But enough about the blog-reviews (which you should definitely check out, I mean I’m just saying…); let’s move onto our question and answer of the day, shall we? Click below the cut to see what Community-related question I was asked today and what my response is.
Anonymous asked: Most underrated episode.
Answer: Football, Feminism and You (Season 1, Episode 6)
When I was told by my best friend, partner-in-crime, and other half Jaime that I needed to sit down and marathon Community, I decided to take her at her word. So I settled in with my laptop and began to marathon the television series. And, I tell this story all the time because it’s true, I was… not overwhelmingly impressed with the first few episodes.
Oh, sure, I thought the show was chuckle-worthy. But if we’re being honest here, I was kind of wondering when it would get “good” (or if it would EVER get good). Five episodes into the series, I was still not wholly impressed and clicked to watch “Football, Feminism and You.” And that, dear readers, is when everything changed.
Most people cannot remember when they knew that a television show had become their favorite, but I’m not most people. The first moment I laughed out loud (a barking laugh so loud I thought I was going to wake up the rest of my family) was during this conversation between Jeff and Troy on the football field:
Troy: You’re saying I could be a lawyer.
Jeff: I’m saying you’re a football player. It’s in your blood!
Troy: That’s racist.
Jeff: Your soul?
Troy: THAT’S racist.
Jeff: Your eyes?
Troy: That’s gay.
Jeff: That’s homophobic.
Troy: That’s black.
Jeff: THAT’s racist.
Troy: … damn.
And it was honestly a turning episode for me, because I really started to fall in love with the show after that point and definitely came to appreciate it more (obviously). And so, when I think of underrated episodes of the series and my pick for that category, my thoughts immediately went to “Football, Feminism and You.” Up until season three aired and “Remedial Chaos Theory” stole my heart and refused to return it, FF&Y was at the top of my list of favorite episodes.
But I think that this is a classically underrated episode because of the lack of excitement – nothing super eventful really happens. There are no movie homages, no big explosions, no romantic drama or parodies or “weird” stuff. It’s – for all intents and purposes – a fairly NORMAL episode of Community. And I think that’s what I love about it so much.
I wrote an entire blog-review of the episode, back during our first hiatus (when #CommunityRewatch was still a thing. Remember that? Whoops!), and one of the things I noticed when I rewatched the episode was how MUCH happened, but how nothing felt rushed or jumbled. There are a lot of plots happening: Pierce is helping the Dean design a school mascot, while the Dean is convincing Jeff to get Troy to join the Greendale football team, while Annie is trying to get Troy to notice her, while Britta is trying to bond with Shirley and failing slightly. But at the end of the episode, every plot line is resolved: Jeff apologizes to Annie for hurting her feelings, Britta helps Annie out and expresses her femininity in the sacred feminine place (the women’s bathroom), Troy decides to join the football team, Pierce and the dean design the Human Being mascot, and Jeff realizes that Greendale ISN’T trying to kill him and he should begin to accept where he is in life.
It’s pretty simple, really, this entire episode. But it’s one of the most underrated episodes BECAUSE of that. There’s no huge wow-factor like there is with “Modern Warfare.” It doesn’t bend your mind like “Remedial Chaos Theory.” It isn’t a parody like “Regional Holiday Music.” But it’s one of the best episodes of the entire series, in my opinion, because of how much we see each of the characters learn and grow. We see Britta learn to embrace her femininity and help Annie. We see Shirley and Britta grow closer as friends. We see Jeff apologize to Annie and accept where he is in life. We see Troy do the same thing. And we see Pierce… well, being Pierce. After all, we have HIM to thank for that creepy Human Being mascot.
The jokes are spot-on, the character development is profound, and the episode has one of the most cohesive-feeling plots in the entire series: everyone is doing something different in the episode, but somehow they all weave together seamlessly.
My suggestion? If you haven’t rewatched this episode recently, definitely do. And I can guarantee that you won’t regret it.
Remember to stay tuned this weekend (yes, even this weekend!) as I answer more Community-related questions during the #7DaysofCommunity countdown. And, as always, have a wonderful day. :)
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