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There's only two eps left to broadcast in 2011 before the show gets benched 'til sometime next year.

3x09 -"Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism"

3x10 - "Regional Holiday Music"

after that...????

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 00:53 (twelve years ago) link

They'll probably double the rest up on some night and burn them off May-July. :(

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 01:01 (twelve years ago) link

http://i.imgur.com/CZpaA.jpg

Jim Rash was born in July 1970, making this his probable actual senior yearbook photo.

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 01:03 (twelve years ago) link

tho you never know with this show

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 01:04 (twelve years ago) link

we already have three Childish Gambino threads

dealwithit.gif, Friday, 2 December 2011 01:14 (twelve years ago) link

Hey they actually made Shirley interesting and funny!

n/a, Friday, 2 December 2011 01:28 (twelve years ago) link

She was always interesting and funny; just moreso now. The anime bit killed; like some of the best shit this show has done, it came out of nowhere and initially seemed like it was done just for the sake of doing it, but turned into an unexpectedly poignant moment.

Tarfumes the Escape Goat, Friday, 2 December 2011 02:53 (twelve years ago) link

^^^This. She's so much better not being a religous strawperson.

Sandbox Grisso-McCain, Friday, 2 December 2011 02:55 (twelve years ago) link

I lost my shit at the anime thing. Did anyone manage to catch all the text at the end of Leonard's YouTube video? I assumed our DVR was catching it and I could go back later, but it somehow got clipped in the gap between this show and P&R. Oh well, I'm sure there'll be a screencap up by tomorrow.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Friday, 2 December 2011 04:38 (twelve years ago) link

yeah i paused the streaming site and read it, had a pretty funny thing about paying late fees and wanting to bang juliette binoche but otherwise was kinda just lol leonard uses young ppl slang. i kinda assumed it was a spoof/joke abt chuck lore's vanity cards at the end of his sitcoms?

є(٥_ ٥)э, Friday, 2 December 2011 04:41 (twelve years ago) link

Thats what I immediately thought of.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Friday, 2 December 2011 04:42 (twelve years ago) link

i was a p o_O that they went to the dragonball z well of all places tho i think that made it hard for me to really have an opinion on this episode

є(٥_ ٥)э, Friday, 2 December 2011 04:42 (twelve years ago) link

jeff's whole monologue about the game of foosball finally being "complete" killed me

reddening, Friday, 2 December 2011 05:50 (twelve years ago) link

Nick Kroll doing ridiculous accent = above average ep.

Simon H., Friday, 2 December 2011 06:02 (twelve years ago) link

that soccer ball gag...

Tumblr Whites Off Earth Now!! (Sandbox Grisso-McCain), Friday, 2 December 2011 06:10 (twelve years ago) link

I enjoyed this. Much like with the S1 ep where the two of them rip on Vaughn, I think the Jeff/Shirley combo is strongest when they both are allowed to direct their darker sides towards some idiot.

Then again, this is the only view of the two of them we have. Ah well.

Also, with the anime thing; I realized earlier this year with the My Dinner with Andre ep that I was prepared to follow Dan Harmon & Crew off on whatever road they decided to journey down, and that I had enough faith in them that they'd warrant it. The show switching to anime to deliberately highlight the dispute between two characters is another thing that makes me feel like they're deliberately swinging for the fences; trying to progress what an ensemble sitcom can do.

The Leonard gags were just awesome; another thing I like about the show is that each cast member has an involved offscreen history with Leonard(i.e. Jeff's talked to his son, eaten his mac & cheese, etc). Also that someone normally as deliberately nice/sweet as Shirley immediately switches to disdain whenever he wanders by.

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 06:39 (twelve years ago) link

Also, I wonder if the pizza gags were a deliberate reference to Yvette Brown being in those DiGiorno adverts

Come to think of it, Fat Neil has popped up in at least one pizza chain commercial, too

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 06:44 (twelve years ago) link

Yes, and if you do a YT search of "leonard likes pizza", guess what you get

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 07:03 (twelve years ago) link

i didnt care for this episode. it was too 'wacky'.

big popppa hoy, Friday, 2 December 2011 08:01 (twelve years ago) link

I wish there were a word for the pleasure I am feeling at your misfortune.

Ned Trifle, Friday, 2 December 2011 08:40 (twelve years ago) link

^^^^ I totally lost my shit at that joke

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 14:43 (twelve years ago) link

maybe it's a psychological defense mechanism but i thought this was a pretty avg episode and i feel ok about community going away. the jeff/shirley plotline was good but the annie/troy/abed thing didn't go anywhere. plus they acknowledged at the beginning that it's a hackneyed sitcom plotline and then went ahead and did it anyways.

n/a, Friday, 2 December 2011 16:10 (twelve years ago) link

well no, the hackneyed sitcom plot was attempting to replace the DVD, not inventing a burglary and pinning its destruction on their shoe-stealing landlord

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 16:15 (twelve years ago) link

xp - I don't know if I just love slapstick but Abed as Batman had me (literally) spluttering with mirth. The bit with the grappling iron was just hysterical.

Ned Trifle, Friday, 2 December 2011 16:24 (twelve years ago) link

xp to OH NOES - So true. I am laughing just reading the words back again.

Ned Trifle, Friday, 2 December 2011 16:25 (twelve years ago) link

Abed's Bale as Batman voice made all those scenes worthwhile.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Friday, 2 December 2011 16:27 (twelve years ago) link

Annie as Bale had me dying.

Tumblr Whites Off Earth Now!! (Sandbox Grisso-McCain), Friday, 2 December 2011 18:22 (twelve years ago) link

Troy being the voice of reason was also great.

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 18:27 (twelve years ago) link

http://twitter.com/#!/Leonard_GCC

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 21:47 (twelve years ago) link

I wish there were a word for the pleasure I am feeling at your misfortune.

― Ned Trifle, Friday, December 2, 2011 8:40 AM (13 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

^^^^ I totally lost my shit at that joke

― OH NOES, Friday, December 2, 2011 2:43 PM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

thirded. to me that was the apex of the episode (that and the soccer ball bit)

if you ain't gonna wash it, i ain't gonna eat it, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:09 (twelve years ago) link

the look on Jeff's face when Shirley revealed her foosball tyrant past was also amazing; they've been pushing McHale pretty far outside of his sarcastically inspirational box this season

OH NOES, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:12 (twelve years ago) link

oh yeah, even the week before when he weeped after getting fired from the Dean role in the commercial.

I kind of want this show to end this season -- it'll end at the top of its game, and we won't have to suffer lamenting "how bad the show got in later years" like with every other show I've ever liked :/.

if you ain't gonna wash it, i ain't gonna eat it, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:14 (twelve years ago) link

"Sam, Ziggy says there's an 80% chance you can't leave Woodstock until you bone these hippies!"

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:15 (twelve years ago) link

http://i.imgur.com/e15Qa.jpg

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:16 (twelve years ago) link

xp I heard that, but didn't make the Quantum Leap connection until just now. LOL

Johnny Fever, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:16 (twelve years ago) link

Annie as Bale had me dying.

Yeah me too, 'this scene was a challenge for all involved' or w/ev had me falling about. Also the schadenfreud joke and the foosball man gag!

kinder, Saturday, 3 December 2011 01:12 (twelve years ago) link

"Sam, Ziggy says there's an 80% chance you can't leave Woodstock until you bone these hippies!"

― kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 2 December 2011 22:15 (Yesterday) Bookmark Permalink

who said this?

big popppa hoy, Saturday, 3 December 2011 04:35 (twelve years ago) link

it was from the tv that the landlord was watching

Mordy, Saturday, 3 December 2011 04:36 (twelve years ago) link

http://danharmon.tumblr.com/post/13675680180/crucial-update-on-my-bodily-functions

Dan posts about his stomach flu, goes on from there.

...Here’s a slightly less scientific but immediately present factor that makes me see very clearly that Community’s story is not over: you guys are fucking nuts, in the best way possible. And you are beautiful and kind and honest. And there is a magic emanating from you. You are in lockstep with a universal rhythm, here. You put our show on the cover of TV Guide BEFORE any of this was going down. It looks from a distance like we got yanked and THEN there was this pity party of clicking on that poll to make some point, but that is not what happened, I was there the whole time watching. First, you won us that cover. And TV Guide swore us to secrecy. Then, NBC rescheduled us. Then TV Guide came to the set and took the photos of the cast and swore them to secrecy. We were half wondering if the network would pull strings to kill the cover because, well, you know, awkward much? My point is that when I look at the timeline, I don’t see a boring cause-effect chain. I see a weird, ironic, poetic blossom of mythology. I see story points. I see the folds in the universal cootie catcher, I see an absurdly happy ending...

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Sunday, 4 December 2011 17:25 (twelve years ago) link

This episode was a good example of why Shirley is awesome and the haters are wrong. Glad they resurrected the dynamic of Jeff and Shirley as bitching partners from S1. I would happily watch more of the Germans as well, they need to pop up in an end scene sometime.

Matt DC, Monday, 5 December 2011 12:55 (twelve years ago) link

She's so much better not being a religous strawperson.

Quite like that the thing with Shirley is that she so wants to be a good person but she's actually meanspirited as hell, and that the group likes the honestly meanspirited Shirley much more than the dishonest Christian mother type.

Matt DC, Monday, 5 December 2011 12:57 (twelve years ago) link

Matt OTM

OH NOES, Monday, 5 December 2011 14:33 (twelve years ago) link

i love the pictures of her on the walls in the bar episode

i already regret not just being 'some dude' again (Mr. Stevenson #2), Monday, 5 December 2011 14:37 (twelve years ago) link

haha yes, and when she threatened the bouncer into not revealing that she was a former regular

tbh, the thing that makes the hyper-judgy Christian persona work for me is the undercurrent of darkness that fuels it, generating sweetly smiled cruelty like her Halloween story

OH NOES, Monday, 5 December 2011 14:42 (twelve years ago) link

Also I watched an old episode of Curb the other week and the actress that plays Shirley turns up as an air hostess and I was genuinely weirded out to hear her speaking normally and not doing either her Miss Piggy or Samuel L Jackson voice.

Matt DC, Monday, 5 December 2011 16:24 (twelve years ago) link

She also does a voice on the utterly ABOMINABLE Pound Puppies cartoon, which I hate but my daughter loves.

http://j.static-locatetv.com/images/content/4/266418_pound_puppies.jpg

Nicole, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:23 (twelve years ago) link

wtf, those aren't Pound Puppies, those are just regular cartoon dogs

OH NOES, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:24 (twelve years ago) link

children's television is a wasteland of unrecognizable '80s remakes as much as the summer movie season at this point

Mr. Stevensome #dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Monday, 5 December 2011 19:27 (twelve years ago) link

#puppiez

є(٥_ ٥)э, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:28 (twelve years ago) link

You have NO IDEA how bad it is, it makes the 80s pound puppies cartoon look like Miyazaki.

Nicole, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:28 (twelve years ago) link

lol my only exposure to kid's TV these days is stuff like Adventure Time, Regular Show and The Amazing World of Gumball, so you're right re: me not having any idea

also I've been lolling at "#puppiez" a little too hard, maybe I should get lunch

OH NOES, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:30 (twelve years ago) link

This is why I go on about how great the new My Little Pony cartoon is, because the rest of them are so terrible that's it amazes me that anything legitimately funny and/or good can get made.

Nicole, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:33 (twelve years ago) link

Ponybro?

Mordy, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:42 (twelve years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTQz0rLXic0

OH MY GOD

sorry everyone for taking the Community thread down the bronyhole

wow that sounds disgusting

OH NOES, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:46 (twelve years ago) link

http://www.welovefine.com/img/p/903-2226-large.jpg

Nicole, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:51 (twelve years ago) link

BRONY BRONY BRONY

OH NOES, Monday, 5 December 2011 19:52 (twelve years ago) link

I profusely apologize to my Community friends for involving this thread in a discussion of pound puppies and Ponies.

Nicole, Monday, 5 December 2011 20:02 (twelve years ago) link

Not sure what this means, but I'm hoping it doesn't mean NBC has shitcanned this week's ep too:

danharmon Dan Harmon
If you'd like to view half of this week's episode, NBC has dumped it online in pieces as if it was so much garbage. Merry Christmas.
3 minutes ago

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 04:53 (twelve years ago) link

iirc he's not a big fan of web teasers and having lots of ads spoiling too much about episodes before they air

sandbox banned socks (Mr. Stevenson #2), Wednesday, 7 December 2011 04:56 (twelve years ago) link

hes referring to the episode previews/commercials

blah blah blah (є(٥_ ٥)э), Wednesday, 7 December 2011 04:56 (twelve years ago) link

Alright, I just noticed maura's :( reply among a couple others and wondered if there was more to the story.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 04:58 (twelve years ago) link

there's a big grassroots campaign to just talk about community on twitter until whiney explodes

sandbox banned socks (Mr. Stevenson #2), Wednesday, 7 December 2011 05:00 (twelve years ago) link

haha

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 05:00 (twelve years ago) link

I might start using twitter again for that purpose.

Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 05:01 (twelve years ago) link

would assist

mookieproof, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 05:02 (twelve years ago) link

We should all pick an hour to just bombard @1000TimesYes with Community updates.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 05:03 (twelve years ago) link

Maybe live tweet this Christmas episode for him, all of us.

I left my login in El Sandboxo, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 05:03 (twelve years ago) link

MasonMaguire Mason Maguire
@danharmon Are you sure disparaging the network that's *this* close to pulling your show is a good idea?
3 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply
in reply to ↑

@danharmon
Dan Harmon
@MasonMaguire yeah, I'll try apologizing for them and kissing their ass in every interview for another 2 years. IT'S THIS CLOSE TO WORKING.

Ned Trifle, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 08:24 (twelve years ago) link

:(

Matt DC, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 09:42 (twelve years ago) link

Troy & Abed's rap from tomorrow night's episode.

Tarfumes the Escape Goat, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 18:20 (twelve years ago) link

:(

sir thermo of thinwall, Wednesday, 7 December 2011 18:35 (twelve years ago) link

das Butt

Pollbix, Thursday, 8 December 2011 04:38 (twelve years ago) link

That guy is like human FroYo.

Tarfumes the Escape Goat, Friday, 9 December 2011 01:07 (twelve years ago) link

Genius episode tonight.

Johnny Fever, Friday, 9 December 2011 01:19 (twelve years ago) link

can't wait for the Annie gifs.

Tumblr Whites Off Earth Now!! (Sandbox Grisso-McCain), Friday, 9 December 2011 01:22 (twelve years ago) link

"Me so Christmas, me so Christmas."

Last two eps have been A+.

nickn, Friday, 9 December 2011 04:29 (twelve years ago) link

can't wait for the Annie gifs.

And I wouldn't kick Britta in the tree suit outta the forest for droppin' needles, either.

nickn, Friday, 9 December 2011 04:31 (twelve years ago) link

trudat

Tumblr Whites Off Earth Now!! (Sandbox Grisso-McCain), Friday, 9 December 2011 04:39 (twelve years ago) link

Yay Britta's treesuit.

Dean Pelton: "OHHHHH, BRITTA'S in this?!"

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 9 December 2011 05:21 (twelve years ago) link

http://cliqueclack.com/tv/2011/12/08/community-christmas-song-lyrics/

We asked our public school to give the answer
But they could only teach us not to pray
The Constitution says the state can’t tell us
Does anyone important born today

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 9 December 2011 05:38 (twelve years ago) link

Also, I loved the combo doctor who/star wars holiday special combo gags

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 9 December 2011 05:39 (twelve years ago) link

Man that was so good!

kinder, Friday, 9 December 2011 06:19 (twelve years ago) link

this was amazing. i am going to miss this show.

big popppa hoy, Friday, 9 December 2011 08:58 (twelve years ago) link

holy shit, what an episode.

reddening, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:34 (twelve years ago) link

like i knew it would be a glee parody but it was pretty much a horror movie too!

reddening, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:35 (twelve years ago) link

How's your piano still playing this song?

Tarfumes the Escape Goat, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:38 (twelve years ago) link

Troy & Abed's Coca Cola Santa song - so incredible. My mouth hung open in delight for the whole segment. :O

her life was changed by (rockandroll), Friday, 9 December 2011 14:01 (twelve years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5cdzc3YdFI

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 9 December 2011 15:16 (twelve years ago) link

great episode, started off good and gradually got better - i found abed & troy's songs kind of annoying/embarrassing (except for abed's song with taran killam) but annie, shirley, and britta's songs were amazing.

n/a, Friday, 9 December 2011 15:25 (twelve years ago) link

Taran Killam was amazing as a creepy Will Schuester clone.

Nicole, Friday, 9 December 2011 16:44 (twelve years ago) link

holy shit alison brie

Mordy, Friday, 9 December 2011 17:01 (twelve years ago) link

Oh god alison brie

Mr Jimmy Mod, Friday, 9 December 2011 21:14 (twelve years ago) link

BABY BOOMER SANTA THANK YOU FOR MTV

"Boopie doopie boopie doop SEX" is AWESOME YET A LITTLE DISTURBING.

Action Jackson (King Boy Pato), Friday, 9 December 2011 21:19 (twelve years ago) link

I thought the whole thing was supposed to be a little disturbing? i.e. taking the piss out of the subsection of Community's audience/dudes who are into infantilizing Allison Brie? Taking the whole Annie as innocent hot young just-out-of-high-school thing to it's creepiest logical extension?

lexferenda, Friday, 9 December 2011 21:24 (twelve years ago) link

well yeah i don't think that was lost on anyone, especially since winger practically came out and said it

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Friday, 9 December 2011 21:25 (twelve years ago) link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=tUsKNZH-vF4

Mordy, Friday, 9 December 2011 21:27 (twelve years ago) link

^^^ the first of 4 or 5 times i totally lost my shit

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Friday, 9 December 2011 21:30 (twelve years ago) link

i.e. taking the piss out of the subsection of Community's audience/dudes who are into infantilizing Allison Brie?

Yes. Also, another dig at Glee.

Action Jackson (King Boy Pato), Friday, 9 December 2011 21:32 (twelve years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5cdzc3YdFI

gukbe, Friday, 9 December 2011 22:12 (twelve years ago) link

where is this treesuit i have been hearing so much about.

j., Friday, 9 December 2011 22:35 (twelve years ago) link

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvxn75LTuR1qcm2gno1_500.png

Nicole, Friday, 9 December 2011 23:12 (twelve years ago) link

the Body Snatchers joke w/ Jeff was :) :) :) :) :)

if you ain't gonna wash it, i ain't gonna eat it, Friday, 9 December 2011 23:36 (twelve years ago) link

Something happening between Annie and Abed right at the end there?

Really enjoyed that ep, by the way, although I wonder if I would have got more out of it if I watched Glee.

EveningStar, Saturday, 10 December 2011 21:42 (twelve years ago) link

Liked Troy's Bob Dylan impression although The "Baby Boomer Santa" song wasn't my favourite.

EveningStar, Saturday, 10 December 2011 22:09 (twelve years ago) link

Had to read another message board to find this out b/c I didn't realize that the paw at the end belonged to Annie's Boobs.

I thought it was just another cat joke.

Dean dean-da dean
Dean dean-da dean

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Saturday, 10 December 2011 22:34 (twelve years ago) link

The rap video joins the anime foosball scene and the 2001 homage as proof the show basically just becomes Family Guy when it detaches from reality entirely. The Christmas Claymation worked for me because it was all from Abed's perspective, but when lasers and dancers come out for Troy and Abed's rap, no one other than the viewer is actually seeing this shit. I don't hate Family Guy (at least the first run of episodes) like some people do, so it's not the worst thing in the world, but it just feels more hollow when the genre parody is just overlapped on top of their reality instead of emanating from it. I think the foosball thing would have been so much more effective if they just recreated the edits and intensity of the genre using the actual actors, rather than actually cutting to animation.

Taram Killam was amazing, and there was a lot to love in this episode, but it sort of feels like the show peaked with Season 2, to the point that IF the show stops after this season, I won't be furious. It's still a smart, funny show with lovable characters, and they've gotten over that "Detective Chang" low, but it feels like they're done expanding the parameters and just working the established mold. There are enough smart, funny shows with lovable characters on these days that I won't necessarily feel deprived.

pothole pleasures, Sunday, 11 December 2011 11:15 (twelve years ago) link

Rong.

Matt DC, Sunday, 11 December 2011 12:15 (twelve years ago) link

i agree that the rap video was kinda too much.

but it's Tear 'N Kill 'Em, not Tear 'Em Kill 'Em.

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Sunday, 11 December 2011 13:12 (twelve years ago) link

I like to believe he and Cobie Smulders pronounce their kid's name Shaolin Kill 'Em.

pothole pleasures, Sunday, 11 December 2011 14:36 (twelve years ago) link

not getting why chinese instructor singing his name is racist when Dean is singing "Dean Dean Dean Dean".

if you ain't gonna wash it, i ain't gonna eat it, Sunday, 11 December 2011 15:02 (twelve years ago) link

You see he's asian and a clown so he must be an asian clown, and that's bad. whether or not his clown status comes from his ethnicity or the insane shit he does is irrelevant to the truly sensitive.

pothole pleasures, Sunday, 11 December 2011 15:55 (twelve years ago) link

but when lasers and dancers come out for Troy and Abed's rap, no one other than the viewer is actually seeing this shit

musicals.

j., Sunday, 11 December 2011 18:30 (twelve years ago) link

Exactly. Kinda baffling that anyone needs this explained to them, particularly in a musical episode where it's pointed out that a piano is playing itself.

In Your Velour Slacks (Hairplug Receipts), Sunday, 11 December 2011 18:40 (twelve years ago) link

I think, if Community were cancelled at this point, I might ultimately miss the characters/actors more than the show itself. I say this because I feel like there's been a tug of war between the two modes of this show (semi-grounded exploration of what constitutes a community vs. balls-out rapid-fire experimental genre pastiche) for a while, and the latter seems to be winning out this season. Which is fine, because it's still an excellent show, but there's also a danger of it becoming more of a show I am in awe of and respect (a la Arrested Development) than a show that I love.

In Your Velour Slacks (Hairplug Receipts), Sunday, 11 December 2011 18:49 (twelve years ago) link

hey guys, i know it's a "musical," i'm saying their parodies are funnier when they don't just zip characters into the world their parodying, but parodies that spring naturally out of the world of Community (i.e., every other song sequence in the episode).

pothole pleasures, Sunday, 11 December 2011 20:32 (twelve years ago) link

having a rap video backdrop magically appear for our delight would be like having the paintball episode feature an interlude in an actual jungle.

pothole pleasures, Sunday, 11 December 2011 20:34 (twelve years ago) link

obv the line is blurry (I'm fine with the self-playing piano, etc) and funny is funny, i just think the rap video, anime bit, etc. move the show to the seth mcfarlane side of things more than I'd like

pothole pleasures, Sunday, 11 December 2011 20:38 (twelve years ago) link

the point is, the weird bits aren't thrown in as random cut-away pop-cultural references, they're used to highlight what's already going in with the character interactions. The 2001 bit made sense as Jeff was hallucinating from monkey sleeping gas and already has so many deep father issues and an even deeper fear of turning into Pierce. Both he & Pierce so need to be a part of the group that they're obsessed with it, which is why the study table was there in the sequence, not the obelisk.

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Sunday, 11 December 2011 21:02 (twelve years ago) link

And I liked the Detective Chang bit, as it gives a glimpse into the head of a guy who desperately needs to be in authority and important, so he crafts a highly dramatic narrative out of quotidian measly shit. The joke works in the contrast between what actually is and what chang really, really needs them to be.

Also, the dueling voiceover gag at the end of the ep was awesome.

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Sunday, 11 December 2011 21:04 (twelve years ago) link

they're used to highlight what's already going in with the character interactions

How did the rap video do this for you? Not denying it, just wondering. I was actually OK with it as a musical sequence, to be clear.

EveningStar, Sunday, 11 December 2011 22:30 (twelve years ago) link

Okay, you know what my problem with the rap video was? It took place in the blanket fort instead of the Dreamatorium.

In Your Velour Slacks (Hairplug Receipts), Sunday, 11 December 2011 22:53 (twelve years ago) link

each song we're shown that transmitted the glee virus was customized to have maximum persuasive impact to the character. since troy & abed clearly have abnormally rich inner lives, and the two of them doing a childish gambino song inside their heads/fort works.

the rest of it fit in with the abnormality of the episode, established with the very first abed song.

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Sunday, 11 December 2011 22:57 (twelve years ago) link

my problem w/ the rap video was mainly that both of their flows were distractingly awkward in a not-funny-on-purpose way even though one of them has sold tens of thousands of copies of a rap album

skrillex pretend (Mr. Stevenson #2), Sunday, 11 December 2011 23:58 (twelve years ago) link

man i knew that after this episode tumblr would be filled with animated gifs and people saying "best episode ever" but i thought that ilx would as usual provide an oasis of sanity, guess not though, this episode was really really subpar, not "bad" per se but i didnt laugh out loud once and the glee parody felt so forced and awkward and stupid and like... song parodies? really?

max max max max, Monday, 12 December 2011 00:12 (twelve years ago) link

sure but Alison Brie

Mordy, Monday, 12 December 2011 00:13 (twelve years ago) link

the thing with making fun of something like glee is it's go hard or go home...you kinda have to be as over the top as the target, for better or worse

skrillex pretend (Mr. Stevenson #2), Monday, 12 December 2011 00:38 (twelve years ago) link

there's always something crazily abnormal happening even if it isn't a theme episode

that being said, I don't think the rap or anime bits improved the episodes much but I understand the resilience to anything like a family guy cutaway. maybe the merits of the flashy rap and anime sequences weren't enough to defend crossing into family guy territory (and I feel like these are ratings stunts). but in the context of the foosball episode, I'm glad I saw anime instead of real life because they sounded really emo during the anime

CaptainBurlapSax, Monday, 12 December 2011 01:46 (twelve years ago) link

how can something be a ratings stunt if it's happened more than halfway into an episode after anyone 'on the fence' has tuned out and wasn't in any commercials for the episode

skrillex pretend (Mr. Stevenson #2), Monday, 12 December 2011 01:52 (twelve years ago) link

anyway the more i think about it the more this episode was a total success -- annie's sexy idiot song, the baby boomer song and the children who don't know about jesus song were all perfection

skrillex pretend (Mr. Stevenson #2), Monday, 12 December 2011 01:54 (twelve years ago) link

I laughed a few times (this Christmas musical episode) because the insanity was awkward and insane (and they were supposed to be brainwashed and acting insanely). It was amazing that Alison was able to exponentially escalate the awkwardness and dumbness of her glee personality during her song. As you watch it, you think she can't sink any farther but she does so incredibly. The very last line was perfect

CaptainBurlapSax, Monday, 12 December 2011 01:57 (twelve years ago) link

how can something be a ratings stunt if it's happened more than halfway into an episode after anyone 'on the fence' has tuned out and wasn't in any commercials for the episode

― skrillex pretend (Mr. Stevenson #2)

it's because the writers are still in over-the-top ratings mode... it doesn't brush off so easily. they aren't just trying to get new people (putting stuff in the first 5 minutes)... they are trying to keep the folks who are on the fence

CaptainBurlapSax, Monday, 12 December 2011 02:01 (twelve years ago) link

and how do you keep people watching if they are only watching with one eye open? big flashy anime and rap sequences

CaptainBurlapSax, Monday, 12 December 2011 02:02 (twelve years ago) link

impressed anew with ilx's ability to suck the fun out of anything

mookieproof, Monday, 12 December 2011 02:03 (twelve years ago) link

the honeymoon is over mookie

CaptainBurlapSax, Monday, 12 December 2011 02:05 (twelve years ago) link

i read an article today about how community & himym are like 'post-tumblr' where clearly a lot of jokes are written with an internet afterlife in mind--moments made for gifs & hastags

it was all v rmde til i opened this thread

HOOS aka driver of steen, Monday, 12 December 2011 02:51 (twelve years ago) link

thing is people have been like this w/ comedy for the longest time -- i mean seinfeld may be more meme-y than anything actually made in the era of people saying the word "meme" constantly. but now every other fucking show has the title w/ a hashtag in front of it in the corner of the screen or quotes names with @ in front of them in ads instead of magazines or newspapers, so there's a whole self-consciousness about how entertaining audiences is somehow different now that the audience is all having a million public conversations with each other as soon as the show is over.

Mr. Stevenson #2, Monday, 12 December 2011 03:07 (twelve years ago) link

just watched the claymation episode with my sisters, full of renewed love for this show.

reddening, Monday, 12 December 2011 03:11 (twelve years ago) link

Assuming NBC had any intention of giving Community a bump in order to attract a bit more viewership, they'd do well to rerun the claymation Christmas episode at some point this month.

In Your Velour Slacks (Hairplug Receipts), Monday, 12 December 2011 03:22 (twelve years ago) link

they are, either this week or next week

reddening, Monday, 12 December 2011 03:27 (twelve years ago) link

They didn't promote the Glee episode at all -- the online previews didn't show up until two days before -- so I doubt they'll take any extra measures to promote a rerun from last year (untouchably brilliant as it is).

Tarfumes the Escape Goat, Monday, 12 December 2011 03:31 (twelve years ago) link

Two important things to remember when I sound nonchalant about Community's fate:

a) I basically resent serial TV (too much investment and time, same reason I resent comic books), and would prefer to experience as much as possible in "Trade Paperback" Form. However, my wife is a TV enthusiast and I wind up getting invested in more shows than I'd like to be.

b) a Community I'm not watching would bum me out (the fact that the simpsons is not worth my time STILL bums me out) and I'd rather it die while it was young and beautiful. which it is.

pothole pleasures, Monday, 12 December 2011 03:39 (twelve years ago) link

man i knew that after this episode tumblr would be filled with animated gifs and people saying "best episode ever" but i thought that ilx would as usual provide an oasis of sanity, guess not though, this episode was really really subpar, not "bad" per se but i didnt laugh out loud once and the glee parody felt so forced and awkward and stupid and like... song parodies? really?

otm

є(٥_ ٥)э, Monday, 12 December 2011 04:13 (twelve years ago) link

offtm

if you ain't gonna wash it, i ain't gonna eat it, Monday, 12 December 2011 04:24 (twelve years ago) link

i did lol @ "diminishing returns" "what's a dimibidibwibibdib"

HOOS aka driver of steen, Monday, 12 December 2011 04:28 (twelve years ago) link

i enjoyed how blasé everyone was after mr. rad confessed to murdering the first glee club, like "oh that guy tricked us" rather than "wow he killed eight people."

reddening, Monday, 12 December 2011 04:37 (twelve years ago) link

PS this is who mr. rad was based on from glee, mr. schuester AKA mr. schue:

http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/feb2010/9/7/mirror-22-02-10-image-2-485221691.jpg

reddening, Monday, 12 December 2011 04:42 (twelve years ago) link

He is the worst person in the world.

Nicole, Monday, 12 December 2011 11:12 (twelve years ago) link

anyway the more i think about it the more this episode was a total success -- annie's sexy idiot song, the baby boomer song and the children who don't know about jesus song were all perfection

I loved how cynically contrived each of those songs was as a recruitment tool, especially Shirley's.

Matt DC, Monday, 12 December 2011 13:19 (twelve years ago) link

is it someone's birthday today??? public schools won't tell me!

j., Monday, 12 December 2011 13:37 (twelve years ago) link

This episode was hilarious and it was more because of the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" vibe than it was because it was a musical. Britta going up to Jeff and having him turn around going "LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" and her subsequent scream was just money.

OH NOES, Monday, 12 December 2011 15:58 (twelve years ago) link

yup

flexidisc, Monday, 12 December 2011 16:06 (twelve years ago) link

yeah just the bland laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa was the lolingest part of that

HOOS aka driver of steen, Monday, 12 December 2011 16:14 (twelve years ago) link

also the implication that everyone else had to be brainwashed via a specific type of song geared towards their sensibilities in order to get sucked into the glee club, but Jeff could just go "LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" at Britta and after a good scream she's totally down

OH NOES, Monday, 12 December 2011 16:16 (twelve years ago) link

like, it actually subtly played to the character's total lack of connection to music

OH NOES, Monday, 12 December 2011 16:17 (twelve years ago) link

I got a Christmastime for me. I got a Christmastime for a tree.

Tarfumes the Escape Goat, Monday, 12 December 2011 16:18 (twelve years ago) link

like, it actually subtly played to the character's total lack of connection to music

― OH NOES, Monday, December 12, 2011 11:17 AM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

haha yes i remember thinking "that's all it takes?"

HOOS aka driver of steen, Monday, 12 December 2011 16:25 (twelve years ago) link

Pretty good ep. I really hate musicals and would never watch Glee willingly and was going to stop watching until Annie's dance. A pretty enjoyable episode. I liked how Pierce took credit for the perfection of music by the baby boomers. And the "Laaaaa" part was LOL, otm. And yay for animated gifs:

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvx5i4AgTm1qbmsgzo1_250.gif
http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvx5i4AgTm1qbmsgzo2_250.gif
http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvx5i4AgTm1qbmsgzo3_250.gif

Emperor Cos Dashit, Monday, 12 December 2011 16:30 (twelve years ago) link

i was cringing that entire scene.

sir thermo of thinwall, Monday, 12 December 2011 18:28 (twelve years ago) link

prefer it in animated gif form.

sir thermo of thinwall, Monday, 12 December 2011 18:28 (twelve years ago) link

I am reasonably certain that scene was supposed to induce cringing, hence Jeff's commentary at the end.

OH NOES, Monday, 12 December 2011 18:35 (twelve years ago) link

I enjoyed Pierce's reaction to the Baby Boomer Santa song. He looked so proud.

Mr. Farmer, Monday, 12 December 2011 19:09 (twelve years ago) link

I loved that.

pothole pleasures, Monday, 12 December 2011 19:45 (twelve years ago) link

yeah and the dylan impression lol

HOOS aka driver of steen, Monday, 12 December 2011 19:53 (twelve years ago) link

http://i.imgur.com/mNT2E.jpg

peace

tumblr whine-y (dayo), Tuesday, 13 December 2011 03:15 (twelve years ago) link

Yeah Troy as Dylan was fantastic. Although Childish Gambino has kind of killed the funny in Troy rapping, A-B-E-D had me laughing twice as much.

Matt DC, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 16:08 (twelve years ago) link

yeah i was kind of stunned at how bad the rapping was

HOOS aka driver of steen, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 16:16 (twelve years ago) link

I wasn't, because I've heard Childish Gambino records. I think Donald Glover is so funny but his rapping is tragic.

Nicole, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 18:24 (twelve years ago) link

i mean i think he's a terrible "rap artist" but on a technical level i've heard him do better than that at least

HOOS aka driver of steen, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 20:36 (twelve years ago) link

Did not know that Dan Harmon busted up with his girlfriend this summer. Maybe this explains all the self-taken bubble bath photos he's posting on Twitter.

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 20:40 (twelve years ago) link

she used to take the pics for him?

Mr. Stevenson #2, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 20:45 (twelve years ago) link

I watched this again yesterday and Annie's "Wha's a 'dimwahwahwah wetwahwah'?" babytalk was hilarious

OH NOES, Wednesday, 14 December 2011 23:29 (twelve years ago) link

xxp yeah, i remember reading about the breakup (and a few "love is dead"-type things he posted to tumblr) and wondering if it would seep into his writing somehow this season. i don't think it has, really.

reddening, Thursday, 15 December 2011 00:16 (twelve years ago) link

so i was listening to dan harmon on that nerdist podcast and it really alternated between somewhat enjoyable and total pseudo-science bullshit uncomfortable nonsense. i ultimately had to turn it off. that podcast has just the worst two hosts.

Mordy, Thursday, 15 December 2011 14:42 (twelve years ago) link

It makes me sad that there will be no Community on tonight and yet Whitney continues to exist.

Nicole, Thursday, 15 December 2011 15:06 (twelve years ago) link

Whitney's getting swapped with Up All Night soon, isn't it?

OH NOES, Thursday, 15 December 2011 15:10 (twelve years ago) link

Not soon enough.

Nicole, Thursday, 15 December 2011 15:12 (twelve years ago) link

I thought it was very VERY telling that Chelsea Handler did a guest appearance on Whitney as her shrink and was EFFORTLESSLY a bazillion times funnier than everyone in the regular cast.

OH NOES, Thursday, 15 December 2011 15:14 (twelve years ago) link

still read that everytime as Whiney and not Whitney.

big popppa hoy, Thursday, 15 December 2011 15:25 (twelve years ago) link

Works either way.

Nicole, Thursday, 15 December 2011 15:34 (twelve years ago) link

that podcast has just the worst two hosts.

lol, it has three, but two of them are completely indistinguishable (and both are more subdued verions of the main dude)

The Larry Sandbox Show (sic), Friday, 16 December 2011 01:38 (twelve years ago) link

i am fine w/ no new community tonight because i really needed to see the stop motion ep again

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Friday, 16 December 2011 01:40 (twelve years ago) link

xp wait there are three hosts on that podcast???

Mordy, Friday, 16 December 2011 01:42 (twelve years ago) link

oh, you know, i made a mistake. it wasn't the nerdist i was talking about. it was indoor kids. can we plz spend a minute talking about how terrible indoor kids are?

Mordy, Friday, 16 December 2011 01:42 (twelve years ago) link

Enh, I think they're okay, but they really need a Jeremy Parish type who actually knows game history, context, the diff between Western & Japanese gamedev philosophies, etc.

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 16 December 2011 02:23 (twelve years ago) link

the Whitney hate itt makes me very...happy. one episode was enough to make me gag.

if you ain't gonna wash it, i ain't gonna eat it, Friday, 16 December 2011 02:24 (twelve years ago) link

Dan himself does Harmontown every once in a while in the space that the Nerdiast guys set up at an L.A. comic shop

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Friday, 16 December 2011 02:24 (twelve years ago) link

the Cheslea Handler love itt makes me very...confused.

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Friday, 16 December 2011 02:25 (twelve years ago) link

Wait where are you seeing Chelsea Handler love, because I know it's not in my post

OH NOES, Friday, 16 December 2011 05:32 (twelve years ago) link

it actually subtly played to the character's total lack of connection to music

She didn't sing as badly in last year's Christmas episode though. I have to admit I'm still having some trouble with what they're doing with Britta this season.

EveningStar, Friday, 16 December 2011 21:22 (twelve years ago) link

In what way?

HOOS aka driver of steen, Friday, 16 December 2011 21:24 (twelve years ago) link

For one, it's a little hard to swallow since they've basically changed her character/personality type without really showing how this is some kind of organic or logical development of her character. (Annie's character has changed as well, for example, but it makes sense as a sort of maturation of her character. Same with Jeff.) Also, I just don't really find the new Britta all that charming or funny some of the time, especially when they go really OTT with her, e.g. in the model UN episode.

EveningStar, Friday, 16 December 2011 21:33 (twelve years ago) link

Because character development and continuity do seem fairly important in this show, it's a little hard for me to accept that the same character who grudgingly began singing the final song of last year's Christmas episode in a low-key manner is the same character who sang the "Me so Christmas" song on stage in this year's Christmas pageant.

EveningStar, Friday, 16 December 2011 21:35 (twelve years ago) link

I love doofus Britta but it's a clear case of Homerization. Also Warren Piece was a step too far.

fartz, Friday, 16 December 2011 21:35 (twelve years ago) link

britta is the best thing about this show

n/a, Friday, 16 December 2011 21:35 (twelve years ago) link

britta was the last holdout against the glee mania too though.

joshuajlee, Friday, 16 December 2011 21:38 (twelve years ago) link

Still, her whole attitude was different and, like I said, her singing voice was completely different. Her sense of humour, the way she relates to the other characters have all changed (compare her interactions with Shirley and Annie in last year's Christmas episode.)

EveningStar, Friday, 16 December 2011 23:12 (twelve years ago) link

i feel like there's a totally logical contrast between the way Britta acts when she's a smug defensive hipster and when she lets her guard down and gets enthusiastic about things. it's what makes her character realistic and, more importantly, hilarious.

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Friday, 16 December 2011 23:21 (twelve years ago) link

i just assumed the difference is that her character is high alla time now

є(٥_ ٥)э, Friday, 16 December 2011 23:22 (twelve years ago) link

haha that could be it too

"me so christmas, me so merry" was such a perfect callback to "me so hungy"

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Friday, 16 December 2011 23:24 (twelve years ago) link

i feel real spergy questioning this but rly Even In A Heightened Reality who would do that. feels like playing to the people (not me!! I'm way 2 smart for this!!!!) who thought every instance of an Arrested Development character repeating a two- or three-word phrase that had occurred earlier in the series was an intentional super smart callback to another point in the gossamer web of narrative

fartz, Friday, 16 December 2011 23:29 (twelve years ago) link

britta saying "me so _____" >>>>>>>>>> newt calling for "fundamental change"

ppl do have their catchphrases, even on this very borad

mookieproof, Friday, 16 December 2011 23:39 (twelve years ago) link

i feel like there's a totally logical contrast between the way Britta acts when she's a smug defensive hipster and when she lets her guard down and gets enthusiastic about things. it's what makes her character realistic and, more importantly, hilarious.

I don't feel like she has been developed as a character with those two facets coexisting in her personality though. I feel like she used to be one and has now been turned into the other because the writers got a new idea or something. Maybe I can buy the always-stoned thing...

EveningStar, Saturday, 17 December 2011 02:42 (twelve years ago) link

i dunno to me it fits perfectly in w/ britta's botched jokes going back to season 1

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Saturday, 17 December 2011 03:02 (twelve years ago) link

every instance of an Arrested Development character repeating a two- or three-word phrase that had occurred earlier in the series was an intentional super smart callback to another point in the gossamer web of narrative

it was

j., Saturday, 17 December 2011 03:33 (twelve years ago) link

what the hell is wrong with you people?
community is AWESOME

Stevie, Saturday, 17 December 2011 08:43 (twelve years ago) link

OK, after watching for the fifth time or so, maybe you are right, Mr Stevenson. Britta does sing much more conventionally when they're carolling at the end so it probably was her getting excited in the pageant when she was still hypnotized. She might have even thought she was doing a punk rock or outsider-art improvisation kind of deal.

EveningStar, Sunday, 18 December 2011 06:00 (twelve years ago) link

Also, I don't know if we've mentioned this or not but Britta really has no fucking clue what the words to the song are, she just knows them in her heart, as Abed said.

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Sunday, 18 December 2011 09:57 (twelve years ago) link

OK, after watching for the fifth time or so, maybe you are right, Mr Stevenson. Britta does sing much more conventionally when they're carolling at the end so it probably was her getting excited in the pageant when she was still hypnotized. She might have even thought she was doing a punk rock or outsider-art improvisation kind of deal.

― EveningStar, Sunday, December 18, 2011 1:00 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Permalink

i have posted about britta but afaik i haven't said anything about the way she was singing in that ep

some dude (Mr. Stevenson #2), Sunday, 18 December 2011 13:11 (twelve years ago) link

Yeah, I meant you were right about these things:

i feel like there's a totally logical contrast between the way Britta acts when she's a smug defensive hipster and when she lets her guard down and gets enthusiastic about things. it's what makes her character realistic and, more importantly, hilarious.

i dunno to me it fits perfectly in w/ britta's botched jokes going back to season 1

and I was extrapolating. It made sense in my head.

EveningStar, Sunday, 18 December 2011 14:02 (twelve years ago) link

rendering the study group as X-men:

http://www.avivor.com/english/

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Sunday, 18 December 2011 19:46 (twelve years ago) link

and the other: http://www.jonnyeveson.com/product/inspector-spacetime-poster

kingfish sandbox bonaparte, Thursday, 29 December 2011 00:30 (twelve years ago) link

ok, i'll admit that's kinda great

HOOS aka driver of steen, Thursday, 29 December 2011 06:19 (twelve years ago) link

I am watching the first season on Hulu and holy shit re: the April Fool's episode and the billiards episode

OH NOES, Friday, 30 December 2011 18:20 (twelve years ago) link

we just finished season 1 and yeah those are about when it hit its stride

cad, Friday, 30 December 2011 18:30 (twelve years ago) link

Oh dude happy belated birthday!

OH NOES, Friday, 30 December 2011 21:00 (twelve years ago) link

thank you! i have been celebrating by working through three planned vacation days!

cad, Friday, 30 December 2011 21:04 (twelve years ago) link

Sweet!

OH NOES, Friday, 30 December 2011 22:16 (twelve years ago) link

wait what is the april fools joke? is that britta and the chang frog?

big popppa hoy, Saturday, 31 December 2011 12:22 (twelve years ago) link

Yes

OH NOES, Saturday, 31 December 2011 16:13 (twelve years ago) link

I got the s1 DVDs for Christmas. I'd actually forgotten how much I loved those episodes, even before they went all high-concept. Just great humour, stories, and characters. "Intro to Film" is slept on imo. And I forgot that the Dean actually first blackmailed Jeff in "Football, Feminism, and You".

Brie does seem to overact a little in the early episodes. I wonder if she got better later or if she just became so hot that I wasn't paying attention anymore.

EveningStar, Saturday, 31 December 2011 22:57 (twelve years ago) link

Also forgot that Abed became Batman for the first time in the Mexican Halloween episode!

EveningStar, Sunday, 1 January 2012 18:49 (twelve years ago) link

I think Brie just found her footing w/the role and it just so happened that it coincided w/her bringing the sexy.

Tumblr Whites Off Earth Now!! (Sandbox Grisso-McCain), Sunday, 1 January 2012 20:46 (twelve years ago) link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WZ2hYXAocTc

gukbe, Monday, 2 January 2012 02:53 (twelve years ago) link


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