Community

[knives]

It would be sad if it wasn't so funny.

[matrixschmatrix]

Honestly that would make perfect sense

[domino harvey]

Another effing Scrubs episode

[knives]

I will never understand what's wrong with Scrubs. Show's boss.

[Mr Sausage]

I hate it when shows or film series take their long running characters and slowly reveal that, in fact, they've all met before and are responsible for each other's formative moments. Next we'll find out Britta and Jeff spent a romantic weekend with each other in highschool that broke their respective hearts and was the basis for their entire relationship history.

[domino harvey]

And it wasn't even for a funny idea, that's what's way more offensive. No, wait, what's the most offensive was that animated interlude that only exists to get nerds hashtagging. Horrible episode, maybe worst of the season-- and I think it's the last one we get for a while, isn't it?

[mfunk9786]

I liked it! Far from the best, but I think you fellas need to loosen up a smidge.

[Mr Sausage]

And it wasn't even for a funny idea, that's what's way more offensive. No, wait, what's the most offensive was that animated interlude that only exists to get nerds hashtagging. Horrible episode, maybe worst of the season-- and I think it's the last one we get for a while, isn't it?

I thought it was still better than some of the earlier episodes this season (at least it wasn't trying to make the group as unpleasant as possible). Some of the back-and-forths at the start were amusing.

I don't know what it is with this show. I would expect this kind of inconsistency from the first season, not the third. Shouldn't this be where they have their strongest grasp of the right tone? Also, why would you take the character who's had the best writing all season, Britta, and make her disappear for an episode?

[domino harvey]

I don't mind them putting Britta on backburner to give focus to Shirley and Annie, especially since those two haven't had nearly as much to do this season. I just wish they'd been given something good to do. Though it goes without saying that the only laugh I had the entire episode was Britta related...

[mfunk9786]

Not even Troy's humming?! Or Annie's improvised DVD commentary?!

[Mr Sausage]

I don't mind them putting Britta on backburner to give focus to Shirley and Annie, especially since those two haven't had nearly as much to do this season. I just wish they'd been given something good to do. Though it goes without saying that the only laugh I had the entire episode was Britta related...

I think that was my problem: that bit made me think we were going to get a really funny Britta episode, so I was disappointed when she disappeared.

The Jeff/Shirley story was so contrived. You could just feel the writers forcing set-ups into the material: the group suddenly hanging in a location they never do, a foosball table and a bunch of Germans that had never been there before (and likely will never be mentioned again), and two leads who both conveniently reveal they each had a foosball obsession. By the time Shirley was revealed as the person who turned Jeff Winger into who he is today, the episode had gone right up its own ass. Shocking to think that this used to be the show were Jeff and Shirley could bond over something as natural as mocking others.

[knives]

The production design this episode was pretty amazing even if everything else was fairly below average. I need to have that Inspector Spacetime poster. Sadly I missed the Britta scene. I liked the Annie plot though.

[tarpilot]

If Nick Kroll didn't just look like how Nick Kroll usually looks I'd swear he was supposed to be a parody of Nicolas Refn

[Andre Jurieu]

... a foosball table and a bunch of Germans that had never been there before (and likely will never be mentioned again)...

I completely agree that the Jeff/Shirley A-story was painfully contrived, but I really hope we see zee Germans again. I thought they were the best part of that plot-line. Kroll kicking that ball with perfect foosball form was priceless.

Shocking to think that this used to be the show were Jeff and Shirley could bond over something as natural as mocking others.

I get the sense they've written themselves into a corner with Shirley (almost more so than even Pierce), because they need her to serve as an insufferable morality-imposing character about 90% of the time. It's hilarious when done right, but it's also fairly constricting. Unfortunately, that schtick just has diminishing returns over time and Shirley can't really develop any real character arc when most of her personality is wrapped up in repressing herself. That aspect of her character makes me understand why they feel the need to pair off Jeff and Shirley every so often, but this plot-line was just so clunky compared to something like Mixology Certification.

The same stagnation or repetitive personality is kind of a problem with most of the characters within the show's structure. Realistically, the only characters that have evolved significantly are the younger generation of Troy, Abed, and Annie, and I think that's in descending order.

I actually thought the T & A ... & A storyline was fairly amusing, if only because Brie and Glover work well together, even when Abed's reaction went off the deep end.

[Matt]

I really liked the episode, but I liked it more as an expansion of Shirley's character than as an explanation for Jeff's. His daddy issues are very weirdly addressed on the show. But as far as the contrived nature of the story: maybe I'm more sentimental or more forgiving, but I don't see any problem with a sitcom using rickety sitcom tropes unironically from time to time. I've always liked that this show has such a big, sappy heart.

[swo17]

I really liked the episode, but I liked it more as an expansion of Shirley's character than as an explanation for Jeff's.

This. Also, from my own experiences of playing the game, I think the observation "they are good at foosball because they are evil" was rather apt.

[mfunk9786]

Hulu Plus sends 21 hours worth of Gillian Jacobs flying through the internets

[swo17]

To those disappointed with some of the recent episodes, maybe it's just because they're hiding all the jokes.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Hulu Plus sends 21 hours worth of Gillian Jacobs flying through the internets

Just perfected my impersonation of Shirley screaming!

[Andre Jurieu]

...but I liked it more as an expansion of Shirley's character than as an explanation for Jeff's.

Agreed on that point, but I didn't think the plot expanded on her character very well. Part of that is because it was all situated in such an early stage in her development and some of it was because, even at an early age, Shirley recognized the malice of her actions and altered her behavior accordingly. So, it explains why she avoids foosball and direct confrontation, but doesn't really provide a great deal of explanation regarding her behavior at this stage of her life, especially why she requires the moral-compass provided by organized religion. It does kind of provide another example of how she often feels marginalized and awkward and overcompensates accordingly, but it also really doesn't provide much explanation of why she needs to feel morally-superior to everyone else, rather than just superior in some fashion. The other thing that kind of didn't work for me was that she was the aggressor in the scenario and so the incident didn't really feel that traumatic for her and thus doesn't really function as a major life-altering event other than her realization that foosball (and, I guess it could be inferred, competition or opposition in general - I'm thinking back to the group fight with Anthony Michael hall in Comparative Religion) bring out negative aspects of her personality.

But as far as the contrived nature of the story: maybe I'm more sentimental or more forgiving, but I don't see any problem with a sitcom using rickety sitcom tropes unironically from time to time. I've always liked that this show has such a big, sappy heart.

I don't see any problem with that either. In fact, I really think one of the best qualities of this show is that it's sometimes able to call attention to rickety sitcom tropes, but still manages to incorporate them into their narrative respectfully and sincerely, without always cynically dismissing these conventions. I'm also an unabashed fan of the show's big, sappy heart, mostly because it's able to deftly navigate through sentimentality without feeling overly contrived (they've become better as this throughout the show's progression), and these moments of sentiment are able to convey a genuine connection being created between the characters which feel honest and earned (as compared to the tacked on concluding segment of every episode of Modern Family, which usually feels artificial and rushed).

When the show gets these moments right, it's absolutely amazing. It's why Mixology Certification works so incredibly well, despite it being an episode that isn't particularly hilarious. I thought that episode revealed an incredible amount about every character (even Abed) in a very natural, nuanced, and perceptive way. Even though the set-up to that episode was absurd (Troy being clueless enough to allow an entire year of his life to slip away), every subsequent interaction between the characters or revelation of a single character felt authentic and organic, in part because the majority of the premise is so simple and familiar (getting drunk with some people you only know through college, which allows you to kind of relax and reveal more of yourself because there are very few preconceived notions and established boundaries in your interactions).

Unfortunately, this episode's premise didn't work as well because the history seemed so strange (it really doesn't feel like Jeff and Shirley would have crossed paths during their childhoods) and the emotional climax was achieved using such a stylistic disconnection (the sudden switch to the anime foosball battle). When examined in isolation, I actually found the anime sequence to be an interesting creative choice (it certainly heightens the conflict accordingly, while maintaining the absurdity of the situation), and the image of Jeff and Shirley walking away arm-in-arm with the flip-switch to them as children was well executed. It's just that the emotional resolution between Jeff and Shirley was kind of diminished since it also occurred through the absurdity of an anime sequence. In fact the entire conflict felt contrived because of the randomness of foosball and German antagonists, and the fact that the events were so grounded in reality. It kind of felt like it either needed to get toned-down and simplified (Comparative Religion or Mixology Certification) or amped-up and complicated (Paintball episodes) in order for it to feel accessible and believable.

[Murdoch]

I never would've thought Jeff was only two years younger than Shirley.

[Mr Sausage]

Save Greendale: with the cast of Community.

[domino harvey]

It was considerate of Dan Harmon to sneak in a musical on the eve of our latest list project

[Mr Sausage]

Once again, Britta dancing is (cringingly) hysterical. I almost didn't notice she was wearing a skin-tight spandex suit from looking through my fingers. Also thought the Invasion of the Body Snatchers reference was perfect.

There weren't as many laughs as I was hoping, but it was a cute episode. (Also, I've never seen an episode of Glee, but if what I just saw was even a bit accurate, I'll let it stay that way).

[domino harvey]

It was a bit rough around the edges on the whole, but it's the most I've laughed this season outside of the alternate realities ep. Britta, as ever, did indeed steal the show (Harmon is basically engineering a MASH note to Gillian Jacobs this year), and I loved the "Me So Christmas" callback.