Dysfunction is a function of great comedy

What do you get when you combine a dysfunctional family, a magician named Gob, a Private Eye named Gene Parmesan, a blue-painted David Cross, Saddam Hussein, a bounty hunter/caterer called Ice, Liza Minnelli, a carnivorous seal, Henry Winkler, a one-armed man, Ron Howard, the Motherboy competition and lots of frozen bananas? The answer of course is season two of the brilliant television anti-sitcom "Arrested Development."\nFor those unfamiliar with all that, "Arrested Development" first premiered in 2003 to critical acclaim, but received low ratings and a lack of a following. Eventually it was renewed for a second season, won a number of Emmys, including outstanding comedy series, and is now currently in its third season. It caught the eye of critics alike due to its brilliant writing, wonderfully funny cast and its knack for social commentary. \nSeason two picks up right where season one ended. George senior (Jeffrey Tambor) escapes from prison only to flee to Mexico, Michael (Jason Bateman) tries to release his son George Michael (Michael Cera) from the talons of his dysfunctional family by attempting a move to Phoenix, Tobias (David Cross) continues his hopeless search for work as an actor, Gob (Will Arnett) becomes president of the Bluth company and Buster (Tony Hale) is, well, Buster.\nLike always the Bluth company battles to stay afloat by searching for new business ventures. Buster is enlisted in the army by his mother Lucille (Jessica Walter) after a Michael Moore look-a-like asks her if she would enlist her son, Tobias and Lindsay Fünke try to save their marriage by having an open relationship and George Michael has his first girlfriend, the overly religious Anne or as his father Michael likes to call her, "Egg." \nSimilar to its predecessor, season two also features a number of wonderful extra characters including Liza Minnelli's hilarious portrayal of Lucille Austero, or Lucille 2, who not only tries to gain back Buster's love but also has a two-episode relationship with Gob. There's also the family's equally dysfunctional lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler), Rob Corddry ("The Daily Show") as a TV cop show actor named Moses Taylor, small cameos by comedians Andy Richter and Ben Stiller, the return of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' ("Seinfeld's" Elaine) pathological liar/lawyer Maggie Lizer and of course the always funny Carl Weathers ("Rocky"), who plays himself. \nNow to say that season two is superior to one would be unfair because both are, honestly, equally as rewarding. The overall level of chaos and humor that the Bluth family brings episode after episode is as evident in this season as it was in the first. It could be said that season two does feature more celebrity cameos, probably due to the show's growing popularity, and that at times the storylines are more over-the-top than before (take the hand-eating, bowtie-wearing seal), but this by no means makes it anything less than what great comedy should be. \nThe three-disc DVD set features all 18 episodes, commentary tracks on three different episodes by the cast and creators, some funny deleted scenes, a season one recap and some blooper reels. Bottom line: season two is continuing proof that "Arrested Development" is the best show on television since "Seinfeld," and will hopefully have a successful life and avoid becoming a lost cult classic.