Community Review: Basic Human Anatomy (4.11)

Summary:

Basic Human Anatomy brings the familiar Community charm by inserting a wacky theme while still keeping it grounded in reality. The episode touches on the awkwardness of the romantic relationship between Troy and Britta and gives more depth to it in one episode than they have all season. There is a nice flow between the plots that makes great use of the study group and their fast paced banter. The joke density is high in this episode and we see a lot of strong story pairings between the group.  Overall the episode finds the perfect balance between emotional depth and crazy humor.   

All season I have been waiting for an episode of Community that would be the stand out episode for the season. I have been on board with season four of Community since the get go but I do acknowledge that there seems to be something off. There have been a few gems here and there but nothing that seemed to hit on all cylinders. Though we still have two episodes to go, last night’s Basic Human Anatomy (4.11) made a really strong case as the standout episode for this season.

The episode opens up with the gang as they’re discussing their last history project for the semester. Annie and Shirley are both concerned with the group’s effort due to their neck and neck race with becoming valedictorian, while Jeff is content with a doable and passable grade. Meanwhile Troy and Abed celebrate their three-year anniversary of the first time that they watched Freaky Friday by accidentally swapping bodies.

Basic Human Anatomy marks the first episode written by Oscar Winner, Jim Rash (The Descendants), aka Dean Pelton. Rash is able to capture the spirit that seemed to be lacking in season four while still maintaining the new tone and direction. One of the things that I liked most about this is episode is the fact that it was able to make use of the group without feeling like anyone was particularly isolated, save for Pierce but that’s a different story. The joke density is solid and is probably one of the more quick-witted episodes this season. The fast pace banter around the study room is back and provides a lot of great laughs.

The episode works to the strength of the cast and we see the return of some nice pairings. The competitive nature between Shirley and Annie has always been delightful to watch on screen, and even more so now that they introduced the race to be valedictorian.  Troy and Jeff also get some nice screen time and we Jeff acting as a father like mentor to Troy.

One of my complaints this season has been the romantic spin that the writers have placed on this season, in particular with Troy and Britta. Although last season saw the two pair up, it never really developed into a full relationship and often felt out of place. Not only does this episode acknowledge this but it gives depth to a relationship that has been so flat all season. It’s amazing how many emotional chords this episode is able to hit despite its wacky body-switching theme.

I was apprehensive to say the least when I heard that this episode would be tackling a Freaky Friday homage. This season has proved that the new crew hasn’t quite figured out how to nail high concept episodes yet, and I was worried that it would fall flat. However, the Community charm shines bright in this episode and it’s able to insert a wacky idea like Troy and Abed switching bodies and still keep it grounded in reality. We see so much emotion from various characters in a scenario that is easy to roll your eyes at but the talent, and the writing are able to make it work. It was very reminiscent of Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas from season two. It’s episodes like Basic Human Anatomy that proves a fifth season would be worth it, especially if they give Jim Rash more episodes to write.

Basic Human Anatomy brings the familiar Community charm by inserting a wacky theme while still keeping it grounded in reality. The episode touches on the awkwardness of the romantic relationship between Troy and Britta and gives more depth to it in one episode than they have all season. There is a nice flow between the plots that makes great use of the study group and their fast paced banter. The joke density is high in this episode and we see a lot of strong story pairings between the group.  Overall the episode finds the perfect balance between emotional depth and crazy humor.

Interested in writing reviews or news posts for Thinking Cinematic? Contact me at ThinkCinematicReviews@gmail.com! You can also send your guest reviews there too!

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Community Review: Intro to Knots (4.10)

Summary:

Overall, Intro to Knots is a solid and humorous episode that drops plenty of subtle references and callbacks.  The inclusion of Malcolm McDowell as Professor Cornwallis is a very welcome appearance and his antagonistic spirit gave the episode plenty of bite. The dark tone brings the group to a new low and doesn’t do a good job of redeeming them. If you can look past that fact, you’ll be rewarded with a comically sharp, and cleverly written episode that show’s Community isn’t down and out just yet.

With the last two episodes of Community being less than favorable I was a bit worried heading into Intro to Knots (4.10). The quality this season has been an up and down roller coaster and ratings have been dipping pretty drastically. Being so close to the end with bad ratings made it look very grim for Community but hopefully last night’s Intro to Knots was a good indication of a strong three-episode home stretch.

The episode opens up with Annie arriving early at Jeff’s apartment in order to set up Christmas decorations. One by one the group members arrive and the holiday festivities begin. Once everyone is settled in Annie reveals to the group that she has found out that the group has received a failing grade on their history paper. Annie invites Professor Cornwallis to the party in an attempt to coerce the professor into raising their grade up.

Intro to Knots starts off a bit slow and awkward. The episode pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, and features long continuous shots in the earlier scenes. It comes off as strange and out of place for Community especially if you don’t catch the reference. Personally I wasn’t familiar with the reference material so this bit was lost on me until I was able to look through discussion boards online. The episode abandons this technique as the show continues so it’s not that big of a distraction.

There’s also a strange opening scene with Jeff and Annie. Conventions of Space and Time (4.03) revealed that Annie often likes to plays house with Jeff in her imagination. It was a rather creepy revelation and Intro to Knots brings that creepiness back into focus this episode. She arrives and immediately begins decorating the house as though she was living there. The exchange between Jeff and Annie is a tiny bit uncomfortable but fortunately it is dissolved once the other members begin to arrive.

Once the episode hurdles past those opening setback the episode quickly moves up as one of my favorite episodes this season. The inclusion of Malcolm McDowell as Professor Cornwallis tied this episode together really well. McDowell fits right in with the cast and brings an antagonistic energy that gave the episode bite. Once Cornwallis discovers that he is being sucked up to he slowly begins to try and dismember the group by verbally turning the members on each other one by one.  His manipulative dialogue and dry delivery kept me captivated from scene to scene.

The episode shares a very similar spirit to season two’s Cooperative Calligraphy, which is one of Community’s best. The group always seems to be at their best when they are attacking and calling each other out. The dialogue was humorous and sharp and produced a lot of laughs. It also introduced a very interesting plot about Annie and Shirley’s competitive academic performance at Greendale. There’s a dark vibe to Intro to Knots that makes it feel similar to an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. We see the group reach a very low point and it doesn’t do a very good job of redeeming them as good people. This is the make or break factor for the episode but personally I was able to look past it.

There are few aspects to Intro to Knots that feels a bit tacked on. I know NBC is to blame for a Christmas episode airing in April but I don’t understand why the writers felt the need to make a Christmas episode that wasn’t really in the holiday spirit aside from the decorations. Christmas episodes are gems from each season and it feels like this one was a waste, especially given that they tried to tie in a Die Hard homage that didn’t quite reach the mark. Abed is the only one that ever seems to make any mention of Die Hard throughout the episode and he continuously spouts off references to the movie. His passive observational comments while the group was in a dire situation are humorous and it did set up for some funny visual gags. However, I would have rather waited to see a Die Hard Christmas episode given the proper festive treatment it deserved instead of tacking it on here.

Overall, Intro to Knots is a solid and humorous episode that drops plenty of subtle references and callbacks.  The inclusion of Malcolm McDowell as Professor Cornwallis is a very welcome appearance and his antagonistic spirit gave the episode plenty of bite. The dark tone brings the group to a new low and doesn’t do a good job of redeeming them. If you can look past that fact, you’ll be rewarded with a comically sharp, and cleverly written episode that show’s Community isn’t down and out just yet.

Interested in writing reviews or news posts for Thinking Cinematic? Contact me at ThinkCinematicReviews@gmail.com! You can also send your guest reviews there too!

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Community Review: Intro into Felt Surrogacy (4.09)

Summary:

For such a high concept episode Intro into Felt Surrogacy feels so forgettable. The episode features a cute but hollow charm that manages to produce smiles and laughs. Dig deeper and there’s little to be found in this episode. The guest stars are so underused that they come off as nothing more than ratings boosting star power. The puppets lack necessity or explanation that made the other concept episodes believable. The musical numbers lack humor and are used as nothing more than progression from one scene to the next. Maybe the shine and denial is wearing off but these past two episodes of Community have been rather underwhelming and as a die-hard fan it makes it extremely disappointing. I’ve been on board for majority of the season and would still love to see the show go on. There’s hints at greatness here but a mixture of behind the scenes drama as well as built up pressure are hurting the show. Here’s to hoping that these last few episodes can pull Community from out of this late season slump especially when ratings are on the decline.

Community is no stranger to bizarre concept episodes, which for the most part have been some of the series’ strongest episodes to date. DnD, paintball, Claymation, musicals, and video game episodes are just a few of the concepts that the show has tackled. Last night’s Intro to Felt Surrogacy (4.09) marks the shows first foray into felt puppetry and despite a few laughs it doesn’t prove to be one of their stronger concepts.

The show opens up with the group as they nervously stare each other down. The tone is awkward and there is obviously something so unsettling among them that they refuse to talk to each other. Inter-dean-ing, the Dean decides to use puppets to help the coax the group out of their silence.

Overall the episode felt like a one off episode that didn’t further any of the season’s over arching plots. Majority of the show is a flashback of the events that took place outside the episode with the group being in puppet form. Occasionally the group breaks out into song to progress them from one scene to the next but it comes off cheesy. I know this seems to be parodying most puppet shows but it didn’t work so well here.

The episode did feature some pretty entertaining banter between the group as they were seated around the study table. The Dean’s humor lacked subtlety that made him entertaining to watch in previous seasons. Jim Rash’s delivery is still comedy gold but the way they’re writing the character seems to have all but openly expressed his feelings for Jeff. The episode featured some great one-line jokes from both Troy and Britta as well as some nice bickering banter between Britta and Jeff.  In all honesty the humor was there but the puppetry, music numbers, and some of the big names attached this episode felt like a distraction.

The puppet versions of the study group is cute and did manage to place a smile on my face throughout the episode but it never felt like it reached its full potential. When we got the Claymation episode we were viewing Abed’s point of view when he was in the middle of a mental break down. When we were introduced to the video game study group it was because they were digitally copied into the game. In this episode I don’t understand why the group is remembering themselves as puppet version of themselves during their trip. It feels unnecessary and with no other purpose than to just be puppets.

Musical numbers have always been a grab bag for me ranging from catchy to funny but these felt rather forgettable. With very little jokes in the lyrics the music only described the character’s action from one scene to the next. Although it’s never a bad day to see Yvette show off her music pipes the songs never get pasted feeling shoehorned in.

To say Intro into Felt Surrogacy underused Jason Alexander would be an understatement. Both Alexander and Sarah Bareilles felt just as necessary as the puppets with little more to do with the episode than just star power. Alexander had a few lines and one song and then was quickly written away with little explanation or retribution for drugging the gang. Bareilles is given one verse in a song and then used as a deus ex machina in the end. The time devoted to the songs, the guests, and the puppets could have been allocated to focusing on a tighter story.

The big reveal is that the study group is nervous around each other due to the fact that they all believe they revealed a dark secret about themselves that would negatively affect their image within the group. After Shirley reveals hers, the group suddenly remembers that nobody can remember each other’s secret except for the fact that Shirley just blurted hers out. To make up and allow each other to feel better they willingly and soberly divulge their secrets. All of which, aside from Shirley’s, seem to come out of left field and are so haphazardly thought up that most aren’t even that dark or are character ruining. The worst offense is the way Abed treats Shirley after her emotional breakdown. Despite being friends for almost four years he decides to call it a wrap and go watch a movie while she’s on the verge of tears. For lack of a better word it was a dick move and felt so out of character for Abed.

For such a high concept episode Intro into Felt Surrogacy feels so forgettable. The episode features a cute but hollow charm that manages to produce smiles and laughs. Dig deeper and there’s little to be found in this episode. The guest stars are so underused that they come off as nothing more than ratings boosting star power. The puppets lack necessity or explanation that made the other concept episodes believable. The musical numbers lack humor and are used as nothing more than progression from one scene to the next. Maybe the shine and denial is wearing off but these past two episodes of Community have been rather underwhelming and as a die-hard fan it makes it extremely disappointing. I’ve been on board for majority of the season and would still love to see the show go on. There’s hints at greatness here but a mixture of behind the scenes drama as well as built up pressure are hurting the show. Here’s to hoping that these last few episodes can pull Community from out of this late season slump especially when ratings are on the decline.

Interested in writing reviews or news posts for Thinking Cinematic? Contact me at ThinkCinematicReviews@gmail.com! You can also send your guest reviews there too!

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Community Review: Herstory of Dance (4.08)

Summary:

Overall Herstory of Dance feels like it fits right in the comfort zone of this season. Once again there’s an imbalance of comedy and tender moments. The episode does end on a heartwarming note but having one week to week begins to take away from the effect. The episode further delves into the study group’s romantic relationships, more so with Abed and new girl Rachel. Brie Larson brings a wonderful personality to Rachael that serves as a great on screen counterpart to Abed. The chemistry is great and it’s nice to see the writers create a romantic interest for Abed that’s not just a female version of him. With only a handful of episodes left Herstory of Dance seems like a weak foot to start on in this final stretch. 

Community returned last night from its one-week break with the airing of Herstory of Dance (4.08)! We’re down to the final stretch of episodes and there’s still a lot of ground to cover between now and then. Unfortunately last night’s episode didn’t feel like a step in the right direction.

The episode opens up with the group in the study room as Pierce is discussing his new love for the American version of Inspector Spacetime. The Dean interrupts the gang announcing that there will be a Sadie Hawkins Dance where the women will be the ones to invite the men. Offended by the sexist undertones Britta vows to throw her own gender equality dance to upstage the Dean. Meanwhile, Annie and Shirley decide to set Abed up with dates for the dance but Abed has plans of his own in mind.

This is the first episode of the season that really didn’t do anything for me. I was more forgiving in the earlier part of the season when the episode weren’t able to provide a steady stream of laughs but after eight episodes it’s concerning that episodes are still having a balancing issue. The episode does end on a heartwarming note but after so many of those tender moments week to week it begins to feel so formulaic. There are chuckles here and there but overall I didn’t find myself bursting out laughing. It’s still enjoyable given the wonderful talent and my interest in these characters after so many seasons.

I feel like the B plot with Annie and Shirley was a rehash of an earlier episode in season one when the gang tries to set up Abed with a mystery girl despite Abed’s reluctance. It seems redundant that the gang would try and do this again especially when Abed clearly stated he has no problem hooking up with girls, he just prefers when they approach him instead.

Strangely enough this plot line was the strongest aspect of the episode and I actually liked the pairing of Abed and Rachael, played by Brie Larson. The chemistry between the two worked really well and it was cool to see them create a character that shared enough interests without just making a girl version of Abed. I wouldn’t mind seeing Brie Larson becoming a regular for a while to flesh out this relationship a bit further, especially since after this season the group will be minus one due to the departure of Chevy Chase. More on that later.

One of my biggest worries after watching the first few episodes of season four was that Community would return to romantic driven relationships that dominated season one and it seems as though my prediction may have come true. Although the relationship between Troy and Britta may be on the back burner it seems as though the writers are trying to heat things back up again with Jeff and Britta. These two have way more chemistry than Troy and Britta but it’s a bit uneasy to watch the two flirt with each other without a mention of Troy. I like the idea that this group is a family and undercutting each other like this ruins that dynamic. They did it once in season two and it was quickly resolved. The relationships within the study group are messy and personally don’t do much for me but if this is the route the writers are going I hope that they can clear some confusion relatively soon.

A few positives this episode. Pierce returns to his wise old man status that has been dearly missed since season one. Going out of his way to help Britta with advice and support is a great change of pace for him and watching him put Jeff in his place was refreshing. It’s such a bummer to watch these last few episodes with Pierce knowing he’ll be gone after this season but I’m glad they’re giving us a great Pierce to remember before he leaves.

Pairing Shirley and Annie is always a fun experience though it does seem that the two didn’t reach their full potential this episode. Watching Britta’s struggle through the dance preparations was an easy way to connect with her this episode and the eventual payoff was rewarding. It was also nice to finally see her taking action against using her name as a verb to indicate something bad happening. It always felt like that slipped in uncontested from Britta. The episode also felt like it didn’t know what to do with Troy but the small gags he was in were chuckle worthy.

Overall Herstory of Dance feels like it fits right in the comfort zone of this season. Once again there’s an imbalance of comedy and tender moments. The episode does end on a heartwarming note but having one week to week begins to take away from the effect. The episode further delves into the study group’s romantic relationships, more so with Abed and new girl Rachel. Brie Larson brings a wonderful personality to Rachael that serves as a great on screen counterpart to Abed. The chemistry is great and it’s nice to see the writers create a romantic interest for Abed that’s not just a female version of him. With only a handful of episodes left Herstory of Dance seems like a weak foot to start on in this final stretch.

Interested in writing reviews or news posts for Thinking Cinematic? Contact me at ThinkCinematicReviews@gmail.com! You can also send your guest reviews there too!

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Community Review: Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations (4.05)

Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations is easily the strongest episode of season four. After a grab bag of mixed tones and chaotic storytelling Community delivers on a wonderful episode that finds the perfect balance between emotional and humorous storytelling. Jeff’s reunion with his father delivers on some incredible emotional closure as well as a near tear jerking performance for Joel McHale. The episode finally figured out what to do with Pierce and he didn’t seem obviously isolated. The biggest setback is the inclusion of Adam DeVine as Jeff’s half brother. The character is awkward and over the top and doesn’t add much to an episode that reveals so much growth.

The arrival of Jeff’s dad William Winger has been a moment that has been teased for quite some time. Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations (4.05) finally brings Jeff and his dad together at long last. Community welcomed James Brolin last night in an episode that hit a lot of strong notes.

The show opens up with the gang in the study room as they’re discussing their plans for Thanksgiving. Shirley invites the group over to her place for Thanksgiving Dinner, while Jeff casually denies due to prior plans. Eventually it’s discovered that the reason for Jeff’s denial is that he is finally meeting with his father. Britta asserts herself into Jeff’s plans, not wanting to miss a chance to experience the long awaited reunion, leaving the rest of the group to spend Thanksgiving with Shirley.

Cooperative Escapism in Familiar Relations is the strongest episode of season four that found the perfect amount of balance between humorous and emotional storytelling. Shirley’s Thanksgiving carried a lot of the comedic weight this episode and featured a lot of great performances. Donald Glover has been nailing it this season and continued to do so last night, but he was not alone. Danny Pudi, in an attempt to pay homage to Shawshank Redemption, narrated the episode as Abed and helped set up a lot of the great jokes. The best part of all is the fact that this was the first episode this season that decided to include Pierce, and more than just being there. It was nice to finally see Pierce feel like he was part of the group again. There wasn’t an obvious attempt to isolate him from the rest of the group and there were dedicated jokes given to him. The exchanges between Pierce and Abed were fantastic and I liked the growing frustration on Abed’s face.

Jeff’s storyline delivers so much emotional resolution on a plot line that has been teased for so many years. Joel McHale delivers a near tear jerking speech that revealed so much growth for his character. A lot of the great emotional moments that this plot produced did seem somewhat sacrificed for the sake of a joke but after all this is a comedy and understandable. Through the great writing and fantastic acting the reunion with Jeff’s dad was incredibly satisfying, except for a couple of set backs.

The biggest problem that plagued this episode was the inclusion of Jeff’s half brother, Willy Jr. played by Adam DeVine. Willy Jr. is extremely over the top and at times felt extremely unnecessary, especially when it was paired with such a monumental moment. Personally I’ve never really found Adam DeVine’s comedic style all too funny and his appearance in Community didn’t change my mind. The character type isn’t new to Community seeing as how Troy often plays the over reacting man boy that Willy Jr. tried to emulate but it was in DeVine’s delivery as well as the story pairing that made it feel awkward. It also doesn’t help that Willy Jr. really doesn’t add much to the story. I wouldn’t want to see the character completely written out of the show, but I would have rather seen him introduced in an episode that wasn’t as meaningful as this one.

This last complaint is something that is hard to discuss. Ever since season three Britta has become somewhat of a wild card, moving from the smart and witty foil for Jeff and becoming uncharacteristically dumb and the butt of all jokes. It wasn’t constant but it was enough to notice it. Season four seems to have been working on dialing it back but it still comes through every now and then. Last night’s episode was the perfect example of this. It was great to see her go toe to toe with Jeff again matching wit for wit and showing that’s shes not just a dumb character. I would have liked to have see them dial back on the claiming she’s a therapist bit but it’s easy to forgive especially when it produced a fantastic moment as Gillian Jacobs runs out of the room holding a dinner roll. I don’t think we’ll ever see a complete retracing of Britta but I’m hoping that the writers can find a stronger balance for it as the season progresses.

Overall the episode feels like things are finally hitting its stride. Much like the rest of season four things end on a really heart warming note and things are tied together really well. A very pivotal episode for Jeff and I’m excited to see the way things go from here. For next week’s episode I’m hoping that the Changnesia plot line will finally start to develop and we’ll see more from Chang/Kevin. Last week’s episode left us on a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see more of the study group’s reaction to their arch enemies confusing return.

Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations is easily the strongest episode of season four. After a grab bag of mixed tones and chaotic storytelling Community delivers on a wonderful episode that finds the perfect balance between emotional and humorous storytelling. Jeff’s reunion with his father delivers on some incredible emotional closure as well as a near tear jerking performance for Joel McHale. The episode finally figured out what to do with Pierce and he didn’t seem obviously isolated. The biggest setback is the inclusion of Adam DeVine as Jeff’s half brother. The character is awkward and over the top and doesn’t add much to an episode that reveals so much growth.

Community airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC! Check out last night’s episode here on Hulu!

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