Troy: There are a lot of layers to this.
Abed: It’s almost too conceptual to follow, but I love it.
–Community
This week marks the return of Community, a veritable Scrubs reunion over on Cougar Town and a lot of shows that were good but not great. I’m only going to go in depth into two shows – two “amahzing” shows, that is, arguably some of the best of the year – and then the rest will just be likes and dislikes, which is probably easier on you anyways.
But first, a little complaint about the shows I watch in general. What was with all the bad green screen this week? I’ve come to expect it on Private Practice where everything on the beach is fake looking (What? ABC can’t afford to film at a Malibu beach house?) but 30 Rock and The Office also had heinous offenses. Either the shows are getting lazy and thinking they can fool us without us noticing or this is a disturbing new trend. (I also realize that a majority of people watch their HDTV with the wrong aspect ratio, not realizing it’s wrong, so maybe most people didn’t notice these problems. But I’m not most people)
Oh, and one more thing before we get started. As with last week, I’m trying new formats, just to keep you on your toes. This time, it was suggested that I link to specific shows, so that you can just jump to that section you want without having to read about shows you don’t watch. Now, I think that’s kind of effing lazy (ahem, friend, you know who you are), but I’ll test it out, see how it works – though, it is pretty cumbersome for me. We’ll see how long it lasts.
You’ll find the links after the jump.
Community Cougar Town The Good Wife Smash Raising Hope Justified New Girl Breaking In Modern Family Suburgatory Happy Endings 30 Rock Grey’s Anatomy The Office Up All Night Private Practice Awake
Community
I’ve been awaiting the return of Community like it has been gone forever, like the ancient cavemen used to await the spring, never quite sure when it will return or if it will be like they remember it. In some ways, because of this uncertainty, the hiatus has seemed longer than the typical summer hiatus between seasons, longer than the three months it has actually been (hell, the last episode aired on December 8th in the not too distant past). However, for the show, the cast, and the writers, there was no hiatus; they just kept on with production as if they episode could air the week after the gleeful Christmas one.
As a result, my hopes and expectations for this return episode, “Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts,” were way to high, impossibly so. In my heart, I was anticipating a season opener kind of episode, one that was super thought out, prepped for months, one that wowed us into loving the show again, but, in the back of my brain, I knew the reality. This was not going to be that type of episode.
That’s not to say that I didn’t love it. I did. Let me say that again, I loved this episode, like I love anything Community. The worst episode of this show so far is still better than anything The Office has produced this year. And this wasn’t the worst episode. (That’s “Competitive Wine Tasting”) It did take me a little while to connect my expectations with my logical brain, but once that happened, I wasn’t disappointed at all. It was a great episode to bring us back into the world that is Greendale Community College.
In the DVD commentaries, of which I’ve watched all 49, Dan Harmon and his writers talk about elephants’ trunks. He says that they are great for broad strokes, for lifting heavy objects, etc, but they also have the dexterity to lift a pen or crack open a single peanut. That’s how he wants his writers and writing to be: at times grand and direct, but at other times, subtle and deft. For example, compare “Modern Warfare” to “Mixology Certification.” They are two different modes of the show.
I think a lot is said about Community and its grandness, its ability to push boundaries/expectations. But not enough is talked about in terms of its capacity to tell a simple story and make it laugh out loud funny. This latest episode falls into the latter category – it’s a simple wedding episode – but it is also hilariously funny and heartfelt.
The premise, Shirley remarrying her ex-husband Andre, was a simple set up for the show. Most of this season, Shirley has been relegated to the “sassy” sidekick, with the exception of the foosball episode, and I have to admit that she was getting on my nerves. I feel like, of any of the characters, she’s the least dimensional: she likes Jesus, loves to bake and talks like Miss Piggy’s love child. However, this episode provided a different look at Shirley. And it kind of made me rethink my opinion of this character. Looking back now, you can compare Shirley of the first season and the Shirley of this episode, and they are very different people. I mean, compare her in “Environmental Science” where she can’t even talk in front of the class to now where she can present a coherent pitch to the dean. In season one, she was despondent over her ex-husband, and now, she’s willing to stand up for herself, even if that means she won’t get her man. She has grown a lot as a character, but I guess the writers have done this so subtly that I never really recognized it. I really have to hand it to the writers for how they have handled her, even though at times, it felt like she was sidelined.
“Abed: What are you doing?
Shirley: Oh, just shooting a talking head. Or did you want me to be the only one who didn’t have one?”
The wedding also brings together Jeff and Britta, who always make an interesting team, you know, when they’re not secretly sleeping with each other. For all their bickering, Jeff and Britta are pretty similar in their egomania, and it’s fun to watch them feed each other, as they have in other episodes, namely “Mixology Certification” and “The Art of Discourse.” Here, Jeff was funny and all, though I’m worried the writers are dipping into the “my dad left me” pot a little too much, but Britta was especially on fire. Her line delivery was perfect every time, whether misunderstanding analogies or lamenting that she will make a man very happy some day. I really lost my s–t when she leaned over to Jeff and whispered “This is who I am.” It was so creepy and endearing at the same time. I adored it. This is really her season to shine, and I’m glad the writers haven’t “britta’d” it up yet.
Now, let’s talk about Abed and Troy. I’ve been saving the best for last really, waiting this long in the review to talk about the funniest part of the episode. When I try to convince people to watch Community, Troy and Abed are always my entry point. If you like them, with all their whimsy, silliness, and self-referentiality, then you will like the show. And man, were they at their best this week. From Troy wearing Pierce’s Dad’s wig (where did he get that, by the way?) to the pair crab-walking home, I loved it when they were being wacky. And once Troy and Abed became normal, it got even better. Their reactions during the wedding fight were priceless, as were their comments, and the “Troy and Abed being normal” handshake was great. I also thought it was hilarious that everything they said sounded sarcastic to the people who knew them. Normality does sound a little sarcastic at times.
I think it’s kind of perfect that the show’s return coincides with these two characters having to de-whimsify themselves. Without the show really intending it, it seems like a call back to the first episode of season three when the characters promised, in song, to be less weird. Troy and Abed being normal is a little like the show repromising to be accessible to new audiences. But, like Troy and Abed, it can’t do it. (Nor should it, in my opinion). They will always see Annie’s Boobs and go right back to being insane. I hope it stays insane for six seasons and a movie.
Finally, because Community is so dense, it’s hard to hit everything in one coherent review, so here are some random things I loved, in no particular order:
• Annie hums Abed’s song from “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps.” Turns out it’s “Daybreak” by Michael Haggins.
• Andre proposes to Shirley by singing “Motown Philly.” Awesome! Boyz II Men was the first CD I ever bought.
•The sound added when Pierce walks away after saying “from my butt”
• “Wireless racism: the future of the past is now” – Jeff
• “Let’s hope it’s more of Bale than a Kilmer situation” – Troy
• “The ‘Webster’s Dictionary defines’ intro is The Jim Belushi of speech openings: it accomplishes nothing, but everyone keeps on using it, and no one knows why.” – Annie (And, wow, this show really hates Jim Belushi, ever since “Interpretive Dance“)
• “This may shock you, Annie. But I come from a long line of wives and mothers.” — Britta
• “Don’t use your sexy voice on me” – Andre in response to Shirley (Ohhh! I loved how the writers threw that in and it explains so, so much.)
One last note, I totally thought two things on this episode were weird. One, the usage of the “Literally two minutes later” cut. Since when did Community start using that type of stuff. I found it a little jarring. Two, the slot machine shot of Jeff’s heart. Also another strange graphic that seemed out of place, though I liked that Annie’s boobs (the real thing, not the monkey) was one of the things in Jeff’s heart.
Ah! Even with those two quibbles, I love having this show back!! Can’t wait until next week.
Up Next: Cougar Town goes Disney
Mary the TV Maven 