Give Me the Hope to Run Out of Steam
MY SHOW IS BACK! :D :D :D :D :D :D
Ahem. That is to say, Community is back with Dan Harmon at the helm again, and I am beyond pleased. Say what you like about Harmon, he is undoubtedly a difficult man to work for/with, but Community just was not the same without him. Season 4 was like the cover song version of Community, and not a cover song that had the balls to do something new and different, or a cover song that lent a new depth to the original, but a cover song that tried to stick too closely to the original to its detriment. Season 4 was okay, but it was missing whatever inchoate all-encompassing thing Harmon brings to Community. In contrast, the first two episodes of the fifth season just burst with life and affection, balancing the knife edge of hilarity and darkness that Harmon is so good at. A few brief notes:
This entry was originally posted at http://yasaman.dreamwidth.org/445180.html, with
comments there.
Ahem. That is to say, Community is back with Dan Harmon at the helm again, and I am beyond pleased. Say what you like about Harmon, he is undoubtedly a difficult man to work for/with, but Community just was not the same without him. Season 4 was like the cover song version of Community, and not a cover song that had the balls to do something new and different, or a cover song that lent a new depth to the original, but a cover song that tried to stick too closely to the original to its detriment. Season 4 was okay, but it was missing whatever inchoate all-encompassing thing Harmon brings to Community. In contrast, the first two episodes of the fifth season just burst with life and affection, balancing the knife edge of hilarity and darkness that Harmon is so good at. A few brief notes:
- Even as lampshaded as it was, I found myself surprisingly affected by how closely Repilot echoed the Pilot, and the ways that repetition gained depth and richness. I was briefly worried that Harmon was pressing the reset button on Jeff's character and the study group's journey together, but I should have known better. What I've always loved about Harmon's version of this show and these characters is that they're all flawed people struggling against their baser impulses, and they always manage to overcome and live with those flaws and impulses. I think last season didn't quite manage that, and it made the sentimentality feel cheap and unearned. Harmon's sentimentality can feel that way too sometimes, but he hits more often than he misses because he maintains a perfect balance of hope and darkness.
- AHAHAHA GAS LEAK. Nice save, Harmon.
- Oh man, I was so pleased to see so many Greendale regulars back on my screen. Garrett! Magnitude! Leonard! Neil! :D
- ALSO PROFESSOR PROFESSORSON OMG. I may have actually shrieked PROFESSOR PROFESSORSON! out loud when he was on screen. Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design is my favorite episode, okay? And I really love Professor Professorson aka Professor Garrity.
- Perfect, sparing use of Chang. I'm glad it seems like they're dialing back on the Chang nonsense.
- I laughed out loud a lot, particularly at Abed's Nicolas Cage meltdown.
- Awww, Shirley/Abed bonding moment.
- And back to basics with the Jeff/Annie relationship! Introduction to Teaching was great for my favorite Jeff/Annie dynamic of Annie basically forcing Jeff to be a better person.
- That was a surprisingly dark stinger there, Introduction to Teaching.
- I did not miss Pierce at all.
This entry was originally posted at http://yasaman.dreamwidth.org/445180.html, with
comments there.