Community, the tv show

the Scrubs thing was so built into the episode at different points though (and Harmon and Lawrence have done so many shout-outs to each other before) that the line wouldn't be likely to just be thrown in

really sweet that Chevy came back to do a cameo now that Harmon is back btw!

So much could've gone wrong with the casting of Banks, and it all went so, so right.

I'm very happy that this is a show I like again.

so so happy

no surprise that Jonathan Banks does 'old white guy' character better than chevy chase

always be caging

Haven't seen last night's yet, but: will I be missing anything, not having seen S4? Kinda wanna watch it for car crash value/sating of OCD completist tendencies...but I also kinda don't want to. Mostly, I'm just curious if there are any camouflaged self-referential barbs afoot.

There's a passing reference to Chang's "Changnesia," and his name change to Kevin, from last season (it's really better that you don't know). It's just there to put that fetid storyline to bed so everyone can move on.

always be caging

died when i noticed this, btw

Also Annie says 'well there was a gas leak that one year', and Jeff's reply indicates it was the WHOLE year, ie last season. At least that's how I interpreted it.

yeah i caught that too, lol'd

Yeah, a few lines later when they are talking about the number of Abed's breakdowns he asks, "does that inclde the gas leak year?".

The Zach Braff thing was definitely a planned thing, because he was brought in to do the Scrubs-style voiceover at the end of the episode.

The Pierce Hawthorne Museum of Gender Sensitivity and Sexual Potency

I liked how Jeff's speech in the study room was essentially an acknowledgement and rejection of the the one-note personalities they'd become by the end of the last season. Also the apparent reset of Chang's character to his S1 persona is pretty much the best thing they could have done with him.

I was kind of worried how this show was going to work with no Pierce and no Troy, because the whole study group dynamic had become so important to the show, but that feels kind of irrelevant now. Most of all I'm just overjoyed that this show is funny again.

Loved the Pierce cameo though. Also Abed doing Cage was incredible.

Also Troy attempting to escape from Banks's office while disguised as a chair pretty much had me in tears.

laughed through both episodes, thank fuck for harmon

"I'M A SEXY CAAAAT"

"Also Troy attempting to escape from Banks's office while disguised as a chair pretty much had me in tears."

Me, too! Maybe their best credits scene yet.

god the look on glover's face and then banks' last line - "we can't afford to bury father with the rest of the family"

very happy with these two. Always Be Caging had me dying, as did "gas leak year". Chang actually funny again.

Have y'all seen this: http://imgur.com/a/6Sa6L

OTM re: Chang. His "Aaaaawww she in your class, yo" was funnier than all of his S4 lines combined (and most of his S3 lines).

xp

OTM

"oh, excuse me for being alive in the '90s and having two ears connected to a heart."

Reverse Chang tonight struck me as absolutely hilarious. Also the part about "You just admitted you own a fake butt."

STARBURNS' CAT CAR U GUYS

"The world's first animal powered vehicle!"

Was the episode supposed to be like the killing, or another TV show? There was clearly a logo treatment that I didn't quite get, but the grey rainy episode certainly reminded me of the killing

i think it was kind of serial killer genre homage mostly (opening credits were basically the Red Dragon credits iirc) and there was a bunch of Zodiac in the first few minutes. The constant rain thing could be a Seven reference, or at least that's where my mind went. It's sort of like how the paintball wasn't necessarily a Die Hard spoof but a general action homage taking from this and that blueprint or film.

yeah, i thought mostly a fincher homage

does no-one watch Hannibal?

credits, rain, classical music, weird colors = Hannibal

even the way it deliberately didn't resolve was very Hannibal-ish/esque/ w/e

It's all Fincher.

not saying that it wasnt also Finchery, but there was a lot of Hannibal in there imho

ah, having seen none of the things mentioned I suppose it's obvious why my mind went "the killing"

Best ever obv Law & Order: Basic Lupine Urology xp

the classical music + "i thought that would take longer" thing was perfect.

note at the end abed was deleting a whole bunch of hannibal episodes from his dvr.

this was GREAT

gonna miss Troy

choir version of 'creep' at the beginning fincher callout

on one hand i miss how the genre exercises used to develop from within the world (in s1/s2 there wouldn't have been text at the end unless abed put it there himself), and the discussion of the annie/jeff "thing" felt forced. on the other i was giggling straight through this thing.

gotta see hannibal though if this episode was like hannibal then hannibal is like fincher

"You can't stop me because what are you going to do, not have butts?"

xpost hannibal is like if fincher was an interior decorator. ITS SO GOOD content-wise, and rad to look at

zodiac levels of holy shit LOOK at that pause-moments

gonna miss Troy

this. damn you childish gambino.

i still haven't gotten around to seeing Hannibal -- basing a whole episode around a moderately popular NBC show that's been on for one season, really? that's like if instead of having a great throwaway gag about The Cape they actually let Abed make an entire episode about The Cape. Hannibal doesn't even half a half-red/half-white logo like the Community logo in that ep, does it? what was that about?

i suppose Community may have accurately surmised at this point that most of their audience is people whose remotes are broken and the TV is stuck on NBC. kinda lol but mostly sad that the season premiere preceded by months of "Harmon's back!" excitement got lower ratings than the last season premiere that was preceded by months of "Harmon's gone!" outrage.

very different timing for both premieres but in both cases community beat the newer more friendly nbc sitcoms in the ratings that week

i still haven't gotten around to seeing Hannibal -- basing a whole episode around a moderately popular NBC show that's been on for one season, really? that's like if instead of having a great throwaway gag about The Cape they actually let Abed make an entire episode about The Cape.

did you watch the episode? read the thread? plenty to laugh at, plenty of references to recognize even if you haven't seen hannibal.

and yeah the important thing is community's relative standing to its peers in the NBC thursday crypt

http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/NBCs-COMMUNITY-Up-17-in-Key-Demo-vs-Year-Ago-20140110

if dan harmon can avoid posting naked drawings of castmembers on his tumblr or disappearing for a month, i think the chance are pretty good for a season 6. I mean, NBC has to renew something and its hitting that syndication gravy train. as for a movie, that's up to kickstarter.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/3/6/7/9/8_05f14de1719aeb2/community-fincherthA.jpg

this isn't a "omg have you seen hannibal" image they gave to all the blogs, this is a "omg have you seen a procedural about a serial killer since the mid-90s" image

i watched and enjoyed the episode but the whole time i was confused about what it was parodying and had no idea until i read the thread

i'll admit i didn't recognize the red dragon credits and while they're not particularly iconic they're undoubtedly cheaper than seven-style credits

i mean i LIKE that the show doesn't trade exclusively in spoonfed Star Wars-level pop culture references but My Dinner With Andre refs >>>>> this