I don't know, I think lamp really tie room together.
― Soggy Cheeseburgers (Deric W. Haircare), Saturday, 17 March 2012 03:54 (twelve years ago) link
god the problem here is that people actually listen to dan harmon when he talks. he's a stupid person who is apparently obsessed with character development and themes and circle formulas, and he never stops talking about them so everyone comes to expect those areas of the show to be strong points, and they aren't. the show fails there, but it doesn't matter because the show itself does not care about those things, it cares about funny jokes and clever concepts and "worldbuilding", and that's all it needs to be good at. because it's a sitcom! todd vanderwerff can write way too many words about how brilliant the writers are with each character's growth, but everyone knows that that shit doesn't actually resonate and it's not why the show succeeds.
i am completely behind this. not a single moment of his show has "resonated emotionally" for me, i could give a shit about character growth etc. just bring the outlandish humor and i'm cool.
it's like ambitious creators of sitcoms suffer through this inferiority complex and have to prove that their shows are Great Drama in addition to being funny.
NB: it is hard to be funny. if you do it really well, that is an accomplishment.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 17 March 2012 05:25 (twelve years ago) link
also the highlight of this episode was troy's double take at seeing the monkey, at the very end.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 17 March 2012 05:27 (twelve years ago) link
people should strive to do more imo
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Saturday, 17 March 2012 05:30 (twelve years ago) link
like, Louie is really funny, but it's the emotional resonance that gives me the feeling of watching a great episode. I think Community can hit the mark emotionally on occasion, but not all the time. I like being blindsided by something genuinely affecting though.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Saturday, 17 March 2012 05:31 (twelve years ago) link
"more"
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 17 March 2012 06:39 (twelve years ago) link
"...Jim Rash, who plays the bent Dean Pelton on the show. "Um what― kinder, Tuesday, March 13, 2012 1:48 PM (2 days ago) Bookmarkum what um what― some dude, Thursday, 15 March 2012 18:56 (Yesterday) Bookmark
Um what
― kinder, Tuesday, March 13, 2012 1:48 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark
um what um what
― some dude, Thursday, 15 March 2012 18:56 (Yesterday) Bookmark
"Bent" is derogatory slang for "gay" fyi
― kinder, Saturday, 17 March 2012 06:41 (twelve years ago) link
xp ya rly, community does plenty to justify the love it gets. it doesn't need to expend all its energy on hardcore character development and thematic consistency when most dramas can't even get that stuff right.
it's very easy to make me weep but i don't think community has ever once hit me emotionally. it's too far up its own universe and the characters and dialogue are too detached from the way anything works in real life. episode-specific plot points can be effective but never macro-level stuff. the show just doesn't excel on that level (and it doesn't have to). louie does things differently, but can you really compare any other sitcom to louie?
― if you ever leave me peggy, leave some propane at my door (zachlyon), Saturday, 17 March 2012 06:54 (twelve years ago) link
it just seems like people (including dan harmon) don't know what they've got and want it to be something else. i mean sure there are sitcoms that are very touching at times--i'm a huge TAXI fan for example. but shows like that wear it lightly. community often seems to stop dead for a "metafictional" moment where the characters assess their relationships to one another and i find that incredibly tedious.
i dunno would you want, say, a film by buster keaton to have more psychology and character development? no, because those things have nothing to do with why keaton is so great.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 17 March 2012 07:17 (twelve years ago) link
although to be honest this is big reason why i watch this show:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CReZH07_8uo/TiCZfjQ7M8I/AAAAAAAAZAA/rBYfgbo2_CQ/s1600/Alison%2BBrie11.jpg
what a cutie.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 17 March 2012 07:18 (twelve years ago) link
cue somebody saying "two big reasons"
i think arrested development is a good comparison, assuming no one here hates the show/its cult. AD was occasionally touching, maybe for half a second at a time, but it was never intended to be emotionally affecting on the whole. the writers knew what the show was and they didn't shoot for that other level. and thinking back on it, it was sort of unwittingly touching in its own way, but that wouldn't have happened if they were sweating it like harmon does.
― if you ever leave me peggy, leave some propane at my door (zachlyon), Saturday, 17 March 2012 07:32 (twelve years ago) link
I didn't get that emotional touching vibe from Arrested Development at all. Those moments never felt genuine because there was (brace yourself) no real growth that came out of it. They were almost always immediately undercut by someone acting horrid and selfish.
If you don't think the emotional stuff on Community works than you know, ymmv, but I think they pull it off reasonably well (ok, the development better than the emotional).
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Saturday, 17 March 2012 07:45 (twelve years ago) link
e.g. troy coming home from the bar on his birthday.
― j., Saturday, 17 March 2012 07:55 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, that's probably my favourite of the character development stuff.
In general I don't think Harmon forces it as much as amateurist makes out, but that's a ymmv thing. For the most part I think the actions of the characters make sense as they progress, and I think that's what he finds most important. He has little interest in a total reset.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Saturday, 17 March 2012 07:57 (twelve years ago) link
Finally watched the last episode. Not the one I'd put on if trying to PROVE the glory of the show but still funny and full of great moments. Favorite might have been Troy and Abed's interactions with MJW.
― da croupier, Saturday, 17 March 2012 12:05 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah this was not out of the top drawer but still very funny. Pierce's security device, "http colon forward slash forward slash", the fact that Shirley's husband clearly hates the study group, most of the Jeff and Britta stuff. Thought the Troy and Abed material missed the mark (except ivory wig in the Dreamatorium) but otherwise but otherwise I laughed most of the way through.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Saturday, 17 March 2012 12:11 (twelve years ago) link
chevy chase was really good
welcome back community! i promise not to argue about you on the internet like you were something of greater import than a situation comedy on the television
― thomp, Saturday, 17 March 2012 12:42 (twelve years ago) link
Dear some of the people in this thread: might I recommend The Big Bang Theory, a sitcom which CBS airs in the same time slot as Community? You might find it more to your liking, as you're sure to find even more to complain about.
― Soggy Cheeseburgers (Deric W. Haircare), Saturday, 17 March 2012 15:06 (twelve years ago) link
The trouble with this episode is that I don't really care about Shirley's marriage.
― I wish to incorporate disco into my small business (chap), Saturday, 17 March 2012 15:08 (twelve years ago) link
It's also 100% unbelievable, like OK this guy that goes out of his way to propose marriage and even accepts doing it in an effing community college study room, he suddenly switches to misogynist about to cancel the whole deal when she's late for the rehearsal. It reminded me of late-series Seinfelds where one character would just suddenly turn really angry at another for no real reason. Except there it was for Lols.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 17 March 2012 15:16 (twelve years ago) link
The resolution felt a little unearned too. He changed his attitude but there didn't seem to be enough to explain why/how. Some good laughs but not a great Community episode.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Saturday, 17 March 2012 15:26 (twelve years ago) link
i cant tell if this show has gotten steadily worse all season or if i'm just tired of it... last night didnt really do it for me :(
― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Saturday, 17 March 2012 15:55 (twelve years ago) link
yes, because i'm not talking about forced emotional moments or anything, i'm talking about a very general sense of it. it didn't aim for emotional payoff moments because it knew what it was, but it still succeeded in having a sort of warm vibe, in retrospect, because it was still about a family sticking together etc etc. lord, if the characters ever tried to "grow" on that show it would've been awful. i'm trying to say that these values aren't prerequisites for good comedy and they shouldn't be seen as such because then we get delusional showrunners trying to force then into shows where they don't fit. i'd rather have sitcoms like these have things like character development and emotional moments be the subtle consequences of the action/humor rather than consciously sticking them into episodes where they come off unnatural and forced. with community it's never like ~~swelling music starts to play~~ but like, the annie+troy scene at the end of mixology certification just made me go "where tf did this come from and why is it even here" rather than OMG SO BRILLIANT like everyone else apparently.
― if you ever leave me peggy, leave some propane at my door (zachlyon), Saturday, 17 March 2012 21:48 (twelve years ago) link
then = them
the great thing about AD is how they undermined any sense of character growth at every turn, wilfully and joyfully
― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Saturday, 17 March 2012 22:42 (twelve years ago) link
cosigned
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 17 March 2012 22:44 (twelve years ago) link
I'm one of the Steppenwolf wives
― Bo Jackson Overdrive, Sunday, 18 March 2012 02:48 (twelve years ago) link
lol
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 18 March 2012 03:14 (twelve years ago) link
i'm not in the show for the drama either, but is anyone still watching at this point and completely uninvested in troy and abed's friendship, annie's growth/relationship with jeff, shirley rebuilding her marriage, etc. the core theme of everyone being a washout in life and redeeming themselves IS a core theme of the show
― Nhex, Sunday, 18 March 2012 04:02 (twelve years ago) link
core theme core theme
― Nhex, Sunday, 18 March 2012 04:03 (twelve years ago) link
Nope
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Sunday, 18 March 2012 06:55 (twelve years ago) link
pick a number, dick, it's not like it's up to me anyway
― Waxahachie Swap (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Sunday, 18 March 2012 15:00 (twelve years ago) link
Let's just everybody chill, and groove on some Haggins:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXvuUp-KY5g
― we can be gyros just for one day (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 18 March 2012 15:58 (twelve years ago) link
chuckled when annie walked into the room humming that
― Nhex, Sunday, 18 March 2012 16:56 (twelve years ago) link
― thomp, Saturday, March 17, 2012 8:42 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark
otm
― some dude, Sunday, 18 March 2012 16:58 (twelve years ago) link
― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Saturday, 17 March 2012 11:55 (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i thought the episode was OK & i've been repulsed by most of the episodes in the first half of the season. feel like they're going for a more positive vibe but one that's also more mellow, the pace of jokes is slowing down and the whole thing feels pleasant & comforting the way a normal sitcom does. nothing made me cringe this episode
― flopson, Sunday, 18 March 2012 17:15 (twelve years ago) link
inspector space-time once married a baby-version of himself
― flopson, Sunday, 18 March 2012 17:16 (twelve years ago) link
^ i lol'd
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, 18 March 2012 20:50 (twelve years ago) link
how dare you lol don't you know this sitcom is the worst
― Soggy Cheeseburgers (Deric W. Haircare), Sunday, 18 March 2012 20:54 (twelve years ago) link
upon rewatching, that particular Inspector Spacetime gag made me realize that the entire series is lazy and awful and all of my previous laughs were lies.
― stan this sick bunt (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Sunday, 18 March 2012 20:56 (twelve years ago) link
Currently lunching at a dive bar and somebody just put on an R&B track on the jukebox which sounds suspiciously like a barely masked "Daybreak"
― Spleen of Hearts (kingfish), Sunday, 18 March 2012 20:58 (twelve years ago) link
Every time T&A make an Inspector Spacetime joke, I picture internet heads exploding the way they did when someone on Lost said "Hanso."
― President Keyes, Sunday, 18 March 2012 21:01 (twelve years ago) link
not sure i have thought any of the inspector spacetime gags seemed well-advised, let alone funny
― j., Monday, 19 March 2012 01:57 (twelve years ago) link
i wish they'd just do their dream inspector spacetime ep and get it all out of their system
― JIM THOMETHEUS (zachlyon), Monday, 19 March 2012 01:58 (twelve years ago) link
making fun of doctor who > making fun of robocop tho
― JIM THOMETHEUS (zachlyon), Monday, 19 March 2012 01:59 (twelve years ago) link
kickpuncher is funny because his punches have the power of kicks. the robocop thing is just a little extra.
― j., Monday, 19 March 2012 02:05 (twelve years ago) link
o yeah it's funny but as but as parody dr who is such a better target
― JIM THOMETHEUS (zachlyon), Monday, 19 March 2012 02:06 (twelve years ago) link
ah you mean as a law of comedy
― j., Monday, 19 March 2012 02:07 (twelve years ago) link
i dunno. it seems like doctor who is already intrinsically goofy. robocop has that seriousness to it.
― j., Monday, 19 March 2012 02:08 (twelve years ago) link