Depending on your restraint and interest in the long-awaited return of “Arrested Development,” you’ve likely either zipped through the entire fourth season in one weekend or perhaps only made it halfway into the new 15 episodes. Either way, one thing should be clear: the show is a schizophrenic, unruly beast of varying quality, and if you were among those who found Mitch Hurwitz‘s fractured narrative a nuisance, fear not — the Internet has a solution.
Reactions have been understandably mixed to the new episodes, with our own Rodrigo Perez lamenting the Bluth family’s core dynamic as it split into character-centric half-hours. But two persistent Reddit users have revealed an alternate version for viewers to enjoy: a chronological narrative that recalls the series’ original three seasons, before Hurwitz and Co. had to, you know, attempt to match their previous efforts by eclipsing them in terms of ambition.
From 21-minute episodes to the finale, clocking in at 53 minutes, the fan edits are even more of a departure from the original seasons’ airtight structure, and when Hurwitz was photographed scratching his head at the labyrinthine plot-lines last year, this viewing method probably wasn’t central to his thought process. But like “Memento” or the “Star Wars” Prequels de Topher Grace, could this reconfigured ‘AD’ narrative shed new light on the fourth season, helping to emphasize jokes once the dizzying plot structure fades away? Or does it serve to ruin the intentions of the show’s makers in regards to recurring jokes and character beats?
Let us know your thoughts below, and if you feel like taking a look at the fans’ dedicated work before Netflix‘s lawyers descend upon them, fix a plate of Parmesan cheese and mustard, and enjoy. [AV Club]