tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post932878029660681524..comments2024-03-24T03:19:39.745-04:00Comments on Just About Write: 5x13 "Basic Sandwich" (I'll Be A Story in Your Head)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-76386277700821182862015-01-08T23:54:11.184-05:002015-01-08T23:54:11.184-05:00That makes perfect sense! And I agree with you com...That makes perfect sense! And I agree with you completely - they have used it but too fleetingly, in my opinion. Why not maximise something so naturally fantastic? I get that they don't want a single relationship to run the show but this thing shouldn't be hidden and pulled out occasionally. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-28912681507298157032015-01-07T14:11:34.958-05:002015-01-07T14:11:34.958-05:00You're welcome! Oh, anon, you and I wonder the...You're welcome! Oh, anon, you and I wonder the exact same thing. The thing is that they HAVE used the Jeff/Annie chemistry to anchor episodes (think Conspiracy Theories; Intro to Political Science; Basic Lupine Urology) but have always baited the viewers into shipper moments rather than developing an actual story between them, if that makes sense.<br /><br />Yeah, I won't hold my breath for season six but I suppose we will just have to see how everything plays out and whether that revelation is pursued or dropped altogether.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-13642133077202838592015-01-07T14:09:23.442-05:002015-01-07T14:09:23.442-05:00Thanks for answering me! I suppose I'm baffled...Thanks for answering me! I suppose I'm baffled as to why they wouldn't captalise on the chemistry between the two actors (like what Arrow did with Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards) so I'll just have to see how S6 plays out. Won't hold my breath, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-39071501034046454812015-01-07T13:11:57.662-05:002015-01-07T13:11:57.662-05:00P.S. The entire quote is never taken in context: &...P.S. The entire quote is never taken in context: "He loves Annie. […] No, it is not just because he looked at everybody. I think you know it’s Annie. I’ll be direct about that. He looked at her, and his heart opened the door. <b>What a comedy.</b>”<br /><br />Bolded for emphasis because that's a clear indication of the bitterness that Harmon has toward romance (and romance/shipping ruining sitcoms).Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-82116836231364808942015-01-06T12:09:21.081-05:002015-01-06T12:09:21.081-05:00Hello anon! I've been thinking about your ques...Hello anon! I've been thinking about your question for a while and here's what I've come up with: my thoughts about that statement would be more positive if I had any faith that Dan Harmon would follow through with/not entirely disregard that statement.<br /><br />My problem with Harmon & the writers for this show is that they like to bait shippers -- specifically Jeff/Annie ones -- a lot. There's a difference between baiting readers just to placate them and actually giving weight and development to romance. "Community" has always done terribly in the romance department -- no one on staff seems to know HOW to write a pairing that doesn't eventually dissolve (see: Shirley/her marriage -- both times; Jeff/Britta; Jeff/Annie; Troy/Britta, etc.) and cause one or more of the characters in the pairing to regress. So I don't trust them, at this point, to -- even IF Harmon would go there -- write Jeff/Annie well. It would be fine for an episode and then shot to crap like Troy/Britta was.<br /><br />Apart from the fact that I don't have faith in the writers to know how to write romance on their show, I also don't think that Dan Harmon will ever follow through with the statement above. He's been interviewed before and asked Jeff/Annie questions. And Harmon waxes poetic about how important their relationship is one moment and then insists that Annie has a "schoolgirl crush" on him the next, which devalues her feelings and emotions (not to mention her maturity and growth on the series).<br /><br />SO to answer your question, anon, what I think of that statement is that it would be all well and good and cute and nice... if I believed it meant something or that it would go anywhere. I will eat my words later on, gladly, if Harmon & co. manage to actually pick up that important "revelation" of Jeff's and carry it into season six. But in my experience, they don't like getting their hands messy with romance and I doubt that'll change.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-69412803960321595472015-01-02T11:10:21.462-05:002015-01-02T11:10:21.462-05:00Just got into Community and, naturally, Jeff and A...Just got into Community and, naturally, Jeff and Annie. Dan Harmon confirmed on the DVD commentary that Jeff loves Annie. He said: “Clearly he loves Annie, no it’s not just because he looked at everybody. I think it’s Annie, I’ll be direct about that. He looked at her, and his heart opened the door.”<br /><br />What are your thoughts about that statement?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-55752228431967164932014-09-13T04:46:39.184-04:002014-09-13T04:46:39.184-04:00I just want to come on here saying that Community ...I just want to come on here saying that Community isn't dead yet. Season six is coming our way!<br />Also, I LOVE your blog. It's every show I ever watched and then some. :) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-52311266883589532952014-05-01T20:46:37.468-04:002014-05-01T20:46:37.468-04:00Am I the only one who thinks Annie speech more lik...Am I the only one who thinks Annie speech more like holding on than actually letting go?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-32599762319580855892014-05-01T11:16:33.130-04:002014-05-01T11:16:33.130-04:00Writer confirmed that it was Jeff's emotion fo...Writer confirmed that it was Jeff's emotion for Annie, right?! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-56559274953160189052014-04-21T11:01:21.219-04:002014-04-21T11:01:21.219-04:00I could watch Abed and Annie have their own side a...I could watch Abed and Annie have their own side adventures all the time. Maybe they can include Shirley in the next one, haha. What I REALLY want is a good, solid Annie/Britta/Shirley A-story. That was on my season five wishlist and it'll be on a wishlist until this show ends.<br /><br />I think you make a good point -- the problem is when you have such a pre-determined end in mind (the graduation) and then are not around to see that happen, you have to rework how you imagine your ending. (Horrible to bring up Ryan Murphy in a Community post but he has to do the same thing now with Cory Monteith being gone: he had a vision for his final season and even final SCENE and now has to change all of that). The problem is what you just said: he spent a lot of time this year trying to "one-up" season four and prove, I suppose, that it was better with him back. And at the hands of some uneven writing and extraneous guest stars and just TOO many random stories and homage episodes, those characters - the ones we fell in love with years ago - got lost. We literally know little to nothing more about them this year or can connect with them than we did any other year.<br /><br />I disliked how the season seemingly had no trajectory -- it was a string of decent to okay episodes that was building toward an eleventh hour battle we didn't (or I didn't) care all that much about. The whole theme of saving Grendale was all well and good, but we didn't really see the group struggle with any outside forces, apart from a passing mention in "Repilot" about how the school needed saving. I know that every year the Greendale students take a class that ties in with the theme but I felt like last year's theme of history was integrated a lot better than whatever the message of "save Greendale" was supposed to be.<br /><br />That's all to say that I still love this show for what it was and if there IS a season six, I hope that the cracks and flaws are at least examined and patched up before plowing forward.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-53396177073831349732014-04-21T10:53:22.785-04:002014-04-21T10:53:22.785-04:00Except for the Geothermal comment (not in my top 5...Except for the Geothermal comment (not in my top 5), I agree with your last full paragraph word for word. The Abed and Annie dynamic was really good, and I could watch that every day. Okay, I really just like those two no matter what they are doing. <br /><br />Harmon's desire to work without an end in mind is really showing its weaknesses. I know he felt like he needed to re-ground the characters, but I thought he spent too much time redoing season 4 in his image and giving away precious screen time to too many guests. How much better would "App Developments" been if Abed had the "Koogler" role that he later, humbly, regretted only to be kept in the system? It isn't that I disliked what was done as much as what it cost the core group that I really wanted to watch.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10079066728808517579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-41925011776510172522014-04-21T08:53:47.087-04:002014-04-21T08:53:47.087-04:00Matt: Thanks so much for the comment! To your firs...Matt: Thanks so much for the comment! To your first point, perhaps I'm just a jaded Jeff/Annie shipper but I'm not reading into that scene too much, especially because of the "shameful" look. We've had Bobrow and Harmon tell us over and over again each season that Jeff cares about Annie but is ashamed of it. This scene - if read that way - was absolutely no different than any other scene in which Jeff "realizes" his feelings for Annie and then responds by feeling disgusted with himself. To me, this was a scene about the entire group but I don't think Harmon put that moment with Annie in there by accident. Think about it: since he doesn't know if "Basic Sandwich" is the final episode of Community ever, he had to placate every shipper and make them feel like they had a scene in the finale to cling to. We got those little JA moments, Jeff/Britta shippers had their moments, and even Abed/Annie shippers had that heart-to-heart scene. He was throwing everyone bones, just in case this was the end. In my opinion, it was nothing more than that.<br /><br />My major issue in regards to season five is this: how did the characters GROW this year? Arguably, none of them (with maybe the exception of Abed) did. Annie didn't grow at all, really (eleventh hour "revelations" don't really count); Britta didn't grow or change; Shirley remained exactly the same as she was in every other season; Hickey changed slightly but... not really. Furthermore, what did JEFF learn this season that he hasn't learned in any other season? His love for Greendale? Been there, done that. His love for the group? Again, he came to that realization years ago. If anything, this season's message was that these people need Greendale because they literally cannot function WITHOUT it. How does that make them any better than when they began in the pilot, then? If anything, it makes them worse because Greendale - while a safe place - should be a place where these people grow and change and then move on. Instead, the study group is in the same kind of toxic relationship with Greendale that they are with each other: they cannot be complete, whole people without it.<br /><br />And I don't know... I didn't quite like that message this year, as it seemed to negate everything the four seasons had been building toward. "Advanced Introduction to Finality" proved to us that Jeff was ready to move on and that he accepted it. "Repilot" took us right back to the beginning again with this weird dependence on the school and the group for his self-assurance and worth. (And maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I don't know.)<br /><br />I wasn't a fan of the majority of the back half episodes, but I do agree that "Cooperative Polygraphy" was a standout and "Geothermal Escapism" is probably one of the series' best and definitely this season's best. But overall, I was extremely underwhelmed with this season. And, honestly, I think I've taken off my rose-colored Dan Harmon-shaped glasses, which is why I'm seeing those issues. People heralded this season as amazing because Dan Harmon was back. But people don't want to admit that this show stumbled even WITH him. Still, if there IS a sixth season, I really need the show to get back to writing the women in Community like they should be written (instead of giving them their "token" episodes). And I want the study group to stop circling the hamster wheel on Greendale and actually see them be successful outside of the school.<br /><br />THAT is my wish-list, haha.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-16020335716845001812014-04-20T13:59:08.628-04:002014-04-20T13:59:08.628-04:00Yeah, I'd read other reviews by him and took i...Yeah, I'd read other reviews by him and took it in the shipping way. I love Britt and Jeff as friends, which is part of why I wish the constant back-and-forth ship tease would stop so that they could just BE friends. If Harmon really values friendship stories (which I think he does), then he does need to firmly establish or sink his 'ships.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-13745324052342053262014-04-19T13:05:56.498-04:002014-04-19T13:05:56.498-04:00I got a completely different read from the episode...I got a completely different read from the episode, particularly Jeff's emotional "power" moment. The machine needed a burst of emotion, and he only had it with Annie. To hide how he felt, he looked at the Dean and immediately regretted looking at him when the Dean "knowingly" responded. Is it love for Annie in the romantic sense, as a protector, or a combination, I think that is his conflict that he struggles to understand. <br /><br />What were the major issues this season? New characters, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, and the inability of the show to move forward. They haven't broken our emotional connection to these characters, but God, they sure seemed to have tried. Yvette was practically missing this year. The whole Sexy Cat thing was awkward. Abed is best as Abed. The guest stars were poured on like too much syrup on a pancake (I'm looking at you "Cork-Based Networking" and Koogler). The "B" and "C" stories were sometimes excessively used, and the themed episodes were at least one too many for 13 episodes.<br /><br />There were some really good episodes. Cooperative Polygraphy was really good. VCR maintenance gave us what has become one of the better pairings of Annie and Abed. The DnD episode missed on the ending, but nailed every previous moment.<br /><br />Almost every episode had at least one really good moment. Abed comforting Annie was great in Basic Sandwich. Duncan with Britta in the car was great too. There were just too few of those moments that showed why these people still spent time together.<br /><br />If season 6 happens. Grab Fa..bulous Neil, grab Lenard (Abed/Annie roomie?), grab Vicki, and make working them into the group the issue. New character development is just too much wasted time even as much as I liked the Hickey character.<br /><br />#sixseasonsandamovieMatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10079066728808517579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-86125975840302627062014-04-19T00:28:49.451-04:002014-04-19T00:28:49.451-04:00"Jeff and Britta shushing each other was furt..."Jeff and Britta shushing each other was further proof of why they are one of my two or three favorite character pairings on the show."<br /><br />Todd VDW isn't exactly saying here that he ships Jeff/Britta (although I think he has mentioned in the past that he does like them romantically) so much as he is saying they make for great TV when together. Anyway, I agree with both you and Todd - Jeff and Britta are amusing when paired up together, but in ways that show they wouldn't work romantically.Jeffrey Malonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01130415212277056421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-22676518312784220762014-04-18T15:02:57.891-04:002014-04-18T15:02:57.891-04:00I liked this episode more than you did, but I agre...I liked this episode more than you did, but I agree that the season overall felt unsatisfying. So much more could have been done with the characters and story, and instead we got a lot of gimmick episodes.<br /><br />If I were writing season 6, I would start it with Annie, Abed, Britta, and Shirley all graduating. Jeff, the dean, and anyone else they manage to get back would still be working at Greendale, so that connection would stay, but the final season would be about launching them into life post-Greendale.<br /><br />Oh, and I read the AV Club review... the "shush" scene is an example of why he wants Jeff and Britta together? Because I saw that as the perfect example of why they CAN'T be together. And I guess that's why shippers never see eye-to-eye.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com