Everyone’s favorite dysfunctional family is back! After seven long years and countless will-they-or-won’t they return rumors, “Arrested Development” finally offers up 15 brand-new episodes Sunday on Netflix.
And with the release date fast approaching, a hilarious trailer arrived last week to tease what’s in store — including the stair car, magic tricks, hook hands and copious juice guzzling. Although the teaser showcased moments familiar to longtime fans of the show, it also proved to be frustratingly brief and spoiler-free, leaving just as many unanswered questions.
When we caught up with the cast, they left a lot to our imagination, but we still managed to glean a few clues about the whereabouts of the Bluth family now versus when the show went off the air in 2006:
Lucille Bluth
Then: It was Lucille (Jessica Walter) all along! It turns out everyone’s favorite drunk mother was behind the family’s embezzlement scandal, a fact only revealed when adopted son Annyong returns seeking revenge on Lucille for stealing his real father’s banana-stand idea.
Now: After season three’s revealing ending, what can we expect from the clan’s un-motherly matriarch? “The Bluths are as desperate as ever, and if you’ve seen the posters that they are using for the ads, Lucille has an ankle bracelet on,” Walter said, referring to Netflix’s ad campaign. And while she maybe under house arrest, there is one thing we can count on: “She’s still holding a martini, so she’s still drinking.” Good thing it’s not an alcohol-monitoring bracelet.
Michael Bluth
Then: When we last saw Michael (Jason Bateman), he once again set off into the sunset, determined to leave his dysfunctional clan behind after learning that Lucille was secretly behind the family’s financial misdeeds — the cause of three seasons’ worth of drama.
Now: It seems that sunsets and happy endings are not in store for Michael this season. “We’re doing it in real time, so the years have not been kind to Michael,” Bateman said, referring to the seven-year gap since “Arrested” was last on the air. “He’s a little bit down on his luck, and he’s trying to get his feet under him again and he doesn’t want to end up as bad off as the rest of his family. He’s trying to keep his head above water.”
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George Michael Bluth and Maeby Fünke
Then: After three seasons of inappropriate feelings and awkward cousin-on-cousin action, it turns out George Michael (Michael Cera) and Maeby (Alia Shawkat) are actually not related. George Michael leaves with his father, while Maeby collects the television rights to their family story. The season ends with Maeby pitching a movie about the Bluths to show narrator and real-life director Ron Howard.
Now: George Michael is all grown-up and in college, with Maeby along for the ride. “There’s a lot that’s still unknown even after watching the first two episodes,” Shawkat said, indicating there’s more to be explored in the cousins’ relationship. “A lot of what’s happening, especially for George Michael and Maeby’s characters, they maybe make it seem one way, but it’s definitely another.”
Tobias and Lindsay Fünke
Then: When we last saw Lindsay (Portia de Rossi), she was approaching a midlife crisis, and to make matters worse, it was revealed that she was adopted and three years older than expected. Meanwhile, resident “analrapist” Tobias (David Cross) was up to his usual antics. He confused the boat Queen Mary for a string of similarly named nightclubs and booked the all-male stripper troupe the Hot Cops to perform on that very boat.
Now: Lindsay and Tobias’ relationship is still hot and cold, or, according to Cross, “like a rubber ball that inflates, but always goes back to its original shape.” “That’s a terrible analogy,” de Rossi chimed in. Whatever their relationship may be like (a retracting rubber ball, repelling magnets or tearing apart two pieces of Velcro), the Fünkes still can’t agree on anything. Maybe they need couple’s therapy — again.
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