(no subject)
WARNING: This is both image heavy and rambly taking heavy
So... I really love Britta Perry. A lot. A know a lot of people assume that since I ship Jeff and Annie like I have some terrible disease and the only cure is Jeff/Annie makeout scenes, that I hate Britta. But I don't. In fact, the reason I DON'T ship Britta with Jeff is because I like her so much. Which is surprising, considering when the series started she was my least favorite character. But there's a reason for that. So join me, on my journey from hating Britta to love Britta, the evolution through season 1.
Britta started out the series with what I've come to call "Mandy Hampton Syndrome". It's when a character is conceived and written solely to be the foil/reluctant love interest of the show's main character. Their personality traits are created solely to conflict with the main characters, so that said main character has to work harder for the romantic interest's attention. The name comes from probably my least favorite character in the history of television, Mandy Hampton. Mandy was created with the sole purpose of being Josh's romantic interest. Look! They used to date! Look, they fight a lot! Adorable! Oh, she's so mouthy and opinionated! And she listens to rock music and she ignores cops! What a badass! They even created a job for her in the West Wing that wasn't really needed. The problem with characters written like this is that they hardly ever work. They aren't created to be their own character, they're made and written to compliment the main character. And who wants to watch a person who exists solely for another person like that? Besides, the most interesting romances on the tv are the ones that come out of nowhere, that are unexpected. Which is why Josh and Donna worked so much better than Josh and Mandy, and which is why Jeff and Annie work better than Jeff and Britta. When things look like they're supposed to be perfect together, they so rarely are. And you can't force chemistry.
In the end, Mandy was so hated that The West Wing dealt with her in a way I have never seen a show end a character before. She simply disappeared between seasons. There was no time gap whatsoever. She just ceased to exist, like she got sucked up by the crack in the universe from Doctor Who. She was LITERALLY NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN. They never even had a quick line of dialogue like, "Hey, I know things were hectic after the shooting, but where's Mandy been?" Which could have been answered with either, "Oh, she decided to go back to her old job" or "She was shot and killed at Rosslyn and nobody cared." They just never mentioned her. Ever again. I think it was the smartest thing Aaron Sorkin ever did.
So, starting with the Pilot, let's look at Britta's sad case of Mandy Hampton Syndrome, so that we can better understand how she overcame it.
Mandy Hampton Syndrome
The Pilot was the most egregious episode.
Look, she's a loner! You can tell because she's sitting on the steps alone. She doesn't like Jeff because he's a slacker and she's not. She dropped out of high school and listens to Radiohead. And she smokes! WHAT A BADASS. And who I just realized that in that last pic she looks a bit like Evangeline Lilly and maybe that sort of wriggled its way into my subconscious and helped in my early Britta-hatred, because the only television character I hate almost as much as I hate Mandy Hampton is Kate Austen.
I actually had issues with the early episodes of season one of Community, to the point where I was almost sure I was going to hate it. While the Pilot is perfect in a way, in the way it brings together its characters not in an "everyone is wonderful and loves each other" way, but in a "these people are really messed up and might not be good for each other, but for better or worse, they're in it together now" way, it's bad in another way. The Romance way. It was like "Hey, here's an awesome group of people for you to spend time with! And, oh yeah, here's the required romance that we're forcing on you. Sorry." Britta's cool. Britta can see through Jeff's bullshit. Britta's so cool and so good that she's going to make Jeff Winger a better man. Except for the fact that, as of the pilot, she's not really a character or a person, just a composite of badass cliches.
My Britta ire died down a bit with episodes 2 and 3, where I merely found her uninteresting. Then came Social Psychology, which is actually a REALLY good episode. Annie/Abed/Troy shenanigans, Jeff and Shirley being hilarious. The only thing wrong with it is Britta and her behavior that doesn't make sense.
Britta's irrational and, I'm just going to be honest about how I feel here, somewhat detestable behavior in this episode is actually really frustrating, because with this episode they really started to give her HUMAN qualities and HUMAN issues that weren't just "badass hipster" qualities someone found a list of online. Britta's relationship-phobic, she runs away and self-destructs when things get serious. Unfortunately, as they were giving her these very real qualities, they weren't presenting them as normal flaws that make her human. They were presented as, "Hey, here's some more stuff that makes Britta adorably quirky."
And her behavior toward Jeff makes NO SENSE in this episode. She rejected any kind of romantic relationship with him because he's not good enough for her, then starts up what's basically a friends with benefits type relationship with Vaughn, has no problem not only flaunting it in front of Jeff, but also ASKING HIS ADVICE ON IT, despite the fact that she KNOWS he still has a thing for her and that this is awkward for both of them, and then has the nerve to get mad at him for messing it up. Grrr....
And then there was the double dose of dumb that was Advanced Criminal Law ("I'm so used to failing that I sabotage myself!") and Football, Feminism and You ("I don't understand how to behave with women because I got boobs early!"). The latter is actually one of my very favorite episodes, and really, Britta's storyline isn't bad. It's just her reasoning that is. And it's the continuation of the trend of giving Britta human flaws, but presenting them as "REASONS TO LOVE BRITTA!" rather than "this is a thing that makes a human very messed up."
The Softening Begins
And then I started softening toward Britta a bit. Right about here...
Yeah. All Britta had to do was put on a way-too-big, incredibly unflattering, completely adorable squirrel costume and I started to get a little "Awww, Britta". But it's not just because of the costume. In Introduction to Statistics, she has what I think is her first TRULY human moment in the series, and it's so subtle that it's easy to miss and that I forgot to cap it. It's after she's talking to Annie, saying how she hates how some women use Halloween to show off their bodies, only to see that Annie's costume is deceptively sexy. She gives her costume this little insecure look. And I LOVE that moment. It's not some big tearful "POOR BRITTA" speech where she confesses to being insecure about her body. It's just one simple tiny, honest moment.
And then something happened with the writing. I don't know if Dan Harmon and his team were doing it intentionally, if they maybe started noticing that some fans had more fun making fun of Britta than feeling sorry for her, or if it was all just a coincidence. But starting with Home Economics, storylines started popping up with Britta being used, hilariously and affectionately, as a punching bag.
Oh, how I love Home Economics. I would be lying if I said that I don't listen to Gettin' Rid of Britta at least once a week. While I'm glad that Annie and Vaughn happened because she needed that relationship to mature her, I kind of wish it hadn't happened, because I would have loved for Vaughn to stay sad and angry and have an epic rivalry with Pierce and Britta. But, anyhoo...
This episode showcased the most important thing about Britta's character... she's at her funniest when she's being made fun of. And it did this because there was this storyline of her being made fun of being run along a Jeff/Britta storyline of her "empowering" him or some bullshit. The former works brilliantly. The latter. Not so much. Although I do like Britta's line when Abed says she needs to "take Jeff back". "Never had him, don't want him. Especially now. He's got a real Phil Spector vibe going on."
Another thing that's good for Britta's character is putting her with the girls. The ladies always shine together, and the show still doesn't do it enough. Politics of Human Sexuality has some lame Jeff/Britta stuff (that last scene makes me roll my eyes). But when she gets together with the girls to break into the Dean's office so that Annie can practice putting a condom on a fake penis, Britta becomes kind of lovable.
I don't know why I find Britta's inability to pick the lock so endearing, but I do. Maybe it's because it's like the writers are telling us she's not as bad as she wants us to think. And I have no idea why she's so excited about seeing the fake penis. I mean, I get it with Shirley. She's the good Christian housewife so the whole thing is exciting to her. But Britta? Okay, she may not be as bad as she wants us to think, but I think she's had enough experience that the prospect of a fake penis shouldn't be that exciting. But the fact that it is makes me like her even more.
I like the look on her face when they're getting caught. Like, she's surprised, but not really, because she's used to getting caught. Because she sucks at crime. Just like she sucks at everything else.
And it's a really small moment, but I love the look on her face and the "you go girl!" when Annie stands up for herself and her repressed sexuality. It seems really genuine, because even though it's obviously not a world view Britta agrees with, she's friends with Annie and she's proud that her friend is standing up for herself. It's another small moment, but I think it speaks volumes about her character, because it's one of the first times her behavior toward her friends is completely unselfish.
After holiday hiatus, thing really started to change with Britta. The writers had clearly reassessed her character and recognized that the flaws they had given her didn't make her some super cool hipster stereotype, but rather a goofy, lovable, flawed human.
The first episode back from break, Investigative Journalism, started a trend with Britta's character where she didn't necessarily have her own individual storyline, but where she was deeply involved in the main storyline.
And it also started the trend of the group making fun of her every chance it got. This is my favorite tend.
Britta suggests maybe she'll be like Jeff and take it easy. The study group thinks that's hilarious.
Britta also has an irrational hatred of Shirley's friend Gary (though we later find out that EVERYONE hates Gary). She thinks he's a buzzkill. Boy is that word going to come back to haunt her in the future.
Britta's face at the possibility of Gary joining the study group is one of the best things in the history of ever.
And then we get a very Britta-centric episode with Interpretive Dance. I'm torn on this episode for many reasons. I like the dance storyline, and that Britta wants so badly to dance is something very endearing about her (and I love the fact that EVEN ANNIE laughs at her for it is hilarious. Damn it, I wish I had capped that). And while the episode didn't make me ship it then, like it did for so many, now that I do ship Britta/Troy it one that I really enjoy going back to. But it makes the mistake of tacking on some Britta/Jeff angst of Britta thinking that maybe now she wants Jeff now that she can't have him. Jeff/Britta sucks. It sucks even worse when it's angst.
But she does have this moment that I adore.
Shirley makes a comment about how Jeff and Britta should just get together and that they're so jaded, and uses the phrase "you people". To which Britta responds, "Ooh, 'you people'? What do you mean 'you people'?..... CANNOT believe I got to say that."
The Episode (and moment) That Changed Everything
Romantic Expressionism is my favorite episode. I think it is absolutely perfect. Every storyline works, every character is dead on. It has the best scene of the series (the epic study table staredown) and what is still my favorite Jeff/Annie moment. And it's the episode where I realized that, holy shit, I love Britta Perry.
Well, I realized that eventually. Initially, before the epic study group staredown that ended in confirmation that yes, Jeff/Annie is canon and, no, they're not going anywhere, it really felt like this episode was shoving dad!Jeff down my throat and telling me I was wrong for shipping J/A. So as I was watching the episode I hated it. But then I rewatched it.
And this happened. These are all big pictures because that's how important the moment is.
Annie asks Britta if it would be okay if she went out with Vaughn. Britta (sort of) gives Annie the okay. Annie says that Britta is the coolest girl she's ever met, to which Britta responds with "Give me some fivesies."
Which she then turns into a snake.
To which my brain replied with "What is she doing? What a dork!" But I had a huge smile on my face, and the tone of those two sentences in my brain was affectionate. I had fallen in love with Britta Perry, and I'd only just now realized it.
Even Annie, who not 30 seconds ago called Britta the coolest girl she'd ever met, thinks she's a dork.
So, yeah, that moment really solidified Britta for me. But she's great in the whole episode, so let's take some looks.
Hands pressed against the glass while she and Jeff are spying on Troy. ADORABLE.
"Chemistry. Sexy. You know what else is sexy? Annie."
The only thing better than Britta's complete lack of subtlety in this scene is Troy's response.
"I KNOW chemistry is sexy..."
"I'm not that cool! I'm not Juno, okay, homeslice."
In trying to explain how cool she isn't, she misquotes Juno. She fails to correctly express her failure. She fails at failing.
And thus the new Britta was born. The sweet and earnest girl who thinks she understand everything but really doesn't, who genuinely cares so much but fails so often. The butt of the joke, but in the sweetest way. The Britta who thinks she's ahead the trends, but is actually so far behind that she's never heard of Robocop. The Britta I came to love.
The Britta I Love
Physical Education is a really great episode all about just being who you are. So you'd think it would be Britta centric, but it's not. It's Jeff and Abed centric, which is PERFECT because it allows for this hilarious side story for Britta. She pronounces the word 'bagel' wrong.
And she gets haughty about it, too. "Uh, I lived in New York Troy. I know how to pronounce 'baggil'. Even funnier is that Troy clearly thinks this is the funniest thing EVER.
After a speech from Abed, Britta decides she doesn't care if they make fun of her, she's going to say 'bagel' her way. Troy still thinks it's the funniest thing he's ever heard.
They gang continues to mock her, and Britta tries to smile through the pain.
And that above picture is kind of the thesis of this essay thing. The reason I love Britta Perry. The combination of heartbreak and hilarity in one shot.
And then came Basic Genealogy. Already a favorite of mine for the Jeff/Annie goodness, it's become ever more of a favorite to me since I started shipping Britta and Troy. (As I'll talk about in the season 2 spam, despite awesome episodes like this and Interpretive Dance, I didn't start shipping them until the small, almost nothing moments in Basic Rocket Science and Mixology Certification). This is a pretty epic Britta episode, and I'm glad she had this misadventure with Troy and not Jeff.
Britta thinks Troy should cherish his horrible grandmother, because one day she won't be here anymore. Troy really wants that last part to be true. "I want to believe you're right, but you never quite are."
And then she inadvertently calls Troy's grandmother a homewrecker and a harlot. Only Britta. Only Britta.
I love how proud she looks here.
I've spent a bit of time wondering about whether or not Britta is just PRETENDING to be enthusiastic about this to save face, or if she just doesn't know what's going to happen to her. For a long time I really thought it was the former, and it certainly is in the end once she finally knows what she's in for. But I think before that point she genuinely has no clue. She clearly grew up in more of a peaceful environment (as Annie puts it, "It's clear from your name your parents smoked pot." ) so I believe that she really had no idea what she was in for. And yeah, maybe some of it was willful ignorance, because Troy was trying to tell her, but she wouldn't listen. But I really think she had no clue what she was getting into.
And here's why I think that. She PROUDLY presents her switch, then offers her hand for it's beating, and when Scary Grandma tells her to bend over, she TURNS HER HAND OVER. And the look on her face doesn't say "I don't want to do this." It says, "I honestly can't fathom that."
But Britta is proud. And this happens.
The combination of Britta's screams and Troy's cries of, "I don't understand you, Britta! I don't understand you at all!"
I'm really glad it was Troy with Britta in this episode and not Jeff, and I think this episode is a great example of why Troy is so much better for Britta than Jeff is. If it had been Jeff with her he would have mocked her incessantly, to the point where even after getting her ass whupped, she wouldn't admit that she was wrong. Troy just kind of quietly followed her, pointing out how ridiculous her behavior was, but never cruelly, and then just kind of waiting for her to learn from her mistake. And in the end, she tells him he was right.
And then came The Science of Illusion, the MOST EPIC Britta episode of the season, which showcases all her dorkiness and her failings in the most hilarious way.
Everyone thinks Britta is a buzzkill (told you that word would come back to haunt her) because she doesn't like that they're playing a joke at Pierce's expense. But even Pierce thinks she's a buzzkill
Britta is SO FREAKING ADORABLE here, all excited about her really lame prank. I love her plan because it's so dumb. She explains it to Jeff, who has a completely appropriate non-reaction. Britta, in an adorably patronizing way, thinks that Jeff doesn't get it, and explains the obvious. "The frog is Chang!". Jeff again has an appropriate reaction because of the not funny nature of the prank (Actually, it would have been pretty funny, since we find out later in the episode that Chang is terrified of frogs, but that wouldn't be the funny that Britta planned.) Britta gets pissy and gloriously overdramatic, telling Jeff that her prank will cause a sea of laughter, and that he'll drown in it.
"Tell me that's not funny." Oh, Britta. It's not.
But your prank does become a lot funnier...
...when the frog attacks her and she accidentally pushes a body out of the window and then kills the frog.
Later in the episode what is perhaps my favorite Britta factoid is revealed.
She dresses her cats. When Jeff confronts her about this she defends herself, saying that the tie makes him "formal."
I love that tidbit because it's so NOT the Britta we were introduced to at the beginning of the season, that too cool for Jeff Winger loner. She may be a loner, but she's not too cool for anybody.
And then Britta admits she's a buzzkill, in what I think is her crowning moment.
"Knock knock. Who's there? Cancer! Oh, good, come on in! I thought it was Britta!"
I end the season of Britta moments I love with an episode that actually ends up being pretty embarrassing for her (and Jeff). But it has two great moments for her, and one of the scenes helps me with a point I have to make.
First of all, Britta and her cats.
Britta's cat has died, so she needs to get a new one. But this is Britta Perry we're talking about. She's not just going to get some kitten. No. She's going to get a cat that NEEDS her.
Which is why she's knitting a teeny tiny eye patch.
When you're in your late 20s and your 30s and you're feuding with a trio of high schoolers, what do you do? "YOU NEED TO BANG THAT KID'S MOM!"
It's Britta at her worst, at her most underhanded, and it just makes me love her more.
But it's also a really good example of why Britta and Jeff having an ACTUAL romantic relationship would be terrible for both of them. They bring out the absolute worst in each other. And yeah, in general that's never good. But if that's just happening when they're friends, then the worst that really happens is something like this. A spat with high schoolers. Think of how bad it would be if they were dating.
I also firmly believe that Britta would have made this exact same suggestion, and Jeff would have rolled with it, if they had been romantically involved at the time.
Okay, that's it for season one. Stay tuned for season 2.