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Community S4 |OT| I Remember When This Show Was About Community College

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vulva said:
While not exactly what's being discussed here, a huge amount of people who casually watch this show probably don't even know who dan harmon is and probably don't care either.
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I guess you're an exception, but Community's viewers have a much higher ratio of devoted fans to casual viewers than most shows.

border said:
More than any other S4 episode, this one felt like a weird imitation. Specifically, the return of the German Eurotrash dudes felt like a rehash of a gag/plot that was only good once....but is being wheeled out again for the sake of familiarity or nostalgia (similar to the way late-era Simpsons episodes rehash characters and jokes from the show's glory days).
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I dunno. The plot was completely different, so you're more or less saying that recurring characters ... shouldn't recur, or at least shouldn't re-use their key joke.

In the foosball episode, the Germans were annoying the study group in the lounge with their loud foosball antics, which was really just the premise to bring up Jeff and Shirley's old history and create a present-day conflict between the two.

In this one, the Germans were the primary antagonist and their takeover of the study room directly affected the entire group, not just Shirley and Jeff. The study group took them out with teamwork but didn't have to overcome internal conflict to do so, and then there was a reversal as it was revealed they'd been hogging the study room and to everyone else, they were the bad guys.

Totally different plots, but reusing the same antagonists (OK, with a Kroll replacement) because what's wrong with having recurring characters? Imagine if the Simpsons had created a new crappy doctor every time instead of reusing Dr Nick. Your complaint would be equally as valid (or invalid) about Dr Nick, right?
 
beat said:
Totally different plots, but reusing the same antagonists (OK, with a Kroll replacement) because what's wrong with having recurring characters? Imagine if the Simpsons had created a new crappy doctor every time instead of reusing Dr Nick. Your complaint would be equally as valid (or invalid) about Dr Nick, right?
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I don't think you should really be using The Simpsons as an example of how not to beat a dead horse into the ground so hard it flies out the other side of the planet.
 
maharg said:
I don't think you should really be using The Simpsons as an example of how not to beat a dead horse into the ground so hard it flies out the other side of the planet.
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Why? When The Simpsons was at the point in its lifespan that Community is now, it was the greatest television show ever made, and of course it brought back characters continuously. There's no reason not to. Bringing back the Germans was not one of this episode's problems.
 
This episode felt fine and was pretty good.

I think the biggest problem that the Harmon-less season is gonna have is with Abed's character. He is, by in large, an extension of Harmon's personality and a lot of the perceived clairvoyance and insight that made Abed's character unique is gonna be lost in substitution for "that weird guy that likes Professor Spacetime."
 
fisheyes said:
Why? When The Simpsons was at the point in its lifespan that Community is now, it was the greatest television show ever made, and of course it brought back characters continuously. There's no reason not to. Bringing back the Germans was not one of this episode's problems.
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I think you're overstating the degree to which the show brought back characters in its early years, outside a small core at least (Apu, the Wiggums, etc). But either way the seeds were set and they ran every single one into the ground.
 
impirius said:
I kinda feel like this episode existed just to set up the "Hogan's Villains" joke.
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I doubt it. That joke wasn't even that funny. Just clever. This episode was created to show the audience how "evil" the group really is from the viewpoint of the other students. Even more than Season 2's "For once I thought we'd have a class that wasn't all about them."

I found it interesting that Todd was in the flashback to season 2 and the pen episode. Implying that he's been at the school for at least 2 years.

The episode was lampshading the fact that the group always has the room without any explanation as to why and how. It was nice to see that. From now on they'll probably go through proper channels. (In the few episodes we have left that actually take place in the study room... if at all.)

I mean the group is basically the cast of Seinfeld. Extremely self-centered serving only to themselves.
 
maharg said:
I think you're overstating the degree to which the show brought back characters in its early years, outside a small core at least (Apu, the Wiggums, etc). But either way the seeds were set and they ran every single one into the ground.
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I'd count the Simpsons as having three superlative seasons (3-6) and three to four really good seasons (7-9 plus most of 2). Now, I haven't watched it since season 12, and sure, it's going on 25 seasons now and they're going to run a lot of stuff into the ground.

But even just counting seasons 1-6, they had a LOT of recurring characters. Sometimes they just popped in for a joke or two, and sometimes they drove an entire plot.

And in any case, my point - Zombie Simpsons excluded - was about how merely bringing back tertiary characters for a second appearance wasn't just laziness and recycling a joke, not about whether or not it was beating something into the ground.



But I used the example because - again, excluding Zombie Simpsons - the show is still the ne plus ultra of sitcom writing IMO, and many single camera sitcoms since then have clearly aimed to build their own "Springfields". Scrubs, Arrested Development, Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, Community, My Name is Earl, Raising Hope, Cougar Town... By border's logic, the writers of all those shows built up their recurring characters because they were just rehashing themselves.
 
I'm surprised people didn't like this episode. The Germans were awesome and the whole exchange with the teacher at the end was one of the funniest moments in a while for the show.
 
Zoramon089 said:
I'm surprised people didn't like this episode. The Germans were awesome and the whole exchange with the teacher at the end was one of the funniest moments in a while for the show.
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I really need to watch it again. Must have been in a bad mood or something that day, but I hated it. :(
 
I was always Team Annie but this season especially Britta has jumped way ahead. She's gorgeous lately. Maybe it's from listening to her appearances on Comedy Bang Bang recently. Either way I'm not complaining.
 
I laughed at the "That must be nearly 100 luftballons!" bit. aside from that there really wasn't anything funny imo. :/
does anyone else feel like the dean changed too? he's acting like a person who tries to copy his older gags or something. I don't know, his humour is just lost
 
The characters are loosing all the charm that they had in the previous season: all the imperfections that made them endearing are nearly gone. I miss selfish Jeff, hung-up Annie and drop-out Britta. Sometimes, it's better that a TV Show end to preserve an awesome memory. Community used to be the best comedy show of all time, that's worth at least something ...
 
Mariolee said:
MUPPET AND ORIGIN AND FREAKY FRIDAY
EPISODES ANNOUNCED
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That last one was already reported earlier, in the course of talking about the episode that Jim Rash wrote.

But yeah, the announcement of
the muppet episode
damn near broke my brain. Yvette had just a few minutes earlier said this was the greatest thing in her life ever (bigger than being Malcolm Jamal-Warner's TV wife), but she didn't even know the producers would be making the announcement, so she could only say she loved it but not what it was.
 
beat said:
That last one was already reported earlier, in the course of talking about the episode that Jim Rash wrote.

But yeah, the announcement of
the muppet episode
damn near broke my brain. Yvette had just a few minutes earlier said this was the greatest thing in her life ever (bigger than being Malcolm Jamal-Warner's TV wife), but she didn't even know the producers would be making the announcement, so she could only say she loved it but not what it was.
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Yup, the producers were streets ahead of Yvette.

Also, finally uploaded the clip of my favorite joke from the whole episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdfPjZ2mUu8

I've seriously been using this everytime I can.
 
trab pu kcip said:
I laughed at the "That must be nearly 100 luftballons!" bit. aside from that there really wasn't anything funny imo. :/
does anyone else feel like the dean changed too? he's acting like a person who tries to copy his older gags or something. I don't know, his humour is just lost
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That's exactly how it was for us, we're just not laughing at all at most the lines and delivery. The characters and stories don't feel quite right anymore.
 
Did anyone read the whiteboard?

It's time to... Oh nevermind.

Thanks again for watching!

--The Human Being

"It's a Dean thing"​

Three guesses what it's a reference to. Go ahead. Guess!
 
God, all the sets look so cheap. Sony really meant it when they said no outside shots, damn.

Still pretty funny though!

Edit: ADAM DEVINE!
 
Jeff's half brother didn't really do it for me. First kind of meh episode. I was looking forward to it because of Jeff's past stuff but I don't know, didn't quite work.

Last couple minutes were alright. Troy made me laugh with, "Why did I have to go third?"
 
rekameohs said:
"It's time to Tina.....TURNER the clocks ahead" is probably my favorite Dean-ism
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Interesting though as DST ended last year on the 4th of November, and would be "Back" instead so obviously this gag was meant for Spring Forward since that's what the original quote was about. I guess they filmed this episode (Or at the least this scene) after they had the scripts done and after they learned the show was being pushed back and I bet they had an idea of when each episode was supposed to run. So they could keep it Thanksgiving related but still reference the current airing date.

Kind of clever. And meta.
 
The Real Abed said:
Interesting though as DST ended last year on the 4th of November, and would be "Back" instead so obviously this gag was meant for Spring Forward since that's what the original quote was about. I guess they filmed this episode (Or at the least this scene) after they had the scripts done and after they learned the show was being pushed back and I bet they had an idea of when each episode was supposed to run. So they could keep it Thanksgiving related but still reference the current airing date.

Kind of clever. And meta.
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"He was blackface, then whiteface over!"
"It's meta! Abed gets it."
 
Has GAF stopped watching the show? D:

And yeah, I think this was the worst episode so far this season. Absolutely nothing made me laugh or even smile and it all felt a bit forced. Jeff's dad stuff wasn't emotional or interesting either to me either, which I was pretty disappointed about.

And I also rewatched last week's and liked it much more than I originally did. Episodes 3 and 4 are so far the only ones I've liked this season.
 
Fey said:
Has GAF stopped watching the show? D:

And yeah, I think this was the worst episode so far this season. Absolutely nothing made me laugh or even smile and it all felt a bit forced. Jeff's dad stuff wasn't emotional or interesting either to me either, which I was pretty disappointed about.

And I also rewatched last week's and liked it much more than I originally did. Episodes 3 and 4 are so far the only ones I've liked this season.
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Yeah it was shocking just how bad it was.
 
I really liked this episode! Last week's and this week's are the only ones that have actually felt like "Community" so far this season. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that these episodes stuck really close to Greendale or the group stayed together and didn't split up a whole lot. Jeff and Britta worked well together and the rest of the group at Shirley's worked well. I don't like having them stretched thin like the Halloween episode (pairs of 2); and the Inspector Space Time episode (Jeff and Sexy Fan. Jeff and Annie. Troy and Abed. Abed and other guy. Troy and Britta. Shirley and Pierce.) The first episode was just so off base and felt completely wrong despite taking place exclusively at Greendale and te group more or less staying together--- I blame AbedTV for the most part.

Abed is starting to feel a lot more grounded too. He was getting a little too crazy, but I think they have done a nice correction with him with these past two episodes.

I don't know, I get the feeling that some of ya'll are being a bit too hard or overly critical of it. I will admit that the first 3 had me pretty worried, but these last two have really turned my opinion around. Plus, the recent preview of the upcoming
MUPPET
episode have me really excited that we will get something similar to an
Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas
episode!

Its nice to see that the director (Tristram Shapeero) and writers (Steve Basilone & Annie Mebane) are series vets. Good to know that the old talent still knows how to get an episode to feel right.
 
I liked the episode too.
The Jeff/Britta side of the episode was streets ahead of the weirdly empty feeling Shirley/Shawshank side.

Britta felt more real and like her pre-Britta'd self (evn with Jeff's mention of it), and his interactions with Brolin were pretty good overall. He wasn't the slob I expected, nor the overly successful type that early Malcom McDowell rumours lead me to believe he might be.
Half-Brother was a little half cooked as a character, but he was used sparingly, and c'mon, that hug! How did Britta respond to Jeff's comment about wanting to fuck him at the end? I think I misheard her response (basically, "yes")

The Abed/Shirley side was... hmm. Interesting idea, but.. they were stuck in one location the whole time. How do you have Chevy Chase doing pratfalls and not showcase that on screen? It's possible Pierce was my favourite part, and Abed my least, with Troy and Annie doing some nice verbal gymnastics in the middle somewhere. if they had actually interacted with Shirley's family, it'd have been more interesting instead of implying it.

Uneven overall, but still enjoyable.
 
Fey said:
Has GAF stopped watching the show? D:
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Plenty of Gaf still watches, though they may not post. Personally I feel less and less urge to post due to the general direction the thread has taken.

I liked the ep. Solid stuff on Jeff's front and I thought the dude from Workaholics was pretty solid. Also enjoyed Pierce's jokes this ep as well. It's painfully clear though that the writers were punishing the hell out of Chevy for being a pain in the ass.
 
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