Monsters of Television

“Everyone’s playing.”

I wanted Community to start finding something new to say or new ways to say it. However, the last few episodes, including tonight’s “Modern Warfare,” have pushed the show in a direction it danced with, but never fully committed to until recently: pop culture homages. Yes, the show has done extended references and tips of the hat prior to the last few episodes, but those episodes will still ultimately defined by the “We’re a family” message that the show was starting to wear to the bone.

I wouldn’t say that the message has gone away — it really hasn’t — but that it’s no longer the driving force behind episodes any longer. Instead the show plays pop culture roulette, a dangerous little game that can backfire if not done properly. Thankfully, Community is streets ahead of any other sitcom on television, and “Modern Warfare” proves that.

Family Guy plays pop culture roulette with every episode. It thrives on it. It essentially exists to do that. Make an homage and if it’s funny, great! If not, well, there’s always the next spin of the wheel. Except in Family Guy, the wheel has too many balls in it. They can’t really lose, but they can’t really win either. The problem with the approach that Family Guy takes is that the episodes aren’t always structured around a single homage, an homage that can unify the narrative to drive home whatever it is they’re mocking fun of. In short, Family Guy cheats.

Community doesn’t cheat. When they want to do an homage or reference a particular pop culture text, be it Goodfellas, M*A*S*H, or action movies, they commit to that homage in a way that serves the story, serves a narrative end beyond just showing off or throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. The approach makes the comedy funnier (the best jokes are the ones you commit to) and makes the story seem that much stronger.

So when “Modern Warfare” tackles action movies of all stripes, including a glorious 28 Days Later visual to kick things off, the episode sets itself to make sure that the action homages still serve a narrative and emotional end, and in this case it’s the culmination of sexual tension between Jeff and Britta. Indeed, action movies, with their phallic guns and orgasmic explosions are the prime vehicle to bring about the end of sexual subtext (well, maybe just text at this point).

And that Community turns to the action genre to do this is telling. Jeff and Britta, as Abed notes, have transcended Ross and Rachel and Sam and Diane (“Who are Sam and Diane?” “Okay, we get it. You’re young.”) which means that they’ve moved beyond the point where the verbal jousting works. Indeed, what Community suggests with “Modern Warfare” is that the bickering sitcom screwball couple has to ratchet up their banter (a sublimation of their sexual frustration) to a point that the action film is the only way to drive them into one another’s arms. The witty banter is no longer enough: only guns, violence, and explosions of paint are enough to bring them together.

Finally, to extend the episode’s “Take that!” of Glee, I would argue that Glee finds itself floundering on achieving what Community does so well, but with music. Glee attempts to create an emotional and narrative urgency by using a smattering of songs that somehow tie into a theme of an episode, but they often fail due to how poorly shoe-horned in the songs feel to the actual narrative. So, Glee, take Community‘s advice and “Write some original songs!”

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Can’t believe they got Abed.
• “He’s a pawn.” “Checkmate, bitches. And tell the drama club that their tears will be real.”
• Annie bursting out of the trashcan in the men’s room was just epic. And that the top stayed on her head is even better.
• Ken Jeong seemed to really relish his Chow Young Fat impersonation. And so did I. Glorious.