Community is on NBC at 8. Tweet #sixseasonsandamovie so we can get it trending!
Going to drift a little off the movie path for a second and go a little personal.
SAVE COMMUNITY or SIX SEASONS AND A MOVIE: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO COMMUNITY
Tired of hearing all of this business about saving Community but have never seen an episode? Rather than shaming you for missing this era’s answer to Arrested Development, perhaps a viewer’s guide would help. You see, you truly are missing out on a very intelligent comedy. No, it’s not filled with nerdy science jokes like The Big Bang Theory. Different kind of intelligent. Community consists of meticulously thought-out jokes and pop-culture references where every second of every episode is filled with humor, be it in the actual writing itself or in the visual style of any given scene. The devoted fan base is just that: devoted. We appreciate it in a way that so many other fanbases support their shows. Sadly, we are constantly on the bubble of losing our pride and joy. With Community being shelved at mid-season, the bubble is in even more danger of bursting.
I present to you this Community Crash Course. Here are fifteen of the best episodes from the first two seasons (with three from the current season thrown in for good measure) to get you caught up on the characters and the general idea of the show.
SEASON ONE
Pilot (101)Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) is threatened with being disbarred after it is discovered that his degree is fake. In an effort to easily get back to the life he once lived, he enrolls at Greendale Community College. After meeting Britta (Gillian Jacobs), a beautiful blonde with a rebellious streak, he fakes being a Spanish tutor in order to get closer to her. Little does Jeff know that she invites another classmate, Abed (Danny Pudi), to the group, setting things in motion to create the greatest study group known to mankind.
Spanish 101 (102)Jeff’s efforts to win over Britta backfire when he finds himself paired up with the rich and eccentric Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) for their Spanish class project. This episode features Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed’s first pairing and the famous Spanish rap.
Introduction to Statistics (107)Halloween at Greendale finds Jeff with a crush on one of his teachers. Freshman brainiac and do-gooder Annie (Alison Brie) holds a Halloween party.
Debate 109 (109)Jeff gets suckered into joining the debate team with Annie for the big match-up against rival City College.
Contemporary American Poultry (121)The study group confronts to chicken finger shortage that has ripped apart Greendale Community College. This episode is often referred to as the Goodfellas episode as the narrative unfolds as an homage to Scorsese’s great gangster film.
Modern Warfare (123)When the first prize of priority registration is announced, Greendale erupts into an all-out Paintball War. The study group - minus Jeff - vow to give their prize to uber-Christian and newly single mother Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) in this episode that TIME magazine television criic ranked the third best show on television in 2010.
Pascal’s Triangle Revisted (125)As their first year together comes to a close, Jeff is at the apex of a tricky love triangle, Annie contemplates moving away with her hacky-sack playing boyfriend, and Troy looks for a new place to live.
SEASON TWO
Basic Rocket Science (204)The study group is assigned to salvage an aging museum exhibit that Dean Craig Pelton (Jim Rash) plans to make the centerpiece of Greendales proposed aerospace training program.
Epidemiology (206)Another Halloween episode! Dean Pelton’s army surplus party food sparks an outbreak of zombie-ism at Greendale’s Halloween party.
Cooperative Calligraphy (208)Annie’s missing pen leads to friction within the group. Yep. It could be a bottle episode.
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (214)Struck with how everyone on campus makes fun of Fat Neil, Jeff decides to do something about it, holding a game of Dungeons and Dragons for Neil and the study group.
Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking (216)Claiming that he is about to die, Pierce summons to study group to the hospital to bequeath his belongings upon them while Abed films it for a documentary.
Paradigms of Human Memory (221)As the study group gathers to assemble their 20th and final Antropology diorama of the year, they reflect on some of their favorite moments together. (NOTE: This episode, while one of the best, is tough to watch without having seen every episode before. The joke of this episode is that it is a tribute to clipshow episodes of sitcoms while featuring clips of things that were never seen by the audience.)
A Fistful of Paintballs/For A Few Paintballs More (223/224)I know. I cheated. Sue me. This two part season finale sends of spaghetti westerns and Star Wars as Pierce tries to get revenge on the study group in this year’s paintball competition. However, all is not as it seems when it is revealed who is the instigator of this year’s battle.
SEASON THREE
Biology 101 (301)As the new school year starts, the group is back together and choice to take Biology. Jeff and their ex-convict Biology teacher instantly start off on a bad foot, which leads to strife within the group. Meanwhile, Senor Chang is living in the air vents and is given a new position of authority from the Dean, who has to make cut-backs due to the intimidating Vice-Dean’s choice on spending arrangements.
Remedial Chaos Theory (304)When Troy and Abed decide to share an apartment, they host a party for the group, which takes on an altered reality as several scenarios play out.
Studies in Modern Movement (307)The group tries to help Annie move in with Troy and Abed but things go awry when she becomes frustrated by their lifestyle. Meanwhile, Dean Pelton blackmails Jeff into spending the afternoon with him.
This isn’t art-related but it’s very important to me.
My favorite sitcom ever (that’s including The Office, Parks and Rec, The Big Bang Theory, Arrested Development, and 30 Rock) is being pulled mid season. I implore you to just try watching a few episodes, and if you like what you see, there’s three seasons more where that came from (well…two and a half, most likely). If you don’t like it, that’s fine. But it’s the most relatable, delightful show I’ve ever encountered. Honestly.
And if you end up liking it, please sign the petition here: http://www.save-community.com/.
Yes, I will be constantly reblogging this. Because this show is the world to me.
(Source: fatdudedigsflicks)
