welcome to the new people on my flist! there's
an intro post here that gives a little bit of background info on me and my fandoms. ♥
I don't talk a lot about Community here, but it's mostly because every week my review would be I LOVE THIS SHOW, LET ME TELL YOU WHY I LOVE THIS SHOW except the past few episodes. But this week reminded me that I REALLY REALLY LOVE THIS SHOW. So, you know, let me tell you why I love this show.
I have absolutely zero idea what this episode looked like to a casual viewer, but as a fan, it paid off big time. While sometimes I may wish that Harmon would take a tiiiiny step back from fandom (I don't even think there was a 4th wall to begin with, tbh), it's obvious that TPTB of this show appreciate and pay attention to their fanbase, which makes things like this episode so totally rewarding to watch.
What other show is going to base their entire middle section off a single Jeff/Annie vid? I mean what show does that. I can't even, I really can't. S2 has had its ups and downs, but for me, this is one of the best episodes of the series.
Things I loved:
+everything. no really, there's wasn't an aspect of this episode I didn't enjoy. But if I must break it down further:
+the things that have parts of fandom divided: the shipper montage and Jeff and Britta sleeping together secretly throughout the season.
First of all, called it yo. I knew they were sleeping together on the sly, the dirty birds, and I loved their bad porn holiday hookups (dinosaur costumes, claymation, and leprauchans oh my).
Secondly, I still cannot believe that they put a jeff/annie vid parody in the middle of the episode. The longing looks! The...jump roping! And Jeff having chemistry with everyone! (Including Shirley, and I think it's option #2: he's sexually intdimated). oh show.
I don't ship anything on this show unless it's Me/Community OTP, so I'm not feeling shirty about whether the episode invalidated or mocked my couple or not. Personally, I don't think it changed anything. Jeff and Britta are clearly emotional idiots who bolted the minute their thing became closer to a "real" relationship now that it was no longer secret, and I think the J/A shipper montage was more gentle poking fun than anything. Basically, what I took away from all this is that Pierce/Abed and Chang/Annies Boobs are endgame. And I will fight you to the death if you say different. >:[
But the shippy stuff was like .1 of my enjoyment, so MOVING ON TO MORE AMAZING PARTS
+ The Winger speech. The Winger Speech to end all Winger Speeches. It's a locomotive that runs on US. Super sharp editing, and the music over it was perfect. &ludwig;
+SING A LING LONG SING A LING LONG SING SING SING.
+CHANG. Okay, I have not been the biggest Chang fan this season. I think he works much much better in the antagonist role than the sad sack crazy Charlie Brown he's got going on now. He's better outside the group, and oh my god, do I not want Shirley's baby to be his. But, but, this episode was a good use of Chang and of Ken Jeong. That flash over to him rubbing himself with butter made me laugh for a solid straight minute. So did the monkey slapping him, and his scream when AB took the spoon.
+PIERCE. Much like with Chang, I've been growing frustrated with Pierce this season. I think it's another case where the show just doesn't know what to do with him. But tonight, he was probably the funniest part of the show. I am a living God. HOW DARE YOU? Troy, drop me a beat.
And randomly dressing like a hot dog. hahaha.
+the RL Abed's Christmas. This was exactly what I wanted after that episode, so thank you thank you show.
+SAH-MORES. SAH-MORES. FEAST YOUR EAR TONGUES ON THESE MEMORY POPS. HUMANITY IS PREMIERING, YOU JAGS. WE GOT A BRAND NEW BUS DRIVER. oh Britta, you are my favorite.
+Pierce picking up his little sombrero from the pilot that AB stole. Shirley's everpresent purse. Chang standing on the outside of the diorama.
+The Dean. Perfect, perfect, with the costumes and the end tag. Shooting Troy and Abed with rainbows and butterflies and Jeff having a ~crush~ on the Dean. What show makes an entirely new cartoon for their end tag? One where the Dean turns into a superhero and then kills everyone? WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD TO ME, COMMUNITY?
+Abed and The Cape. And his Save The Cape t-shirt. ♥
+and some critics are complaining that it didn't have enough heart, but man, just seeing the study group hanging out and having adventures outside of class, having all these Winger speeches and stupid arguments and decorating Shirley's nursery, honestly made me a little emotional. I love all these ridiculous characters.
And I think I got all the events:
-Same event: the camping and habitat for humanity (same outfits)
-Same event: Jeff/Britta hooking up and the rafting (same hats and the raft paddle)
-Same event: The bed bugs and the drug cartel (looks like same location)
-the haunted house
-the western town
-the shark catching adventure (where troy has a massive wound apparently I just noticed on replay )
-the locomotive
-free caesar salad day
So we need fic for all of these, obvs.