Monsters of Television

“I’m a tenured professor sitting in a bean bag chair!”

Community continues to impress me with its maturation and its wise use of its ensemble. “Interpretive Dance” proved that the show was perfectly able to start stretching its ensemble outside of typical pairings or stories, and this episode is no different. Instead of a Jeff/Britta pairing being about their ever-complicating relationship, it deals with them emphasizing how they’ve assumed a parental role (Pierce is probably the “funny uncle” who isn’t really an uncle) of the rest of the study group, specifically now that Annie has started dating Vaughn. And that Alison Brie manages to make this seem like a perfectly natural evolution of her character just shows how smart this cast is.

As the parents, Jeff and Britta decide that Annie isn’t ready to date Vaughn, with Jeff identifying him as “gateway douche” (terrific phrase that I’m going to start using) to larger, sleezier douches. It’s a testament to the show’s devotion to its characters that Jeff hasn’t reverted to his loathing of the group yet, but instead with each week, he becomes closer and closer to them (and them to him). Even Britta and Jeff’s “manipulation” of Troy to get him to try and hook up with Annie (bringing back Annie’s high school crush on Troy) reeks of parental planning and meddling.

The ending to the episode’s main plot is a little too overly sweet, but the show balances that sweetness with perhaps the best study table scene the show’s provided as they come to a realization that the group is very much like a family, but a family wherein every one is a potential sexual partner. It leads some incredibly smart facial comedy as everyone looks around, sizing up the table’s potential. Pierce’s looks get rejected; Troy seems to calculate each woman’s hotness; Annie and Jeff share a look that implies attraction that will never be acted upon; and Abed’s come hither looks to random members are simply priceless. The sequence plays off the show’s limited history in organic ways but also in ways that wouldn’t totally alienate viewers coming in for the first time.

The B-plot is another no one wants to be around Pierce story. While this is getting a bit tired, it’s still funny enough that it still works well enough. Abed and Troy throw MST3K parties of bad movies (Kickpuncher – “A cyborg cop whose punches have the power of kicks.”), and invite Shirley along (and Senor Chang!). Pierce feels out of place since he can’t keep up with the zingers (it can be tricky) so he goes to the Greendale improv troupe. Two things about this: 1) Pierce’s interactions with the improv troupe were great and 2) I want more of the improv group. When he rattles off his pre-made sets of jokes, it’s a great bit of delivery on Chase’s part. Plus, you know, then there’s a pratfall, and the Chase pratfall is textbook.

What the B-plot does, and what I like to see B-plots always do, is compliment the main plot’s theme (or, in the case of recent episodes, what the show is ultimately about) is that these people ultimately like hanging out together and care about each other (even if they don’t always let Pierce know in so many words). The show is ironic but sweet, and in all the right ways.

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Someone screwed up the announced list of episodes. I was expecting “Beginner Pottery.” This was nice, though.
• I think I must’ve been the only one who thought the show looked different. The cinematography and lighting seemed different for the show, especially in the cafeteria.
• That Vaughn thinks the study group is “evil” is probably my favorite non-cast regular moment of the night. Sometimes I wish for a Rosencrantz & Guildernstern Are Dead-esque episode on shows, but on Community, I like these limited bits of business that contribute to world building in ways that aren’t as obvious as the R&G approach.