“I’m sorry. The point is: this show, Annie, it isn’t just their show. This is our show. And it’s not over. And the sooner we find that treasure, the faster the Jeff/Britta pilot falls apart.”
This has always been a show about a community, as expected: a living, breathing group of friends whose school is an essential aspect of all their beings. “Basic Sandwich” emphasizes that fact nicely, serving as a sweet, funny ending to what is most likely the penultimate season of the show.
“Advanced Dungeons and Dragons” was one of the all-time greatest Community episodes, showcasing the best the show had to offer and beautifully summing up what Community is about; there’s just no use trying to rehash greatest hits, and thankfully, “Advanced Advanced Dungeons and Dragons” is able to maintain a sense of uniqueness as it delivers a flawed, yet entertaining, 21 minutes.
When Vince Gilligan shows up as a cheesy, western VCR host, you know you’re in for something hilarious. Watching the four try to figure out the game is already funny, but when Annie and Abed really get into it, spinning and shooting and moving their way through the ridiculousness, you have comedy gold.
I give this episode 4.5 MeowMeowBeenz.
Community can still bring it with the concept episodes, and “App Development and Condiments” takes that concept and runs with it, crafting a wildly entertaining 22 minutes of television. This is just plain fun.
Community is fundamentally a comedy, but that comedy is rooted in a deeper understanding of our characters; yes, these people are attending a community college and all feel varying levels of unfulfillment. There’s a time in which they all have to stand back and take stock of who they are, and this episode explores that idea in depth.
We need a Wikipedia page for Fat Dog.
This is an incredibly entertaining episode of Community, and it’s nice to see the show get down to the basics again. Sure, it can pull off the big emotional moments and the concept episodes nicely, but sometimes, we just want to see good ‘ol Community.
I’m going to miss you, Troy Barnes.
When Troy sails off on the Childish Tycoon at the end of this episode, it’s hard not to get choked up; he’s been an integral part of this show and a beloved character, and it’s not easy saying goodbye. But alas, people come and go, and that’s a major theme tonight. When do we decide that we need a change? When do we have to let go of our pasts, to reinvent ourselves without losing hold of who we are inside? When do we decide that we have to fall into a pit of lava in order to come out unscathed on the other side? For, that’s the very choice Troy has to make in “Geothermal Escapism”, and it’s a big one.
One of the greatest Community episodes ever created was “Cooperative Calligraphy”, a season 2 bottle episode that highlighted the show at its very best; it delivered the laughs and the brilliant character interactions we’d grown to love, and it was an absolute masterpiece.
“Cooperative Polygraphy” is no different. This is one of those episodes that highlights exactly how well the writers and the actors understand their characters and just how well crafted they are, and it still delivers a hilarious half hour of television. It’s a simple premise, but sometimes simple premises are the best outlets for genuine emotion, for brilliant character interactions and callbacks and a group of people sitting around a study room table. The characters dictate the direction of this episode, not the plot.
Considering the way Pierce’s character was handled at certain times while he was alive, the show could’ve easily done the same with his goodbye. However, this episode is a hell of a send-off, both for him and for Troy, and I love how each gift stays true to Pierce’s relationship with each character. It isn’t overly sappy; it’s raw emotion, and that’s what makes this episode so brilliant.
Going the route of a concept episode after the brilliant, toned down character work of the premiere is certainly an interesting choice, and it results in a deeply flawed, yet highly watchable, 21 minutes.
The thing that separates “concept” from “gimmick” is character, and this episode walks a thin line between the two. On the one hand, the show does a nice job of paying homage to shows like Hannibal and directors like David Fincher, and the very idea of an Ass-Crack Bandit is hilarious. On the other, the character work falters a bit here; for one, although I do like the Jeff-Annie dynamic, their plot in Numismatics feels shoe-horned in. The waxing and waning of a relationship is realistic, but we’re past the point where I’m completely invested in their flirtation; now, I want to see them interacting like they did in the premiere. Jeff brings out a stronger spirit in Annie, and it’d be interesting to get down to who they are and why they’re friends, not to dance around a romance that should’ve either 1) happened a long time ago, or 2) not been over-teased as a reality.
Guys, I need help reacting to something.
And what a great “something” it was. After a tumultuous fourth season, Community is back to being the show we’ve always loved. It’s always hard to clean something up once someone else has made a mess of it, but Harmon does it efficiently, hilariously, and brilliantly in these first two episodes.
“Repilot” is impressive because it not only is able to reference season 4, but it’s also able to strip these characters down to their bare bones. It unites the characters both physically and emotionally, and it’s a surprisingly dark opening to the season. Of course, there’s evidence of actual character growth. These are human beings who’ve endured similar types of problems, and this “Repilot” is now bringing them all full circle; yet, they’re wiser, more appreciative, and even sadder.
Obviously, any premiere has to navigate some tricky waters, and “Repilot” is no different. For one, the whole “Jeff returns to save Greendale” plot is entirely predictable and a bit contrived, but then again, the important thing is what we get at the end. Adding on to the episode’s problems, it could sometimes get lost in the shuffle of being a premiere, much less one after such a season as season 4 of Community. It has to juggle 50 different things at once, and that’s a hard task.
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