Before getting to the review of this episode, I feel like I have to bitch a little bit about Netflix again. However, this time it's not about their questionable business practices, and more about the way they're presenting this season on their service. Right before the fifth season premiered, we all know that they took the episodes of the fourth season and made them into regular "Arrested Development" episodes that see all the different storylines being smashed together in episodes that more resemble the structure of the original run. That's fine, as long as the option to watch the original episodes is still there, because honestly, they're much better and funnier that way. However, it's almost like you have to go through a trial by fire to even find them and then you can't even watch them like regular episodes, but have to constantly repeat the action of going into the menu and finding the individual episodes, instead of the next one just playing afterwards. That's the stupidest thing I've ever experienced, and Netflix should really consider why they felt like this was the perfect way of finding the show in its original intended run. With that said, I'd love to talk about this episode, because it is awesome. I've liked this season a lot so far, with some episodes definitely being among the show's weakest, but this episode felt like a classic dose of that "Arrested Development" that we all know and love, with smart jokes, fun running gags and more excellent connective writing.
It seems like this season was kind of a test by Mitchell Hurwitz. It feels like he wanted to see whether or not he could set up a show this way and make it work. If you're not expertly in tune with what you're writing, it usually doesn't work. However, this has been an absolute joy, and it's been fascinating to figure out where they put the connective tissue. The way this episode really connected to all the episodes we've seen so far was quite impressive and proof that this structural experiment totally works and shouldn't be messed with, Netflix!
This episode felt like it kept everything running at a fair pace, with it really being mostly set in events that we've already seen. Obviously, Hurwitz puts in the big thing of the privacy service and makes that the focus of Maeby's goals, but the episode mostly consists of scenes that have been shown before, but in a completely new context. It's a great way of not having to shoot more than necessary, and I think the creative team were smart enough to put everything together like they did, making sure that we'd still get a great experience from it.
What I like about this episode is also that it puts the focus on a character who has been mostly in the background for the entire show. Sure, she became head executive of a big film studio, but it wasn't ever the main focus of an episode. Maeby is one of the most interesting characters in this show because of her conniving features and it makes for a great twist on the usual family dynamic. Everything she does is driven by a wish to get attention from her family, where everyone else wants to get as far away as possible.
Alia Shawkat has also been an underused player in the show. Whether that's due to her not wanting to be a big part of writing issues, I'm not sure. But seeing her in her own episode gave her so much time to shine and display her unique sense of comedic timing. She's much more down-to-earth than many of her co-stars, who also up the cheese-factor in their performances. She seems so naturally able to connect with what she's doing, making for a smooth ride that offers a lot of sass and a lot of half-evil, yet hilarious and outlandish cons.
"Señoritis" is the clear peak of this season, showing off all its excellent writing and intricate structure, making it all seem so easy and perfected. It's full of those delicious jokes and gags that we love from this show, and gives Alia Shawkat a long-awaited episode to really shine and show off her great abilities.
