Community

[dreyesbo]

The bottle episode mentions were perhaps a bit too meta, but I'm pretty sure there have been other more blatant references in the series.

But I quite liked the episode. It grounded the action a bit after the action episodes this season, and played on each character's feelings towards each other.

Plus, any show with this extent of detail gets my love:

[dweaselqueen]

I saw that on the Community LJ!!! That made my day although it took me awhile to realize what on earth I was looking at. I love they include little things like that. Most shows wouldn't actually show the monkey taking the pen at the beginning.

[freelantzer]

Wow! Thanks for posting the pen-stealing moment. Love this show!

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Okay, now, that does make me appreciate the episode more. And I think the episode will be one I do appreciate more on repeat viewings. I didn't give it enough credit initially for the way it does satirize bottle episodes, and the histrionics that usually ensue in those "tight-knit group turning on each other in a confined space" stories.

[freelantzer]

I read an interview where someone in charge of the show (I forget who right now) talks about the increased cost of a few of their episodes (like the zombie ep, for example) and how they chose to spend more of their budget there and do a few more bottle episodes to make up for it (even though he hates bottle episodes--he thought it was worth it to do a few bigger episodes during the season).

[Beatifically]

What did everyone think about the last episode? Personally, my favorite part was the chase scene. How many shows out there have someone being chased on all fours in a massive blanket fort?

[freelantzer]

I liked the last episode, but I'm not sure I really "got it." Were they spoofing conspiracy movies?

Random comment: I watched Pineapple Express today, and when the two henchmen are first shown I yelled out, "That's Professor Professorson!"

[JennaFelicis]

I LOVE Community. It's my favorite show on television now. I can't wait for the Christmas episode, it looks super rad.

[ParanoidAndroid]

This show is so great and the cast is my favourite comedy cast since Arrested Development. They're all so great!

The last two episodes are maybe my two favourite episodes of the entire series! I especially loved the previously mentioned chase through the blanket fort, and that visual gag of having Britta in that 'Eyes Wide Shut' type room had me on the floor.

[dweaselqueen]

I agree with Beatifically, I loved the blanket fort chase scene. Actually, anything with the blanket fort was awesome! I would totally spend the night down there with them.

The last episode finally sold me on Jeff/Annie. I've been teetering on rooting for them 100% because of the age difference making me a bit squicky about them. I can no longer deny them. I don't care, the characters aren't real and they have excellent chemistry so I'm going to root for them to be together. They were too adorable for words in the last episode.

[Ginny1976]

LOVE the show. LOVE Abed!!

[freelantzer]

Cute episode tonight. Troy's a man now. Aw.

The claymation episode looks great. Can't wait.

[ParanoidAndroid]

I loved last nights episode. It was a nice departure into dramatic territory and fleshing out the characters.

The claymation episode looks epic.

[Beatifically]

I liked last night's episode a lot. It was really good in terms of characterization, especially Annie. It offered a good insight into Annie's insecurities about herself. I was also really surprised to see that she lived in a poorer area, though. She puts up this image of living a pristine, picture-perfect life (probably because she is a perfectionist herself), so I didn't see that coming. But it was so sweet how Troy comforted her, too, aw. I don't ship them together - to me, it was just a tender moment that let the friendship shine through.

Because Troy is just that adorable:    

---

But, yes, I agree, the claymation episode looks amazing! Can't wait.

[freelantzer]

^Troy is just that adorable.

[dweaselqueen]

I can't believe I forgot to comment on last week's episode. Troy is my favorite this season. I loved his becoming-a-man arc last week. I knew he was turning 21 in the episode but when he said '89 I still jumped in surprise and shouted, "Hey, that's my year!"

Now the claymation episode: That was completely beyond my expectations. Who knew Danny Pudi and Alison Brie could sing so well? We already knew YNB had a great voice but those two surprised me. I really loved the episode. I grew up on the stop motion Rudolph special and I thought they nailed the genre perfectly yet with a surprisingly dark undertone. This episode moved me a lot which I didn't expect at all. The bit where Abed froze nearly made me cry.

Only Community can have such gimmicky set ups that are so rich in character development. We learned a lot about Abed and almost as much about Duncan. We got some insight into Pierce's home life (I guess Troy goes home for the holidays which makes Pierce lonely?) and Britta's reaction to Abed nailing her insecurities was heart-breaking.

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by dweaselqueen

The meaning of Christmas is that Christmas has meaning.

Thank you, Lost.

[dweaselqueen]

Those Lost references killed me!

Meanwhile, I have totally memorized the song the group sings at the end "That's What Christmas is For".
Shirley: "And for a huge percentage of this God-fearing planet it's a reminder of the birth of Jesus Christ"
Jeff: "And for the rest of us it's just a reminder that at Christmas it's good to be nice!" I love how intimidated he sounded when he started singing.

[Beatifically]

Even though Community got snubbed at the awards it deserves, at least some have recognized how amazing the show is!

TIME magazine listed Community episode "Modern Warfare" at #3 for best episodes of 2010 (NOTE: The video in the link is not that family friendly!)

3. Community, "Modern Warfare" A lot of sitcoms can make you laugh. It's a rare one that can so fully share the sense of joy its cast, writers and crew have in making the show. Here, a paintball war on the campus of Greendale Community College — with the coveted prize being early class registration — leads to anarchy, backstabbing and the collapse of society. In the process, Community executes a painstaking parody of (and homage to) war movies, Matrix-style action thrillers and postapocalyptic survival tales — getting in a brilliant skewering of Glee to boot — without sacrificing the characters that give this show about adult-education misfits its heart. (NBC)

EW lists Community (along with Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock) at #4 for the Best TV Series of 2010

4. NBC Thursday sitcoms: Parks and Recreation, Community, and 30 Rock Parks and Recreation's ensemble united to form a warmly wacky bond with us; Community mastered a new blend of pop-culture critique and slapstick; and 30 Rock managed to continue its sharp media criticism while being first-rate funny.

AV Club ranked Community at #2 (!!) on their "The 25 best television series of 2010" list

2. Community (NBC) The premise is better suited to a 90-minute Adam Sandler movie than a TV show: A jerk lawyer, shamed into attending community college after it’s discovered he never earned a proper degree, tries to impress a hottie do-gooder by hanging out with a bunch of losers. General heartwarming ensues. It’s a limited narrative, and one Community largely abandoned by the midpoint of its great second season. But the idea still speaks to the series’ central theme. The show’s seemingly boundless inventiveness and its ability to embrace parody, drama, meta commentary, slapstick, and sentiment, are rooted in a refreshingly honest take on the lies we tell to become who we wish we could be. The jerk who dreams of heroism; the snob who wants to save the world; the Disney princess who yearns for three dimensions; the detached observer longing to be a real live boy; the goofball maturing into adulthood—these are familiar archetypes, but in the hands of television’s strongest comedic ensemble, given voice by a writing staff that hands out punchlines and heartbreak with equal panache, these parts add up to a warm, ridiculous, rewarding whole. Best episodes: “Modern Warfare,” “Cooperative Calligraphy,” “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”

Originally Posted by dweaselqueen

Now the claymation episode: That was completely beyond my expectations. Who knew Danny Pudi and Alison Brie could sing so well? We already knew YNB had a great voice but those two surprised me. I really loved the episode. I grew up on the stop motion Rudolph special and I thought they nailed the genre perfectly yet with a surprisingly dark undertone. This episode moved me a lot which I didn't expect at all. The bit where Abed froze nearly made me cry.

It was nothing like what I imagined it would be. It probably wasn't the funniest episode, but it was the most touching one. The part where Annie and Troy defended and followed him made me smile; they're so incredibly loyal to him. But I agree with you that it heartbreaking when Abed froze. But thankfully the study group came to his rescue and got the Christmas pterodactyl to take Duncan away!

Only Community can have such gimmicky set ups that are so rich in character development. We learned a lot about Abed and almost as much about Duncan. We got some insight into Pierce's home life (I guess Troy goes home for the holidays which makes Pierce lonely?) and Britta's reaction to Abed nailing her insecurities was heart-breaking.

It seems like these past two episodes offered more characterization. I was really surprised that we got to see a more human side of Pierce. He's usually a comic relief but this seems like one of the rare moments where he's taken seriously. Same goes with Britta. We're so used to seeing her as this strong, independent woman. Seeing her cry was a very "human" moment for her.

And can I just add that all the characters looked really cute in Abed's winter wonderland?

[IenjoyAcidPops]

Originally Posted by Beatifically

Even though Community got snubbed at the awards it deserves, at least some have recognized how amazing the show is!

Yeah, every list of the best television of 2010 that I've read online or in a magazine has included Community, but I don't think it's been nominated for any major award yet. But hey, that really doesn't matter, does it? It's just a little surprising. Maybe the sense of humor is too specific, maybe it's too meta, who knows?