Differences between Dan's COMMUNITY and David and Moses' COMMUNITY

[ir3actions]

Some of my friends said that COMMUNITY's Season 4 premiere felt wrong to them. Or at least different. Some of my friends disliked it for feeling wrong, some didn't mind it but did feel the show had changed. I'd be interested in knowing: what did you guys find *different* about the Season 4 premiere compared to the styles of previous episodes?

Comments

[vulturoso]

To be perfectly honest, I didn't like it very much. It felt different. Disjointed. And the sitcom gag seemed extremely forced and out of place.

Also, the Dean's schtick was better was it was subtle, alluded-to. Now they're just sort of screaming at us, "LOOK AT HOW HOMOSEXUAL THIS GUY IS BECAUSE UNICORNS AND SEXY DANCING AND POINTLESS CROSS-DRESSING ISN'T THAT WACKY AND HILARIOUS". He's gone from being a realistic character to an offensive stereotype and it's sad.

There didn't seem to be any motivation for New Jeff and everyone else seemed like pieces in a board game who were just placed further along in the story to keep up with the story (which was... needing to get in to that class?).

Harmon may have been crazy but it produced a quality product. The network effort to make the show more appealing to a wider audience is hurting it.

Anyway... sorry for the rant. I agree, though. Wasn't feeling Community last night, but I'll keep watching.

[ir3actions]

The Dean's sexuality has not been subtle since Season 2

[vulturoso]

No offense, but this basically just repeated a lot things that were obvious already. I know what Abed's sitcom was supposed to represent, and I'm saying it didnt work. I don't need you to explain the characters to me. I understand them. This episode was not enjoyable for me.

[ir3actions]

I'm just curious as to why it works or doesn't work for people. I wonder if it's because the parody material wasn't central. It was weird imagery but it complemented the episode on the fringes of its plot points rather than being the very core of the episode. The parody material could easily be replaced with anything that is significant to Abed's issues, and maybe to some, it feels like empty tokenism? Like it's a story element present because it was in other COMMUNITY episodes, and not because it's integral to this one?

[crittab]

A fucking plus, my friend. A+.

[riversabine]

I totally agree with you! Especially with what you said about the Dean... The entire Hunger Games part really brought him to feeling like a cliche and it was more over the top that it used to be. Their treatment of the Dean's sexuality could be pretty conspicuous before, but it never felt like such a caricature as it did here.

[crittab]

I don't see how it's more over-the-top than walking into a room wearing a flamenco dress, or inappropriately touching an unwilling student every time he walks into a room.

[riversabine]

I don't know... to me, there's a difference between expressing yourself through costume and devolving into a pile of cliches. The former felt authentic to the character, however outlandish it might seem, while the Hunger Games bit felt like a stereotype that the Dean has never been before, at least to me. And the dialogue during the tango felt trite. The costumes seem less over the top, imo, because they've always been an expression of his uniqueness and an illustration of the fact that he's proud to be who he is or at least working to figure it out. As for the touching, it's innocent enough and Jeff doesn't seem to be offended. It would be inappropriate if Jeff confronted the Dean about it and he continued to do it, of course. And as much as I love Jeff, I think it's safe to say he can be pretty narcissistic, so I suspect he finds the attention flattering, even if he doesn't reciprocate the attraction.

[crittab]

I just think people are so over-sensitive right now that anything different is automatically translating as 'bad' or 'wrong.' Personally, I thought the Dean seemed just about the way he always seems. He's done weird things with regards to Jeff before.

I also thought the dialogue for the tango was spot on. It was Jeff lawyering the Dean, and the Dean crumbling, as he is wont to do (like in Conspiracy Theories).

[riversabine]

That might be true about being overly-sensitive... But honestly, I tried to be realistic about this thing feeling kind of different and went into this episode hoping to laugh, but it just didn't happen. It very well may be a mental block because I was a big fan of Dan's sensibilities and knowing how much of a hand he had in this world makes it hard not to wonder what could have been. I'm trying... really, I am. I'm going to see this through to the end and hopefully, I'll like next week more. It would be interesting to know how a more casual fan, unaware of the behind the scenes drama (if they even exist;), felt about this premiere... if they felt like anything had changed. But these things are subjective. It's interesting how we all love the same show, but often for different reasons or in different ways

[crittab]

See, Conspiracy Theories is one of my all-time favourite episodes, and I'm a huge J/A shipper, so we're clearly consuming this show differently, lol :P

[riversabine]

Exactly! And that's totally okay:)