Community

[Imperor]

Atrocious episode not even salvaged by how much I would wreck Asian Annie. Jesus, that b story was horrible.

 

[PhilsFan]

That episode blew hard. But I did like Troy doing the Georgia accent while still knowing the country.

 

[Imperor]

So... worst episode of the series thus far? I mean, I hated "Messianic Myths," and "Celebrity Pharmacology" is trash, but at least they had some laughs.

 

[PhilsFan]

Just a shit sandwich. It doesn't help being right up against Parks & Rec, which has been my preferred show since probably February or so, but this is a really weak effort.

Oddly enough, probably the best Pierce episode in a while.

 

[Imperor]

Parks is killing it right now and seems incapable of a bad episode, and we're in the early stages of a renaissance Sunny season (haven't watched tonight's yet), so its peers are definitely making it look bad.

And to top it off, I love this show so much that I give it a mighty long leash, which speaks volumes of how much they shit the bed.

 

[mobvok]

Celebrity Pharmacology (the drug play one), Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy (the Balkans war criminal), and Intro to Political Science (pop pop!) all felt as bad as this one. The problem I think is the story structure- it doesn't matter how many great one liners are said when the basic conflict is so dumb.

Asian Annie should have been a multi-episode arc, for one, slowly cranking up the pressure on Annie instead of just blasting us with CONFLICT-RIVAL-STRESS-convenient wrapup in 22 minutes. At least it would have had a chance to say something about Annie's existing anxiety with her years-out nursing plan of classes.

I was cringing through the whole Britta plot. I did like "terrordome, N-words!" though.

 

[Imperor]

I give "Political Science" a pass just as a vehicle for some great gags (Pelton's outfit, Magnitude vs. Leonard, Troy and Abed's punditry, Jeff's audition tape), but I totally forgot about the Balkans dude. Repressed the memory, I guess.

Gillian's legs looked great when kicking the trash can. That's about all I can praise of that plot. If this is what we're getting from Chang as security guard, they're squandering a really funny premise.

 

[mobvok]

just had a thought comparing the debate montage from Debate 109 with the green-screened floating head for Garrett's moderation. 109 was far better done visually, while this looked so cheap

ugh

 

[Imperor]

Thanks. Now I'm even more bummed out.

 

[mobvok]

Here's a happier story: Joel McHale writes about his two years as a walk on TE for the UW Huskies (gohuskies)

Joel McHale: Life as a walk-on football player at the University of Washington - Grantland

the most insane thing is that he can still turn on the TV and might see Mark Brunell QB for the Jets

 

[cobl04]

I thought it was decent far from the best episode of the show but still good. Troy taking Annie's cup away and removing the lid was hilarious, and the ending was really funny.

Celebrity Pharmacology was hilarious.

But yeah, Chang/Britta was fucking awful and I hope that's nowhere near the best they can come up with with Chang as a security guard.

 

[Imperor]

I finally have something nice to say about last night's episode: great giffage.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Damn. Didn't expect to come in and see all the negative responses in here. I thought this episode was very funny.

 

[kramwest1]

It was fine.
I'll take the occasional total base humor of "Ura-gay" and the Spartacus spoof, "I farted."
They can't all be winners, and consider that an okay episode of Community is still far funnier than 95% of comedy on TV.

 

[the tourist]

Damn. Didn't expect to come in and see all the negative responses in here. I thought this episode was very funny.

I agree with you, Gaffer!

 

[LMP]

Parks is killing it right now and seems incapable of a bad episode, and we're in the early stages of a renaissance Sunny season (haven't watched tonight's yet), so its peers are definitely making it look bad.

And to top it off, I love this show so much that I give it a mighty long leash, which speaks volumes of how much they shit the bed.

I think that of the three, Community's always been the most reflexive and daring from a storytelling standpoint and it makes for uneven bursts of episodes. Always Sunny breaks down sitcom conventions and character relationships as well, but does so with more more cynicism and less of an emphasis on formalism. I need to catch up with Sunny, I'm halfway through Season 6.

And Parks and Rec is almost like a live-action Simpsons at this point in regards to how it's populating Pawnee with a rich set of characters, all while retaining (and in my opinion, building upon) the ensemble dynamic from The Office. They haven't had a weak episode in about a season and a half.

 

[cobl04]

Glad I wasn't the only one. Although I must say it's been rare over the past two years that HIMYM produces a better episode than Community... it certainly did last week.

 

[PhilsFan]

I hear you on Parks. If it weren't for Ron Swanson, my favorite character would be Perd Hapley.

 

[cobl04]

Parks really has been killing it for quite some time. I think I like it more than The Office, though no character on Parks has provided me with as many laughs as Dwight and Michael (talking first three seasons)

 

[corianderstem]

I reeeeeeeeeeally hate Chang. I wish they would kill of his character or just make him go back to his home planet a la Poochie.

 

[powerhour24]

I love Chang personally, they just have to know the right place for him and sometimes they don't.

I'm torn on this episode, the structure and something else about it were so off, I can't even explain what it was. But the jokes and acting were absolutely hilarious so it made up for it somewhat. The highlights for me have to Troy taking the lid off Annie's cup and putting it back so it would stop annoying everyone and it not being mentioned at all, Pierce and his 'tropical paradise of Somalia', Abed/Earth 2 and the professor saying 'the science checks out', and off course one of the best post-credit moments ever: human Operation board.

 

[cobl04]

 

[powerhour24]

Hulu - Community: Pierce's Bad Nap

 

[kramwest1]

Pierce and his 'tropical paradise of Somalia',

I thought the heavy-handedness of Pierce's ignorance of Somalia was quite funny in his continued "oblivious racist" theme.

 

[LMP]

Damn. Didn't expect to come in and see all the negative responses in here. I thought this episode was very funny.

It wasn't the sharpest, but yeah, I laughed a lot. The Britta/Chang B-plot felt a little forced.

 

[cobl04]

Just found out the actor who plays Abed's dad also played Nazhgalia on Arrested Development, the fugly girl Gob fucked to get back Michael. Cool cool cool.

 

[Imperor]

You've got milk on your mustache!

 

[Imperor]

That was a nice bounce back after last week. The ranking bit had shades of "Cooperative Calligraphy," which is more than welcome since it was a landmark episode for the show. Some great one liners, funny tag, and Chang finally got a solid plot. The sax had me rolling. Throw in a much needed Magnitude sighting, and it was a pretty solid ep. Even if I did think everyone's treatment of Todd at the end was a bit out of character.

So crisis averted. For now.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

What was the crisis again?

 

[Imperor]

A lackluster premiere followed by the series' worst episode. One man's opinion, obviously.