Community S3E3

A lot has been made of "Community's" last episode. But before I look at that episode and the upcoming Halloween anthology next week, I thought I would look back at what seems like a very pedestrian half-hour but actually serves as excellent setup and builds characters wonderfully well.

This episode provides a good chance to talk about some of the minority characters in “Community.” While Jeff, Pierce, Britta, and Annie have been fleshed out nicely over the past two years, maybe this is the time for the primarily white writer’s room is finally confident enough to dive into the rest of the multicultural Greendale gang.

Community’s third episode of its third season follows the seven members of Greendale’s study group as they attempt to split into pairs of lab partners for their semester of Biology 101. The splits that seem the most intuitive result in tension, so when the group reconvenes in order to reevaluate the pairings, they end up getting into an argument that spans almost an entire twenty-four hours and seriously traumatizes one of their fellow classmates, the friendly-to-a-fault Todd. While the group ends the episode happily back in one another’s favor, it is somewhat unsettling, as none of the underlying emotional problems causing their argument have been addressed.

The episode heavily resembles an episode from the first season in that it takes place entirely on the Greendale campus, and most of that time is spent in the group’s study room in the library. The show has spent time outside of the school, and occasionally featured the homes of its characters, but for the purposes of this episode (as was true for the first season), the study room functions as the characters’ “home.” Rarely do they interact with anyone outside of their seven-person “second family” in this room – and the addition of Todd to the study room is a major point of contention in the episode. It is within the study room that the characters become vulnerable and share their true feelings. And given that most of the characters live alone (except for Shirley, Troy, and Abed, which is discussed later), this surrogate family provides most of their emotional support.

Shirley is primarily defined by her religion and her motherhood. She is never included in the romantic tensions that invade the group, and has addressed that head on as unfair. While she is married and has had other romantic affairs (even becoming pregnant over the course of the second season), she is still not seen as a romantic object. Shirley is also defensive about her age, frequently having to remind the others “I’m just about the same age as Jeff,” who is considered the “cool” member of the group. Despite these reminders, she does come across as older, not only because of her maternal nature, but also because she is actually more competent and stable within her family life. While the others (chiefly Britta, here) react with fatigue when she shares details of her family, it actually seems more stable and well-adjusted than any of the others’. Pierce, Jeff and Britta all live alone and are estranged from their extended families. Troy, Annie, and Abed, despite being in their 20’s, are in a state of suspended adolescence and have yet to take on adult responsibilities or qualities.

Shirley’s religious piousness, while often presented as the impetus for her kind, giving nature, is also embarrassingly worked into almost every conversation she has. It also makes her haughtily judgmental, as when she snidely refers to Britta’s “marijuana lighter” or mistakes her homeopath as a “gay friend.” When the tension in the group gets high, they vote on which members they do and don’t wish to work with. In this popularity contest, Shirley is ranked dead last. It is not because she has the lowest GPA (that would be Britta) or even has the thorniest personality (that would be Pierce). It is due to her religion. As Annie explains, “how are you going to do science experiments if you don’t even believe in science?” Shirley’s defense at first seems reasonable and rational: “Just because someone’s religious doesn’t mean they have a problem with science;” but she is undercut by the punchline – “but certainly, if an introductory biology course at a community college can refute 2,000 years of miracles...”

This popularity contest is interesting for what it says not only about the characters, but also how it reflects the opinions of the writers and audience. “Community” has always been a show that acknowledges its own existence onscreen. Usually this is done through Abed, but here all the characters participate. Showrunner Dan Harmon has said in interviews that Shirley’s perspective is the one he has the hardest time relating to, and that’s reflected in the writing. Shirley has only had one major A-story throughout the 50-odd episodes of the show, and it revolved around her religion. Troy, on the other hand, is voted among the most popular members of the group, coming in either second or third (the episode doesn’t specify), and has been in a central role many times, having paired off with every character except Shirley. In fact, Shirley and Troy rarely interact, and have nothing in common despite both being black.

Troy’s characterization is primarily defined by his relationship with Abed, his slowly developing crush on Britta, and the slow coming of age arc he’s had since the beginning of the series. His humor comes from the non-sequiturs the he’s spouted since his character solidified after the first few episodes. Most of his jokes are at the expense of his intellect, and usually are predicated on the character having only the most tenuous grasp on what is possible and what is not. This naiveté has often been explained as a desire to shed physical reality and literally become a cartoon character. Because of “Community’s” more self-referential elements, various permutations of this have actually been explored, but not in “Competitive Ecology.” What is planted is the seed that perhaps Troy and Abed’s friendship is not benefitting from cohabitation. While working on their project, they agree “We spend too much time together.” Troy is moving away from Abed’s more childish traits and looking to become a leading man, not a goofy supporting character. However, his increasing popularity is seen as a threat by Jeff.

Two black supporting characters also appear in “Competitive Ecology.” Michael K. Williams, a veteran of “The Wire,” is the study group’s hard-lined biology professor, Professor Kane. Kane has spent the majority of his life in prison, and in the beginning of the episode gives a speech about “Legos” that plays as a parody of a similar speech from “The Shawshank Redemption.” Kane is intellectual, driven, and quiet, but he is still defined primarily by his criminal past. The other is Magnitude, a character created as a walking joke, a one-man party who speaks only in the nonsensical phrase “Pop-pop!” He appears at the start of the show’s final scene, making his presentation to the biology class. When he shouts his catchphrase, the class reacts with cheers, but Professor Kane is quick to remark, “You know they’re laughing at you, right?” Magnitude’s embarrassed reaction shows that he is not aware of how foolish the other students find him.

There are also several other non-white characters on the show. Abed typically defies most tropes by commenting and disarming them, or consciously choosing to play into them. However, this aspect of the character is absent in “Competitive Ecology.”

Chang is the only other non-white member of the main cast. While his character’s Chinese heritage has been used for easy jokes before, especially when he was Greendale’s Spanish professor, it is unremarked upon here. Chang is a character defined by his delusions, hallucinations, and desperate cries for help. The B-plot he has in this episode plays off of what has been established about the character’s pathetic living situation (he is forced to live in a closet on campus) and mental problems. His story is told here in the style of a noir, where his delusions lead him to believe he is uncovering a grand conspiracy. “Community’s” background casting is diverse – there are people of various races in the study group’s biology class, in the halls at Greendale, and among the other members of the ensemble.

This episode exemplifies for me why "Community" is a great show, even if it is not funny or relatable to everyone. There is rarely a wasted second, and there's no limit to what the show can do.

Returning Shows September 19-25

America’s Next Top Model:

This week features more uses of the word “brand” than anything outside of an advertising executive’s mouth. These D-list TV celebrities are each given a meaningless work or phrase meant to define their careers, their images, and their Pink’s Hot Dogs inspired photo shoot. The girls are as baffled at the product placement as any viewer.

Due to this confusion, most of the pictures range from the mediocre to the borderline pornographic. Poor Sheena, whose picture is no better or worse tthan Lisa, the winner's, is sent home.

American Dad!:

Somehow, “American Dad!” has managed to avoid the fatigue that plagues both “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.” Maybe that’s because it’s yet to get to its 10th, let alone 20th, season. Perhaps it’s because the characters have better chemistry. But it seems like it’s because there’s simply better writing.

This episode is an oblique “Little Shop of Horrors” parody, with a magical hot tub voiced by Cee-Lo Green taking the place of the smooth-voiced evil Audrey II. The episode is a musical, featuring groovy -80’s-90’s R&B inspired tunes rather than the original’s 60’s Motown sound. While only MacFarlane can really compete with Cee-Lo in terms of voice, it’s nice to hear him moving beyond only classic show tunes. It’s also nice to see the deconstruction of the original musical rather than simply a reference to it. The episode really functions as a story, albeit one that owes its structure to “Little Shop,” with the hot tub slowly chowing down on Stan’s friends, allies, and loved ones.

What follows is an uneven affair, neglecting characters such as Hayley and Klaus entirely and only making passing reference to Roger. But Stan Smith is undoubtedly the most dynamic character in the cast, and the episode makes good use of him and his decline from strictly regimented oral fortitude to swinging sex manic. The songs are also fantastic. This also marks the second time that they’ve killed the family without blinking an eye. Taking chances like that are what makes “American Dad!” worth watching.

With such amazing comedies on the air, “American Dad!” only really makes an impact when compared to its fellow Animation Domination members. But without “Bob’s Burgers” back on the air until January, it’s undeniably the best part of that programming block.

Archer:

Not too much to say about the second half-hour in the three-part “Archer” special finishing up next Thursday. The episode is surprisingly low-key, handing out more exposition and once again setting the stage for the final confrontation. When it happens, it’s sure to be explosive. But until that showdown, no doubt restoring Archer as Isis’ premiere spy and reuniting him with his smothering mother Malory, the audience has been forced to wait.

Luckily, the characters and actors have plenty of chemistry, and the bore of waiting back at Isis is weighing heavily – and hilariously – on the office drones. The high-strung Malory demands that Carol wait by the phone. Cyrill has to re-balance the budget that Lana and Gillette (honestly, the weakest aspect of the episode) have been savagely ripping apart. Pam, ever the sexual deviant, pounces on recovering sex-addict Cyrill. The Isis antics represent what’s happening with this extended storyline – a bit of cabin fever mixed with confidence that soon everything will be back to normal.

Community:

After a long and arduous offseason that yielded no Emmy nominations and plenty of buzz about possible cancellation, “Community” has returned. The conflict between Pierce and the group has been streamlined into a conflict between Pierce and Jeff, as both jockey for positions inside the study group. On a larger scale, John Goodman’s Vice Dean character has become the force that threatens Greendale and strangles the last gasp of funds from Dean Pelton’s newly-goateed throat.

The premiere indicates several things about “Community’s” third season. First, a renewed interest in Jeff the protagonist, rather than the group protagonist of last season. Second, as the opening number suggests, a return to the smaller stories of season one rather than the wild adventures of season two. There is a new villain and a new teacher (“The Wire’s” Michael K. Williams).

The most problematic character for most viewers has been Chang. The first season painted him as a man mad with power. But the second took so much of that power away he seemed only mad. This season has made what so far seems like an excellent idea- make him the only man on campus security. It’s a necessity and a recipe for great comedic showdowns between the study group and Greendale infrastructure.

Then again, almost anything is a recipe for greatness when put in the trustworthy hands of Dan Harmon and the “Community” writing team. It remains to be seen if my observations about the direction the third season is heading in are true, but either way, “We’re gonna have more fun and be less weird, than the first two years combined” at Greendale Community College this year. E Pluribus Anus!

Family Guy:

The tenth season premiere is back to the same formula the show has been stuck in for the last four or five years. Part of that may have to do with the arrested development of the characters, but there’s no reason that for the second or third time Seth MacFarlane and his writing team have returned to the “Griffins become rich – Griffins do absurd antics – Griffins return to their previous poverty.” Back in the first season, where Lois’ wealthy upbringing was revealed and the first episode with this storyline, “Family Guy” was still attempting to do an interesting character comedy about how blue-collar crassness contrasts with blue-blood stiffness. It was funnier then, and fresher. But “Family Guy” has moved on, leaning heavily on cut-aways and non sequitors to provide the jokes that never seem to flow organically anymore.

Free Agents:

Another uneven effort from “Free Agents” this past week. Moving away from the dark emotional drama at the core of last week, this episode focused on an attempt at tragic sex farce. Unfortunately, the players are all too old and slow to sell the manic pace necessary to communicate urgency in such a premise.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia:

After last week’s amazing premiere, this is a slight step sideways. But this might be the most purely disgusting half-hour in the show’s history. And for a show that has scenes where a large portion of Dee’s hair is ripped out of her scalp, Dennis vomits in anti-gravity, and two bums are having sex underneath a dock, the most disgusting scene of all is undeniably the sight of Mac and Frank, two grossly overweight and gluttonous men, heartily tearing into a rum-soaked ham that has been floating in the ocean for several hours after being gnawed on by a feral dog.

The main heft of the episode comes from Dennis and Dee’s rose-colored glasses, remembering their childhood jaunts to the Jersey Shore with their wealthy parents as the time of their lives. They pack the gang into their Land Rover and head down to the beach, not realizing that the town has experienced some decline since their childhood, with nuclear testing and an infestation of wild dogs rendering the beach empty and the boardwalk full of untrustworthy drug addicts and thieves. Dennis and Dee get wrapped up in townie criminal activity, while Mac and Frank hook up with a band of roving guidos.

There is also a twisted but slight subplot about Charlie spending an E-fueled night of PG-rated passion with the Waitress on the abandoned beach. Over the years, Charlie has truly been infantilized sexually, with his creepy obsession with the Waitress settling into what a 10-year-old would expect his girlfriend to do with him at recess. The other characters, absorbed in their outsized adventures, dismiss this whole C-story immediately.

For fans of gross-out humor, this is probably one of the best “Sunny” episodes ever. But it can’t help but be overshadowed by the absolutely perfect half-hour from last week.

The Office:

The introduction of James Spader as the new CEO really gives the show a new element of psychological torture. For all his constant prattling, Michael Scott was always eventually harmless. It was the major differentiation between the American show and the British original. Spader’s new character might actually know what he’s talking about, so when his office popularity contest separates the workers into two groups – groups he deems “winners” and “losers” – that threat actually has some weight behind it. Unfortunately, Andy, the newly ineffectual manager, diffuses the tension immediately much in the same style that Michael Scott would.

So far, “The Office” seems to be behaving with a “business as usual” strategy. No reason to change the formula that’s made them NBC’s highest rated comedy, right? Not necessarily, given that formula has gotten stale over the years. In fact, I almost hope this exercise backfires, and the show is forced to try something new or come to a merciful end.

Parks and Recreation:

“I don’t know what that means, but it had the cadence of a joke.”

Parks and Rec is back, y’all! Amy Poehler’s wonderful showcase largely sidelines the typical small municipal problems in order to set up the season-long conflicts and character beats. For a half-hour of setup, “I’m Leslie Knope” manages to work in plenty of hilarious reminders why this is one of the best and most consistent shows on TV.

Several familiar motifs and running gags return. For example, Tom Haverford’s traditional long, loose, absurd lists have been replaced by his grab bag of Entertainment 720 merchandise. Ron “fucking” Swanson christened Leslie “fucking” Knope. Tammy, Ron’s fearful ex-wife, was replaced by Ron’s first wife, also named Tammy, and played with icy precision by Patricia Clarkson. If Megan Mulally and Nick Offerman, married in real life, have crazily unstable chemistry, the power between Clarkson and Offerman is so skewed in her favor (as an Oscar-nominated actress and veritable movie star, it’s no wonder she stands out in this cast of TV players) that she truly does seem fearful.

However, this episode features almost no traditional mockumentary tricks. Only one talking head (and even that was hardly a necessity), little to no concern about where cameras should or shouldn’t be allowed – for the most part, the show has ceased pretending this is a documentary at all, simply using the handheld, shaky camera movements. It helps to keep the show “showing” and not “telling,” choosing scenes like Leslie’s first campaign meeting and her lunch with Ann as ways to reveal how the character is feeling and what she is thinking rather than having her parrot it to the camera. This is wonderfully refreshing and lets this ensemble show actually show its ensemble behaving as such.

But what really sets “Parks and Recreation” apart is the love the audience can incur for the characters. So Leslie and Ben’s quiet, sweet, sad breakup scene is truly moving because we know how much these characters have gone through in order to get to this moment, and how much it truly means to them. This campaign already has stakes sky-high. And by building to it naturally, unlike, say, the “Glee” characters getting to the national championship level without any discernable change in their skills, it truly feels like a possibility for Leslie. She opened the show by claiming she wanted to be President. Now the audience can share in that wonderful confidence.

Saturday Night Live:

After it went into the offseason with a whimper, SNL is back, once again relying on one of their most frequent hosts – Alec Baldwin, back for his 16th time – to edge by with a somewhat enjoyable, if still lazy, episode.

Baldwin steps seamlessly into almost every act and every sketch. Only the musical interludes from moody rock band Radiohead and the pre-taped commercial parody are without him. And who can blame the writers – writing for Baldwin is practically a rite of passage and has resulted in some memorable and wonderful sketches over the years, including Pete Schweddy, whose new ice cream flavor was Baldwin’s monologue fodder. The monologue also featured an appearance from Baldwin’s faux-rival Steve Martin, who seemed to be setting the stage for his own appearance sometime this season. Let’s hope that’s true, because SNL needs all the help it can get.

The cast is still game, and good (if desperate) performances are buoying even the weaker sketches, but the same faces appeared again and again throughout the night. Taking over the heavy lifting in terms of female performers, Vanessa Bayer seems to be the new Kristen Wiig, appearing in more than half the show despite her status as a featured player. Conversely, Paul Brittain appeared only in the supersized cold open, while Jay Pharaoh was shown not at all. No Digital Short from Andy Samberg and the Lonely Island crew, which is odd considering I can’t remember them ever doing a bit or a song featuring Baldwin before.

This episode just featured an overall dearth of originality in the writing, frequently repeating punchlines and eliminating any edge the jokes might have. For example, the last sketch of the night was probably the most creative, with Taren Killam playing an old-fashioned army private forced to promise to adhere to the increasingly absurd But rather than taking time to develop Killam’s reactions, the momentum of the sketch was undercut by adding two other wisecracking dying soldiers. SNL has too many resources and too few ideas. Hopefully Mellissa McCarthy, a sketch/improv veteran, has a successful jaunt next week. New blood is always a good thing.

Up All Night:

Good work from “Up All Night’s” second episode. It’s still not necessarily a show I’d wait for each week, but it’s certainly begun to focus on the reconciliation of a late-30’s baby with an early-30’s partying past. Chris and Regan remain recognizably human, though I wish the same was true of Maya Rudolph’s Ava, who is getting more cartoony as time goes by. This would make more sense if she was an out-of-touch authority figure rather than Regan’s good friend.