For the first time all series, Arrested Development can now look forward to its future instead of looking back in the past as previous episodes may have done. "Shock and Aww" feels like a new beginning for the series. New characters are introduced, and we have quite a few guest stars in the lineup. Heather Graham plays George-Michael's ethics teacher whom every Bluth male seems infatuated with. Jane Lynch plays Cindi Lightballoon who seems like a crazed fan of George Sr's teachings, but is actually an FBI agent. Finally, we meet one of my favorite new characters-Annyong who is a Korean kid that Lucille adopted in a drunken stupor. These new characters added more life to the episode and Heather Graham is the episode's MVP. I wish she was in more episodes, because she is the perfect actress for the serie's overall quirkiness.
Miss Baerly is George-Michael's new ethics teacher. Michael attempts to woo her as his new girlfriend, but it seems like George-Michael also has the hots for her. In prison, George Sr. attracts a new fan in Cindi Lightballoon who claims to be an avid fan of his teachings. He becomes sexually-attracted to her, but she may just be an undercover FBI agent. Buster has to deal with Annyong, the newest member of the Bluth Family. It seems like he does not know English, with the exception of his name. Finally, GOB tries to exact revenge on Michael after trying to steal Marta away from him.
This may not be Arrested Development's finest, but it clearly sets a path where it wants to go. There is foreshadowing here, especially with Miss Baerly. She likes Saddam Hussein and even makes Hussein cupcakes! The latter half of this series focuses on Iraq and is mentioned here first. The guest stars are great, mainly thanks to Heather Graham's quirky role. If you want more incest jokes, this episode has them by poking fun at Lindsay and Maeby. This is another solid, enjoyable episode.
My Grade: A-
