Finale Reviews: Community Season 5 / Series Finale

"We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year…"

A good friend of mine and fan of Community pointed out to me this week how poignant the show's theme song was on the day its cancellation was announced. Apparently, all the reasons NBC kept this show on the air one by one just faded away.

Consequently, "Basic Sandwich," which aired on April 17, 2014, constituted not only the end of the fifth season of Community, but will also (probably, although I suppose not certainly) serve as the series finale. Darkest Timeline, indeed, for a show to end just one season and one movie short of its catchphrase.

13 episodes does not constitute a full season in my book. And it's equally a shame that "Basic Sandwich," which stood alone on its air-night but so obviously should have been the second half of an hour long episode - will just have to do for a finale.

Not that the episode wasn't good. It was. Did it have some plotholes? Sure. Some frighteningly melodramatic moments? Absolutely. For example, take the conclusion. How does having Russell Borchert as Vice Dean solve all of Greendale's problems? Chang has diamond teeth now, so it isn't even as though they got his money. And melodrama? Out the wazoo. I mean, the emphatic shushing would have been expected from the Dean, but was overkill from the group at large. It did not elicit a laugh from this viewer.

But in spite of all that, it was a solid episode. And it spite of its worst episodes and its low fourth season, Community was (is? sigh.) a solid show. And it's a show I'll miss. Maybe not as much as I miss The Office a year after its finale, but I'll miss it.

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Shirley, Hickey, and Duncan really drew the short straw on this episode, didn't they? Well, either that or they took one for the team. But honestly, keeping Shirley upstairs excluded her from Jeff's emotional, door-opening, life-saving, flashback moment. And that's a real shame, because the Shirley/Jeff dynamic that was solidified in the season 3 episode "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism" is one of the deeper, more meaningful connections I've seen on the show.

Speaking of Jeff's big moment, it was beautiful. Fantastical as the plot setup was, Jeff's experience of emotion was as perfect a conclusion to his character arc as we could hope for. Well, actually his speech at the conclusion of season 3 (found ridiculously in five parts here, here, here, here, and here) more accurately bookended his character by echoing but refuting his speech from the pilot. I still loved his emotional moment with his friends - his community - in the sealed off, dusty, forgotten Greendale Computery College. Even though Shirley wasn't there, and even though the audio flashbacks weren't quite as powerful as actual visual shots would have been. Despite what Abed says, I'll contend that this show really was about Jeff, and to see him grow to the point where his love can solve the problem instead of his arrogance creating it? That's beautiful.

Source: nbc.com

Community ought to go down in history as the anti-TV show. Consider the finale episode's anti-love story between Jeff and Britta. They begin the penultimate episode of the season with a decision to be together forever, and in the critical moment of the adventure, Britta and Jeff don't grasp one another's hands, they let go. The friendships on this show are anti-friendships. Or at the least, unlikely. And not the kind of unlikely that sitcoms usually pretend are odd couples but are actually as common as bad reality shows on cable. This was a show about a group of authentic misfits. Moreoever, Community made fun of itself and of TV in a remarkably funny way. Honestly, the fact that it lasted five seasons is unreal and something to be celebrated.

Now, this post would not be complete without a shoutout to Subway. Oh, Subway. You have done so much for my favorite NBC comedies. You helped Chuck out when times were tough for the Nerd Herd, allowed your slogan to cameo with Ryan Howard on The Office, and now, allowed your company to be the villain of Greendale. I'll get a five dollar footlong this week just to say thanks.

So let's talk about Abed for a bit, and all his meta-commentary on what this episode and show are and mean. "This show, Annie, it isn't just their show. This is our show," he reassures her, and launches into a hurried analysis of spin-offs and sitcoms and all that we who love TV love to hate about TV. It was one of my favorite moments in the episode. But it wasn't the moment that had the most to say about the show itself. That award goes to Annie and the line, "We were driven down here by sellouts with crappy values. Since when do human beings decide which dreams are worthwhile?" If the sellouts doesn't accurately describe the network execs who'd cancel Community, I don't know what word would.

Of course, I'm going with Abed on this one. Community has ended because, in that universe, an asteroid has destroyed all of human civilization. That's canon. But Community will always be a show I can return to. And I will, if only in my head every time I hear "Roxanne." And now, every time I hear "Ants Marching."  Community has made an incredible impact on television, particularly network television. I'm convinced of that. It mobilized its fan base like no show before it, and it was always in on the joke. The NBC joke, the sitcom joke, the fact that it was the butt of the joke. Community was possibly the most self-aware television show there ever was. As evidenced by their credits roll coda "Coming Soon to NBC." After all, what airs always does depend on what fails. Sorry to see you go, Community. Whatever new show takes your time slot has a tough act to follow. Maybe now the networks will get better at taking the advice from that theme song…

"So watch what you throw away; And be here to recognize; There's another way." 

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What happens now? Character departures on my two favorite NBC sitcoms

Call me unpatriotic, but I was excited to see the Olympics come to a close, if only because it meant I got my Thursday night NBC lineup back.

Community and Parks and Rec both returned last week, but neither is exactly what it was - mostly because of goodbyes we recently said to some of our favorite characters. Before the events in Sochi, Community's Troy headed out to sea, and Ann and Chris left Pawnee, Indiana. Now, television shows have survived massive character departures in the past, (Season 9 of The Office was one of its best, long after Dunder Mifflin lost Michael Scott), but I must admit I was concerned to see what would happen to  these last remaining remnants of what used to be a great night of comedy on NBC. After all, when Rob Lowe leaves a show, who knows what's gonna happen? We can at least agree that The West Wing didn't go uphill after Sam Seaborne left the White House.

Source: nbc.com

So yeah, I wondered what would happen to Abed without his best buddy Troy. I'm happy to report that in the two episodes since the Childish Tycoon set sail, the writers haven't coddled the character. Instead, Abed was harassed by Britta, betrayed by a  new love interest, and handcuffed to a filing cabinet by the study group's new resident old guy, Professor Buzz Hickey.

I imagine that Abed's a tricky character to write and to play. How do you keep a neurotic, anti-social, media-obsessed community college student from becoming a caricature? Despite claymation, muppetization, and a season without Dan Harmon, Abed has remained a solid, yet growing, character. In the latest episode, I was particularly impressed by his emotion. He clearly missed his friend, but in a very Abed way - compensating by doing alone what they used to do together, cosplay for going to the movies. But the best part of the episode was when Abed didn't get his way, and how that led to his bonding with an unlikely new friend. I get the sense that Community is still finding its sea legs this season, but nonetheless, it's a fun ride.

Source: nbc.com

On Parks and Rec, Leslie Knope lost her best friend, too. Sure, Rashida Jones always played it straight on this comedy, but as she's been with the show since its inception, she'll clearly be missed, and not just by Leslie. And Pawnee will never be the same without the perpetual good mood of Chris Traeger. This comes right on the heels of another loss for Leslie, loss of her place on the City Council, her dream job. Hasn't exactly been a red letter year for everyone's favorite public servant. If you ask me, that explains why this season has seen the show suffer a bit. (Excepting, of course, the episode "The Cones of Dunshire" which an especially funny Adam Scott made one of the best episodes ever.) Parks and Rec thrives on joy - the little happy moments that lift the spirits of the viewer. When things begin to turn around for Leslie, they'll also turn around for the show.

Parks and Rec will be fine, though, with guest stars like John Hodgman and great one-liners from Tom and April. And the new faces in the Parks Department, most notably Craig, played by Billy Eichner, may not fill the void left by the Perkins-Treager's, but they'll bring the funny.

So what happens next? I'll be tuning in tonight to see. It sure looks like we're in for a good time.

PS: In what I think was the best subplot of this season of Community so far, Chang believes he may be a ghost. If you haven't watched "Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality," it's worth your time for a single shot of a photograph near the end.

Community: "Repilot" and "Introduction to Teaching" Review

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It's not often that a television show has the kind of opportunity to start over that Community has with this, its fifth season. In it's "Repilot," a concept lampshaded by Abed, the gang got the chance to begin again at Greendale. The episode gave us "emotional whiplash" as the characters alternated between deciding to sue or save the school.

Of course, it wouldn't be Community without a TV reference and surprise guest star, in this case Scrubs  and a delightful voiceover courtesy Zach Braff. The only appearance more surprising than that was a holographic Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne. What's even weirder is that it was that appearance that convinced a bitter Jeff Winger to save Greendale. His interaction with Jeff was the only acknowledgment of the character, as Chase left the show after multiple alleged fallings out with creator Dan Harmon. Speaking of which, Harmon is back this fifth season, and in just a few lines, managed to negate the unraveling of the show which took place during his absence (the fourth season.) Jeff notes how far each member of the "study group" has fallen since their arrival at the school.

Source: imdb.com

Truthfully, this setup is somewhat disconcerting. Sure, I'm glad the characters' devolution was finally acknowledged (specifically Britta's meteoric fall from intelligent beauty to stereotypical vapid blonde) and sure, Community has always been a show that's subverted many of the typical television tropes. But without character development, shows can feel relatively stale.

I guess by the end of the "Repilot," Community was back to its former glory as a show full of characters with no moral compasses still attempting to do the right thing. Even if the only morality they can find is what seems to be the "right truth" at the time. And while these certainly aren't characters we'd aspire to be, they are (despite their cartoonish, over the top eccentricities) a lot like the sort of people we meet all the time, and that makes their small victories of good choice worth celebrating.

In the second half-hour of the premiere, "Introduction to Teaching," I think we got a good look at what season 5 will be like. There was  the overarching storyline - the development of a student/professor "Save Greendale" committee - and several minor plots that resulted in temporary character development - Jeff's realization that he likes to teach, Abed's mental break over Nicholas Cage and subsequent recovery, Annie's revolt over an A-. Professor Hickey, played by Jonathan Banks, took over Pierce's chair, and his role as resident old curmudgeon, in this episode.

Basically, it's a whole new start for Greendale, Community, and us, as the viewers. I didn't know how I felt about it until I found myself wishing I could watch the next episode right now.  But I'll have to wait until next Thursday. I'm just glad next Thursday night will also include the return (and 100th episode!) of Parks and Rec. NBC, I'm glad to be blogging about your good side again.

Community: "Advanced Introduction to Finality" Review

All throughout the fourth season, I've been conflicted about Community. It's a show that began slowly, gained momentum in season two, and sailed through its third season with conviction and purpose. After creator Dan Harmon left, fans were a little concerned about where season four would take the Greendale study group. And now, after watching the season finale, I can definitively answer: I don't know. I have no idea where the study group stands (sits?).

This season has been strange because, while on the surface it seemed so authentically Community, something was off. Some fans might want to blame it on Harmon's departure. I'm not sure that's it. It might just be that Community hit its sophomore slump in its senior year. The finale, "Advanced Introduction to Finality," should have felt right. After all, it had paintball. But it also had too much of two things: commentary and sentimentality.

Lines from the episode will help me explain:

Abed: "You could go back and pretend that you're the same guy you were four years ago, but you're not. You're stronger. You're better. You have friends! No, screw that, you have a family."  

 Jeff: "Wait, if this is all in my mind, then I don't really need to fight him."

Abed: "Don't logic this one away from me. We finally figured out a way to make paintball cool again."

This episode was essentially a dream sequence of Jeff's inner conflict, so the whole story was a commentary. But what made it even worse were the moments like the one above, where the writers felt the need to spell it out for us. Good TV shows show us, not tell us, a character's growth and motivation. And the best TV shows never have to tell us that they're cool.

Jeff: "As long as you guys are with me, I have everything I need to graduate."

Really? This is not Jeff. Yes, Jeff gives the big, end-of-episode speeches, but not speeches like this. Character development (if that's indeed what we're supposed to be seeing in Jeff this season) is great, but this is character betrayal. Who is this guy? Where's the sardonic, cynical Jeff we all used to love to hate and hated that we loved? Even a Jeff who'd grown up wouldn't (essentially) just quote Britta in his closing monologue.

Sentimental Jeff.
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Season four just didn't ever quite get it right. It discarded its one good plot setup (Changnesia) in favor of a poor rehash of season three's "darkest timeline." Well, Community has been renewed for a fifth season. I might watch it. I might not. I'm still conflicted.