Small potatoes (Off-Topic)

by Vortech , A Fourth Wheel, Wednesday, May 09, 2018, 13:21 (2388 days ago) @ stabbim

I am really looking forward to Arrested Development, though. I guess I should watch this new version of season 4 first. Partly to bring myself up to speed, and partly to see if I like it better. I don't remember details clearly enough to explain WHY, but I remember thinking the original version of season 4 wasn't quite as good as the previous stuff. I mean, I didn't hate it, but something just felt... slightly off. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what, even at the time.

Due to production issues, and format change they OG S4 episodes were more variable in duration (some nearly double the length of a normal episode) and don't have the commercial break act structure imposed. They also had a Rashomon-style format where they followed a particular person's perspective through the same story time-frame with each episode, so really the season had no beginning or end. You could find information that changed your perspective of the other episodes no mater which one you watched first, or in which order.

I thought it was a genius way to use the binging and on-demand nature of Netflix to show a different form of storytelling, but clearly I was in the minority. Hurewitz revealed he had re-cut S4 into a more traditional structure many years ago, but this is the first time people have been able to see it.

I was actually in the middle of a re-Watch of S4 and so now I guess those episodes are just gone forever? It's kind of weird. I'm used to stuff disappearing without notice from Netflix but not their originals…