TV Review: Community-- Virtual Systems Analysis

Okay, it's official:  the hiatus from this blog (the one even I didn't know was happening) is officially over!  My Internet connection has been restored, and with it my ability to watch and analyze TV in a prompt and expansive manner.  No one is more upset than I am that I missed out on recapping the epic pillows vs. blankets two-part showdown, but I'll have to make up for it with my thoughts on tonight's "Virtual Systems Analysis," the much-hyped episode taking place almost entirely within the Dreamatorium.

This was a near-perfect installment for those of us who really adore the, well, weirder episodes of this show.  In it we see Abed (reluctantly) take Annie into the Dreamatorium while Britta and Troy are out to lunch together (incidentally, I really like that the show sidestepped some shipper nonsense by not showing the meal itself, but rather Abed's projections of what might be happening).  While inside, Annie touches a nerve in Abed when she criticizes him for his inability to empathize with others.  After she "breaks" his mind in this way, they spend the subsequent time speculating on various parts of Annie's subconscious, with Abed assuming the roles of their other friends, thus forcing Annie to confront her subconscious--literally, at one point, when he plays Annie herself and forces her to an understanding of her feelings for Jeff.  For a relationship that has been teased almost to the point of overkill this season, this was an interesting and strangely satisfying development.  In a way, I'm just happy that Annie's not truly pining for Jeff in the way she's been previously painted.

I think what I appreciate most about this episode, though, is the way it expanded upon the thread that's been established in the past few weeks, the examination of how Abed interacts with the world and the negatives of his behaviors and perceptions.  I like that the show didn't forget what it's already done to touch upon these issues, and that it showed not only a deeper insight into Abed's struggles but seemed to genuinely help him progress as a character.  Dan Harmon promised way back in September that season 3 would deliver on a fuller exploration of Abed, and I have to admit, I doubted him there for a little while.  However, this episode has proven me wrong, and left me with an appreciation for the fact that, though there are still moments of seeming indecision in the writing this season, the powers that be do have a plan for this lovable band of misfits, and that plan will make itself known in due course.

Also, who didn't love Troy's list of things he doesn't understand?  I want to bookmark a video of just that clip to watch whenever I want.

TV Review: Community 3.05-- Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps

This was probably the weakest of this show's three Halloween episodes (but let's face it, topping last year's zombie mania was pretty much never going to happen), however, it was still pretty hilarious.  I liked this episode for many of the same reasons I liked last week's installment, "Remedial Chaos Theory."  It gave us the group in a bottle-episode situation with a twist, and we got a little bit of insight into each character (and their potential homicidal tendencies) with each scary story.

The premise is straightforward:  Britta is throwing a pre-party for Halloween with just the study group so that she can figure out who among them ranked alarmingly high on her psychology survey, indicating that the person in question may be "deeply disturbed" and possess "homicidal tendencies."  She naturally decides that the best way to out this person is to trade horror stories, trusting that the most deranged study group member will out themselves in the course of telling their tale.  The gang is pretty bummed about missing the school's Halloween dance, but it is probably a blessing in disguise, as the dance is serving taco meat from the Army surplus store (and we all remember what happened last time...).

Britta tells the most generic and dispassionate possible story, and is pronounced "embarrassing" by Abed for being so darn unoriginal.  Abed goes next, weaving a very logical, believable tale with textbook screenwriting elements, which concludes with the two protagonists standing back to back in the middle of the room holding knives (which, of course, is the obvious solution to just about every horror movie scenario).  Annie goes next, and her largely nauseating story involves Jeff as a vampire who just wants to become literate, and the innocent tutor who turns out to be...a werewolf!  Oh, and she also describes murdering the vampire in gruesome, graphic detail.  Also, this show's werewolf transformation effects are just plain bonkers.

Troy wants to one-up Annie, and his tale has Pierce as an old, racist doctor who sews Abed and Troy together, also inadvertently granting them the power of telepathic communication, which of course is a pretty happy ending.  Pierce follows with the grossest story yet, and one which isn't even scary (which is definitely not the most cringe-worthy thing about it).  But Shirley's story takes the cake, primarily because it is so obviously the product of her imagination and no one else's.  The gang is doing drugs and engaging in all manner of debauchery, when a radio report reveals that "all the good Christians have been raptured up to heaven" and that "the world is over."  They are then visited by angel-Shirley, who smugly forgives them, but insists that she can't save them.  I think the most frightening part of this story is that this is almost exactly how Shirley acts in reality.

The debate continues over who is the maniac in the group.  Is it Britta?  Is it somehow Chang, which Jeff posits in his tale, intended to distract the gang from turning on one another?  Is it Jeff himself, who reveals that he filled out the test at random, which likely yielded the singular batch of wacky results?  But the answer comes in the form of a kind of Occam's razor solution (the simplest explanation is usually the right one):  Britta "britta'ed" the test by feeding them into the reading machine upside down.  I have to admit, the coining of this as a term for messing up really does make me feel bad for Britta; she has consistently gotten the short end of the character stick for a while now, and I'd like to see that change.

With story time now over and the gang having thoroughly abused Britta for her failures as a "practitioner of the mental arts," we get the biggest twist of all, and one that is at the same time wholly unsurprising:  the tests actually yielded only one set of normal results.  Which means the gang, as we all know more than well by now, is chock full of lovable, yet sometimes worrying, crazy.  So all in all, a charming and feel-good Halloween episode.

Fall TV 2011: Community, Season 3

It's hard to believe that Thursday night TV is so close to being back.  This year NBC's lineup is looking pretty spectacular (with the possible exception of "Whitney"), and I am excited to see three of TV's best comedies make their respective returns.  Community will once again be kicking off the evening, and season three sounds like it might be the show's best yet.

Where We Left Off:  Paintball, naturally.  A Western showdown gave way to a Star Wars-esque battle, which Pierce came from the shadows to help our favorite community college win against its crosstown foe.  We saw a surprise hookup between Annie and Abed, and were left wondering whether Pierce was really serious about leaving the group.

What's Ahead:  Rumors have been flying all summer about what season 3 might bring us.  As always, this show is notoriously hard to predict, but there do seem to be at least a few things confirmed.  There will be some new teachers, which have always been hit or miss on this show; John Goodman is making a much-hyped guest appearance as the Vice Dean (who knew such a small and dysfunctional school had multiple people in administration?); and we're going to see Troy, Abed, and Annie as roommates!  I think that last one is what I'm most excited about, to be honest; I'm hoping the showrunners will continue to use these three as a trio, as the results are usually pretty hilarious.

What I'd Like to See:  Among the unconfirmed rumors and speculation there is a lot being said about the various romances on the show.  Season 3 may feature some Jeff and Annie, some Annie and Abed, some Britta and Troy, or maybe all of the above.  As the show has made a point of its ability to pair anyone with anyone, I don't think we'll see any of these couples on a typical (or indeed, logical) relationship track, though I think it might be interesting to see a pair other than Jeff and Britta engage in something longer than an episode's duration. 

Dan Harmon also recently talked about his plans for Abed, and his hope to further develop his character this season.  He spoke about how Abed has been largely appealing for the first two season, and now we are going to see a bit more of why it's difficult for Abed to interact with others, as well as why they might struggle with engaging with him.  This was touched on a bit in "Critical Film Studies," but it looks like it'll be an ongoing thing in season 3, particularly with Abed rooming with two of his study group pals. 

Overall, I'm interested to see where this season's episodes go thematically, and what kind of new ideas the writers have up their sleeves.  I am intensely curious to see how in the world they'll top "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" come holiday time, and whether there will be a third paintball extravaganza, or if they'll try to carve a new but equally hilarious path during sweeps.  In any case, season 2 went out on a high note with a lot of open doors, so there's no reason this week's premiere shouldn't deliver the goods, and then some.

Premiere Date:  (Tomorrow!) Thursday, September 22nd

TV Review: Community Goes Clip Show, Sort Of

I think I need to open with a big old "I WAS RIGHT."  Thank you, your applause is not necessary.  But I figured out that Jeff and Britta were hooking up behind the scenes months ago, and they waited so long to address this that even I almost forgot.  But I knew-- they thought they were being clever, but let the record show that I knew all along.

This episode was a step in the right direction, both a move back toward the original brilliance of this show as well as a nice stepping stone toward May sweeps.  We got what was essentially a look back at the season so far (with some hilarious new clips added in-- why couldn't we have had a full episode dedicated to the ghost town trip, or the gang's run-in with drug lords?), and an exposure of some of the issues that have been neglected or not completely resolved heading into the home stretch.  Yeah, nothing of much consequence actually happened tonight, but but re-opening some of these discussions and having the gang essentially refuse to tie them up, we're set up for sweeps with a lot of potential things hanging in the balance.

A few things that really stood out:  I adored the mocking use of Sara Bareilles' "Gravity" (one of my personal favorite songs) in a YouTube fanvid style parody with first Jeff and Annie and then hilariously with Pierce and Abed.  Why do I fear that both montages will inevitably spawn numerous imitations within the next week...?  Also, Troy in particular was hilarious in this episode; I honestly think that he can never be featured enough, so I'm looking forward to see where he winds up by season's end, more than maybe anyone else on this show.