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[Reply #360 on:]

Show spoiler

I hope they don't take the cliché route and make it all a hoax, especially since we have Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking.

Doubtful. I admit I'm not as knowledgeable as others in this thread, but didn't Chevy Chase rage quit?

It would be possible for it to still be a hoax without Chevy having to continue any further involvement with the series. Seems very much in the spirit of his character, but hey, who knows?

Also: ASS. CRACK. BANDIT!!!

[Reply #361 on:]

Clearly Chevy is still willing to work for the show. According to an interview with Dan Harmon, when he asked him to do the bit for the season premiere he was thrilled and immediately agreed. He's contractually not able to film on set with the rest of the cast, so they filmed him on a separate sound stage (hence why he was a hologram). So I don't think Chevy is that bitter.

[Reply #362 on:]

I'm almost done season 4, and I have to say I don't get the hate Some of these episodes have an emotional depth and resonance the previous seasons didn't have, like the Jeff's Dad episode, and Britta Dance, that one particularly

[Reply #363 on:]

I'd agree that season 4 is underrated, though suggesting any episode within is has MORE emotional depth/resonance than the Harmon years is just absurd. The main problem with season 4 is how hollow and cartoony the characters are, coupled with the fact that she show constantly just feels like something trying to be what Community once was, as opposed to being its own genuine thing.

The episode with Jeff's dad was a good example of this, especially seeing how carelessly the show ended up handling a plot point it'd been brewing up for years (though I did get a kick out of the brother); more so if you ever read Harmon's ideal casting for the role. Herstory of Dance (the Britta one you mentioned) is probably my favourite episode of the season, though - I'm with you on that one.

[Reply #364 on:]

I think the general consensus was that Herstory of Dance was considered the best episode of season four as dictated by me and no one else.

[Reply #365 on:]

Personally I'd have to say Basic Human Anatomy, although Herstory Of Dance was a close second. I also really enjoyed the Thanksgiving episode with Jeff's dad, although I didn't think it was amazing.

I honestly don't get the hate for season 4 either. I do think it was easily weaker than any of the previous seasons, but not by an insane amount. I think the main difference between season 4 and the rest of the show is that season 4 wasn't transcendently good and didn't have the awesome running story arcs that the other seasons did, but I still thought it was strong television and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Honestly Dan Harmon's absence didn't affect the show in the way I thought it would, it still felt like the same show to me and the writing felt consistent...it's just that none of the episodes managed to reach the orgasmic energy of what the show had accomplished before, especially after the amazingness that was the third season's closing story arc. That said, based on the three episodes we've gotten of season 5 so far, I'm not sure I can say that Dan Harmon or Chris McKenna were at all the factors that really made the show pop, since none of them were that much stronger than what we saw in season four in my opinion. We'll have to wait and see though.

[Reply #366 on:]

Basically, in season 4, all of the emotion felt incredibly soppy and contrived as opposed to being remotely organic and most of the jokes sucked.

Plus, to be honest, I don't really like many of the characters in this show. I don't watch it for their story; I watch it for the stories that the canvas that is the characters allows to be told.

[Reply #367 on:]

Season 4 failed as a whole. There's no real flow throughout the episodes and this becomes apparant upon rewatching. I'm worried that may be the case with the current season too, the latest episode felt detached from the previous. Perhaps it can be blamed on the 13-episode season, and I believe a lower budget.
In seasons 1-3, I would almost always find something new in the background that I didn't notice before. That did not happen much in season 4.
Watching the episodes individually, eg. turning on the TV and Community is on, they seem to work because there's no investment in the story on my part.

[Reply #368 on:]

I remember somewhere in season four there is a setup in a scene where something should have been happening in the background because there was enough room in the frame to focus on it while the prominent scene took place but nothing happened and I found that really disorienting for the kind of show that Community is.

[Reply #369 on:]

CAN YAS ALL SHADDUP ABOUT SEASON 4 ALREADY THERE WAS A GAS LEAK! GAWWD!

[Reply #370 on:]

"Troy and Abed are in mourning!!!"

[Reply #371 on:]

That made me laugh so damn hard.

Also, I now know what to give to my friends when I die.

[Reply #372 on:]

You're willing to kill Chevy Chase just for his sperm?

This episode made me realize how much I love "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" and for that I am sadder because that has to be my favorite episode and this was not nearly as good.

[Reply #373 on:]

I'd always thought this show was stupid, but I recently decided to give it a chance, and I actually like it. The little bits of it that I'd seen before made it look bad, but I guess it's best not to judge a show until you've at least watched one whole episode.

[Reply #374 on:]

Abed was the only person who didn't get a second gift! Just sperm.

Also, I agree that it wasn't quite as good as Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking. Though, the whole "revelations of secrets" thing was at least handled better than the puppet episode from last year. Plus, anything with Walton Goggins is automatically enjoyable.

[Reply #375 on:]

I liked the premise of the episode and what they did with it...I guess you could say I enjoyed it. But there were a few things that really bothered me about it.

The main thing was how much shit Abed took...it felt mean-spirited to me. Especially when he was asked if he cared about others' feelings and couldn't answer. Even though Abed is disordered, he's still clearly shown as caring for other people's feelings throughout the show. Virtual Systems Analysis was all about him learning to utilize empathy better, and that episode felt too significant to me for the show to just ignore and decide to reset Abed to a robot again.

[Reply #376 on:]

Also the contradiction that when Troy makes his decision and Abed says "...Cool" and it's a lie.
Wasn't really a fan of it, it just seemed like an extended argument episode.

[Reply #377 on:]

I wanted to like this episode more than I did. The very end goodbyes were really touching and I think Jonathan banks kind of stole the show. My biggest problem was that it wasn't all that funny and seemed kind of like a rehashing of past episodes, which a lot of this season has felt like

[Reply #378 on:]

I thought it was great, but I have to agree that season 5 largely feels like they're just doing the same schtick that they did in their best episodes of the past.

I honestly don't know what else they have left that they can do as all the obvious genre parodies have been ticked off, though. And there are strong hints that we're getting another Dungeons and Dragons episode this season, too.

But yeah, it was basically just another paintball episode.

[Reply #379 on:]

Totally agreed. I really enjoyed the episode and thought it was a lot of fun, but there wasn't much original here at all. A standout episode for the season so far, but not for the show.

Also, Dan Harmon has confirmed another Dungeons And Dragons episode. But considering there's a lot of things they can do with that premise, I'm excited for it.

[Reply #380 on:]

Pretty much agree with everything said about this episode so far. Entertaining, enjoyable, nothing the show hasn't done before, but the final scene(s) were a great send-off for Troy nonetheless.

[Reply #381 on:]

This episode made me feel less depressed. Then the ending made me feel depressed again, but still less depressed than where I started.

So, yeah, I really enjoyed it.

[Reply #382 on:]

I found it interesting that Britta said it to be the last time for a year (maybe more), they'd see Troy. Trying not to read too much into it, I'm wondering if it was supposed to be meta or not.
The "Troy and Abed in a bubble" thing is getting overused, but that was probably the last time this season.

Yes, they have done episodes like this before, but I liked them doing this while they still could include Troy. Instead of the "everyone does as much as they can to get the prize" feeling a la paintball episodes with trust issues etc. (although it was the incentive to do it), this had more of the feeling reflected in Abed reluctance to quit playing. It was something the writers took the last chance of doing before adapting to the new dynamic.

_{Saw an older episode on TV the other day. I didn't know it when I saw the recent (s05e03), but Annie actually mentioned the Ass Crack Bandit during one of here speeches in the election episode.}

[Reply #383 on:]

Ass Crack Bandit's been going for a while, and it was the Election episode.  More layers than an onion, this thing.

I've been loving Season Five so far, I'm glad that Brie Larson came back for Abed (I kinda have a nerd crush on her since Scott Pilgrim), and there's a blink and you'll miss it allusion to Troy towards the end of it, which was excellent.   The tag with John Oliver was great too.

[Reply #384 on:]

Ya, I enjoyed this new one quite a bit. Feels like the season has finally settled into a groove now that the Troy business is done with.

[Reply #385 on:]

Now wanting to go back to Season 4 trashing, because I actually quite enjoyed it.  But I'm enjoying this season more.  I like that Lava is the new Paintball, and just the general feel of this season, regardless of who's in or out, I'm kinda digging on.

[Reply #386 on:]

God, I love this show so much. A couple days ago I finished my rewatch of all 90 episodes over 13 days, and I immediately wanted to start watching through the series again.

Please never end. Or at least gets your 6 seasons (and hopefully a movie.)

While I thought season 4 was good, it was definitely missing a huge presence in Dan Harmon. I'm glad he's back, but I want an extra season to make up for the one he wasn't apart of.

So... 7 seasons and a mini-series?

[Reply #387 on:]

I'd read that Dan Harmon's idea for the movie was at the end of Season 5 they all go away *somewhere*, and in Season 6 whatever happens after they go away has an effect on the group, and they're dealing with the consequences.   And the movie, is their adventure, so we find out what happened when they went away.

This weeks was good, not vintage, but I enjoyed Duncan Vs Jeff for Britta's affections, and it was difficult to have Abed as Kickpuncher without Troy.

[Reply #388 on:]

Yeah, I was wondering if they're going to have an episode showing Abed missing having Troy in his life. The Lava episode was pretty emotional, especially for Abed, but there hasn't been any mention of Troy yet.

[Reply #389 on:]

You clearly missed the news ticker at the end of the Notice Board episode.

[Reply #390 on:]

I don't mean a mention from the show, I meant from his friends in the study group. I don't count the news ticker.

[Reply #391 on:]

http://jimtheduck.tumblr.com

[Reply #392 on:]

What the hell?

[Reply #393 on:]

What the hell?

I second this.

[Reply #394 on:]

PUBLISHERS ARE INTERESTED!!

[Reply #395 on:]

I'll give you 4 meowmeowbeanz just for that...

And I feel like watching Logans Run....

[Reply #396 on:]

I actually got a bit more of a 1984/Brave New World type of vibe from this one.

Quite possibly my favourite episode of season 5 so far, and the boldest Community has been in a while.

[Reply #397 on:]

I think I might actually try to get into this show, when/if I finish watching Arrested Development, which I plan to start watching soon.  I watched a bit of Community when it first came out, but have never even touched Arrested Development.  I've heard great things about both, so I'm looking forward to this. 

[Reply #398 on:]

I loved this week's episode.

My only real complaint with season 5, thus far, had been that all of the high-concept episodes were just retreading old episodes of the show. As good as the 2nd bottle episode and the lava game that was basically just paintball were, I couldn't help but feel as if the show had run out of original ideas and I couldn't conceive of anything they had left to spoof, which worried me further.

This episode was exactly what I needed. High-concept, original, not just a sequel to an older episode and really, really funny.

[Reply #399 on:]

For this show and this week's episode.