Community

Nex 0

Called it.

My cautious pessimism was all part of the bluff.

It's been kind of funny trying to keep this secret, as it's like the only thing that was absolutely hush hush, and I haven't been able to tell anyone about it for months upon months.

When you originally posted that I so wanted to make some kind of wink of sly comment, but I liked my job too much. :P

Kitsune Inferno

Yeah, I've been savvy to him coming back for a little while. Mostly just some connected dots in the promotional material, advanced reviews, and Word of God himself kinda led me to believe with relative certainty he was coming back in a guest starring role at the very least.

So now comes the most painful 15 hours of our lives.

DarthAsthma

Oh god this was soo good!!!
First episode wasn't super special or anything but it did something super important, it made me feel like home again.
This is the Community I got intrigued by years ago, that said I still probably laughed more than at some episodes last year.
It's so ridiculous how grounded the problems feel again in contrast to the ridiculous environment in which they play out.

I'm trying to talk around some things that happened so people that watched it probably know what I mean and those that don't won't but just to be safe spoiler:

! That tie slapping!! Jonathan Banks laughing is something of itself.
! And then there was the second episode. I just couldn't stop laughing. The B story with Abed and him acting out wow… just wow!
The A storyline with Jeff and the way his perspective as a teacher has changed was fun.
Jeff's speech not quite working on the students but taking effect on Hickey(teacher) was just great.

There was so much in both of those episodes it feels like each of them was actually far longer than ~21 minutes, that has to be some brilliant editing.
It's kind of the comedy TV equivalent to a one piece chapter with how packed it was.
It also just makes me want to rewatch them a feeling I didn't have in a long time.

God I just want more now, I wasn't sure about if I wanted more Community after season 4 and I just couldn't see how they could make it organic again with all that happened in season 4, but the repilot was just brilliant wouldn't have thought of it and yet it just seems so crystal clear that it's the thing to do.

If this continues I'll chant again once more 6 seasons and a movie.

project1980

Oh yea shout out to Zac Braff.

andre

Oh my God, I didn't even realize a second episode aired. I had to work tonight until 10:30 and I only get 30 minutes break, which I used to watch the first episode. And what a first episode it was, probably the best first episode of the series so far. And that:

! Chevy Chase guest spot just hit me in all the right ways. A much better send off for the character than was given in season 4, no offense to the other writers.

Huschel

A gas leak year, hm?

MagiciteKefka

Well, what can I say? Community's back, and it's better than it's been in a long while. I'm one of those who was generally disappointed with season 3 (first half was great, second half was the exact opposite), and season 4 was definitely on the low end of the spectrum.

! Repilot just made me feel all the right feelings. The comedy's back, the character's are back in high form, and Pierce got a great sendoff, much better than what happened to him in season 4. When they made the new study table, I just felt something inside of me. Something that tells that this show really is immortal, and that's all for the best. I really wish Community gets a sixth season, and I really hope it will be a full season.
! Introduction to Teaching was, perhaps, even better than Repilot. I. LOVE. Hickey. I especially love that they give some small nods to Mike in Breaking Bad, really clever. I like how the teachers are essentially the frat boys of Greendale.

Also, I must say to you Nex, if you're reading this, you've been a part of something really special. I'm actually extremely grateful you've helped contribute to this show, because as you said, much of it is made up by the people in the background. Good work.

MarcelloF

Episodes were good. It was nice to see them not constantly mentioning stuff like Inspector Spacetime, Darkest Timeline, Daybreak, Dreamtorium just to say "Hey! We're the same show!!".

Was Jeff supposed to be imagining the Pierce hologram?

Kaiolino

I can't believe it's 19 months since the last Community episode.

Kitsune Inferno

But I'm pretty sure Herstory of Dance aired eight months ago.

loneassassin

Abed's Nic Cage meltdown is now in the top spot of the funniest things I have seen on Community

Kitsune Inferno

This is really early and should be taken with salt, but word is Community's got a 1.3.

I have no faith in anything.

DarthAsthma

@Kitsune:

This is really early and should be taken with salt, but word is Community's got a 1.3.

I have no faith in anything.

Et tu, Brute?:ninja:

Taggerung

well those were two terrific episodes. Probably their best premier in awhile.

Nick Cage is jesus

Silver R. Bolt

After hearing about the ratings, my heart dropped.

moe lester518

While 1.3 seems low it was tied with parenthood for NBC's top show of thursday night.

Kitsune Inferno

If it adjusts up at all, it becomes NBC's #1 comedy.

The problem with that distinction is that EVERY SINGLE DRAMA IS OUTRATING THE COMEDIES.

DarthAsthma

It's pretty ironic that AV club gave introduction to teaching an A- xD.

"SLIGHTLY HIGHER GRADES! SLIGHTLY HIGHER GRADES!" anyone?

Mickamott

Amazing return Community, I applaud you and what's to come! Pierce's cameo was surprising and enjoyable, and both episodes were top notch.

And now to answer the question; is Nic Cage good or bad?

Kitsune Inferno

Speaking of slightly higher grades, in the final ratings, Community was considered a one-hour episode, meaning its 1.3 and 1.2 become 1.3 for the whole hour. This doesn't change anything, besides technically making Community inch ahead of Michael J Fox to be NBC's #1 comedy of the season so far.

Nami

…. I didn't enjoy those two eps at all. hides under a rock

TLC

@Nami:

…. I didn't enjoy those two eps at all. hides under a rock

Don't worry, I didn't like them either. They were slightly better than I thought they'd be but overall, the whole going back to school thing and Jeff becoming a teacher feels like such a forced excuse to drag on this done and done story.

Also

Shirley: Well anyone who spends decades acting with different tones in his voice is bound to win an Oscar eventually.

Fuck you Community, Nicolas Cage is a saint and he deserved that Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas.

Kitsune Inferno

TLC, do you live in some strange bizarro land where everything that is good here is terrible there and vice versa?

Episode 1 had a lot of backpedaling to do, admittedly. But Introduction to Teaching is up there with Accounting for Lawyers. Neither episode was particularly standout amazing means, but they had killer jokes and were fantastic episodes in their own right, each a sort of promise to viewers that "this is only episode 2-it all gets better from here"

Nami

Should I feel upset..

Cymelion

@Kitsune:

If it adjusts up at all, it becomes NBC's #1 comedy.

The problem with that distinction is that EVERY SINGLE DRAMA IS OUTRATING THE COMEDIES.

I just get the idea that American's don't like happy shows anymore - they have joined the ranks of the English and Australian's in celebrating misery and depression as default emotion states.

DarthAsthma

I didn't like the first episode that much after seeing it the first time but like I said it accomplished something important for me and that is that it made me feel at home again. In a sense it felt like watching the very first episode of community to me. Back then I got intrigued by this somewhat weird show with all these misfits, it didn't make me laugh a lot but it carried this subtle charm and it was delightful in its own way.

And like with the first episode there's is quite a bit to appreciate when rewatching. Things that got more fun for me the second time around were the tie slapping scene, the thesis joke, chang's reset, Abed being a programmer and Britta being so set on psychology.
Things that left me a bit worried while watching the first time were the finger up its butt joke, abed calling their first semester "first season" pretty much all super apparent callbacks. Season 4 did it so much I don't seem to enjoy those that much anymore.
Episode 2 swept all worries away though.

I'm hearing a lot about a coming episode that surpassed remedial chaos theory for quite a few something that I can't even fathom I'm really excited.

To those not enjoying it at all I'm sorry. Truly a sad thing to fall out of love with something for whatever reason.
If you plan on watching anyway I'm sure there will still be moments one can appreciate. When I think about season 4 moments in a vacuum there's actually a lot of stuff I like.

TLC

@Kitsune:

TLC, do you live in some strange bizarro land where everything that is good here is terrible there and vice versa?

Episode 1 had a lot of backpedaling to do, admittedly. But Introduction to Teaching is up there with Accounting for Lawyers. Neither episode was particularly standout amazing means, but they had killer jokes and were fantastic episodes in their own right, each a sort of promise to viewers that "this is only episode 2-it all gets better from here"

There's my problem in a nutshell.

Kitsune Inferno

Which in itself is a necessary evil and was handled very well.

Silver R. Bolt

They do get better after repeat viewing. I enjoyed them to a certain degree. The first episode wasn't the best episode, but it was also build off the foundation from Advance Introduction to Finality, and the original Pilot. Which the entire epsiode aside from its obvious call-backs its a shot-for shot remake of the episode. (more or less.)

The second episode was really enjoyable. But its a little closer at home fro me. After a year of graduating from my school I came back and became a teacher. A lot of my friends were/are still going the college. So I felt a lot of Jeff's pains/confusions.

Conekiller

I haven't re-watched them, but the first episode was way too depressing for me. There was this one scene where Britta was in tears that almost brought some to my eyes just at the thought of these characters I've loved for 4 years were suffering so.

That and I really really didn't like the sidestepping of the "why isn't Pierce hanging around us" elephant in the room. The Magnitude gag actually made me angry. Now that I know there's some kind of sort-of explanation there, if I re-watch the first ep, it'd bother me alot less. Second ep was fine tho, and Abed's Cage-freakout is probably the best acting the show's seen!

Nex 0

This week's episode may be the weirdest the show has ever done. Hope y'all enjoy it.

Kitsune Inferno

What is this episode parodying?

Nex 0

@Kitsune:

What is this episode parodying?

Oh that should be obvious.

Kitsune Inferno

I can't tell. It feels slightly Hannibalish but I've been missing the on-the-nose reference that overcomes my ignorance.

Wooden_Giraffe

I've no clue, someone please enlighten me.

DarthAsthma

What did I just watch??? I laughed anyway.

Wait was that Nathan Fillion? If yes so short… :(.
What was that ending xD... Welp I guess if we go by Britta's psych tests from S3 I guess we can exclude 1+Pierce from the suspect list.
That Kickstarter tier rewards jab.

It was weird indeed. Rewatching it tomorrow with more sleep...

Also, Hickey is just awesome.

project1980

I don't care how good or bad this episode was I need that ass crack bandit song in my life now.

Silver R. Bolt

@Wooden_Giraffe:

I've no clue, someone please enlighten me.

Criminal Minds
SUV
Se7en
etc

Wooden_Giraffe

Heheh, SUV…......

Nex 0

Answers below:

! It's a Hannibal homage. The cinematography should have given that away. If not, then Abed's total Will Graham moment, or Starburn's "Stables." That said, as Hannibal is a Sony property, Harmon couldn't take any real runs at it, which is why the credit sequence was its own thing.

Can't wait for you all to see next week's episode. I actually got see see an advance copy of it. It's something special.

Wooden_Giraffe

Never seen Hannibal, so yeah…
I guess I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had.

Silver R. Bolt

I'm gonna re-watch it tomorrow… but I think this might be my least favorite of the season so far.

Kitsune Inferno

I dunno. If felt like Hannibal, definitely at multiple occasions, but it seemed so… messy. Like, unnecessarily so. It was a good episode, but I didn't exactly care for it. Especially if that was supposed to be a Hannibal parody.

Nex 0

Not a parody. An homage. There is a slight difference.

Personally, this one isn't one of my favorites, but I do think it'll be one that gets better and better with repeated viewing, just because there are a lot (and I mean a looooooot) of little things going on. It'll take at least 3 viewings to catch everything.

Also, how about that wonderful Ben Folds cameo?

Kitsune Inferno

Apparently it's more of a David Fincher send up. So Se7en seems accurate.

Nex 0

@Kitsune:

Apparently it's more of a David Fincher send up. So Se7en seems accurate.

Hannibal ‏@NBCHannibal

@NBCCommunity WE SAW THAT, ABED! #Community
Retweeted by Community

Though yeah, Fincher was a (far) secondary inspiration for the episode. Harmon loves him, but a lot of this stems from his fascination with Hannibal.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@Kitsune:

Apparently it's more of a David Fincher send up. So Se7en seems accurate.

Though really, the credit sequence, while still its own thing, most closely resemble's Se7en's. Unless Harmon pulled something so obscure that it's going above my head, which is entirely possible.

Wooden_Giraffe

I sadly got distracted and missed the credits :(

Nex 0

@project1980:

I don't care how good or bad this episode was I need that ass crack bandit song in my life now.

I think they're planning on releasing it in some form. I think Ben Folds is going to make it available. Don't quote me on that though.

Wooden_Giraffe

@Nex:

I think they're planning on releasing it in some form. I think Ben Folds is going to make it available. Don't quote me on that though.

You were saying?…

Nex 0

@Wooden_Giraffe:

You were saying?…

Boo. Bad joke is bad.

–------------------

http://www.avclub.com/review/basic-intergluteal-numismatics-106823 Looking at the AV Club's review and the comment's section, it seems like no one can really agree on what this was "parodying." It's kind of funny.