2x05 "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples" (The Significance of Friends)

"Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples"

Original Airdate: October 21, 2010

One of the best comedies of all time (if not the best) in my humble opinion is a little show that used to be on NBC called Friends. And, apart from the sheer hilarity of the situations the group managed to find themselves in, the one thing that I really love to this day about the show is the bond that each main character has with the other characters. Everyone is quick to remember the Ross/Rachel or Joey/Chandler dynamics, but the true gems of the show’s stories (in my opinion) were when the audience had the opportunity to watch other pairings unfold – “The One With All the Cheesecakes” was an episode that was centered around Rachel/Chandler – a pairing the audience didn’t frequently see together in many episodes. And what’s special and wonderful about these plotlines are that they remind the audience that, while the six main characters of the show function as a unit, when broken down into individual components or even pairings, the significance and importance of those moments is highlighted. Because the bottom line is that these people (both the characters in Friends and the ones in Community) are friends and some friendships will always be closer (see: Joey/Chandler, Troy/Abed) than others (see: Ross/Phoebe, Shirley/Abed), but not less important. The beauty of these less-publicized (as I’ll call it) pairings is that, when the audience sees them, it’s something fresh, unexpected, and – most importantly – allows viewers to recognize the significance of the lesser frequented pairings. So what’s the significance of “Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples”? It’s not an episode that people generally declare as a “go-to” Community episode, but it’s one that I think is very intriguing and heartwarming because of the Shirley/Abed storyline. So I’ll spend the majority of my time today discussing them, why I feel their relationship is so important, why – as characters – they are each important, and who knows, maybe I’ll discuss Leonard and the Hipsters (which sounds like the name of a less-ironic and unoriginal hipster band).

So let's talk about the plot for the episode then, shall we? We open the episode with the gang in Anthropology class. They're watching viral videos on the Internet and... well, not doing much learning of anything related to their subject of study. While everyone else seems to find the videos hilarious, Shirley doesn't.  I think that it’s interesting (and a bit sad for Shirley) that no one seems to respect her in the class. And I know that she’s supposed to have her religion played for jokes but Troy’s line (“What happens if you type in God?” “Everyone hates you and wants you to shut up”) and Abed’s (“You asked for it!” in reference to the God of Farts video) line are particularly harsh, but primarily because they are lines that would seemingly be directed at Britta. In “Comparative Religion,” Shirley displayed her controlling tendencies in regards to her faith and beliefs. At this point in season two, she has come quite a way from those antics, and even though her behavior may be annoying or irritating, I’m just intrigued by the fact that it was as attacked as it was. But perhaps I’m just reading too far into things. And I think that Shirley’s method of operation (and we’ll return to this throughout the episode in regards to both her and Abed) is to become defensive when someone attacks or belittles her belief system. She takes action throughout the episode, whether or not that action is rooted in justifiable or selfish causes.

Everyone, even Jeff and Annie, are suggesting absurd videos for Professor Dunan to search. It’s amusing to see someone like Jeff actually relax in class and not slouch into “too-cool-to-pretend” mode and for someone like Annie to loosen up from her tightly wound, obsessively studious ways in this episode. And, even though they aren’t in it much, it shows a bit of character development for each of them, even if the development is seemingly insignificant and a tad silly. Shirley asks who would want to watch offensive videos like the ones they are watching, and Duncan replies with: "17 million people." The mother, visibly distraught, explains that there were nine people at her church the previous night. When Shirley makes the statement about how many people attended her church, it’d be easy for me to mistake her statement as guilt-inducing, but I really don’t think that it is. I genuinely think that she was upset by the fact that her belief system and her faith – these things that are so fundamental to her, that she’s built her life on – are so unimportant to EVERYONE around her. And for the briefest of moments, Jeff and Britta (and Troy and Abed) feel momentary flickers of regret and maybe even sympathy… which are quickly forgotten when they view the next YouTube obsession.

Shirley decides to enlist the help of Abed in creating a viral video that will send a positive message to young people. I think it’s adorable that Shirley approaches Abed about making a religious film. We, as audience members, usually understand fairly well that these two characters are externally different. But, as I have said numerous times before, it’s amazing how fundamentally similar both Abed and Shirley are. Both seek some form of acceptance and approval among other people, whether or not they admit it. But – and this is significant – the major similarity between Shirley and Abed is that both have a desire to control people and circumstances. Remember what I noted in “Anthropology 101”? The reason that Shirley and Abed are just as much to blame for the dissention within the group during that episode as Jeff, Britta, and Annie are is because of control. Abed was so insistent on controlling the outcome of their year and Shirley on the outcome of Jeff and Britta’s relationship that both managed to lose sight of the fact that their actions were inevitably leading (in part) to the group’s blow-out. So maybe, just maybe, Shirley and Abed aren't as dissimilar as it would appear on the surface.

In line in the cafeteria, Pierce attempts to order macaroni and cheese, but Abed stops him and calls Britta over. The blonde insists that Pierce order vegetables as well.  So our B-plot centers around Pierce and his new “hipster” friends (a group of old people with hip replacements, headed by Leonard). And I think that this episode provides a nice contrast to what will happen later on in Pierce’s seasonal story arc. Pierce is not someone who was born evil or uncompassionate. He, like many characters on the show, is backward in his way of thinking. And Pierce needs the group – he needs them just as much as Jeff and Abed do, and the study group needs him more than they actually are able to express. I think that, for a lot of the members, at least, they need someone to NEED. They want to take care of Pierce and look out for him (as Britta does in this episode) because he is family to them, and that’s just what families do. I really do think that the storyline is a nice way to set up contrast as to what Pierce is like with the study group and what he could become if he was left alone. Leonard (while a clearly amazing and hilarious character on the show and nearly everyone’s favorite recurring figure) doesn’t have family or friends. He has the “hipsters,” of course, but later on in the episode, it becomes clear that they aren’t true friends. Pierce actually DOES become like Leonard later on in the season, however – at the very end of “Early 21st Century Romanticism” we see that he is left alone, family and friend-less on a park bench because that is the path he chose in that moment. But he doesn’t have to be like Leonard because he has the study group – because, as Jeff explained to him in the first season, “when you have friends, you have family.” And maybe the grass seems greener on the other side without rules and without the confinements of his social circle, but it’s probably not.

I think the bottom line for our B-story is that Pierce feels the need to be accepted. But moreover than that, he needs to feel like he is somehow contributing to the group. And I think that, as much as he needs to be around the study group, he sometimes feels like he isn’t wanted or needed. Britta attempted to humor him in “Debate 109” in order to make him feel like he was doing something right. Pierce decides to ditch the study group for the remainder of the episode and hang out with the "cool" hipsters, taking on their rebellious attitude (but only to a certain extent). Meanwhile, Jeff and Annie watch how Pierce begins to act out, and Annie claims that Jeff is the "dad" of the group, so he has to do something about the elderly man's behavior. Jeff insists that he does not, and this role of father-figure to the group will come back around at the end of the episode and intrigues me, especially in light of Jeff's own father issues.

Abed finds Shirley in the library and agrees to do the religious film for her, because he read the whole New Testament and was intrigued by the character of Jesus, comparing him to Edward Scissorhands and Marty McFly. Shirley is initially thrilled... until Abed begins to explain the concept of his movie to her. It's a meta film, he explains, and one that will be titled "ABED" (in all caps). One interesting thing to note in regards to both Shirley and Abed’s characters is an issue of pride. And pride, like I’m sure I have said before, isn’t a word that should always have a negative connotation associated with it. Pride in your work and pride in yourself within limits is healthy. However, this episode explores Abed’s pride. Originally, Shirley discussed the prospect of working with Abed on a film and the student agreed. In the library, however, Abed declared that the film would be “[his] masterpiece.” Very quickly, he’s abandoned all pretense of helping a friend and instead sets out to makes HIS name known. And Shirley, rather than becoming condescending or lecturing Abed right off the bat, decides to walk away.

Shirley then decides to recruit (or, more likely, guilt-trip) both Britta and Troy into helping her film her viral video. (As you can probably tell, the two are just thrilled to be participating in a rapping Jesus YouTube video.) However, before Shirley can get through the video, there is a loud crash outside. As it turns out, Abed is filming the movie that he intended to start for Shirley. There is just one tiny thing that Shirley disagrees with in regards to the film, however -- Abed portrays himself as Jesus and, in a very meta film, claims to be him. Now, Abed is the kind of person who, in spite of claiming in the first season that he had copious amounts of self-esteem, still thrives on feelings of acceptance and desires to be understood. We learn early on in the series that Abed’s films allow him to feel that way – to connect to people who he would otherwise be unable to form an emotional attachment with. And even though the group has managed to be the support that Abed needs the majority of the time, he often resorts to his fallback – controlling and manipulating – in order to establish himself in their lives. Because (flashing forward to an episode like “Virtual Systems Analysis”) if Abed isn’t able to control people and circumstances, what role does he have in the group at all? (Remember: this is how Abed perceives himself.)

Shirley’s desire from the beginning of the episode was to connect in some way, shape, or form the existing media and deliver her intended message. Abed’s desire, I believe, was to establish himself – his career, his status, etc. – and those visions clash as the episode wears on. But there is also an undertone to the reasons why Shirley acts the way that she does. Part of her reactions stem from righteous indignation and accusations of blasphemy. But another part (a part that Abed cannot come to grips with until the end of the episode), a larger part, is trying to save Abed from himself. And in a way, Shirley’s behavior throughout the episode provides better insight into the “light” of the message that she wanted to send than any YouTube video could. Abed sacrificed his movie so that he would not be a laughingstock. Shirley sacrificed her pride and status in order to save a friend.

The mother slowly grows more irritated with Abed's behavior as the episode wears on, evolving from mere concern and worry to full-on anger at the end. Similarly, Pierce's behavior begins to evolve as the episode wears on -- he begins to become more and more rebellious and resentful of the group's babying in regards to his behavior. Jeff begins to lecture the study group and Pierce before stopping himself -- with a newspaper in hand and a lecture coming out of his mouth, he's beginning to feel like too much of a father to the elderly man and he doesn't like that. Pierce storms out of the study group in response, and Shirley affirms to Abed that she's going to shut his meta production down because his claims to be Jesus and his delusions as a filmmaker have clouded his better judgement.

Later on, Shirley arrives on the set of Abed's movie to do just that -- with a complaint filed to the dean invoking the separation of church and state, she declares the production be shut down for good. And clearly, Abed’s ego has already hit a high point when he tells those involved in his film that they have contributed in a “small” way to the greatest film ever made. Shirley’s anger has overtaken her by this point in time (remember that she has thinly veiled rage issues?), but I believe there is a part of her that is still concerned for Abed’s well-being and not just bitter and upset.

Outside, Pierce and the hipsters go for a joy ride in Dean Pelton's car. But when one of the hipsters, Richard, "crashes" into a curb, everyone else bails out of the car. Leonard claims that it's "every man for himself," which leaves Pierce alone with Richard. This is the one scene of importance to note between Pierce and the hipsters. Pierce recognizes that friends – true friends – won’t leave you, even when you’re being irrational, even when you’re wrong and completely unbearable. True friends, he realizes, are probably the people HE decided to leave earlier in the episode because he wanted to be rebellious.

Back in the cafeteria, Starburns is replaying some of the footage to Abed from his film. The student merely watches the scenes before leaving the cafeteria and heading outside into the courtyard. Abed then looks up at the sky and begins to pray to God to take the movie away from him. Abed’s moment of vulnerability is one that is extremely touching because he recognizes his mistake in his self-indulgence. He recognizes that he placed the emphasis of the project only on himself and deserves the punishment he’ll have to pay for it. It’s a step in the right direction for Abed, and something easy to gloss over the significance of. Abed decides to hand over the reins of his career to a God he’s praying to because he feels like that’s what he deserves for being selfish. (Again, Abed can be very self-deprecating at times – see: “Virtual Systems Analysis”) And overhearing him in the garden was Shirley, a person who willingly sacrifices her social status for Abed’s sake. Shirley then walks away from overhearing the conversation, and Abed assumes that since no meteor appeared or no lightning storm destroyed the set of his film, God was allowing this to be his punishment for being selfish. But just as it seems that his prayers have not been answered, Shirley appears on set, wielding a baseball bat and destroying the cameras.

At the front office, Pierce and the other hipsters were caught for joy riding in the dean's car and are being held in a room together. Jeff, apparently, is Pierce's emergency contact and arrives, requesting to be removed as his contact. When he looks into the room and sees Leonard and the others, he asks if anyone would be coming to get them. The woman at the desk says that Leonard's family has requested that the school stop calling them. No one, as it turns out, wants to come and pick up the elderly man. And I’d like to think that Jeff bailing Pierce out had a lot to do with a) the fact that he does consider Pierce to be a part of his family and b) the fact that Jeff’s own father was never there for him. He spent the entire episode acting as the father figure to the group, and refused that role (much like he refused the role of leader at first). So maybe this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jeff’s issues with his father or maybe it’s just the realization that – as much as he hates to admit it – he is family with this group. And family (as Lilo puts it in “Lilo and Stich”) means no one gets left behind.

The next day in Anthropology class, everyone seemingly avoids Shirley, except for Abed. He explains to her that everyone believes she's a villain for destroying his movie. They all think, he explained, that his movie was too good to ever be made and that he's a hero. And in that moment, Abed realizes that Shirley heard him praying and destroyed the movie to save him from himself. When Professor Duncan enters the classroom, he is excited because The most touching moment comes at the end of the episode, where Abed realizes exactly what Shirley has sacrificed for him, and explains that he humbles her. And Shirley reciprocates the sentiment, leaving me to realize that even the most seemingly different characters work on the most deep and fundamental levels.


Additional de-lovely aspects about the episode:
- I miss Professor Duncan. Seriously.
- Annie’s first outfit is super cute. Ahem. As you all were.
- “Abed, guess who has two thumbs and an exciting career opportunity for you?” *points to ceiling* “This guy!”
- “Pierce, please just step aside and make room for a new generation.”
- “Would the dad walk away from this conversation?” “… no?”
- “Unacceptable. And none of your business. And barely the whole truth.”
- “Jesus WAS Jewish.” “Are you EVER gonna let that go?” (True story: my Christian friend sent a Christmas card to me that said ‘Jesus Was Jewish, Too.’ I love that card.)
- “I mean, it’s almost like he’s Jesus.” “I GOT IT.”
- The tag solidifies why Troy/Annie/Abed works comedically.

Next week, we are leapfrogging ahead to the first episode written by the beautiful and talented Megan Ganz -- "Cooperative Calligraphy." Join me at 8PM EST on Twitter with the hashtag #itsnotapen for our live-tweet and the following day for the blog-review. Until then, folks! :)

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#TheJoelProject

So, I decided to make a post today about a project, aptly named "The Joel Project" that Kim (@dramakim on Twitter), Jaime (@elspunko) and I concocted pretty much on a whim. Hopefully this will be a little lighthearted fun for your Thursday morning or afternoon! :)

(As a shameless self-plug, also remember that tonight is Thursday night re-watch for Community, so hop onto Twitter at 8PM EST and watch "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples" with me then!)

And now, more #McHaleAPalooza stuff beneath the break!

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Emmy Nominees (Or "Oh, Boy. You're Going to Talk About Snubs, Aren't You?")

If you think that the Emmy nominations have officially sunk in for me, you’d be wrong. Even though, as you read this, they happened twenty-four hours ago, some nominations (the plethora of “Sherlock” and “Downton Abbey”) surprise and excite me, while the significant lack of others (“Community” in particular) continue to baffle me. So let’s discuss my particular point-of-view when it comes to some of these nominations. I won’t cover all of them (because once we arrive at things such as sound mixing and/or lighting design, I don’t have much of an opinion). If you didn’t see my tweet from last night, feel free to check out my updated blog post from a few weeks ago – “The Road to the Emmys (Or Jenn’s Slightly Narrowed Ballot)” which I updated to highlight the nominees of categories that I predicted. If you want to check out the complete list of nominees, you can view a PDF version of the list here.

The most important thing to remember when reading this blog post is that I am not a television critic, nor do I profess to be. If you’re looking for someone who professionally watches television and has a more educated and well-rounded point of view when it comes to certain shows (see: “Girls,” “Louie,” and “Veep”), then I would highly recommend reading Alan Sepinwall. But since chances are you’ve found this blog because of the “Community” reviews or because you’re tired of seeing me shamelessly promote it on Twitter, I hope you enjoy reading from the point of view of a television fan and semi-professional writer. ;) So, are you ready to discuss some Emmy nominees? Jump below the cut, because we’re about to kick it off with the category that “Community” was snubbed out of – Outstanding Comedy Series.

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2x04 "Basic Rocket Science" (Of Annie and Greendale and Space Buses)

"Basic Rocket Science"

Original Airdate: October 14, 2010

Have I ever mentioned that Annie Edison is practically my spirit animal/soul mate? She’s the type of young woman who is driven and serious and dedicated, often to a fault. She, just as easily as Britta, can become a buzz kill. But she has respect for herself, partially because she worked so diligently to piece her life back together that she HAS to hold onto that respect and partially because she wants other people to see her as an adult. But what’s great about Annie Edison – what’s really great – is that she knows how much she still needs other people. Sure, she’s tightly wound and a perfectionist, but that doesn’t mean she isolates herself from the group… until this episode. In the minds of the audience, Annie is the last person we would assume would transfer schools. After all, this is the young woman who got Chang fired so that she could keep her study group together. We’ve come to grips, I think, at least slightly with how much Jeff needs the study group and what they mean to him. Throughout the second season (and the third too, for that matter), we learn that the study group, once viewed as nothing more than annoying classmates, becomes his family and his best friends. He loves them. But what does the study group mean to Annie, in particular? “Basic Rocket Science” is an episode that touches on this question, much like someone accidentally touches a hot stove – there are these brief moment of realization and poignancy that is then quickly removed. I’ll return to this intriguing (or absurd, depending on your point of view, really) analogy later on.

To note something else that is of interest, this is the first episode (apart from “Modern Warfare”) that was an homage seemingly for homage’s sake. Now, don’t get me wrong – this doesn’t mean that I disliked “Basic Rocket Science,” in the least bit. I do appreciate this episode for the comedic aspects of the episode (and the homage itself, even though – admittedly – I haven’t seen the entirety of “Apollo 13”). This episode did force the study group closer together than they have ever been before. The group is trapped within a claustrophobic space bus, which forces them to confront issues with themselves and each other that are uncomfortable. It’s definitely interesting territory because everyone seems much more vulnerable when they are in the bus than when they are outside of it – Jeff becomes more sensitive to leadership, Annie is less rational, and Pierce is… well, Pierce is mad. The only person who avoids this vulnerability is Abed who is, instead, at the control seat. Interesting, no? We’ll discuss later on the first emergence of the Jeff/Troy power struggle as seen in this episode.

Now, in case you all were just so enthralled by the fact that my blog-review was returning (shh, let me have this one) and managed to forget what the episode was actually about, never fear because I am here to remind you! "Basic Rocket Science" opens with the dean calling a meeting regarding a space simulator that City College plans to launch the following week. Since City College is pretty much the Wil Wheaton to our Sheldon Cooper, this doesn't sit very well with Dean Pelton. He wants Greendale Community College to launch their own space simulator before City College manages to launch their own. City College, the dean argues, will be able to put an astronaut on their school's brochures. And what will Greendale have? A foosball table. I think that the two relationships that intrigue me most in Community are not Jeff/Annie or Jeff/Britta or Troy/Britta (even though I enjoy watching those relationships and friendships for various reasons), but Dean Pelton/Greendale and Jeff/Greendale. Both have a rather tumultuous relationship with the community college – the dean tries so hard to make Greendale something that it is not, because he can’t accept things the way that they are. He doesn’t believe that he is better than mediocre, so he has to continuously attempt to prove it to others in order to prove it to himself. Jeff, on the other hand, adamantly and continually affirms that Greendale is the worst place in the world. And yet, he defends the school (as we will see in this episode), and becomes depressed when it is taken away from him (as we saw in “Course Listing Unavailable”).

The dean has, in his possession (I don't know exactly how he got it from the museum) a space simulator sponsored by KFC. The space bus, as it were, is pretty gross and dingy, but the dean assures his colleagues that he has just the crew  to clean it up. This is, of course, our study group. He calls them together on Saturday and insists that them cleaning up the simulator is punishment for a prank they pulled -- creating a new school flag with the symbol of a literal butt on it. When the dean announces that the way he found out about the prank is because someone from the group told him, six heads look at Annie accusingly. Annie is a person who – as we’ll discover later on via Britta – is tightly wound. It’s not that she isn’t a fun person to be around, or someone who is incapable of joking. But someone who is both tightly wound AND driven can often be stubborn and unrelenting. She clearly does not find the E Pluribus Anus flag amusing – the implication is that she doesn’t want her friends to disrespect the place where she attends school. And, truthfully, this isn’t a terrible thing to want. But Annie KNOWS her study group – she knows her friends and their personalities. So shouldn’t she have expected this kind of behavior from them? And, if so, then what is the real root cause for her desire to transfer? (You’ll hear my theories in a bit.)

I tend to believe that the rest of the study group enjoys pulling pranks (and things like the flag) and participating in wacky shenanigans because of, ironically, their love for Greendale. I believe that I mentioned this concept in the “Course Listing Unavailable” review, but the reason that the study group picks on the school and expresses their hatred for it is because it actually provides them with security from the real world. Each and every study group member has faced something outside of the four walls of Greendale that was tough, and so they retreated within its four walls for solace and comfort. They found this within their friendships with each other and their relationship with the school itself. It’s safe to pick on Greendale, really – the group knows they’ll always be accepted there. It’s a weird, crazy, backwards place that is their home. And no matter how much they may deny it, the fact of the matter is that they love their home and would be lost without it.

Once Dean Pelton leaves the group to get to cleaning the space bus, Annie abruptly says that they should all go and get coffee, but Abed and Troy have already entered the bus (when the dean explicitly told them not to do so). The rest of the study group follows the pair inside and examines the simulator (which has seen better days), with Annie and Pierce growing steadily more nervous, both for different reasons. Britta, meanwhile, uses a word twice (and Jeff once, when he's repeating Britta later on) in this episode when she talks to Annie that I think is really interesting. She says that the young woman shouldn't have "tattled."  This is actually an interesting Britta/Annie episode too, when you step back and consider it. The episode that I skipped (“The Psychology of Letting Go”) is one of my least favorite episodes, mainly because it drives a wedge between Britta and Annie that never is resolved (much like the conversation that Jeff and Annie have in “Intro to Political Science,” where they slap a ‘resolved’ band-aid on a conversation that is not over). Britta still has a lot of pent up bitterness toward Annie for the events of the Transfer Dance, and the word choice that Britta uses (and repeats) is interesting: “tattle.” She accuses Annie of tattling on the group, which is a word that – in my experience – is traditionally used in reference to children.

The fact of the matter is that Annie and Britta’s relationship was de-railed thanks to their involvement with Jeff. It’s easier for Jeff to think of Annie as a child (hence the head pats and kiddos which he admits are a crutch later on in the following season) because that way he doesn’t have to face whatever feelings and emotions he has for her. Britta, on the other hand, treats Annie like a child for a different reason – she doesn’t want to see Annie as an equal. And this isn’t Britta being harsh and cold to Annie, necessarily. I’m not the type of fan of “Community” who hates Britta and loves Annie. It is, however, important to know that – much like Jeff – things bother Britta more than she is able (or willing) to vocalize. In “Romantic Expressionism,” she was so concerned with appearing cool and collected that she buried the jealousy she felt toward Annie and Vaughn until she very nearly exploded. Similarly, Britta often turns her inability to vocalize feelings into barbs that she uses. A word like “kiddo” or “tattle” is a way to place distance between characters. Britta isn’t ready to be good friends with Annie again, and maybe she’s even not ready to trust the young woman completely. So, she keeps herself guarded and her walls up and the easiest way to do so is through using those words.

(Which, I now realize is a LOT to get out of just one word. But whatever.)

And yet, when Pierce moves to insult Annie moments later, the blonde seems appalled and offended. I think that there is a part of Britta that WANTS to be mad at Annie, but who never really can. She cares so much about Annie as a friend that she can rarely stay mad at her (see: “English as a Second Language”) for very long. That doesn’t, however, mean that their relationship isn’t rocky, because it is.

The group then gets locked into the space bus and Pierce begins to freak out because he is claustrophobic. Abed races out of the bus to go don a more appropriate outfit. And then, quite suddenly, the simulator begins to move and the Atari-Colonel Sanders begins to speak and insist that everyone sit down. As it turns out, the vehicle is being towed from where the dean parked it earlier that morning. Jeff's frustration begins to manifest itself when he realizes that there is no phone signal within the vehicle and he insists that Greendale deserves the flag that they made for it.

Back at Greendale, Dean Pelton is panicking because the study group has left with the simulator, which he is supposed to display to the press later that afternoon. If the group doesn't manage to return for the launch, City College wins. Abed, in the study room with the dean, informs him that the simulator's windows open once the simulation is completed. So, the film student begins to walk his friends through the steps necessary to open the window.  This is the beginning of a great arc for Troy (that really continues throughout the rest of the season and subsequent one too) in terms of his character development as a leader. I’ve noted before that both Jeff and Troy can be classified as leaders, but both for very different reasons. Jeff is the type of leader who commands attention simply by existing. People gravitate toward Jeff, in spite of the fact that he does not want them to. He begrudgingly accepts his role as the head of the study group, and yet manages to not entirely break apart the group itself. But Jeff is selfish, and that is one of his greatest – if not his greatest – vices. He has too much pride and too much of a lazy attitude to commit fully to things that need attention. He’d rather take shortcuts (such as trying to open a window with a fire extinguisher) than do things that – while seemingly absurd – would benefit the group (like Troy, accepting Abed’s advice and heeding it). Troy is completely selfless, as we saw in the last few episodes of season three. He is the type of leader who is unsuspecting – he’s not the person people automatically follow. But he EARNS the respect of those around him, and THAT is what is important.

And Jeff and Troy clash in this episode because of the fact that Troy “pulls rank” on Jeff, who – until this point – had been able to save the group and was never questioned as the leader. Jeff does not like being helpless or vulnerable, and he is both of these things in the episode while in the bus. Because the truth is, he is threatened by the idea of someone taking his role away from him (much like he is threatened and scared by the prospect later on in “Course Listing Unavailable” of someone taking Greendale away from him too).

Suddenly though, everyone begins to snap within the space bus. Pierce has already been driven to near-insanity by the small, enclosed space and is locked up by the rest of the group in the back of the bus. Britta snaps at Annie, insisting that the fact that they're in the space bus is all her fault anyway. And this is where we learn the truth about why Annie had been so apprehensive to get into the bus to begin with... she was helping to sabotage Greendale's launch in order to get accepted into City College.

It’s interesting though, her excuse for wanting to transfer. Was the flag the last straw for her or… was there something else, too? Remember that Annie has known these people for two years and then, suddenly, can’t handle their behavior anymore? And what’s really intriguing is what happens to Annie – the petite brunette goes from an upstanding perfectionist and moral do-no-wrong to someone who sells out her own school for a chance to get ahead. That doesn’t sound very much like Annie Edison, do you think? I am left to wonder what the real motivation for Annie was, in the end. There’s no doubt that she was probably frustrated with not being taken seriously in the group. But perhaps, with everything that had happened post-Transfer Dance, it was more than that – perhaps Annie just wanted to be seen as an adult and someone capable of making her own decisions. Perhaps this was another shot at “living in the moment” or “living for herself.” Because, indeed, this is a selfish thing to really do – Annie is humiliating the school that she won the debate for half a year earlier. So what, then, is Annie’s motivation for transferring? Perhaps she needed to place distance between herself and Jeff or herself and Britta. Maybe that was a part of her decision-making process. I tend to believe that it was a combination of all the things previously mentioned – a desire to actually DO something and to be uninhibited… that, of course, backfires.

The study group is ready to jump at Annie for what she's done (not unlike how upset they were when discovering that she was the reason behind their difficult Spanish final the previous semester), but Jeff stops them. He insists that no one should be allowed to mock Greendale but them -- they have EARNED that right by attending the community college.  It’s only after Jeff makes his inspirational speech that he relinquishes his leadership role to Troy. It’s an interesting time to choose to do that, too, don’t you think? Nevertheless, the group settles in to complete the simulation.

In the study room, the dean has informed the mass amount of students who have gathered together with Abed to try and bring back the space bus that there is a point at which the space bus will be out of range and thus too far away to bring back in time for the launch during the afternoon. When the study group calls in their location... everyone realizes (with great disappointment) that the simulator is too far out of town in order to make it back in time.

Disheartened, the group then discusses the reasons that they love Greendale, and it seems that all of them love and appreciate Greendale BECAUSE of its absurdities and oddities, not in spite of them. And it’s brief and hardly as in-depth as the conversations and emotions in “Course Listing Unavailable,” but the conversation is significant because the weight and importance is placed on Greendale and what it means to the study group. We often forget that this place is not just a school for them, or even a home -- it's the place that literally made them who they are: a group. Shirley apologizes to Annie for the way the group behaved earlier -- no one, she explains, should have to choose between their friends and their school. Britta affirms this but also adds: "But you shouldn't have tattled." But -- in a slightly surprising revelation -- Jeff explains that he was the one to tell the dean about the flag. (The revelation that Jeff tattled is one of my favorite moments in the episode, simply because of Annie’s disbelieving-turned-proud face.)

Pierce, who has been locked up the majority of the episode, says that he feels better and less claustrophobic and crazy and requests to be let out. The group agrees that the man seems calmer, so they oblige him... which has unfortunate results, because Pierce then rushes to attack the Atari-Colonel Sanders and rip the monitor from the wall. Ironically, this is the best thing that could have happened because Jeff peers through the now-gap in the wall and notices the driver's seat. The study group pages Greendale and insists that they're coming to rescue the school.

With Annie at the wheel, the simulator careens through the streets and races back just in time for the launch in front of the press. I know it’s supposed to be played for the homage factor, but the return of the space bus to Greendale is something that I think is pretty significant for the Greendale Seven – they’re back home, back where they belong, and being welcomed with open arms and loud applause and cheers. Yes, their adventure was absurd because who, exactly, would be causing all that commotion for a space simulator at a community college? (I think Jeff’s disbelief and amusement in his face when he steps out of the simulator really conveys it all.) The whole idea was crazy to begin with, but that’s Greendale. And the study group realizes, albeit only briefly in this episode, that they need this place in their lives, whether they admit it aloud or not.

Since Annie failed to sabotage Greendale's simulated launch, Dean Spreck of City College confronts her and declares her "not really City College material after all" to which the petite brunette smiles and says: "Thank you." Elsewhere, Jeff acknowledges Troy as the Captain of the mission, even if he DOES manage to throw in a little bit of sarcasm when he declares it. And then, for the third time this episode, someone humors Abed and his whims -- Jeff asks if the filmmaker would like to get in the driver's seat of the vehicle, but Abed declines and says that he doesn't think there could be anything cooler than what he experienced today in his commanding role.

… and then the bus explodes and the dean flies the E Pluribus Anus and everything is confirmed as absurd and weird and yet somehow right.

Additional de-lovely aspects about the episode include:
- “Can we stop walking in slo-mo now?” “… you guys are walking in slo-mo?”
- “How did you know it was our design? We submitted it anonymously… whoops.”
- “This is all my fault.” “Very much so.” *Annie gasp* “Hey, when you go fishing, sometimes you catch a boot.”
- “And Greendale becomes just another school on my resume that no one can call because it doesn’t exist!”
- “There is a time and a place for subtlety and that time was before Scary Movie.”
- Continuity nitpick: If it’s a Saturday, why are there SO many people roaming the halls with backpacks in the library?

Thank you all for joining me for our Thursday night re-watches on Twitter and for reading this blog-review! I really do appreciate all of you and your dedication to both the show and my craft. :) Next week, we return to what is probably my favorite (and only) Shirley/Abed episode: "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples." Join me on Twitter at 8PM EST with the hashtag #ABED and have a lovely week until then!

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2x02 "Accounting For Lawyers" (The Caring Epidemic)

"Accounting For Lawyers"

Original Airdate: September 30, 2010

“Caring about others, running the risk of feeling, and leaving an impact on people, brings happiness.” – Harold Kushner

I was an English major in college and therefore have always been someone who was fascinated by the written language. And one of the most fascinating things to me about stories, in particular, is to examine how far characters grow and change throughout the course of their narratives. There are those like Katniss Everdeen, who change in subtle yet poignant ways. And then there are characters like Mr. Darcy, who learn to change from the inside out – who don’t necessarily change as much as they recognize how to . Of course, there are always characters like Dolores Umbridge who refuse to change, who cannot change, and who never truly seem to learn or grow at all. Jeff Winger is the type of character whose growth seems to usually startle even him. He never plans ahead – he’s never been someone to dig into an emotional well and pour his feelings out to a group. When Jeff comes to realizations about himself – honest and true realizations – he is usually alone. Again, these epiphanies are usually quite non-miraculous, but the little things that Jeff begins to piece together in regards to his character from this point forth in the season grow and develop him into the person we meet in “Introduction to Finality” – a person whose heart is with Greendale and the six people he loves most in the world. 

So how exactly does Jeff become this person – this guy who isn’t afraid to tell people that he loves them, and who cares enough about Greendale to break back in and save it? It’s interesting because at this point – “Accounting For Lawyers” – in our story, Jeff seems to view Greendale much like he does later on, as a type of prison. He thinks it is a place that “feeds on his coolness” (as he so describes it in “Politics of Human Sexuality”). But what Jeff comes to realize, throughout the episode, is that the more he forces himself to remain the person he used to be, the more he realizes that he ISN’T that person anymore. And it’s something that, quite frankly, startles Jeff. He’s begun to get used to thinking of others and not himself. But now he is learning to CARE about others. It is more than that, though. He’s started to learn the beginnings of something that @elspunko mentioned to me when she helped take notes on “Introduction to Finality”: he is learning that the six people in his life currently care about HIM. And they want him to be happy (Annie insists that she’s happy Jeff found a friend), but also the best possible version of himself he can be.

But before we get to any of that stuff -- to Jeff realizing that he can be a better version of himself than he thought possible -- let's discuss the plot for this episode. It's evidently a few weeks into the semester and October. The dean sidles up to the study group's table in the cafeteria and informs them that there will be a pop-and-lockathon and encourages them all (or Troy, more or less) to participate in the event. The group initially looks bewildered by the prospect of this, but soon starts discussing their team names. Jeff, ever the cool and uncaring leader, leaves the table, and Abed joins him. While at the vending machines, Jeff runs into Alan Connor -- an old friend and co-worker from his former law firm. The introduction of Alan is something that I think needed to happen in the second season. The first year that we were introduced to Jeff Winger, he was struggling with accepting being at Greendale (re: “Football, Feminism and You”), but by “Pascal’s Triangle Revisited,” he seemed to have at least grown to tolerate being at Greendale and surviving his first year. When, however, Jeff’s past faces him, it’s easy for him to slip into old habits (as I’ve mentioned in reviews before). We need to remember that Jeff is a flawed human, and introducing him back into a world where he has power is dangerous. Because the bottom line is that Jeff lost all sense of power when he arrived at Greendale. In the pilot episode, Duncan refused to help Jeff cheat his way through school, noting that the tactics he used as a lawyer in the outside world could not serve him at Greendale. Jeff went from wearing expensive suits to sleeping in a dorm room to nearly losing a community college debate to Jeremy Simmons. Pride and power are vices for Jeff, and they go hand-in-hand. When Jeff loses power, he loses pride (and he does not do well when his pride or ego is wounded).

So Alan suggests that he and Jeff go get drinks and blow off Jeff's class, which the former lawyer readily agrees to. In the study room later on, the group watches as Chang performs a pop-and-lock piece, hoping to be included in their group for the dance-athon. (And in this scene, I love how much Chang/Britta hatred there was. Really, in the entirety of seasons 1 and 2, it's quite hilarious how much Chang hates Britta.) The group insists that they don't need an extra member because Jeff will be joining them. Chang doesn't believe this, based on what he's heard about Jeff hanging out with Alan again. Nevertheless, he leaves the room and the group discusses Jeff's newly re-discovered friendship. It’s endearing that the entire group is worried about the effect that Alan’s presence will have on Jeff. Even Abed (he says “we”) believes Alan to be a bad influence.

When Jeff re-enters the room with Alan, the study group seems less-than-thrilled, and Shirley gently reminds him that he needs to respect the group's time. Now, Jeff’s fallback – his natural response – is to use his words to manipulate others and to gain only for himself. In the study room, he asserts this when he talks to Shirley about being late. Jeff Winger is a good lawyer. He twists words and reads each individual that he comes into contact with in order to tailor his speeches. He’s a master at it, but he rarely – if ever – used his powers for good before he met the study group. And while Jeff revels in his former glory (because he missed this – the rush that he felt whenever he was able to twist words and phrases to his advantage), the study group does not act how they once did, back in the pilot and “Spanish 101.” They don’t marvel at Jeff’s abilities – they frown at him. Jeff seems undeterred, however, and leaves the room with Alan to get drinks. Remember the conversation that Troy and Jeff had on the football field in “Football, Feminism and You”? Jeff quipped that he was “locked out of [his] old kingdom,” implying the courthouse and being a lawyer in general. However, in this episode, Alan opens the door again for Jeff, providing him with an opportunity – perhaps the door had never been locked to begin with. So then, it begs the question: if, given the opportunity, would Jeff voluntarily stay with his study group or return to his old life? At the beginning of the episode, it seems like the former is the only option for Jeff – why would he voluntarily remain at a school when he could relive his former glory with Alan and people who adored him? And yet, there is a bit of hesitance in his voice before he agrees to go with Alan to the office party. Perhaps Jeff actually thinks before he responds, remembering the pop-and-lockathon. But quickly, Jeff’s ego is stroked, and he agrees to attend the party with Alan.

Meanwhile, the group is merely sitting around the study room table, still reeling from Jeff's earlier attitude. It’s funny to me that the study group cannot learn how to properly study – or chooses not to properly study  without every member of their group present. ( It’s also amusing to me that a few minutes ago, Annie was supporting Jeff hanging out with his old friend and then she suddenly chastises his choices.) The group discusses how Alan is a bad influence on Jeff, and Annie tries hard to think about exactly HOW she knows Alan. And then it comes to her, suddenly -- he was in Narcotics Anonymous with her. The petite brunette then remembers that Alan divulged something to the group, a secret about how he got a rival co-worker fired. And when Jeff re-enters the study room, sans Alan, Britta and Annie inform him of this. But since there is no proof that Alan admitted to getting Jeff fired, the group's leader doesn't believe it. Jeff also gets progressively meaner as the episode wears on. Keep in mind that the more time he spends around Alan and his old life, the easier he finds it to settle back into those habits. When we first met Jeff in the pilot, he would do anything to sleep with Britta, including turn the study group against one another. Though he may not be quite that cruel the second time around, Jeff certainly doesn’t think twice about insulting the people he’s grown closest to. And perhaps that’s what scares him, deep down – that this people are influencing him. There’s perhaps this part of him that WISHES he could turn off his feelings (as we’ll see later) and emotions. If he could flick a switch and NOT care, it would be easy. But the study group taught him the importance of being together and of supporting one another. And that’s something that, even if he tried, Jeff couldn’t forget because it’s burrowed into his heart.

Jeff then insults nearly everyone in the room and insists that his relationship with the study group is "co-dependent." And I think that it’s interesting that Jeff places himself in the victimized category. He insists that the study group wants to control HIM (when, of course, we’ve seen plenty of evidence suggesting the opposite to be true). To Jeff, breaking free of something is much better than admitting that you needed it (the group) in the first place. He’s done this before (“Environmental Science”), too. But I don’t think that the group wants to need Jeff – obviously, they NEED him to understand that his actions have consequences, which he still doesn’t quite seem to grasp at this point. They want him to be a better person, but that’s not what JEFF wants. And so, he sees them as the antagonist in their relationship, because Jeff would never admit to being wrong (at least, not at this point in his growth).  Jeff compares Greendale to a zoo in this season and to a prison in the next. Just something interesting to dissect – the idea that Jeff has felt trapped by the school and his circumstances, and yet – ironically – he is free to leave and yet keeps returning.

At the end of the conversation, Jeff leaves the room, insisting that he's going to attend his cool, former law firm's party instead of the pop-and-lockathon. Chang overhears and the group agrees to let him join their team, but there's a catch -- if the group wins, Chang demands that he be let into the study group. Without a leader to guide them or say no, the group (albeit still a bit terrified) seems to silently agree.

The firm that Jeff used to work at hosts a party and we learn that the firm is run by a man named Ted (played by a skinny Drew Carey). I really liked the introduction of Ted, because I think it provided a nice balance between Jeff and Alan. Ted is a seemingly (mostly) upstanding guy. He doesn’t want to make Alan partner because he knows that he’s spineless and skeevy, and to Ted, having some sort of character is more important than having the best win record. And I think that perhaps the reason Ted takes so much to Jeff is because he sees something more in him than Jeff can see in himself – he actually LIKES Jeff. (Of course, Ted is still flawed, so let's not forget that. But he's admittedly a lot less so than Alan.) Alan’s complete intentions were to invite Jeff so that he could do something that would serve his own well-being -- to get himself made partner (sound familiar?). The difference between Jeff and Alan is that Alan is willing to go to any lengths in order to get what he wants. Jeff, while still morally uncertain at times, at least draws a line in the sand between “good” and “evil.” And yet, he still doesn’t care that he’s being taken advantage of because – at that point – Jeff realizes that he’d do exactly the same thing.

The study group arrives at the party, thanks to Annie for getting invited by Alan (who takes an unhealthy and creepy interest in her). I love the lengths that the group is willing to go to for Jeff. We kind of got an indication at the end of the last season (with “English as a Second Language,” in particular) that they were willing to work their class schedules around his so that they could all be together. But here, the group is willing to sacrifice even more for Jeff. Britta informs everyone of the plan -- Abed, Troy, and Annie will break into Alan's office and find evidence that he is the one who got Jeff fired. Meanwhile, Britta, Pierce, and Shirley will stay at the party.  I think it’s also great that the group proves exactly how corrupt the realm from which Jeff hails actually is. They prove to him that the people he worked with weren’t good influences at all, and were basically morally bankrupt. But Jeff chastises the group because they’re decent human beings – he scolds them, and yet they’re proving the point that Jeff cares. If he didn’t care, he would let the group do whatever they want. Instead, he takes on the (begrudging) role as leader, and guides them. Elsewhere, there is a hilarious scene where Troy and Abed find the incriminating e-mail and Annie chloroforms the janitor. (I've seen the scene probably ten or more times and I STILL laugh hysterically.)

Back at the party, Jeff drags Pierce, Shirley, and Britta toward the exit saying that he is "distracted watching [them] mutate." Even if he doesn’t vocalize it, Jeff realizes that there is a distinct line between morally good and morally… well, not. And he recognizes that his law firm is not full of those who want to take the high road. He, within a few minutes, watches the group “mutate” (I choose to believe that Britta was the one person who was being sarcastic, but Shirley and Pierce seemed genuinely engrossed in their new found knowledge provided by Jeff's less-than-moral co-workers). And instead of just yelling or shoving them out the door without a second thought, Jeff explains WHY they were wrong – he takes the time to make sure that they remember WHO they are. And the group is about to remind him of the same thing. And even though he claims he doesn’t care, Jeff’s previous actions pretty much negate his speech. And he cares enough about the group to wish them well before they leave. He cares long before he can recognize the emotion. And that happens a lot, to be honest. Similarly, Jeff loves the group at this point, but can’t recognize that it is love that he feels until “Early 21st Century Romanticism.”

Annie, Troy, and Abed rush in (because they just chloroformed the janitor to escape... again) and Annie hands Jeff the e-mail that Alan sent to get him fired. Jeff then thanks the group for caring, but insists that he doesn't. The study group is rightfully floored by this news and watch as he returns to the party. Jeff approaches Alan, who then appears that he'll confess his wrongdoings to Jeff... but instead, pins it on someone else.  I think that the one thing Jeff realizes in the conversation that he has with Alan is that he could have very easily become THAT person. It wouldn’t have taken much to abandon all sense of moral code or direction of right and wrong and serve his own needs and desires at all costs. But Jeff has a conscience, as much as he hates to admit it. He KNOWS when he is wrong and hates owning up to it – but he usually does. Alan, however, does not. And it’s in this moment that Jeff sees Alan for who he truly is. And I think it’s also in this moment that Jeff begins to stop seeing caring as a weakness. Up until this point (“English as a Second Language,” again, is a good reference) Jeff has viewed emotions as somewhat of an Achilles heel for others. He thinks that he can separate himself from his emotions, but is learning that he cannot. And perhaps he’s beginning to see the little bits of sacrifice the group is willing to do for him even when he does absolutely nothing to earn or deserve it.

At the pop-and-lockathon, Chang has been dancing solo for five hours straight and is on the verge of collapse when the rest of the study group, minus Jeff, arrives to relieve him. Troy begins dancing, but is less-than-enthusiastic about it. And then Jeff enters and begins dancing with him. He insists that he wants to keep Alan around to use as leverage to get back into his old firm, but that he'd rather hang out with people "so cool, they care." The group joyfully rushes to the floor and hugs Jeff, effectively disqualifying the entire team from the competition, and preventing Chang from entering the group.

But, as Annie affirms, it doesn't matter -- no competition does, really. Because they're together. And they have each other. And really, they'll be okay.

Additional de-lovely aspects about the episode:

- “I painted a tunnel on the side of the library. When it dries, I’m going for it.”

- Abed’s nuanced facial expressions are awesome throughout this scene. Props to Danny Pudi!

-  I forgot that they mentioned in this episode that Jeff cheated on his LSATs!

- “Okay. You’ve gone from precious to annoying.”

- “Any other meaningless conspiracy theories?” “Yes. Did you know that Go-Gurt is JUST yogurt?” (I always thought it was the weirdest thing to market Go-Gurt like it was something special. Also, I may or may not still be bitter because blueberry Go-Gurt left a stain on my Backstreet Boys “Millennium” t-shirt when I was a teenager.)

- “In other words, we’re not cool.” “I never said that. You may have heard it, I may have thought it, and it may be true. But I never said it.”

- “I wanna rub Purell on my brain.”

- Somehow I missed the part in the chloroform scene where Annie begins crying and accidentally wipes her nose with the rag with chloroform on it.

- "MY WHOLE BRAIN IS CRYING!"

- I love how you can hear Joel say: “I rolled my ankle doing it” at the end of the episode. Also, Joel dancing in and of itself is hilarious.

- “Animals can talk, your heart is shaped like a heart, and the smell of pie can make you float.”

So there you have it, folks! Just a reminder that I am going to be on a much-needed vacation for the next two Thursday nights, which means that Thursday night re-watches and, subsequently, Friday blog-reviews will be on vacation as well! Join me on Twitter on Thursday, July 12th for "Basic Rocket Science" and then the review the following morning. Have a wonderful two weeks, everyone! :)

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The Road to the Emmys 2012 (Or "Jenn's Slightly Narrowed Ballot")

(gif credit)

you might be wondering exactly why i am updating now instead of my usually scheduled time. well, this is -- in fact -- not a community blog-review update, but rather an informal way for me to piece together all of the potential nominees for the 2012 emmys in their respective categories. since many of the categories have a plethora of well-deserved potential considerations, i figured that i would use this as a sort of ballot for me, personally. so, if you are interested to see who i think deserves to be nominated for awards, click below the jump!

now, the way that i determined who i’d like to be nominated is as follows: if it is an episode that is nominated, i’ve seen the episode (not necessarily the entire series itself. i.e. without having seen the entire series, i think the finale of house deserves an award.) if, however, when you get to the lead actor, actress, etc. categories, i have only nominated shows which i have watched more than one episode, and mostly consistently throughout this season (i’ve seen some episodes of season 2 of modern family, for instance, but not this season, therefore none of the cast is mentioned, etc.) okay? cool! here we go:

(note: now edited to contain the actual nominees! you'll see them highlighted.)

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2x01 "Anthropology 101" (Jeff Winger, You're A Jerk)

"Anthropology 101"

Original Airdate: September 23, 2010

As a fan of Community, I feel like it’s my personal duty to introduce everyone and their cousin and their cousin’s sister’s hairdresser to this underrated and underappreciated show. I have three friends who are currently watching the series with me (all three in different seasons, mind you). When my best friend and I finished this episode, all she could say was: “… wow. Jeff was harsh.” And, to be honest, I hadn’t seriously contemplated exactly how cruel Jeff had really come across in “Anthropology 101” until I re-watched the episode with her. It is strange to read through the reviews of the last three episodes of season 1, to hear how much I praised Jeff Winger’s character growth… only to realize that, at the start of the second season, he was back to square one. It’s important, however, to recognize the significant developments that occurred between the end of “Pascal’s Triangle Revisited” and the beginning of “Anthropology 101.” At the end of the first season, Jeff had admitted that he wasn’t exactly sure whether or not he could evolve or know what he was, or who he was as a person. And he discussed this dilemma freely with Annie – he was open and honest with her about his insecurities and his heart. But then they kissed and it’s likely that both of them didn’t know what it meant or how to proceed. Evidently, Jeff had a conversation with Annie involving discretion on their part. There’s no need to be discreet about something unless there is something to be discreet about (just saying). Nevertheless, “Anthropology 101” kicks off the sophomore year by examining the deepest flaws in each of these characters, and exploring what happens when selfishness and competition alone propel a group of individuals. Where it leads them, of course, is into sheer chaos and dissension.

The instigators of this chaos are many, the prime ones – of course – being Jeff and Britta. In our previous character studies, we’ve recognized that Britta is (and has always been) insecure around women, and this episode finds her being popular in their eyes, because she “put her heart on the line,” like so many heroines in chick flicks do, only to be jilted by Jeff Winger. Both Jeff and Britta are selfish characters, and both are very proud. In spite of how much he has grown, Jeff remains unapologetic for the events in “Pascal’s Triangle Revisited,” and truly in his relationships with Annie and Britta in this episode (and every other character… Jeff is kind of a tool in “Anthropology 101”…), the lines he uses (“You embarrassed me that night, too” and “My stock around here is kind of plummeting” and “Every woman deserves to be with me,” etc.) indicate that his main concern is “fixing” things he has broken, not by owning up to his mistakes, but by making others apologize. Britta isn’t the only woman who is jilted by Jeff’s pride, of course. Annie too is brushed aside by him throughout the episode and dismissed as “a mistake,” when clearly there were more feelings and emotions involved at the end of “Pascal’s Triangle Revisited,” solely based on the pre-kiss conversation alone. But Jeff isn’t the guy who desires to make right in this episode – he is the one who desires to WIN. And thus, he and Britta compete to see who can remain the last person standing. They play emotional chicken with one another, using their newfound power and social standing to claim a nonexistent trophy, and all because they are too proud to admit anything otherwise.

Britta is intriguing in this episode because, while pride is a vice of hers, she allows power to dictate her actions. Ironically, she never chastises Jeff for the way that he acted at the dance until she learns of his kiss with Annie, but she reacts the very opposite way that Jeff did. While the aftermath of the confession provided Britta with power, and she used that power to her advantage, the presence of the confession elicited fear in Jeff in that moment, and he ran away. It’s something interesting, to compare and contrast Britta’s power with Jeff’s fear.

I'll return to the other characters momentarily, but realize that I don't find anyone in the episode innocent -- each one of the members contributed in some way, shape, or form to their destruction. But before we get to that, we'll discuss the plot of the episode. It's the first day of a new school year, and the episode opens with each study group member's morning routine, ending with Britta who is lying in bed, seemingly about to have a panic attack due to the day ahead. For those who don't remember, "Pascal's Triangle Revisited" ended with both Britta and Slater publicly professing their love for Jeff in front of the entire school. Instead of choosing between the two of them, Jeff left the dance where he ran into Annie and discussed his dilemma. And, in the moments that followed, the pair ended up making out.

I must say that I am quite proud of Britta (for a little bit, at least) in "Anthropology 101." She bravely walks into the school, knowing that she had embarrassed herself just a few months before. She remains tough. … until she gets embarrassed and runs away. But still, at least she showed up. That's more than most people would be able to do. She seemingly hides from girls who are gossiping about her while the rest of the study group enters campus. Pierce and Troy, as we learned from the first season's finale, are now living together and apparently Troy has created a Twitter account (@oldwhitemansays -- a parody of the "$#*! My Dad Says" account and show, for that matter) where he posts all of the offensive or absurd things that Pierce says. Annie and Abed walk in together, reading the account, and the entire group - sans Britta - meets up in the study room. They all hug, and when Annie maneuvers to hug Jeff, he looks at the group and pulls away.  The first instance that Jeff is more concerned about his perception than how he affects anyone else is when he attempts to squirm his way out of a hug with Annie (but only once he throws a glance at the group). It isn’t a stretch that Jeff and Annie would hug (Jeff just hugged Shirley, Abed and Shirley hugged, etc.), but Jeff cares more about himself and the way that he is perceived within the group (and outside of it, for that matter) than anyone’s feelings. At all.

The group then wonders whether or not Britta will actually return to school, since she didn't seem to call or e-mail Shirley and Annie back after they had made efforts to that summer. When Troy begins to get emotional, the entire group lapses into silence until Pierce asks if everyone had seen Toy Story 3, and then all conversation about Britta is forgotten. Well, until she pops up from behind one of the study room couches. She apologizes to Jeff and admits that she was only trying to compete with Slater during the dance and that things got out of control. When Shirley says that Britta has no need to hide from the group, the blonde points outside of the door and notes that she isn't hiding from her friends, but from the gaggling groups of gossipy girls (how's THAT for alliteration?) that seem to be following her. This made me think that I really would like to see a flashback episode where we get to see each of the study group members pre-Greendale. I’d love to see what Britta had been like in high school. We get glimpses of her insecurity around other women (that comes into play in both “Football, Feminism and You” as well as “The Psychology of Letting Go”) because of how she had been treated as a teenager, but it would intrigue me to know the extent of it. I believe it’s because she was spurned by women that she ended up being more comfortable with men and thus the object of more attention from them, which then spurred the hatred of her by other women, etc.

When Jeff speaks, it's not to accept Britta's apology or to apologize for running out on the dance, but rather to chastise her and let her know that he too was embarrassed, so the girls that are (seemingly) gossiping about her? Well, that's just karma.  And I had to wonder exactly what Jeff’s deal is with his coolness toward Britta at the beginning of t his episode, but I think it boils down to his pride and ego. She handed him an apology, which he didn’t earn. At the dance, the final glance before he left between them seemed to form an understanding – an acknowledgement that he was sorry, but he couldn’t choose. And yet, in this season’s opener, Jeff is insisting that Britta embarrassed him at the dance. Jeff’s pride and ego had been ruined during those moments. But here is where he has lost sight of the grand picture: while he suffered momentarily, his actions caused Britta to suffer more long-term consequences (or so she thinks, anyway). And this seems to be something that Jeff can’t quite come to grasps with in the episode – that his actions don’t just affect HIM, but the people around him as well (and usually MORE than they affect him).

(Britta’s desire to be desired by people, meanwhile, quickly overshadows the statements she made to Jeff about embarrassment, because she is about to use her newfound popularity to take advantage of embarrassing Jeff right back. And thus, the cycle of power and pride begins.)

When the study group decides to just walk to class and not discuss the transfer dance scenario further, Britta runs right into a group of girls who admit to idolizing her for speaking her heart. Just as Britta is about to correct them, one girl asks if the blonde would sign something for her, and Britta begins to realize that she MAY be able to reap benefits of her embarrassment. Jeff, overhearing, admits to himself that he doesn't like where that is going. Annie is just behind him, affirming his thought, but he steers her out of the middle of the hallway to discuss their kiss. During the summer, they apparently had a conversation about being discretion, which - like I mentioned earlier - there is really no need for, unless there's something to be discreet about. And I understand that he meant to be discreet about their kiss and to forget about it, but I'm wondering if there's something more that Jeff is just not saying at this point. Evidently, Jeff believes Annie to be a love-struck teenybopper (a theory she is not helping disprove by twirling her hair around her fingers and smiling) and reminds her that the "Pascal's Triangle Revisited" kiss was, in fact, a mistake. When Annie flounces away, Jeff watches her and mumbles: "I don't like where that's going."

Nevertheless, he must catch up with her eventually, because Jeff and Annie walk into Anthropology together and encounter student!Chang, who is also taking that class. I think it’s sort of adorable that Chang takes notes throughout the class and actually has his book open before the class even starts. (As a note: this episode and “Applied Anthropology and the Culinary Arts” may be the only episodes in the second  season where I actually really enjoyed Chang as a character). Once the class sits down, Abed explains to Jeff why exactly Britta has become a celebrity around women, and then the film student notes that he's going to try to make their sophomore year less relationship-driven, and more escapade-lead. Before Jeff can really grasp Abed's statements, Professor June Baur introduces herself to the class. Now, I absolutely love Betty White and think she’s the cutest, but I have to admit that June is probably my least favorite professor at Greendale. Oh, wait. I just remembered that Slater is a professor. Nope, okay. Second least-favorite professor then. And it’s nothing really that Betty did, but… I don’t know. There was just something off, perhaps with the chemistry between her and the study group. That's just personal opinion, so feel free to disagree with me. At any rate, she assigns the group their first project -- they will be split into tribes of no more than eight people, and will be given a box of nine tools. Their job is to discover which of the tools in the box is the most powerful.

Later, in the cafeteria, Jeff is approached by Chang, who subtly attempts to drop hints that he wants to be in their study group (and only joined so that he could do so). When the former lawyer attempts to order macaroni and cheese ("I DID eat all the macaroni. It's messed up he knows."), the lunchlady slams the container shut and insists that the macaroni just walked out on him... like he did to Britta. I don’t think that Britta necessarily considers what her newfound fame is doing to Jeff until he confronts her in the cafeteria and points it out for himself. And the reason, again, that he points it out is not out of concern for Britta’s well-being, but for his OWN popularity’s sake. He spent a year building up a reputation around Greendale, and his perks are beginning to fade because of her. It’s then that Britta realizes she has the upper hand in their scenario – since SHE was jilted, she is the victim. But, instead of sucking up the few days or possibly weeks that he may have to endure until things “blow over,” Jeff decides to take matters into his own hands. If he can find a way to make Britta the jilter, his power returns back to him. As long as they both fight for their status and pride, neither loses. Again: emotional chicken.

(As a note, the delivery of “HIGH ON MY OWN DRAMA?” is still the best thing ever.)

In Anthropology class, Jeff confronts Britta in front of the entire class and tells her that he loves her (to the utter dismay of Annie and joy of Shirley and the other women). And I love how utterly confused Britta is when Jeff says that he loves her, and also the fact that she turns around like she’s waiting to be Punk’d. But then, once it dawns on her that Jeff is attempting to take away her power from her so that he can retain his status, Britta gets (rightfully) angry. Because the only way now for her to keep her status is by returning Jeff’s confession and being “in love with him.” The moment that she begins to “love” him any less than he “loves” (loosely quoting, remember) her, she loses. And if there’s anything you should have retained from these 2,000 words so far it’s that both Britta and Jeff are prideful and competitive people. So he literally levels his gaze with hers and challenges her – she could set things back to right and admit (like she was about to do to her female groupies at the beginning of the episode) that she never actually loved Jeff, and was only competing against Slater. But she can’t do that. Britta likes the taste of power now. And she’s not about to give it back to Jeff to abuse again.

Jeff and Britta then kiss and it looks like it was the most awkward thing in the world for Joel and Gillian to film (but it's hilarious in its awkwardness). Jeff appears to be taken aback by Britta’s compliance with this. I think he was actually expecting her to give up, because he studies her with doubt for a moment. Britta, of course, is unrelenting. And the pair continue to compete with one another throughout the day, kissing and listening to an iPod (sharing earbuds) to see exactly who will cave first. Annie remains distraught and disgusted, and she has reason to -- Jeff DID, after all, kiss her back at the dance (pretty desperately, might I add). She's not incorrect to assume that it would actually mean something. Shirley, meanwhile, is discussing with a disheartened Abed that relationships can be seen as adventures. From this point forward, control-oriented Abed takes charge.

Back in the study room, the group is attempting to determine which of the nine tools is the most powerful (and Britta is playing with a funny little cootie catcher that has "Jeff" and little hearts written all over it), when Jeff comes in and kisses Britta. They both insist that they love each other and that they'd get married. When Abed hands Jeff and Britta the ring, you can see in their faces that they realize the competition could easily come to an end, so long as they each personally managed to grab the box first. If Britta grabbed it first, she knew she’d have the upper hand and that Jeff would have to say yes (and vice versa). Britta DOES manage to grab it first, and since Jeff will never relent to her in their game, he agrees to the "marriage" and kisses Britta. Shirley then reveals to the group that Jeff and Britta slept together during paintball. And then, everything comes out and it is honestly the most tense the study group has ever been and perhaps the most palpable tension I’ve felt watching a show. You can literally just feel yourself bristling at the remarks they fire back at one another in anger.

Remember that I said earlier I would not consider anyone to be innocent in the group? The reason that I won’t pretend that anyone in this episode is guilt-less is because every character contributed to the group’s dissension somehow. Annie’s flaws (he insecurities and naïveté) cause her to react irrationally and immaturely – to punch Jeff in front of the group and then to blurt out that they had kissed (everyone immediately expresses their complete shock and a tense silence follows). Shirley’s flaws and Abed’s flaws are noticeably similar in this episode (and I actually didn’t realize that they provide a nice set-up for “Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples” just a few episodes later), in that they both desire to control people and circumstances. Shirley is happy when she has an unrealistic sense of control in Jeff and Britta’s life – she loves when things and people react according to her plans. But she chastises Jeff when he acts outside of HER will and HER desires. Abed, in the same way, desires to control outcomes in order to make them the “best possible” versions that they can be (I use quotes because I use the term loosely). As we saw in “Virtual Systems Analysis,” control is an important thing for Abed and he never quite understands how to relinquish it, though at the end of this episode, he at least admits that he struggles with the issue. Pierce and Troy’s major contribution to the group dissension is the idea of immaturity – Annie is naïve (often to the point of delusion, but I think her character progresses significantly in season 3 in this regard), but Troy and Pierce are simply immature. Both of their intra-group spats have to do with feeling the need to prove themselves to the rest of the group and people outside of the group, at any cost. And that cost is often at the embarrassment of someone else.

(Oh, and I never noticed the little glare Jeff threw at Annie right before Abed’s team pinned the boutonniere to his shirt for admitting that they kissed. To be fair, Annie would never have had to admit that in front of the entire group if Jeff had been honest and upfront with Britta to begin with. Also, I never noticed that there’s an entire hallway of people just staring into the study room and watching everyone confess and yell. I wondered how Starburns knew about Britta and Annie.)

When Abed walks back into the room with a faux wedding party in tow, Troy reveals that the reason they are all tense and quiet is because Jeff made out with Annie. It intrigues me that Abed is actually surprised by the reveal of Jeff/Annie kissing. It doesn’t surprise me that Britta is upset, because I would probably expect her to be, even if she didn’t have any feelings for Jeff whatsoever (and of course, even more if she did). I think what stings the most though is Jeff telling Shirley that "men are monsters who crave young flesh" and was ashamed of the kiss with Annie (kissing is a two-way street, dude, and you definitely went for it the second time) and wanted to keep it a secret (re: “Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design.”) We’ll compare the carelessness with which Jeff dismisses Annie this episode with the face that he makes when we re-watch that episode later on!

Abed asks where the two kissed, and Britta echoes his question. Annie is the one to own up to the kiss, and admits that it occurred after the transfer dance. This sets Britta off, (and again, I don't blame her) and she rounds on Jeff first and then Annie, snapping about how she "stole" Vaughn and then Jeff and how she "better not smile at that wall outlet or [Annie]'ll fry [her] tongue off!" And, though a hilarious line, this pretty much dissolves any hope of a Britta/Annie friendship in season 2. Troy is indignant and Jeff tries to pass the hot seat off to him by revealing to Pierce that Troy posts things on Twitter all day that the elderly man says. Pierce is upset by this and then Abed begins to gather his things and leave. Jeff snarks at Abed for not being able to discern life from television, and basically just tells the film student to grow up. Abed is silent for a moment before revealing that he DOES understand the difference between television and reality. "In life, we have this," he says. "We have you." And honestly, this is the ONLY person who actually affected Jeff in that entire conversation.

It's the following day in Anthropology and the study group refuses to even sit together at the same tables. (Remember that one time in “The Science of Illusion” where Pierce wailed: “Let’s never let Jeff divide us again”? Whoops.) Jeff is forced to sit next to Starburns, who has heard about the group's falling out. After sleeping with Britta and making out with Annie what more could Jeff have POSSIBLY gotten out of the group anyway? And when Starburns makes his remark, I think something strikes a chord within Jeff – what more COULD he get out of the group? It’s something that, inherently, seems like a selfish question (because it is). Starburns recognizes that Jeff came into the group with the sole intention of getting something for himself. But what Jeff realizes is that it wasn’t really about what he could take from the group, but what they gave to each other.

So Jeff stands in front of the class and reveals that the most important tool wasn't any of the ones in the box -- it was respect. Because without respect, things happen, he insists. And it's interesting to see what word each of the group members becomes associated with in this speech:

• Competing - Britta
• Exploiting - Annie (this one is still a tough one for me to understand, particularly because I don't feel like Annie exploited Jeff or their kiss in any way -- she was just being honest and wasn't trying to gain anything by doing so.)
• Humiliating - Troy/Pierce
• Controlling - Abed
• "without each other" - Shirley (which is an interesting one to think about too, and perhaps the sweetest one because that's the person who the camera lands on when he admits that they all need one another)

And in the sheer celebration of taking everything as a metaphor, if you combine all of the tools within the box (if you combine every member of the group and their pride, egos, and insecurities), you get a deadlier weapon than any one individually! But see, that's not the episode that Professor Baur was actually looking for -- when you combine all nine tools in the box, you get a deadly weapon resembling a crossbow. And she uses that to attack Jeff, who then passes out.

Once he comes to, Jeff sees the entire study group standing around him. As it turns out, they all decided that Jeff had the right answer -- respect was something they all needed to focus on and remember. Annie admits that she thinks Jeff is gross (and Jeff says that's awesome, but I think it's used to show how self-deprecating he is because HE thinks he's gross -- he calls himself a "gross, jaded adult" in "Introduction to Political Science," and I think Annie's words struck a chord with him somewhere), and Abed apologizes for trying to control everyone when there was something great in front of them all along -- a crazy Anthropology professor.

Chang approaches the group and asks if he can be let in, and the group says that they had been through a lot but that they'll think about it. In a surprising confession, Jeff admits that they'll let him in eventually (psychic, are we, Jeff? re: "Asian Population Studies"), because really... what CAN'T this group handle together?

(The answer, I think we all know, is "nothing," so long as they are - in fact - together.)

Additional de-lovely aspects of the episode include:
- That's a boss Zefron poster, Annie. (Things like this are why I love the show. Continuity, for the win!)
- They have a trapeze club at Greendale? I want to join!
- “Hey, did you guys see Toy Story 3?” “Yes, oh my God!” “Hey.” “Hey, Toy Story – I mean, Britta!”
- “What should we call you? Student Chang?” “Two credits into a Music major Chang?”
- “You will also have to make a diorama.” “Ugh.”
- My favorite Yvette Nicole Brown delivery to date is probably the: “I don’t understand. Is this you being me-ta?”
- “Is there ANYTHING you didn’t win that day?”
-  “Anyone object to us being referred to as donuts? Anyone?”
-  Shirley’s little “Helloooo!” when Jeff wakes up is the most adorable thing ever.
- “Is there any room in this pocket for a little spare Chang?”
- The tag is reminiscent of the Spanish rap, and therefore my favorite.

I was convinced that next week I should re-watch and review "Accounting For Lawyers," so that is exactly what we will do! Just so you are aware, this will be the LAST episode re-watch and blog-review that I do for two weeks -- I will be on vacation (in Italy!) from June 28th to July 6th, so our next review after that will take place on July 12th when I review "Basic Rocket Science." Have a great weekend everyone! :)

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