Awesome episode. Loved the execution. It could have gotten carried away with the concept, or not used it enough, but I think there was a perfect balance. They took advantage of the fact they were Muppets, while keeping the plot vested in the characters. Loved the Lost references and the Professor Duncan shout out.
The study room stuff must have been shot after Chevy left the show.
It was apparently the episode he left at, but was obligated to lend his voice.
@Nex:
Why would you want the music of Adam Levine?
I've been stolen away by the magic that is The Voice and any chance to cross-pollenate Community with that ratings monster is most welcome.
I want NBC to put Parks and Rec and Community after The Voice next year. It will never happen ever but that is the one unattainable dream I mean to keep dreaming until the day one of these is canceled.
In all seriousness, I was rolling my eyes a bit at how heavily NBC was promoting the Adam Levine bit during The Voice. I wonder if that'll budge the ratings…
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I've been stolen away by the magic that is The Voice and any chance to cross-pollenate Community with that ratings monster is most welcome.
I want NBC to put Parks and Rec and Community after The Voice next year. It will never happen ever but that is the one unattainable dream I mean to keep dreaming until the day one of these is canceled.
In all seriousness, I was rolling my eyes a bit at how heavily NBC was promoting the Adam Levine bit during The Voice. I wonder if that'll budge the ratings…
They mentioned Community in The Voice? That'll at least help. Hopefully we see a bump since everything on the block is back and there was no Big Bang.
REALLY liked this episode. It wasn't just "we're puppets lol", there was an actual story to be told. One of regret, honesty….and catchy music numbers! (Shirley and Annie were my favorite singers). Although I have no idea why Jason Alexander was in this ep.
(also Dean's Jeff puppet had a whip.....what goes on in there??)
Jason Alexander is a huge fan of the show, and I'm pretty sure he has some singing experience, though I can't remember what.
Put those together and it makes sense for him to be there.
I thought the episode was alright. But I think the actual IDEA behind the episode was better than the actual episode; I think it the third act was pretty weak… and really easy to see coming. But out of the secrets, Jeff's was probably the strongest... Troys was kind of random though...
I really liked the third act. It doesn't matter how obvious it was that everyone would reveal their secrets to make Shirley feel better, it wasn't supposed to be a surprise twist. The execution was what mattered, and I though it was pulled off well.
And I don't get what you mean by the idea was better than the episode. Could you clarify?
Abed's dark secret is that he was about to kill Jeff last season. Well, cut his arm with a motor saw, It's a very dangerous wound.
What were the secrets? Them singing makes me hard to understand without subtitles, and the fallout leaves me thinking that Jeff could be a dad and Troy an accidental murderer.
My only reservation was that it was a completely sincere homage to the Muppets, down to having random guest star pop by for a cameo. That sounds weird till you realize every other homage the show has done has been with its tongue in cheek, winking all the while. Still it's an episode that has been growing on me.
Intro to Felt Surrogacy(Episode 9, 413) was one of two episodes Chevy Chase does not make a physical appearance in, and if we take that Advance Introduction Finality (Episode 13, 410)'s production number as the last episode Chevy appeared in, then the other episode to not have Chevy will most likely be 412 (Episode 12) Heroic Origins, which is this season's pseudo clip show, which features clips of pre-greendale. Which, I hope I'm wrong; cause that episode sounds like it wouldn't be right without the whole team.
Next weeks episode is Intro to Knots (409) is the Christmas episode and will feature I believe the last appearance of Malcolm McDonald, in his 2 episode arc this season. Follow by Basic Human Anatomy (410) the Jim Rash written episode parodying Freaky Friday.
Eh. It was alright. Being puppets didn't add anything and when you strip it away you're left with something that starts off fun then kind of dives into boring/bad. Those confessions were kind of out of character except troy's and britta's. I could see troy doing something like that on accident and Britta is obviously the worst. Shirley, Jeff, and Annie all did some really awful things that should've been explored a lot more. Maybe annie shouldn't be so serious about school if she's willing to whore her way through it. Jeff doing that to a kid is just woah! That could be an episode in itself. After all he's been through. And Shirley still being insecure about her relationship with andre is a big deal. And all of those issues just kind of got swept away in a wave of happy forgiveness so they could end the episode like none of it ever happened. That didn't sit right with me.
I will say that the silence that followed britta asking if anyone respected her less and the reactions that followed got one of my biggest laughs of this season.
So, I pretty much stopped watching Community after I couldn't get all the way through a few of the more recent episodes. Finally decided to give Herstory of Dance and the puppet episode a chance.
Herstory of Dance was the best episode in the past two seasons, and was a throwback to the Abed who had a soul and was actually trying to be a good person. Just great. And yes, if they get a fifth season, bringing Rachel in as a recurring love interest would be amazing.
The puppet episode wasn't nearly as good, but it had its heart in the right place. I can't agree with Tag that the secrets needed more development, though I understand the idea. The importance wasn't the content of the secrets, it was that a.) they told them again, and b.) they left knowing they were good enough friends to get past them. I also liked that all of the secrets showed them still struggling, though at a more internal level, with the same things that have been problems for them in the past. Well, except for Troy burning things.
Bizarre season for me. Some episodes they seem to be trying so damned hard and I can't even crack a smile, and some come closer to hitting the target of why I started watching the show than most of the last Year of Harmon.
It's not that they needed more development but that they were much too large to just be used for 6minutes and then thrown away. If we come back to these issues it would nice but I don't think we will. It's like annoucning one of them has cancer just so jeff can give a speech about toughing it out together and then it's never addressed again.
the dean has a dalmatian fetish and now a puppet fetish.
I wonder how his issues are going to get resolved.
Uh, where is it stated that he has a fetish for Puppets?
He likes to role play with them, but doesn't mean he's sexually attracted to them. If you're referring to the Puppet Jeff bit, knowing the writing this season it was a quick gag, nothing else.
No, not all puppets, just Jeff. I didn't think there was a need to clarify. :P
Yeah, a quick gag, just like Troy's love of football. Doesn't mean it didn't happen. It's not like I expect or want them to make another puppet episode, or an episode addressing a gag, but the Dean was about to say something before they cut him off and that's something I am interested in.
[http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/chewin-it-with-kevin-and-steve/
A](http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/chewin-it-with-kevin-and-steve/)t about 49 minutes, Jay Chandrasekhar who worked on the episode where Chevy blew up on set talks about it.
How about a summary of what Chevy did/said?
@wolfwoof:
How about a summary of what Chevy did/said?
It was during the scene where pierce is doing the racist hand puppets in the changnesia episode. During the fourth or fifth take he realizes they purposely seat him between donald and yvette and says something like "You got me sitting between two niggers". Realizing it hurt Yvette he apologized and went on with it. He then found out someone leaked it to the press and he freaked out saying his "career is now ruined". He then left.
Ganzbino
Oh. I thought he just disliked where the show was going. Wasn't expecting it to be on account of him pulling a Michael Richards
@moe:
It was during the scene where pierce is doing the racist hand puppets in the changnesia episode. During the fourth or fifth take he realizes they purposely seat him between donald and yvette and says something like "You got me sitting between two niggers". Realizing it hurt Yvette he apologized and went on with it. He then found out someone leaked it to the press and he freaked out saying his "career is now ruined". He then left.
That's interesting. The version I'd heard was that he ranted at the staff for going with easy laughs with Pierce's racism and said something to the effect of, "You should just have my character calling them niggers."
Might be two separate incidents. Neither of them good.
Hang in there, Kierkegaard.
Whichever version it was it probably isn't helped by the fact that Chevy Chase seems to be universally thought of as a dick
Something of which i had no idea until i googled the guy earlier today. Man that's alot of hate for one guy
That's interesting. The version I'd heard was that he ranted at the staff for going with easy laughs with Pierce's racism and said something to the effect of, "You should just have my character calling them niggers."
Might be two separate incidents. Neither of them good.
I was listening to it while playing borderlands so I wasn't fully paying attention to it so details might be off, but whatever the motive behind it he still said niggers. All I really remember was donald Glovers reaction to chevy freaking out solely because it was pretty funny.
You were pretty accurate, Moe.
Because Alison Brie apparently can be more awesome:
!She is so beautiful. I would marry that woman in a second.
So upon re-watching the show. Which one is big boobs and which is medium boobs
@Nex:
Because Alison Brie apparently can be more awesome:
!
hey the interviewer is the same guy who hit on abed at the bar in the "Mixology Certification" episode, Paul F. Tompkins.
"Abed, would you like to have gay sex with me?"~Robert
Sequel?
Aaaaaaand I'm done.
i for one liked tonites x-mas episode
I'll give them credit if the mysterious guy Chang is talking to isn't City College Dean.
Loved the episode, but knowing that the finale will also have the Darkest Timeline characters… I don't like where its going.
Hang in there, Kierkegaard.
Really liked this episode, but I'm now convinced that this season's biggest problem is the half order of episodes it had to work with. They clearly had a lot of ideas and tried to cram them all into 13 episodes.
What? Seriously?
Dammit, Community community.
Megan Ganz confirmed on Twitter or AMA or something I forgot where, but she stated the darkest timeline will re-appear in the finale. Which I was okay with, if they she had like a super great way of doing so.
In tonight episode, which was a really nice Hitchcock love letter… had a complete turn with the last 30 seconds. Unreleated to plot what's so ever;
! Abed makes a comment about the Dark Timeline, Jeff shoots him down. Then we see the Time-line graphics again going into Troy's number.
!
! There we see one-arm Jeff defending Hannibal-parody version of Annie in a trial. Jeff is able to win the case and Annie is freed from "Greendale Insane Assylum". They declare war on the Prime Time Line and kiss and laugh.
Knowing this, and the finale thing. Things doesn't look good.
The powerplay of the history teacher trying to throw the group into chaos was great and them resisting, up there with the best moments of this season. It was a nice human moment when he showed some appreciation for some togetherness on christmas. I like some of the throwbacks like the ghost line of troy but then I felt they overdid it a little during the episode and did too many.
I thought the darkest timeline at the end didn't really fit and god seriously how often has abed brought up die hard this season(probably not that much and I'm just oversensitive but still)? I think I can understand people better now that got bothered by the over abedness of season three, although I still loved that.
But I feel like after season three that abed would have found enough resolution to change, instead they dedicated a few episodes to undo that. There are some moments where there seems some minor subtle change and then in the next episode he's regressing again. Given perception of a character is a delicate thing and there are sure a list of moments that would prove me wrong, but at the end of the day when I watch an episode I hear that line that just seem so forced…
oh well. In any case I hope community survives for at least another season, although I still don't like a lot of season 4 there are still a lot of moments and even 2 episodes that I really loved.
Megan Ganz confirmed on Twitter or AMA or something I forgot where, but she stated the darkest timeline will re-appear in the finale. Which I was okay with, if they she had like a super great way of doing so.
In tonight episode, which was a really nice Hitchcock love letter… had a complete turn with the last 30 seconds. Unreleated to plot what's so ever;
! Abed makes a comment about the Dark Timeline, Jeff shoots him down. Then we see the Time-line graphics again going into Troy's number.
! [qimg]http://25.media.tumblr.com/b8705e791545a1e6a5c611c5b0cbb33e/tumblr_mlhc3lCgx81s1tfoyo1_500.jpg[/qimg]
! There we see one-arm Jeff defending Hannibal-parody version of Annie in a trial. Jeff is able to win the case and Annie is freed from "Greendale Insane Assylum". They declare war on the Prime Time Line and kiss and laugh.
[qimg]http://24.media.tumblr.com/acd16dec4077972d8d9015006768ae17/tumblr_mli0v0lKVY1s585vuo1_500.jpg[/qimg]Knowing this, and the finale thing. Things doesn't look good.
…oh. I just took that to be a weird aside at the end of the episode. This...complicates things.
The darkest timeline has got to be one of my least favorite plot points ever. Not to say Remedial Chaos Theory wasn't fantastic, but Evil Abed was just… bad. They need to incorporate it in a funny, clever way, and not just make them "invade" our timeline, whatever that means.
The darkest timeline has got to be one of my least favorite plot points ever. Not to say Remedial Chaos Theory wasn't fantastic, but Evil Abed was just… bad. They need to incorporate it in a funny, clever way, and not just make them "invade" our timeline, whatever that means.
Really? I thought Evil Abed was fantastic in the season finale from last year.
Yea, I really liked Evil Abed and the Season 3 finale as a whole.
I can't say I was hoping they would bring back the concept, but I trust Gantz came up with a fresh way to do it.
Nah, I thought Evil Abed was a bit off. I know it was just Abed adopting the persona of Evil Abed, but I still felt it brought unnecessary and weird drama to that episode.
I do admit to laughing at the fact that the cord was too short and he had to lure Jeff over to him.
I guess Herstory of Dance Old Abed is gone again. It was nice while it lasted.
The Showerunners drop hints on the last few episodes;
! PRE-FINALE EPISODES | The emotional growth Abed seemed to make in “Herstory of Dance” was “real,” according to EPs Moses Port and David Guarascio, who reveal that “he'll continue on that path.” There's also a “hot interaction between Jeff and Annie” on the way, as well as “some _implied really hot sex” ahead for Jeff and Britta. (Don't worry, we're as confused as you are.) The co-showrunners also warn fans not to assume “someone – or something – is on the other end” of the changnesia-suffering Chang's phone conversations. “Sure, it seems logical,” they add, “but… this is Chang.” Also ahead for the study groupers: an origins episode, the much-talked-about _Freaky Friday-esque half-hour penned by co-star Jim Rash and the resurgence of some paintball fun.__
! MAY 9 SEASON FINALE | “We never really thought about the finale as a series ender,” Port and Guarascio share. “That being said, if it turns out to be a series ender, will it be satisfying? Yes and no. Yes, because it's a really good episode. No, because it will be sad and frustrating as it will mean the show is dead.” As for what the installment — which partially centers on the graduation of at least one Greendaler — entails, Gillian Jacobs tells TVLine, "It's touching, funny and action-y… And we will be the only people on TV doing what we did" in that episode.
Well Tater, you might in luck.
Calling it: the person on the other side of Chang's phone is:
! Starburns
I'm thinking the person Chang is talking to is:
! No one. Seriously, I think his Changnesia is real, and he's just talking to himself.
The Showerunners drop hints on the last few episodes;
! PRE-FINALE EPISODES | The emotional growth Abed seemed to make in “Herstory of Dance” was “real,” according to EPs Moses Port and David Guarascio, who reveal that “he'll continue on that path.” There's also a “hot interaction between Jeff and Annie” on the way, as well as “some _implied really hot sex” ahead for Jeff and Britta. (Don't worry, we're as confused as you are.) The co-showrunners also warn fans not to assume “someone – or something – is on the other end” of the changnesia-suffering Chang's phone conversations. “Sure, it seems logical,” they add, “but… this is Chang.” Also ahead for the study groupers: an origins episode, the much-talked-about _Freaky Friday-esque half-hour penned by co-star Jim Rash and the resurgence of some paintball fun.__
! MAY 9 SEASON FINALE | “We never really thought about the finale as a series ender,” Port and Guarascio share. “That being said, if it turns out to be a series ender, will it be satisfying? Yes and no. Yes, because it's a really good episode. No, because it will be sad and frustrating as it will mean the show is dead.” As for what the installment — which partially centers on the graduation of at least one Greendaler — entails, Gillian Jacobs tells TVLine, "It's touching, funny and action-y… And we will be the only people on TV doing what we did" in that episode.Well Tater, you might in luck.
Heh, thanks.
Thing is, I'm not sure Abed really demonstrated any "growth." He started off as an offputting but legitimately nice character that occasionally could establish human relationships outside the core group, i.e. Eliza Coupe in Intro to Political Science. I view Herstory of Dance as less "growth" than a return to form.
The Darkest Timeline Abed should have been, at best, a blip on the radar.
I'm with on that one.
Anyways here's the last Episodes and Descriptions via Wikipedia;
Basic Human Anatomy
Annie and Shirley plot to remove Leonard's status as the class valedictorian. Troy and Abed re-enact a scene from a body switching film and accidentally end up switching bodies themselves.
Heroic Origins
Abed pieces together the study group's past and reveals that their lives have always been intertwined. Chang attempts to destroy Greendale for good.
Advance Introduction to Finality
With enough credits to graduate, Jeff contemplates his future; the study group once again is faced with the darkest timeline.
Again, kinda not excited about the Finality, just between Megan Ganz saying she didn't like the episodes and over wrote it and had to cut it down a bunch… plus the Darkest Timeline crap. And and while I'm excited about Heroic Origins… I don't like the idea of them being destined to be friends. Kinda takes away from the whole misfits become an unlikely family... if the outcome wasn't unlikely.
Thank you Jim Rash for ending that pointless relationship. Truly hated it with a passion.
