George Michael: Breakfast!
Michael: Family.
George Michael: Family. Right. I thought you meant out of the things you eat.
"Arrested Development" was a critically acclaimed show that, tragically, ran for only three seasons, despite receiving several Emmy and Golden Globe awards. In a nutshell, the show centers around the highly dysfunctional Bluth family and their interactions with each other, society, and the government as they attempt to free the (guilty) George Michael Bluth, Sr. from charges of treason and fraud.
The family is comprised of several characters, each of them very unique from one other, but all distinctly immature, ignorant, and materialistic (though possessing somewhat noble intentions, for the most part). At the center of this chaotic amalgam sits Michael Bluth, played by the talented Jason Bateman.
Michael is George Michael Sr.’s second-oldest son, and spends his time trying to keep his family on the straight and narrow. Truly well-intentioned, Michael attempts over and over to clean up his relatives’ messes and do what is right for his family as well as his morals, not to mention his legal troubles. However, it seems that all his efforts are (hilariously) bested by simple bad luck. Michael’s selflessness is one of his most admirable traits, but also very certainly his worst. Though he is one of the only members of his family with enough intelligence to differentiate between rationality and idiocy, Michael’s persevering love for and commitment to his family always proves to be his undoing: his lack of self-control when it comes to the people he loves often leads to situations spiraling out of his control.
Though Michael attempts to be an authoritarian leader, he inevitably always becomes more of a democratic leader. His family members act more like careless children than responsible adults, and as a result Michael has difficulty dominating and directing them to behave appropriately. However, his tireless determination and commitment, no matter how badly his family has screwed up, are nothing short of extraordinarily admirable.
Michael utilizes all five types of leadership power in order to successfully lead his family and the less-than-competent board of directors of the Bluth company. Though his family members sometimes appear not to respect him, they feel a responsibility for their actions and guilt at the consequences, solely as a result of Michael’s moral influence and legitimate power. Michael also uses reward power and coercive power often; for example, he withholds money from his indulging, shopaholic sister Lindsay if she overspends or acts badly. He also uses expert power by being possibly the only Bluth able to provide credible information and advice to others. Finally, Michael uses referent power because his family members, particularly his lackluster older brother GOB, constantly seek approval from the one member of the family who is not a screwup.
The Bluths are nothing short of dysfunctional. Luckily for them, Michael is able to uphold the precarious balance of the Bluth family dynamic and save them from all from themselves.
Sources:
http://arrestedstills.tumblr.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/
I agree with this one a lot. Michael is defiantly a leader epically with the way he always tries to fix the situations that his family is always is putting themselves, the company, and him in. Being a leader means taking initiative in problem solving opportunities, which he does constantly. I am reminded by a particular episode where he tries to show that the company is doing well and didn't need their father; in order to do this, Micheal makes a plan to move on to stage two in their development and make a new house. It ended up being botched up by Gob, but the way he always tries is an admirable trait to have, and a great trait for leaders.
ReplyDeleteI'm completely biased here because Arrested Development is one of my favorite shows of all time -- maybe even number one on the list.
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for flawed heroes and Michael Bluth is certainly one. What makes him such a great leader and fictional character is that, despite his many flaws, he means well... always.
Great post. Remember to embed your links and hyperlink them WITHIN the text.