Community, the tv show

also, the 8-bit inheritance game they played reminded me of dwarf fortress

that's like the absolute last episode I would show to someone to try to convince them to like Community except maybe for the chaos theory episode

Really? You'd sooner show them "Virtual Systems Analysis" or "Curriculum Unavailable"? "Digital Estate Planning" can be understood without having seen previous episodes, was creative, contains much of what Community fans look for, and imo was a good episode as far as the third season goes.

I would probably also think that "Remedial Chaos Theory" is a decent episode to start with, at least for s3!

But yeah, I love "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons". S2 is all-time.

http://i48.tinypic.com/2w2pr1l.jpg

:(

I really like pretty much all of s1 too, btw. I just thought that one of the more normal sitcom episodes might not convince someone of why people get fanatical about the show but who knows? The earliest episodes were so fun that they hooked me, after all.

basically, my Community fandom was sparked by the first paintball episode, but the trampoline/mean girls episode really convinced me to investigate further; going back to season 1 retroactively, my biggest lols were the billiard game and the April Fool's episode

i sort of thought the 8-bit episode was very insular for someone not familiar with community.

definitely. i don't think it would be as good without having seen the previous episode with pierce's father at all

billiards would probably be my choice as introductory episode as well, most of s1 is actually quite accessible, even the greater ones in the second half

i don't think forks would dig this show in any case, tbh

Oh, the April Fool's one is one of my all-time favourites! I love the subplot about Abed in the nude billiards ep. Maybe you guys are right. I'm not always that good at picking the right episode or song to introduce someone to something.

xpost Oh yeah, I forgot that you needed to know about Pierce's father.

Well, that's the thing though. If someone didn't like the video game ep at all, do you think they would love "Science of Illusion"?

d&d was the one that pulled me in

16-bit dudes. SIXTEEN

I think they had me hooked by the episode where Vaughan and Pierce form a band. I actually wouldn't mind a return to more episodes like that as long as they're done well.

Gettin' rid of Britta

Well, that's the thing though. If someone didn't like the video game ep at all, do you think they would love "Science of Illusion"?

I think it's much more likely, given that you see much more of the actors talking to and interacting with each other rather than pseudo 8-bit avatars with heavy-handed game jokes. Plus, the Annie/Shirley competition in it is amazing/hilarious.

I shotgunned the first few eps, didn't really spark my interest until the krumping stinger.

Also, it bears repeating that the pop-culture ref jokes here are doing decidedly more than random cutaways Family Guy-style.

Fair points, DJP. I like Abed's police chief impression in that ep too.

I may be alone but "Introduction to Film" is one of my favourites. The 'seize the day' accounting class was hilarious imo and Abed using his film to communicate to his Dad was actually kind of touching for me. I also liked how he manipulated Jeff and Britta into becoming frustrated with him like his actual parents had.

Maybe I'll watch "Science of Illusion" now.

Ha, I forgot that Pierce's Level 6 Laser Lotus robes were in this episode. There may have been more jokes in some of these earlier ones.

I think they had me hooked by the episode where Vaughan and Pierce form a band. I actually wouldn't mind a return to more episodes like that as long as they're done well.

― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Tuesday, May 22, 2012 4:32 PM (39 minutes ago) Bookmark

yeah one of my all-time favorites, and it was only like the 8th episode

actually I think the real reason I like this show so much is because I think all seven of the lead characters are equally hilarious; every time I sit down and try to pick a favorite, I end up shrugging and giving up because they've all really had their moments to shine

my favorite joke is still "Bring it in for a breast bump, ladies! No...? We'll get there" tho

Was that in "Aerodynamics of Gender"?

yes, probably my favorite non-pastiche episode

Also, it bears repeating that the pop-culture ref jokes here are doing decidedly more than random cutaways Family Guy-style.

It really only bears repeating for people who haven't seen much of the show and are way too quick about dismissing it. Which I might classify as "deaf ears", so probably not anything that really bears repeating.

Dan Harmon in the writer's room:

http://cdn.wg.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/south-park-manatee.jpg

LOL

just watched last three episodes, rip to one of the weirdest shows network tv will ever see

Those last three eps were so weird and erratic that my wife was ready to write the show off before I even told her that Harmon was leaving. The shit with the bone saw? Chang boasting of eating his twin sister in utero? That insane heist? The air conditioning-off? Just ... weird.

the eating twin thing is a real thing that i feel like has been used plenty of times in comedy before. also the heist was not weird at all, everyone instantly recognizes what's being parodied there.

No, not the mechanics of the heist. Just the pretense to have Jeff and Britta running around in goth guise, Shirley wearing a beard, Tory and Abed dressing up as repairmen, etc. Just a little too wacky, especially since it's all in service of deposing a despot dictator security guard (who is also the worst thing about the show) and freeing/restoring the utterly bizarre dean (who had been molesting a Jeff doll in captivity? Wasn't that implied?).

you've never seen a movie, have you?

No, not the mechanics of the heist. Just <proceeds to list the mechanics of the heist>

sighs. I get the parody, dude. But I didn't think something that hoary needed to be parodied again any more than, I don't know, the keytar.

Dean's thing for Jeff really has played out a Smithers/Mr. Burns arc pretty quickly, huh

Power dynamics are different though, as we saw in the karaoke episode, it's not like Jack and Jonathan in 30 Rock.

new regime will bring desired logic and precision

I fear new regime will bring more Chang.

This show is weird, but I think that aspect gets trotted out too much. It's a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it helps explain why 'normal people' aren't flocking to the show, and it boosts the ego of the fans for being clever enough to enjoy it. On the other hand, because it's sort of blown out of proportion, all that talk maybe scares away people who would otherwise enjoy it, and devalues the more pedestrian aspects of the show that should be viewed as strengths.

I think sometimes the show gets weird in the right (mainstream) way that completely bypasses pretension and hits a sweet spot where anyone who's seen a big budget movie or TV show in the past decade would enjoy it. For instance, the Heist episode. Yeah plotwise it's all very Madlib and convoluted and strange, but this show is in love with pop culture. Weirdly, perhaps, but it's still 100% pop, and there's the sweet spot it can continue to hit if it wants to gain popularity outside of fans that harp on about it's all so deep and experimental.

i'll maybe try one more here ("finale" was tivod) but i think the you/me/everyone general consensus that this isn't my thing is about right.

finale doesn't really have any value unless you're invested in the characters. I'd watch a different one if I were u.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Xm3zx2GA3o0/SdAcr2-TI3I/AAAAAAAAAUA/Tt7tHeyZqzg/s320/Joe+Estevez+and+Buttface+Dude.jpg

Don't watch the finale. The earlier suggestion of "Science of Illusion" from s1 is a good one.

forks, u should really watch the dungeons + dragons episode. srsly

that's a good suggestion, too

Yeah, that's a great way in. Nowhere near as weird or up its own ass, I mean, meta as it gets.

(Man, I hate the A/C school subplot)

they really wasted John Goodman so much...like the WHOLE season i was waiting for them to actually make his presence worthwhile, but it felt like a handful of mildly funny scenes over a strangely sporadic period of time where his character never got to build any momentum

used better than they did omar though

MKW is cool but i mean John Goodman is a giant (no fat joke), you don't bring him in for a multi-episode arc that flimsy

Goodman was at his best when interacting with Rash, and that only happened twice.

Cripes, no wonder that AVClub writer gives every episode of this a rave:

I don’t know about you, but I could listen to Chang play the keytar all day long. I hope the show has a full episode of him doing so next season.

Really, AVClub guy? Really>