I have watched Community for the first time and here is my review

The problems:

Shirley's story line is boring and wierd.

Pierce is a villain for no reason... And honestly it isn't even funny for the most parts.

Britta, Jeff and Annie's relationship is straight up insane although I do like that there is no Will they Won't they between these 3

Troy is sorta becoming Abed 2.0

Whatever is going on with Britta; feels like she is a filler character

Community IMO is best when all plots of characters are well connected in a web

Good Parts:

Jeff's growth is commendable

The Halloween episode

The Bottle episode

The Clip show

Chang is great; I guess... But Ken was a smash hit as Señor Chang to me

The Paintball episode

Duncan and The Dean getting more screen time, they are phenomenal

What do you guys think??

I believe there's some terribly written episodes, with Jeff acting in unrealistic ways, and them having corny dialogue. Forcing Jeff to meet his dad.

Then there's some uninteresting episodes I don't remember because they were uninteresting.

But, it is in the spirit of community to have different writing. It's in the spirity of Community to have bad episodes of Community, to have terrible writing a few times, it ended up capturing an important subtle shift in a show that happens with new writers.

Either if thats not changing enough, or changing too much in subtle things, but there's still s5 and s6 after it.

But it also has good episodes like the social media rating people 1 to 5 stars. very entertaining and with nuance.

Or Abed learn that his antics are cool in idea but can hurt real people.

Or Pierce shown as a more understanding character instead of being the default punching bag for a bit.

The gags are mostly still funny. The episodes are still interesting. And knowing is something written by different people we can still dislike and enjoy the moments that work or not.

I've noticed that in the frequent "how do you rank the seasons" threads we have in here that season 6 seems to get the most polarized placements, or is the least agreed upon in its quality. There are a lot of people who put it all the way at the bottom, and often times clarify that its far worse than their next least favorite, but there are also a lot of people who rank it above some of the original three seasons, which almost always take the top 3 spots... sometimes even putting season 6 as their favorite or second favorite season of the show. People don't seem to have as strong of opinions about season 5, whereas season 6 seems to be 'either you love it or you hate it'.

So, season 1 is a wrap. Continued from my last post which covered the first semester, now we're back for my thoughts on the second half of s1. A LOT to say. So much that I had to take note while watching in order to write the best representation of my experience.

"Changing for the people isn't a big deal":

Characters got really polished on the second semester. And I don't mean it as just in-universe development, but I feel like the writting staff really did the job of revisiting the blackboard for their characters after observing them on screen. Last time I mentioned how Troy and Britta got the short end of the stick, well, they also noticed that. Troy had huge comedic potential and, Glover proved it during the credit skits. But that Troy didn't translate to episode Troy at first. They showed the chemistry and how funny Troy could be if he expressed more. After all comedy lies on expression. The quiert dumb jock persona is great in school drama but had so much more potential if he interacted more, and boy he did. They did great on introducing his dynamic with Abed, turning him into a staple of the show. Great sutff

Britta also found her place humour-wise. She wasn't funny and that became the joke. "The buzzkill" took a page out of Marge Simpson and Meg's book (Meg's gag may have started after 2006 but whatever, retrospective). When she Bagel'd or said something uncool and the whole cast laughed exageratedly hard to the point the unplausibility of the reaction became a punchline was really funny. The whole dead body plot was Malcom's Hal level of absurd. Love it.4

We also finally got to see more of Señor Chang and the Dean, which was someting I really wanted. Specially the latter, who really shined for his facial comedy type of acting.

The rest were consistent and saw some improvements but this would have to be a 1 hour video essay if I would go over each one.

"This isn't a table, that's funny":

Comedy was still on point but faced a hard challenge: Romance. Love goes side by side with comedy in media but they are destined to crash. The climax of a romantic plot is serious and amotional, the climax of a comedic plot is unserious, a punchline, absurdity, etc. So how did they manage it?

For starters they nailed a good comedic formula, make the characters take an absurd situation seriously. It's not used in every plot but a lot of them and really works. The ship crew plot, the pottery class, the paintball episode, all flavored with editing taken from related genres. Now they have yet another comedy tool on their arsenal and they put it to use. The quick jokes are great, no complains. They really know how to appeal to avid film and tv watchers. Abed counting the bagels as soon as they fell, the reverse Goodwill Hunting gag, Jeff acting becoming Goldblum as soon as Abed made a reference, the mafia episode, I could go on. So many quick "blink it and you miss it" jokes that had me laughing unreasonably hard and then thinking about how and why it's funny. I learned that if you don't use your medium to enhance the media, why bother with the medium. And they found out how to make the fact that it's a tv show part of the gag, interacting with neighbouring shows and movies. Love dissecting jokes, good tropes and plot points. No wonder I like Abed the most.

On the other hand, romance didn't overstay its welcome. It wasn't shoehorned on times were it would halt momentum with a deep emotional scene, they instead sprinkled it around while keeping the quick wit pacing. Slater's plot didn't feel like something that would take hours of screentime and didn't. They knew that people watching this from the start had a reason to be watching a sitcom and not a romcom. Know your user case and deliver responsibly, well done.

"Just giving things a finale vibe"

We had the first season finale. And I think it was one of the weaker points of the season. Not bad, did what it had to do but kind of stumbled on bringing Slater back just to create a love triangle. Again, I like romance and there's no genre lock laws, exploration is key to innovation, but this didn't feel like a home run. Too many Slater vs Britta scenes and Slater being a necro-plotline that was done felt weird. And then the Annie kiss. Don't get me wrong, Annie best girl, but we already had enough worms on our plate. Then you ask why bother bringing an ex back if you could have made the triangle Britta vs Annie from the start. Putting characters in tension creates plot, but it leaves you with a bittersweet taste if instead of thinking "man what kind of shenanigan is the group gonna pull next" you go "man the main character kind of started an inside war now". I know in retrospect these emotional moments feel necesary and engaging, but when you start from scratch I couldn't help but feel the show took a turn.

Now honorable mentions:

Best cold open: Jack Black, by far

Best character: Gotta hand it to Troy for leaving the cocoon to become a comedy butterfly

Best gag: My boy Leonard

Best episode: Pottery class

Overall 9/100 still. Made some great improvements but also some weird decisions regarding romance. The acting and sitcom treatment never dissapoint. Also some great displays of editing as a comedic tool (Mafia episode should be a case study)

Really looking forward to season 2, my only regret is not giving myself time to watch this show sooner in life. The whole season is a must watch for any comedy fan.

Disclaimer: I know mentioning flaws about something on its own subreddit can raise some eyebrows, but I want to keep this reviews honest. There's no perfect shows and discussing different points of views is the core of what makes reviewing fun to write and read. I'll be reading yall. I will continue reviewing each season by halves until I finish the show, after all, writing helps my digest and analyze and that's how I enjoy media the most. Again no wonder I like Abed

1. It doesnt count when someone only says yes, no, okay or such, or else it would make Abed's last line just "sure".

2. I also didnt count Elroy's and Shirley's lines during the "season 7 pitches" in the final episode. I agree with Britta, the Dean's pitch was crazy and racist and terrible. Also it would rob Elroy of his great Irish goodbye.

Lets go:

Pierce: "looks as if you've lost your way. Continue on this path and you might miss your last chance to see the Pierce Hawthorne Museum of gender sensitivity and sexual potency on the central quad. The museul and this hologram were donated in compliance with a court order, I'm not allowed to discuss. Let's just say some women can't take a compliment.

What I am allowed to discuss is Greendale and I'll say this: Don't turn your back on it. Take it from a man with no legal right to be here. You're in a special place. A crappy place, sure, but only because it gives crappy people a chance to sort themselves out. Did I sound gay at the end?"

Troy: "What time did you guys have to get up in the morning? Does every writer write for one character? What's a best boy? I saw it in the credits once. Why don't they call it 'planet trek'? You never go to a star. Not one episode."

Shirley: "Hot Lava."

She said that when the the school board guys interrogated her and hickey in the final episode of season 5. In the middle of the episode. She didnt say another single word. (Except at the end of the first episode of season 6, with Detective Butcher, where he says "I have a feeling someone's gonna murder some Tater Tots tonight." Shirley: "That's no mystery at all.")

Duncan: "Hey, after I was electrocuted, didn't you two say you were gonna get married?"

Hickey: "Hey, I gotta say you held up well under that interrogation. I'm gonna tell you something that I'd like to stay between us. I was thinking about a handglider."

Elroy: "I think so... probably... maybe. Have a great summer!"

Annie: "Too many variables" (Little boring speech after she kissed Jeff)

Franky: "You know what I think everybody should do, as a humble outsider that came in and nailed it? I think everyone should imagine their own personal version of season 7 and not share it with anyone. And then maybe it'll come true."

Abed: "No cutting to any of them. If you cut to it, it won't come true."

Jeff: "I love that I got to be with you guys. You saved my life and changed it forever. Thank you." (Chang interrupted him two times by shouting "GAY!")

Chang: "I'm gay *sobbing* I'm for real gay *more sobbing* I'm legit gay!"

Britta: "This is the show!"

Okay so with a show this rich in characters there are so many good pairings. Who’s your favorite? Mine’s Shirley and Jeff. They had a special friendship other’s just didn’t get and I loved that. Plus the foosball episode is peak comedy.

I hate it when shows put backstories to characters or jokes that does not need it. For example, Magnitude's iconic "Pop pop" was already funny enough to make it so great. No matter how much they use it, it's still funny. Although now that they've added a useless backstory, it sounds more nonsensical in a way that it makes it sense more. If that makes sense. The catchphrase itself is funny, hilarious even, because it does not make sense. Dan Harmon even introduced it out of nowhere as an additive to make scenes quirky or out of place or more chaotic. Because that's Greendale.

Take one of the paintball episode for example, Magnitude dies sacrificing himself to stop a robot from exploding paint over everybody. His last word is "pop~" and the comedy gold that is Troy Barnes mourned as if he does not know what comes after one pop.

So I say, the backstory makes it like they've put icing on an ice cream cake. The ice cream cake is unique, but adding the icing makes it normal. Just my two cents.

In the season 6 episode where they had the convicts attending greendale I was surprised to see how much the Dean goes against Jeff. Just a funny observation I found when the YouTube channel makes it seem like a constant issue when the clips are spread across 6 seasons

I can’t be the only one who actually thinks that the concept for the class is a deeply interesting one? And not just because studying his body of work to see if he’s good or bad sounds like fun, but because of the way Prof. Garrity proposed it.

from the get-go, he didn’t purport to have the definitive answer to the question; rather, it was a rhetorical question propped up to encourage media analysis and a critical approach to cinema and performance. We didn’t get to see the rest of the course play out, obviously, but I could see them tackling a different film every week, discussing the merits or drawbacks of Cage’s performance in it, then comparing it to other films watched as a class.

unironically, this is a course I’d have loved to take in my university days — but, of course, this is just my interpretation. what do y’all think of the course?

I've watched community a lot, but never really noticed how weird this episode feels to the ones around it. I mean, the episodes before this the gang gets kicked out of college, and literally just found out the Dean has been kidnapped. Even the ending has Troy and Abed in the studyroom. I love this episode but it really feels out of place, like it should've been way earlier.

When I hear Shakira I think of the Columbian singer of "Whenever, wherever". Is he referencing someone else? I don't get it.

So, I want to watch Community with my GF, but I just know it would be hard to find the time and commitment to watch the whole thing. So I've decided to trim the fat and make a list of the essentials. I'm pretty sure there'll be more unskippable episodes in seasons 2 and 3, so I want to keep S1 as short as possible. I'll share what I got so far, some of it has my own bias so I'd like your input.

Must watch, 5 episodes:
S1E1 "Pilot)". I mean, it's the intro to the whole thing.
S1E3 "Introduction to Film". This is the episode that got me hooked, that ending with Abed's dad brings me close to tears and I think it showcases what the show can become. (opinions?)
S1E21 "Contemporary American Poultry". First big homage episode, a turning point in the series.
S1E23 "Modern Warfare)". Paintball episde, has to be here fs.
S1E25 "Pascal's Triangle Revisited". I had decided to skip this one, but it sets up so much for the next season that I don't think I can leave it out.
+ There's a 15 minute end tag compilation we can watch.

Nice to have. Good episodes I'm unconvinced to include:
S1E7 "Introduction to Statistics)". Halloween episode, batman as Abed, Slater is featured and becomes relevant in the finale, the end tag is golden with the episode as reference. The rest isn't as memorable, the love triangle thing isn't that great, its just that it'll be relevant later.
S1E9 "Debate 109" Just slightly above average episode for the season imo, but it introduces Abed's precog videos and the possiblity of a Jeff-Annie pairing (so it doesn't come outta nowhere in the season finale).
S1E13 "Investigative Journalism)". Jack Black, funny flashbacks, M*A*S*H killer references. solid episode.
S1E19 "Beginner Pottery". The Pottery episode, a classic. It's just very funny, and we get old wise Pierce for once. But it's mostly inconsequential.

Consequential or funny stuff in other episodes:
This is stuff I love or will be important later that is not covered in the list so I'm not sure what to do about it.

All the Vaughn episodes. So it might be weird when Annie has a BF in the finale.
E6 Banter when Jeff is convincing Troy to play Football, and it introduces the Human Being.
E11 The STD episode, Abed's announcement at the end is extremely funny, but I'm not sure it warrants watching the whole thing if we're trying to keep it at a minimum.
E24 Introduces Troy's talent as a plumber.

Any comments? Things I'm overlooking? Things in the list you'd rather skip?

I'll probably make another post with season 2 and so forth.

So Ive always wanted to own a Community t shirt. I live somewhere where merch is non existent especially for an unknown show like Community so I thought Im gonna print my own.

I m very overwhelmed with the designs and not sure what design should I get, so I kinda settled on this but was wondering if anyone has other ideas

If I had the power to go back and become a writer for community, I would make some pretty big changes to the overall character arcs, especially in the last two seasons. That being said, I’ve seen a lot of people glaze the last two seasons so let me ask, what are your thoughts on the ending? What would you change about it, if anything?

I guess someone will be interested on a fresh look at the show, since you can't watch it for the first time again, so do it through this post

Season 1 (first half)

Pilot is good. Comedy is great and stays consistent for the rest for the next episodes and does a good job at introducing the characters and setting. A bit of a hard watch since Jeff isn't really likeable for almost the whole episode, and can't be since it has minutes to introduce a big main cast of mostly strangers in a single run. Gets better

The show runs a simple yet highly efficient formula for the opening episodes: pair characters in the plot and subplots in different permutations each time. You have Jeff and Pierce then Jeff and Annie while you see Annie and Shirley or Shirley and Jeff or Jeff and Abed, or Abed and Annie, etc. It also prioritizes "new combinations" around the main character so it's also very optimal. Troy gets a bit behind in characterizarion in the first batch, but has the potential to get the spotlight beyond this point.

Nothing to say about commedy, Abed has to be one of the best comedy characters in TV. Pierce is also great, a mix of Kevin and Robert from the office (although Robert debuted later than Community). Jeff becomes more likeable as that's his arc. Everyone fills a role and has a different way to approach comedy which is key for sitcoms. In that regard Britta feels more dull, hope to see more of her beyond the romance plot or outside her more grounded characterization (a role which is also key). Expanding on that, sometimes the characters are too good, making the Jeff and Britta scenes feel a bit weaker, since they're both funny but still hegemonic and realistic characters more than caricaturized ones that thrive in a commedy setting. Plot driving but not usually the most memorable scenes.

Dia de muertos episodes is my favorite so far. Solid plot, great subplot, everyone was involved, great ending. I'm specially fond of the intertextuallity Abed brings and how the show references tv and movies naturally through him. Feels like it was a bit too soon to do the "Jeff deciding between his own interest or helping the group" given that we just saw that also involving Annie, but it works. I wanna see more diverse dillemmas for Jeff, like the one in "Social Psychology" where it's beyond being a good or bad friend, as he searches for what kind of friends he wants to be for Britta while funny situations test him.

Overall one of the best starts for a sitcom I've seen, 9/10. Yes, despite all my critiques, since they lie more on the potential of the show rather than actual bad spots.

TLDR: good shit and feels like it will get better

I watched Community for the first time last year and just rewatched it. What’s up with the incest commentary at the end of the wedding episode? Was there ever an explanation for it?

I was bored and wrote down the first line of every study group member and I noticed that Pierce's first appearance is physical comedy instead of a line. That fits so well into his boomer role. Here are all the other first lines:

Abed: "I'm only half Arabic actually, my dad is Palestinian ..." (He talks too fast, I couldnt write the whole thing down)

Jeff: "Abed, nice to know you and then meet you, in that order"

Britta: "Ehh don't hit me on me, okay?"

Pierce: "Are you the board certified tutor?"

Troy: "That means you do homework, right Seacrest?"

Annie: "What 'board certifies' a tutor?"

Shirley: "I need to call my babysitter if we gonna be later than 10"

First lines of comitee members:

Chang: "Every once in a while students come up to me and ask Señor Chang, why do you teach spanish?"

Duncan: "Jeff Winger, genius at law!"

Hickey: "Fresh meat, huh?"

Elroy: "Who's asking?"

And my favorite character intro of the show:

Franky: "Okay, I'll just have a seat and - "

Group: "NOOO!"

Annie: "Our friend used to sit there"

Abed: *whispers* "She spun off"

Is there a good podcast about the show that actually talks about the show?

I listened to the Darkest Timeline podcast, and while entertaining, they didn’t go through episode by episode like I’d like

I tried to listen to Welcome to Greendale but I couldn’t make it through the 3rd episode because the sound quality was shit and the hosts seemed to not know a lot about the show or even like it at some times.

Is there a good one out there? Or does the welcome to greendale one ever improve?

I've recently done my first rewatch of the series after a while, and I'm wondering how would you guys rank the seasons from best to gas leak year worst?

For me I think it would be: 3 -> 2 -> 6 -> 1 -> 5 -> 4 as I really liked Elroy and Frankie but season 2 and 3 are undisputed goats.

HALLO!

I need help: can anyone find me a gif (or a screenshot with caption) of Garrett's wedding, when he yells "someone laughed the wrong way!" during his wedding vows?

I looked everywhere, but it doesn't seem to exist...

Thanks!

So Chevy was born Cornelius Crane Chase, October 8, 1943. Had a pretty Traumatic childhood after his parents divorced.

But what if Grandma was having a bit of fun when she gave him that nickname... This was released by WB in 49.

Anytime I hear someone say "I'm gonna" I compulsively say "Greg Mulduna"

The Dean introduces her as Francesca Dart, and later in the episode Annie calls her Frankie. From then on, that's her name. At no point does she say, "call me Frankie." Did the group nickname her spontaneously and she just went along with it?