Gob dead. I love dark humor, so this type of comedy is absolutely something I can appreciate.
With that, I also think that Jessica Walter delivered a great performance here. Her constant paranoia about someone breaking into her home makes for some of the funnier instances of slapstick in the show, especially during an encounter with Tobias. There's also a single line of dialogue that she says while under the influence of an edible and she delivers that line in a funnier manner than I've ever heard a line of dialogue being delivered. She is such a big part of this show and she sticks out for her range, especially with her showcase in this here episode.
"Afternoon Delight" is not only funny because of its usual elements, but because it mixes in social satire and a surprisingly fun sexual harassment sub-thread. It still tackles the serious issues of loneliness in the comedy spectrum, but this was definitely more geared towards the humorous, something that it succeeds in with flying colors.
2 out of 2 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
