Community, the tv show

^^

This season is really lacking a clear narrative arc, and whatever it does have is getting chopped up by one-off episodes (FUNNY one-off episodes, but one-offs nonetheless)

What's amazing about Community is that these are only one-off episodes stylistically. If you think about it, there's lots of character and plot development going on underneath the jokes - paintball had Jeff and Britta finally hooking up (the kind of thing most sitcoms would make an entire episode ABOUT), we learned a LOT about Abed's background in this Xmas episode. While I think the show could get "Finch dreams the cast of Just Shoot Me are Wizard Of Oz characters" quickly, they've done a phenomenal job tying together wildly disparate styles without reducing each character to mere shtick to do it. This Xmas episode had me lolling constantly and marveling at the way they kept two different planes of reality going at the same time, but also deepened several of characters' relationships to each other (Abed and Britta esp). I've been saying this is my favorite show since Arrested Development, but now I think it's my favorite show since The Simpsons.

I'm guessing the suits who ok'd this hoped they'd make it as ingratiating and superficial as possible, so it could serve as a jumping-on point for the curious. That it was so immersed in the reality of the show and not just blank xmas cheer is so flattering to fans. I love how all these episodes don't feel like attempts to grab a new, larger audience, but see what they can get away with before being canceled.

but to see what they can get away with, rather. and as for "a little disappointed that the writers seem to actually believe that Abed is a bit mental and not just, you know, smart and confident" - this is a guy who's spent every episode acting like he knows they're on a TV show. There are two possibilities here: he either does know he's on a TV show and this show is just a glib meta playhouse, or the character is more than a bit detached emotionally - deciding they're all on a special animated christmas episode when faced with heartbreak is actually not that much of a stretch. Also, if the writers decided he was "just" smart and confident, it probably wouldn't be too long Abed was our Fonz.

I'm almost beginning to subscribe to the position of Perpetua

This way lies madness. It doesn't matter what he's talking about -- he could say the sky is blue and I would know that he's full of shit.

da croup otm

Yeah, I'm not going too far down that path. xp

abed is abed. stop psychoanalyzing him for serious
seeing tons of people agree on "smart and confident" was already a stretch
particularly because he doesn't always seem smart and confident at all

I'm not even sure why the word "confident" got picked out as one of the first 2 words people use to describe Abed's personality. Surely there are more evident adjectives that could have been used

I don't want any "clear narrative arcs", that shit has ruined more funny sitcoms than Ted McGinley joining the cast.

I'm not looking for Ross & Rachel. I just wanted it to be more grounded in some sense.

Dan Harmon hinted a while back that we'll get to see Annie and Troy in high school this season, which could be fun.

I love that this show isnt all *higher story arc* and is just people hanging. The premise, if not the execution, is based around real life characters and real life happens in fits & starts. That said, if it gets 25% more Ross & Rachel to survive the chop, I think we'd all be cool with that.

Just noticed that whenever wizard Duncan leaves planet Abed, you can see parts of the study room.

This show is so good about attention to detail.

I'm not even sure why the word "confident" got picked out as one of the first 2 words people use to describe Abed's personality.

prob stemming back from abed's own self-description in the pool table episode, when he pointed out that he does fine with the ladies and meanwhile he's willing to do things his friends want him to, because he's already comfortably grounded in who he really is.

also

abed is abed. stop psychoanalyzing him for serious

come on man u are on ilx

da croupier OTMFM

And while I understand resistance to "psychoanalyzing" (though I don't think that's really what's happening) TV characters, in the abstract, sure, it would seem silly to delve into the layered backstory of whoever the fuck Sheen's character is on Douche And A Half Men; but I can't think of a recent sitcom character that lends himself so intriguingly to such questions as Abed does. A stop-motion animated Christmas episode is really the only logical step for his character.

the opening credit sequence with abed jumping on cars and then getting tasered by school security was actually happening in real life, presumably.

Yeah, this clicked the second time through.

this is a guy who's spent every episode acting like he knows they're on a TV show. There are two possibilities here: he either does know he's on a TV show and this show is just a glib meta playhouse, or the character is more than a bit detached emotionally

I always took the first interpretation (and so he seemed smarter than the other characters) but yours is probably more tenable now.

Otherwise, da croupier OTM about everything.

xpost Tbh, I think that by just interpreting Abed (until now) as slightly eccentric but mostly smart and self-confident, I was psychoanalysing him less than people who labelled his as having Asperger's (based mainly on something Jeff said in frustration in pilot, I'm guessing).

"labelled him"

"in the pilot"

da croupier OTMFM

And while I understand resistance to "psychoanalyzing" (though I don't think that's really what's happening) TV characters, in the abstract, sure, it would seem silly to delve into the layered backstory of whoever the fuck Sheen's character is on Douche And A Half Men; but I can't think of a recent sitcom character that lends himself so intriguingly to such questions as Abed does. A stop-motion animated Christmas episode is really the only logical step for his character.

but the moral of the christmas episode is to not psychoanalyze abed. it will turn you into a warlock

you don't know the meaning of at least five words in that sentence.

geez, now you are going to psychoanalyze me. why can't we leave my point the way it is

OK, watching the third time, Abed's character makes mores sense. He does actually seem a bit self-aware of what's going on, referring to the journey as one through the 'wonderland in [his] mind'.

the hugeness of jeffs head was the thing that made me lol the most. it was huge. (also made me think of turtle's theory of why vincest chase was famous (he has a big head) which made me lol even more.)

This season is really lacking a clear narrative arc, and whatever it does have is getting chopped up by one-off episodes (FUNNY one-off episodes, but one-offs nonetheless)

What's amazing about Community is that these are only one-off episodes stylistically. If you think about it, there's lots of character and plot development going on underneath the jokes - paintball had Jeff and Britta finally hooking up (the kind of thing most sitcoms would make an entire episode ABOUT), we learned a LOT about Abed's background in this Xmas episode. While I think the show could get "Finch dreams the cast of Just Shoot Me are Wizard Of Oz characters" quickly, they've done a phenomenal job tying together wildly disparate styles without reducing each character to mere shtick to do it. This Xmas episode had me lolling constantly and marveling at the way they kept two different planes of reality going at the same time, but also deepened several of characters' relationships to each other (Abed and Britta esp). I've been saying this is my favorite show since Arrested Development, but now I think it's my favorite show since The Simpsons.

― da croupier, Saturday, December 11, 2010 6:08 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark

yeah they've done the one-offs beautifully imo and part of if it is that when shows wait til like season 6 to do this kind of thing, it feels like the writers are just bored and trying to shake things up, here it feels like Community is just raising the stakes and broadening the parameters of what their show can do very early on, whether it's just because they don't know how long they'll be on the air or if they think things like this will help them gain an audience or if they just don't give a fuck and are having fun, it's exciting.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ldbdp3zTgk1qezigeo1_r3_500.gif

loved teddypierce

chevy chase has always been great at falling

There was something about Chevy's delivery on this episode that made him seem more...I dunno...compassionate than in most other episodes. Even if he was only along for the cookies.

teddypierce <3

I think after 30 years of him acting like a smug wiseass on TV and in movies, your brain interprets anything coming out of his mouth that way. When he is in bear form, his humanity is revealed.

sounds plausible enough

agreed

Ditto.

I didn't pay attention to Community for the first half of last season because of Chase's involvement. And I don't know if he's unknowingly playing himself as an asshole -- like Jerry Lewis in The King Of Comedy, or Alan Alda in Crimes & Misdemeanors, or Jack Black in the Community episode he was in -- but it works.

What were the notches on the train controller between 'Aloof' and 'Bjork'?

"Aloof-Detached-Distant-Bjork"

poor episode, feel let down by this show, which has got self-indulgent (and emo) very fast

only this ep wasn't fast, it was at half-speed

For a show that is "emo" there is a lack of lovey dovey stuff going on compared to Friends or whatever and nothing apallingly emo going on so I disagree with the "emo" label

idk i think the show has always had a sappiness/emo element to it, i seem to remember complaining on this very thread about some of the "moral of the story is" endings of S1 episodes. i'm used to it at this point, it doesn't detract from the other 9/10ths of the show that's mostly dark humor.

The emo label is only used to describe bad things. I prefer Mordy's robotic usage of the word "affecting" in this case

robotic!?

(interrobang!?)

idk i think the show has always had a sappiness/emo element to it, i seem to remember complaining on this very thread about some of the "moral of the story is" endings of S1 episodes.

For serious! What show were you guys watching for the last season and a half?

Wait, Mordy's a robot?

That's interesting about what you said about me being a robot. Tell me more?

Because Mordy if you are a robot then this adds a whole new level to WDYLL. That front panel is coming OFF. :)

Aw man. I just IM'd Smarterchild for the first time in like six-seven years and apparently he's been retired!

they replaced him with Smordychild