series rewatch discussion post: s03e18 - s03e21
Season 3, Episode 18 - Course Listing Unavailable
While the study group deals with the death of a beloved classmate, Chang finds an opportunity to take control over campus security when the memorial service transforms into a riot.
Season 3, Episode 19 - Curriculum Unavailable
When Abed becomes convinced that there's a conspiracy and Dean Pelton is an imposter, he is required to see a therapist or risk being sent to jail.
Season 3, Episode 20 - Digital Estate Planning
The gang has to help Pierce win a videogame so that he can claim his father's inheritance.
Season 3, Episode 21 - The First Chang Dynasty
The study group plans to rescue Dean Pelton with an elaborate heist during Chang's birthday party.
Reminder: No bashing of other characters, ships or fans. Gifs, graphics, recs and other fan creations in relation to these episodes are encouraged in the comments. Be civil and respectful in all discussions and have fun!
Course Listing Unavailable
Starburns was one of my least favourite bit characters, which isn't to say that I disliked him, I just liked others better. I still really enjoyed that opening scene. It's been a matter of much debate, whether Abed was referencing Evil Jeff as Starburns' lawyer and I've chosen to believe that he was, if only because it makes it more fun for me. Did you guys have an theory as to who the lawyer was? I mean, the description was so specific and took up seconds of precious airtime enough that most people figured it had some kind of relevance.
It's nice that Annie opens up the floor to sharing their grief and Shirley jumps right in... And then there's Britta. I mean, the scene is mostly funny because of Jeff's asides for me, but how can anyone not love Britta? She's so ridiculously well-meaning. I haven't always (read: pretty much not at all) liked how they handled her psychology arc but that's always been on the writers, not on Britta. I especially like how, despite Jeff's snarky put downs, they all ignore him and Troy, in fact, asks for Britta's help. His willingness to open up and to engage with Britta's obviously flawed psychological interventions is one of the reasons that I, personally, love Troy.
It's especially funny that Jeff says Britta seemed smarter than him when he met her - this is a meta commentary on all the people who think Britta was dumbed down, obviously, but as it was discussed a few weeks back... Was Britta ever actually presented as particularly smart? I think she was presented as street smart and worldly wise and intuitive but not all that smart. I do think she presented a more put together and more... Coherent person in S1, though. I wouldn't have guessed S1 Britta didn't know how to pronounce Oedipal complex, would consistently be wrong, or not know what an analogy was. So I see their point even if I think there's a lot more nuance to it. Your feelings?
The following scene does help their case a little, though, doesn't it?
Okay, so I love the Dean scene if only because he's singing to the tune of the Dexy's Midnight Runners' Come On Eileen which is a great song. The Chang threats were just okay for me. Considering this was the big gear up for Chang's plot against the school, I wasn't a huge fan. Chang is a small doses kind of character for me and he got a lot of screentime in these episodes. They tended to be funniest, for me, because of the straight (wo)man's reaction than because of Chang himself. His absurdity played too big and too much because he always came across as unhinged to me. How'd you feel about how Chang was utilised in this run of episodes? And was the reveal of the Dean's closet of costumes new or just new to me?
So who knew Jeff's terrible cry-face would spiral into a speech about Greendale being a "Fallujah of higher learning" and an idictment of the school hating its own students? I, for one, did not but it's not really unexpected. What was unexpected was Annie's turn. I mean, it was absolutely great and something I think is totally in-character for Annie. She's a straight-A student, Type A, who is consumed by her academic schedules and competitive side and here it is, all her hard work, is good for nothing because Greendale is (and is run) largely incomptent. What I really loved was that her speech did more to rouse the student body than Jeff's. It was almost like Jeff's speech provided her permission to go to town? I mean, I think Annie had those feelings and thoughts without Jeff but it's unlikely, in my opinion, that she would have voiced them if he hadn't given a speech first. What do you think? She is, by the way, the sugar to Jeff's spice by the Dean's own admission.
Did you notice that everyone but Britta got a turn at the mic? Oh dear, and there's that classic Greendale riot. Which ends with Jeff, Troy, and Annie on beds in the health centre and Pierce comes up with the solution to pin it all on Chang. I actually thought that entire scene (and the riot) was well done and funny. The contrast of everything and everyone being heightened during the riot to the quiet, patheticness of the health centre was humourous in and of itself, for me, but the exchange between the Dean and the group was on point. Upon deciding their new path, the Dean heads back to his office and let's talk about this briefly - he slips in that he gave Chang an adult massage while Chang was asleep that one time, and guys, I know not everyone cares, but the hints that the Dean engages in non-consensual and problematic behaviour isn't funny to me. It's just creepy and uncomfortable. Just when I was starting to like the Dean unequivocally again!
So the expulsion scene. First off, how did I never notice that they dubbed the Dean's voice onto his doppleganger? Amazing attention to details. Secondly, Jeff was sitting beside Annie! (Imagine a sing-song voice, but I swear, that's the extent of my shippiness here.) I've noticed, but never really paid attention, to Chang's weird mouth-tongue gesture at Annie. It almost seems more like he just had his mouth open and was staring at her but it's obscene because it's Chang. Your thoughts? Was there more motion to that which I missed? Personally, it wouldn't totally surprise me if Chang had a tiny bit of an obsession with Annie since they actually did have some significant interactions in S1. During S2, he was all about Shirley, and in S3, he almost had a thing with Britta (to this day, my favourite crackship). I never quite noticed that pattern.
The apartment scene is great for so many reasons. Abed mentions that he always assumed this was the best timeline but (as demonstrated by VSA?), Abed doesn't always factor in people's motivations, the circumstances, or full empathy properly. Everyone is sinking down into despair; Shirley's about to take a drink, Britta meets the creepy pizza guy, but Troy forestalls the bad decisions by bringing it home with a Winger-esque speech. I think this is one of the first seasons where other people do the Winger speech to cap it all off as frequently as Jeff does. It's nice to see that skill has been shared and the mantle can be passed. Overall, this is what one would call a set up episode, I think, but a lot of stuff happens, so it's not like it's boring or not funny. What're your feelings on what would end up being a pivotal episode in this stretch?
Curriculum Unavailable
Let me just say that Troy's Bagel Bites casserole with deconstructed Hot Pockets reduction and nacho glaze sounds amazing. Supremely unhealthy, but like salt-lover's heaven. I'd be so down to try that even though my stomach is no longer made of teenage iron. Moving along, this is one inconsistency I just noticed - if the Greendale police are tangentially involved in campus crime (Abed was going through the dumpsters at one of the buildings, which would be a security issue unless he was referred to the police, since I doubt they have a special constable assigned to the school), how is Chang's security regime still functioning? Why have no other students reported him or his outsized tactics to outside authorities? It's been two months (according to Shirley) since his reign, after all.
And why would Chang (and the Moby-Dean) want Abed to see a psychiatrist instead of being prosecuted? Being committed to a mental health facility would still leave the rest of the Greendale Seven free... So, it just requires a lot of repression of logic and leaps of faith, is all I'm saying. Of course, it is Chang, so why do I expect a straight forward and reasonable plan? Feel free to spitball in the comments anyway. Making up background stories and inventing fanon and explaining character motives is one of the most fun parts of fandom :)
The scene at the doctor's office... Well, that Robin Williams joke seems oddly insensistive in retrospect, doesn't it? Eesh. Abed's ramp ups that the group describes make sense for the most part - I mean, we knew Abed would freak out over something like the time change, Shirley calling Brett Ratner a master filmmaker is definitely something that would upset a film buff like Abed, and his filming Annie overnight is creepy but not that surprising, right? Side note, I think Annie's wearing the same tanktop she wore back in Cooperative Calligraphy, but don't quote me on that.
They did another clip show but guys, I won't lie, the concept is still fun but I think it started to hit the point of diminishing returns for me. I love the clips which give us little glimpses into the bits of Greendale we don't see and generate a bunch of new AUs that are awesome but I actually think the episode more suffers for me because the Dean (while not present) is the centre of it. I think that just doesn't work as a concept for me? The Dean (as I mentioned in the previous episode) displays too many problematic behaviours for me to be on board with him as a uniting force for our heroes. Jeff has been more forgiving of the Dean this season but I don't think that good will carries as far as the writers or Dan Harmon thought it would. I don't know... How'd you feel about it?
For all that I think the clip show gimmick suffers a bit for me, I really enjoyed the ending takedown of Doctor Heidi. For one, it's not really believable that they would buy the lie (and at a stretch, that they would buy the lie for long) and yet the faux-doctor continue to lie and Troy continues to get into it before the truth finally comes out. It's an episode much like the last in that, it's mostly set up. As per usual, stuff happens but there's no real resolution to anything, just more questions - the real resolution comes during First Chang Dynasty. I mostly liked this episode but I think I'm just tiring of the episodes that have this overarching theme that feels a little drawn out for a show that, in the previous two seasons, didn't usually have such a long, sustained arc. Did you like the increasing serialization of the plot or did you prefer the more episodic elements?
P.S. That end tag was wonderful.
Let's get the tally going:
Abed's "crazy" stories: time change screaming, yelling at Shirley over Brett Ratner, narrating Pierce while eating in a novel, filming Annie without permission overnight.
Britta: on peyote
Annie: doing Troy and Abed in the morning with bears
Jeff: being overly-invested in his jacket
Troy: spending all his money on an ATV, attempting to break the table
Shirley: taking toys from her boys for eating cookies not theirs
Greendale's "crazy" stories: Baby Talk class, human chess match parking, Advanced Breath Holding class, hole in book, party for 10 000th flush, Can I Fry That class, homeless person in study room, Ladders class.
Greendale's "good" stories: Greendale fire, Annie in the same outfit, pizza day, special students in the announcements, film noire paintball.
Chang's "crazy" stories: snorting corn chip crumbles, using Garrett as a precog, tasing his genitals.
Digital Estate Planning
I have to admit right off the bat that this is one of my favourite episodes of the series. Mostly for the concept alone. Those old school video games are the only ones I'm even remotely good at it (you don't want to see me play Angry Birds or Temple Run, I'm bad at those too) so it really calls to the retro-loving, nostalgic nerd in me. That, and it is actually very, very funny. Annie and Jeff dying (there's his protective side?) and Jeff's subsequent anger at Abed are priceless. Apparently, because Jeff was willing to sacrifice himself for a friend, he expected the same behaviour in turn. But considering they didn't know how to help him and Abed can be cutthroat when he wants to be... I'm not sure why Jeff expected that. It was also pretty hilarious to watch Abed calmly wait out Jeff's tantrum. That's in contrast to Troy and Jeff who amuse themselves by hitting each other just a few minutes later.
By the by, does anyone want to take a guess as to how and when Cornelius fashioned the reboot room as the study room? He was eerily accurate despite not having been to Greendale (that we know of) before Advanced Gay, shortly after which he died.
We meet Hilda in this game and it introduces a, and I say this with full awareness of how ridiculous it sounds, new love interest for Abed. I thought it was cute, when I first saw this episode, but I consider it more of a character reveal about Abed now and where he is. In retrospect, it really fits in with his character arc and how's he bottoming out. Abed has been referred to a computer, as lacking empathy, as a robot, etc., numerous times over the course of the series and this season alone. He's far from unintelligent or lacking in self-awareness, and it doesn't truly make sense, nor is it fair, for him to have a fictional video game character as a love interest. What was your read and interpretation of Hilda and Abed?
The pairings here were sort of amazing, weren't they? Shirley and Annie accidentally (okay, Annie) killed the blacksmith but they were scarily effective when it got down to it, weren't they? Then we have Jeff and Britta who were irritating but also, wildly entertaining. Jeff calls Britta out for "playing like a girl" (ugh) and Britta ends up getting a win in discovering the potion brewing room, which I can appreciate. Meanwhile, Troy and Pierce both end up naked. I think I love that bit the most. I can't tell if it's blurred out or if they actually have anatomically correct videogame bodies but that's amazing. The subsequent fight scene is fun and leads into Gilbert being even more ominous.
The episode ends with Pierce and the group forfeiting to Gilbert who had to endure a lot of crap from Cornelius. What did you think of that development? Pierce has backed down a lot on the selfishness and anger of S2 but that's been in part because he just hasn't had as many storylines or as much screen time as he did previously. He was actually, in many instances, quite kind or selfless this season. From the premiere and taking the fall for Jeff, to Annie's move, to giving up his inheritance, Pierce has changed significantly from S2. This is apparently the episode that caused such a kerfuffle - Dan Harmon had scripted a lovely denouement, an emotional moment between Abed and Pierce, which Chevy Chase refused to film and it led to Dan Harmon being an ass and Chevy Chase responding in turn... And of course, we see the results in S4 and Chevy Chase's subsequent departure from the show. Do you think Dan Harmon was struggling to write for Pierce? What are your thoughts on his evolution? Was it in character for him to make such a big concession to Gilbert? Does the behind the scenes drama play out on screen at all? Share your thoughts.
The First Chang Dynasty
I'm glad that the study group initially goes the legal and safe route. It gives them a good basis in reality from which to escalate into absurdity and insanity. Plus, I adore Office Cackowski. Of course, the legal route doesn't work so the study group defaults to their normal methodology which is being ridiculous and planning an elaborate heist. Which, obviously, as a regular viewer of Community I am entirely ready and enthused for. The A/C guy (whose name, weirdly, I've never learned) describes the child guards in a bunch of insulting and really funny ways and the head child guard? He's the kid from the now-cancelled Trophy Wife! He was actually a decent actor and really rather likeable in that role. He plays an irritating teen sycophant to perfection here and it's surprisingly how well the child actors do on the show.
I was surprised at how much I liked the heist conceit here. They go through it twice, if I'm correct; once with the A/C guy laying out how to get to the Dean, twice with Jeff indicating how they'd proceed, and both are just fun for me. Everyone gets a little something to do with Jeff, of course, being the centre of attention and the prime showboater. I was a little surprised that the head child guard was so easily taken in by Britta given that she was using her real name - why would she not make up a fake one? How would he not connect that to the Greendale Seven? Why am I asking these questions? Sigh.
The plumber get ups are great, Ricky Nightshade is, of course, fabulous, as is Britta's costume, and I even thought Shirley pulled off facial hair rather well. Annie gets a little shortchanged in terms of costuming but hey, them's the breaks. Out of curiosity, nobody actually tells Pierce that his swami costume is racist, just that it's horrible, but usually they wouldn't hesitate to do that. Any thoughts as to why? Chang's Napolean shout out was great. When exactly did Chang go full on sociopath, by the way? There's always been a suggestion, since S1, that he was a little disturbed but they're not even vaguely pretending that he's normal any more.
The ending is pretty par for the course. Ritchie and Carl's roles are... I don't even know how to describe them but they're part of the menagerie of bit characters that Greendale loves and they're a good addition. I think I might have died if they were named Lenny and Carl, though, just saying. But Chang runs off, the study group triumphs, and Troy... Troy departs for the A/C school. This episode is not filler, it's not set up. No, this episode finally offers much-needed resolution while setting up next week's finale which addresses both the A/C school and acts as a potential series finale. What did you think about last-minute introduction of Troy beholden to the A/C Repair School? It's a bold choice and a plot twist that mgiht not work if they show didn't have an idea (and finale) in mind. Personally, this episode holds up well on rewatch even though it has never been my favourite. As usual, I'm looking forward to the comments!
Next week, the S3 finale and the beginnning of S4!