NBC's Community Thread - 6/2 - Ep. 13: "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television"

[toru okada]

I got super low expectations. This is just bonus footage at this point. Series ended already

+1 smh

 

[macbk]

 

[Jordan8]

We back!

what episode is this from?

 

[Master Zik]

I got mad hype when I saw Fred Armisen thinking they were actually doing my idea I suggested about Chevy/Pierce being different famous old actors every ep :

I await the humours way they'll depict Chevy's departure ; funny death scene a la star burns, allude to him but act as if he never existed, or next season (if there is one ) go ep to ep with a guest star as Pierce (Ted Dansen, Christopher Walken, etc.)

Nice start to the show regardless.

@ this wish scene.

 

[mronegative]

Annie's boobs look mighty healthy.

Am I the only one who took a minute to realize everything wasn't Abed's imagination and that this is just what the show is like now?

 

[trilluminated]

Annie's boobs look mighty healthy.

Am I the only one who took a minute to realize everything wasn't Abed's imagination and that this is just what the show is like now?

i almost threw the remote at the tv when i heard the laugh track...

but yeah, annie's breasts look so full and supple.

 

[big j 33]

Greendale BabiesAwesome

 

[mronegative]

So tell us why our issues with it are unreasonable, Big J.

 

[club]

not bad actually.

 

[big j 33]

What? 

I don't know what issues you have with it, so I couldn't say even if I wanted to. I thought prior to the premiere, expectations that the show would be an abomination or ruin the prior 3 seasons were exaggerated. I don't know if anyone on here felt that way, but I didn't think it was going to be season 20 of The Simpsons by any means. I never denied Harmon's role or importance to the show. Few creators were as ingrained to the pulse of a show as Harmon was. 

The episode was off. Harmon's Community wasn't batting 1.000, so an average episode wasn't uncommon. This felt like an average episode done by a new creative team. The fantasy sequence with the laugh track was too on the nose, but I see what they were trying to do. The relationships are going to be upfront and less subtle. Britta and Troy are together, Annie is making it known her interest in Jeff... and that's fine by me. Different, but fine. The Dean and Jeff "romance" was too much. They were able to push it with them singing Kiss From A Rose because it was hilarious, but I didn't feel the same about this episode. Here's a good example where I might not have thought about it if it happened under Harmon's reign. But now it feels forced. 

The Greendale Babies bit was great, though. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I've read the premiere isn't as bad as the rest of the season. I'll give them a couple of episodes to get comfortable and I'll enjoy it for what it is. 

 

[macbk]

i almost threw the remote at the tv when i heard the laugh track...

Same here man, same here .

I enjoyed the episode. Just thought the Dean/Jeff dance was way too much.

 

[mronegative]

What?

Iono. I just thought...who's the one that's gonna defend this to the death?

That was weird, like they couldn't find the Community normal.

Felt more like an ehhh episode of Happy Endings.

My problem is, the weakest Community is when they swing and miss on big concepts and when they try too hard to be a normal sitcom where all that will they/won't they romcom stuff is the center of everything. This was both of those all at once. I like my Community smart. This just wanted to be touchy feely and hoped that'd get past the fact that there was no big punchline or plot twist or real moment that hit you.

I'm not down on it, because the people behind it are different...I'm down on it, cuz it just felt like the old two weakest kinda Community episodes put together. And it just wasn't smart. Harmon's Community references things to break down why they work or what that means about us, this just referenced things the way Family Guy does.

It was weird, but it was nice to see those actors again.
And Greendale babies + Annie's boobs.

 

[Master Zik]

There was no way a new creative team would be able to maintain or match the best eps that Harmon led. At best I'm looking to see how they'll be able to recreate the show and at least maintain it being funny.

This may just have been an average ep for a new creative team but there was definitely a message in it. Things change. That's why I figure the Abed part of this ep was so blatant.

 

[ballinboykz]

Im a huge Community supporter, but this one I cant go fight the battle for. Some clever moments (great finish to the episode with the Dean and Jeff living beside each other), but I hope this isnt a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.

#BringBackHarmon. Lets get it trending folks...

However, Im not totally jumping ship. In fact, never will. Its just... different.

 

[trilluminated]

i felt the same way that i did when i was watching the lost episodes of the chappelle's show...

i'll keep tuning in though.

 

[mronegative]

i felt the same way that i did when i was watching the lost episodes of the chappelle's show...

That's a really good comparison.

i'll keep tuning in though.

Not watchin ain't even an option at this point.

 

[arturzeee]

Dang i was getting a haircut during the episode. I need to watch it tomorrow.

 

[a blinkin]

Can't believed I missed it.

 

[thedeek]

That laugh track had me so heated for a minute

The lighting and camera angles felt really different this episode.

 

[hymen man]

Was it good then?

 

[alexander2182]

Guess Im the only one satisfied . None of the first episodes were ever that great, I remember ya'll being antsy last season cuz the first episode wasn't great and imo the pilot was good but only goood enough to catch your interest. The episode was a good season starter, I just think these new writers aint real gon dig deep with the jokes ("abed helpin a woman give birth" type stuff). Im really looking forward to seein what they do with Pierce.

#Changnesia

 

[big j 33]

Harmon mentioned what his season 4 would have been like...

Overall, Season 4 probably would have been a pilot for Season 5. It would have been a final declaration of independence from Greendale as a campus being part of the show. I'd been strategically getting them more and more off-campus: having characters move in together, exploring their home lives. So, Season 4 would have been the final tech rehearsal for a version of the show that didn't necessarily need to be on that campus at all. Maybe Shirley would still be there and taking a class with Pierce or something, but Jeff Winger maybe would be a licensed lawyer working for Abed's company. Maybe Abed creates a social networking site or something [or] they end up forming a company together or something like that. It was gonna be very experimental and very organic because you need the bridge in the Enterprise. You don't wanna mess with that stuff. I was gonna be very, very careful about it, very casual.

If the new showrunners said before the premiere that they'd have Abed and Jeff start up a social networking site and Jeff/Annie living together with Britta taking Annie's place in Abed/Troy's apartment, or other people moving in together, I think the reaction would have been unpleasant. I know... I know.. Harmon mentioning what he might have done isn't a true reflection of what would have happened, but I think it's unfair to the season if people are already defensive and expecting the worse. 

Of course, there's a reasonable expectation that it might be worse... or at least very different. And that's understandable. I think my only frustration with the fans reactions this season will be the assumption that anything bad wouldn't have happened under Harmon. Because not everything was perfect, but at least you knew if the episode was going to crash and burn, it would be with Dan Harmon at the helm drinking and crying. But some were complaining last season that the show just didn't feel the same and maybe it peaked. Most shows are only going to squeeze out three full seasons of prime TV, seasons 4 and beyond are where the cracks will start to show... so this season could have been disappointing anyway.

But like I said. I think we all would prefer to be disappointed and end the show with Harmon, but that didn't happen.

I like the Seinfeld post-Larry David comparison better 

 That's not quite the same because David was a partner with Seinfeld, and Harmon was a singular voice... but I think the season will be similar. It won't have the depth and cleverness of the past, but it'll be better than most sitcoms and still feature the characters we love and give us moments we appreciate. 

 

[spidermachine916]

OMG!!!! it's OCT 19!!!!!!!

 

[mronegative]

^and there it is, Big J.

I think the difference is...when a Community episode didn't work before, that's cuz they'd only hit on like half or 3/4 of their ideas' potential. But the potential was always there. You always saw the seeds of sitcom deconstruction and pop genius behind every episode. It was always clear where the spark that drove them to make the episode came from and you just hoped they didn't run out of steam early or drift into something less than what you hoped for.

But that's the thing. EVERY episode had a shot at being amazing, we just had really high standards. And even in their noble disappointments, you'd have dudes running in and defending it. And a lot of the time you'd think...alright you had a point...I just wanted that to be my favorite thing this week (it coulda been), but it wasn't. You'd have the jokes you could cherrypick out and say 'alright this was perfect, I wish there was more of it.'

But this...5 minutes in you're like damn...they can't even get the normal Community tone down? You're telling me Harmon was working the cameras, the blocking AND the post-prod color timing? The jokes feel forced; the message feels way too blunt and muddy; the episode doesn't really know what it wants to be; the references just feel random; the high concept just lays there with no nuance to it; the actors can't even talk to each other like normal...It feels like after the cops showed up at the party and some people say alright, let's go to ____'s house and keep the party going there, but nothing's the same. Most of the people are there, but the whole vibe is ****** up.

What made Community my favorite show was that every single week you were ready for Community to put out your favorite TV thing that week, and half of the time, for me, it did.

This felt like the very first episode of a new show that didn't know what it was and was trying to do too much too fast.
It's not just, oh the dialogue used to be different. I don't get how, but every detail of the show is out of wack.

Did Dan leave with half the crew and I didn't hear about it?
Or was he so obsessed and manic that he controlled every detail of the production?

 

[big j 33]

I did really love Annie's Dean impression.