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!

Connect with me at:
Twitter: @Treyrs20o9

Twitter: @Think_Cinematic
Email: ThinkCinematicReviews@Gmail.com

 

 

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!

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

Connect with me at:
Twitter: @Treyrs20o9
Twitter: @Think_Cinematic
Email: ThinkCinematicReviews@Gmail.com