tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post9220400660810338778..comments2024-03-24T03:19:39.745-04:00Comments on Just About Write: 6x13 "Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television" (Farewell, Greendale. Again.) [Contributors: Jenn and Deborah MacArthur]Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-29822929863269716122015-07-17T09:09:24.718-04:002015-07-17T09:09:24.718-04:00Hi there Richard! Thanks so much for the complimen...Hi there Richard! Thanks so much for the compliments and for reading these reviews so faithfully and for so long. I truly appreciate it and I thank you on behalf of Deb, too, who wrote so much for me this season.<br /><br />I totally and 100% agree with your Jeff/Annie assessment. Though that moment between them was great and stellar and swoon-worthy, it was not earned. There was no build-up. Like... zilch. Less than zilch, actually. There was negative build-up and yeah, you're right: at the end, Jeff still doesn't even tell Annie that he loves her which is arguably the most important part (unless they DO get a movie and are saving it for there but I doubt Harmon has thought that far ahead). I guess, like you said, he tells her in his imagination but still. Not quite the same.<br /><br />I like the idea of a movie to tie things up, but I would have liked it if the show had done a better job throughout the last three seasons of filling plot holes and earning the scenes it gave us. So much of season six was spent pointlessly and season five post-Troy was a LOT of the same. They didn't use their time well at all and people can argue that if the show had 23 episodes, things would be different but... if you can't make a consistent show in 13 episodes, making it in 23 would be even harder and WORSE.<br /><br />ANYWAY, back on track: the most emotional moment was 100% what you described. I sobbed during that one. The show did a great job in the final season of giving us some much-needed Jeff/Abed. I loved it.<br /><br />Thanks again so much for your comments! Maybe one day there WILL be a review of the Community movie, haha. WHO KNOWS.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-57746895932778061182015-07-15T18:46:47.266-04:002015-07-15T18:46:47.266-04:00I agree with Richards. Literally every paragraph.
...I agree with Richards. Literally every paragraph.<br /><br />And I recommend her New Girl and Arrow reviews too. Jenn and her compadres are good at this.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10079066728808517579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-58418968225836434062015-07-15T18:41:37.903-04:002015-07-15T18:41:37.903-04:00First of all, I must say I really liked your revie...First of all, I must say I really liked your reviews, I read some of them last year when season 5 finished and now I rewatched season 1 through 5 and then went on S6, finished it and searched for your page if you had also reviewed season 6. I was pleasantly surprised that you did.<br /><br />Now for what I wanted to say:<br />The one thing that bothers me about this season is that there is no build-up for the last scene with Annie and Jeff and that Jeff did not say Annie that he loves her (maybe in his fantasy which he imagines in the study room where he says that he loves her counts) and that he did not tell her that she was the one due to which the door in finale of season 5 opened. <br /><br />So I really hope there will be movie, because I want all the loose ends to be tied up and group to be together including Troy. I would also love Annie ending up with Jeff because the one thing that separates them now is that Annie have not had lived a proper life with her own decisions and experiences and if they will jump right in, Annie would eventually begrudge Jeff for not letting her live her own life as we can see in Jeff's imagination in the study room. The one thing that Annie want for now is experience and once she have it there is no obstacle for them if they truly love each other.<br /><br />There are also few hints that Annie might come back. She likes the idea of teaching on Greendale and as I said with enough experience she can. And then in the study room she says: 'Season seven, who knows? It's out of our hands.'. Also, Annie said in Britta's bar that her internship is only for summer. So who knows what might happen then?<br /><br />And at last I wanted to say that for me the most emotional moment was when Jeff hugged Abed twice when he drove them to the airport. It is that moment when I realized that Abed had the same problems as Jeff (the fear of loosing his friends) and actually grew up same as Jeff and now they need to say goodbye to each other. Nonetheless I liked the kiss in the study room but it felt rather sad because he needed to let her go afterwards not knowing whether they will see each other again.<br /><br />Thank you again very much for your reviews and I hope that one day I will see a review of Community movie here.RichardHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-83329050210324777052015-06-05T16:55:09.569-04:002015-06-05T16:55:09.569-04:00Not a dry eye in my house after this episode. This...Not a dry eye in my house after this episode. This was a beautiful piece of work, and certainly the one that should almost too fittingly end the show, given how it felt satisfying to most of us.<br /><br />I think it also warrants a rethink about Season 6, which seems to neatly close another story circle. As Harmon said a long time ago, Season 1 was told from largely Jeff's viewpoint, how he saw the world and Greendale, with him having to take some knocks on his twisted sense of pride time and time again. Only late that season with the first homages and parodies did the show begin to switch to Abed's viewpoint. Here, with S6 it seems that we returned to S1 to an extent, to Jeff's way of seeing things what with homages becoming fewer and background caricatures like Chang (and even Garrett!) getting some actual character qualities back, and with the show finding something emotionally resonant within the Dean's life again, something that had only happened once in S3.<br /><br />Only the Season 6 Jeff was a Jeff in denial, in escapist mode. His relationship with Greendale has always been a love/hate thing: it's his home but his ambitions for life were always bigger than that. So he has rage building inside him and he also drinks (the former isn't necessarily a consequence of the latter - and I think this is true for Jeff too) but the even bigger problem for him is that he doesn't really want to acknowledge his friends' plans for leaving Greendale, until the last moment. It comes almost out of the blue in this episode (a line about Annie becoming President from 6x08 notwithstanding) and I think it's all the more effective for it. Only then do we realize how much in denial has Jeff been, and how much of this season has been told from his point of view again. It's followed by those show-pitching sessions that you describe so perfectly, where Jeff finally understands that he has to respect his friends' wishes if he truly loves them and wants the best for them.<br /><br />There's a lot to be said about this finale, but one thing I'll have to disagree on is what will happen to Abed. I think him going to Hollywood actually echoes what happened to Dan Harmon there: the start may have been rough, but eventually he found some likeminded individuals in the alternate comedy circles and started Channel 101, where some of the long groundwork for future showrunning was done. Except that since Abed is starting as a production assistant on a Community -like show, his start seems to be a lot easier. There's no more appropriate place I'd send the guy myself - unless the Community movie turns out to have shades of Sunset Boulevard or Mulholland Drive in it...<br /><br />Anyway, this is the show! I enjoyed reading everyone's comments so thanks for those, and special thanks to the hostesses: it always felt like even the criticism came from a place that loves Community, or at least the older parts of it.Log Ladnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-81510132088741642602015-06-05T15:43:08.893-04:002015-06-05T15:43:08.893-04:00Oh, and what you said about Lord Huron? I love tha...Oh, and what you said about Lord Huron? I love that song! I was listening to it quite recently and immediately went into daydream-montage mode, only with scenes from another TV show that was about to end. It is thoroughly gorgeous, and fits a lot of finale-type situations. But from now on it's got to be strictly a Community montage song, heh. ;) ;)Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-62980059024617259432015-06-05T15:30:45.193-04:002015-06-05T15:30:45.193-04:00Richard, yes, I see exactly what you are saying. M...Richard, yes, I see exactly what you are saying. My meaning wasn't entirely clear from my hurried and not-very-well-expressed paragraph, but I actually agree with you (to a point). :P That Annie “didn't have a pitch” for Greendale was because she does not really envisage herself there anymore. I agree. :) Her pitch for herself involves the FBI – and then... and then... and then... But her words as the rest of the group gathers around – the idea that there are plenty of “variables” - shows that she hasn't completely closed the door on Greendale, or Jeff for that matter. That she recognises now that things can change, and it's ok to just see what happens. I hear hope and opportunity and possibility in her words there, although the notion that she's just trying to soothe the pain is also completely feasible. When she says, “I would love to teach at Greendale”, I hear sincerity there. But as Jeff pushes it, the look on her face shows “but not yet... maybe in a different life... this isn't my story now.” Incidentally, the little pictures in my head of the future Annie/Jeff story run largely along the same lines as yours – a possible reconnection in the future, paths that cross and this time run in alignment. I found your comments about Britta interesting too, in that respect. Again, I think it's entirely plausible that something like that might happen. I can see it too! But... I also cling to the notion that maybe things are different for Jeff now, now that he's said what he needed to say, and finally let both Annie (and indeed Abed) go. After all, Jeff's final comfort-pitch involves red-heads – neither blondes, nor brunettes. It's like he doesn't want to “go there” for the moment!<br /><br />I think it's been said before, but I do believe that Annie let Jeff go at the end of season 5. And as she did that, the balance of “power” shifted and Jeff was the one who found himself holding on too tightly until love forced his hand. If you love someone, let them go, right? I have adored their trajectory – it's both painful and beautiful – and was sorely disappointed not to have more subtle indications about their relationship in season 6. But I'm grateful for this resolution! Both actors knocked it out of the park – the way Joel's voice goes so low and throaty in the vulnerability of the moment, and Alison's big Disney eyes. It was lovely. <br /><br />I could waffle on about this for hours, but I should probably stop now. Heh. Just a final couple of magic moments for me:<br /><br />I quite liked the new study group comprising Vicky, Todd, etc. I think that could work in different dimension! ;)<br />I liked the shot of the empty steps outside the school, the scene of a number of significant moments.<br /><br />Best wishes,<br />RoseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-42837077625449157692015-06-05T14:17:56.937-04:002015-06-05T14:17:56.937-04:00Thanks for the name-check, Richard!
Rose, it was ...<i>Thanks for the name-check, Richard!</i><br /><br />Rose, it was a pleasure:-)<br /><br /><i>was Annie the only one who didn't pitch a season 7?</i><br /><br />Yes. The trivial answer is that she arrived at the bar as the pitches were winding up, and her news of getting the internship in DC distracted attention from the game. For the non-trivial answer, see below.<br /><br /><i> That would be quite significant, really, but then again she was also the only one to basically say "let's leave this open-ended and let the chips fall where they may". For a planner like Annie, that was interesting.</i><br /><br />And this is where I conditionally disagree with you and Matt. Because I think Annie the Day Planner (yes, I have only recently re-watched Advanced Dungeons & Dragons...) does have a plan, and she did have a pitch. She just refused to share them with her friends because her pitch for Season 7 would not have had Annie in it, and her plans did not include Greendale and she was trying to spare her friends unnecessary pain. So she was deliberately vague instead – no public pitch, and “let the chips fall where they may”, but also no promise to come back.<br /><br />I’ve said it upthread, but I think it’s worth saying again. I think this view is borne out by what she said in private to the one person who had the right to complete honesty from her, the man who had just told her he loved her too much to fight to keep her –<br /><br />“I think you should kiss me goodbye or you might regret it for the rest of your life.”<br /><br />Those are not the words of somebody who expects to be back when summer is over. That is somebody who is moving on with her life and expects the future to be different to the past with different people in it. Annie does not see a future where her and Jeff are kissing in private in darkened rooms where the air is thick with feelings, and by this point, nor does Jeff. <br /><br />Maybe things will change. Maybe Harmon is hinting at something when he talked about how their souls are intermingled. Maybe they will stay in touch with occasional visits back and forth and skype chats, and maybe in a few years time after both have tried and failed to find happiness elsewhere Special Agent Edison will request a transfer to the FBI’s Denver field office and reconnect fully once again. And maybe, now that she has seen something of the world and made her own choices and chosen to settle down, they could be happy together. But that’s a story that hasn’t been written yet and I don’t think even Annie is planning that far ahead as she says goodbye in the study room.<br /><br /><i>Abed is my personal heart of Community</i><br /><br />I see the value of Abed. He is like the chorus in Greek tragedy – the one who explains the story to the audience without fully participating in it himself. But as I think is painfully obvious from the thousands of words I’ve poured into these comment threads (and thank you all so much for your patience) but Annie, and specifically her relationship with Jeff, is my personal heart of Community. Nobody, not even Jeff, has been changed more by their Greendale experience and nobody else deserves so much to choose their own future freed from the bonds of the past. It’s very much a sign of Jeff’s own growth as a human being and as a man that – finally - he sees this and is prepared to pay the price to bring it about.<br />Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423394808469206711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-10862883387340301102015-06-05T10:27:24.802-04:002015-06-05T10:27:24.802-04:00Rose, I now agree with you and Richard. Even thoug...Rose, I now agree with you and Richard. Even though I can relate to Jeff in some ways, Abed has always been my favorite. Awkward, self-aware, and what has normally been ignored, trying to find his place, he isn't the villain that unites the group in S4. He's the one that connects them when nothing else does. Jeff's #sixseasonsandamovie was pitch perfect and so was the response.<br /><br />Best part of these two posts are about Annie and Jeff. Jeff's uncomfortable realization that even Garrett was going to evolve explains a lot, and the day planner Annie leaving the door open with no pitch was a really great moment about how she had grown.<br /><br />I'm going to miss this almost as much as the show.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10079066728808517579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-14066333740584770292015-06-05T10:06:40.956-04:002015-06-05T10:06:40.956-04:00PS Oh, and based on Jeff's pitches this episod...PS Oh, and based on Jeff's pitches this episode, perhaps his "bad" behaviour in Wedding Videography was partly due to feelings of consternation/envy that Garrett (Garrett, of all people) should have found love and is looking forward towards a settled future. <br /><br />Rose. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-61200904927016397502015-06-05T10:00:33.136-04:002015-06-05T10:00:33.136-04:00Hello everyone! Having been away for the last week...Hello everyone! Having been away for the last week or so, I'm quite late to this farewell party but I wanted to thank you all for your kind welcome and the respectful and interesting discussion in general. (Thanks for the name-check, Richard! And Matt, to whom I never replied a couple of weeks ago.) It's been short but sweet participating in this li'l community. ;)<br /><br />I watched the final two episodes back-to-back and the difference was amazing. I found Wedding Videography pretty mean-spirited on the whole, and I was so disappointed about that. Some of the jokes and set pieces were quite funny, and I recognise that the group tried to make things better by the end, but I just couldn't get behind most of it. So the final episode was a delight by contrast. :)<br /><br />It's like Abed said: things need to be joyful, bright, warm, a comfort. Those of you mentioning the dark tones this season have totally hit on something there. When I think of the first three seasons, I think of vibrant colours - from pillow forts to paintball all the way to Annie's outfits, even. This season has been a lot more muted. <br /><br />So, Abed. I guess I have always viewed Community through Abed's lens, from the minute he started talking about seasons way back in s1. Every parody, every "homage", every spoof episode, I have seen/watched as if it were an Abed construction. (If that makes sense.) So for that reason, Abed is my personal heart of Community - and I know that everyone has different ideas on who that is, if indeed it is any one individual. And that's why I found Jeff's relationship with him so touching. Jeff is the leader, but Abed is the touchstone for a lot of the things that happen. For all his alleged craziness/inability to live in the real world, Abed is frequently the one who knows what's what - even though he has to use pop culture to express and explain it all. His season 7 pitch idea ultimately allowed the group to express and come to terms with their feelings about moving on (to some extent, especially Jeff) in a way they might not otherwise have done. His speech about Troy was a great example of that. His was the only sane psych evaluation, and I'll always remember him rendering Jeff speechless by saying "I know I'm not Batman. You could try not being a jerk sometimes." I feel like Jeff learned a lot from Abed, even though he was often irritated by him too. Abed was the first person he met, the first person to start him on his journey (to use the cliche), and, if you're sentimental like me, that's just... aw. And if even someone like Abed, who has gone by formulas and rules for so long, feels able to move on, well, that's got to hit Jeff hard. Jeff's delivery of the line "six seasons and a movie", as if the wind had been knocked out of him, nearly pleading, almost broke my heart. But hey. Oh, a small random remark about Abed: whenever I see the opening credits of Community (the ABCD bit), I see the letters as ABED. Ha! I know that's just my brain being weird, but there it is. ;)<br /><br />Anyways, randomly leapfrogging elsewhere: I loved the opening credits of Britta's pitch, that was hilarious. I thought it was interesting that she had little-girl-Annie breathe, "I'm scared", then immediately replied "Be more scared". That said a lot about their relationship, about the power balance we discussed a few weeks ago.<br /><br />I'll have to come back to post my thoughts about Jeff and Annie, but just a quick question: was Annie the only one who didn't pitch a season 7? That would be quite significant, really, but then again she was also the only one to basically say "let's leave this open-ended and let the chips fall where they may". For a planner like Annie, that was interesting. <br /><br />Thank you ever so much for your reviews, Jenn and Deborah! I've really enjoyed reading them. :)<br /><br />RoseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-41520641122816822592015-06-04T20:40:05.774-04:002015-06-04T20:40:05.774-04:00This is a lift from Harmon's TVLine interview....This is a lift from Harmon's TVLine interview. I like how he can say it fewer words. I wish I could. I also wish I knew how to format quote text. <br /><br />"Age aside, it's more an issue of how much life experience you have had. Do we really believe in our heart of hearts that the current version of Jeff Winger and the current version of Annie Edison would be happily ever after if they ever got together? Or is it more likely their souls are intermingled and there is such a thing as true love that is genuinely star crossed? This person hasn't lived their life yet. I'm comfortable with the realization that he's genuinely in love with her, but that's a separate thing from whether that's actually good for her."<br /><br />SOOO, ANYWAYYY. I have to say that I am going to miss this if this is the end. Jennifer and Deb know this show so well, and reading their perspective has helped me understand not only the show, but the other voices in its fandom. We are a community. End of my not exactly Winger speech.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10079066728808517579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-7806279722721459862015-06-04T16:55:21.947-04:002015-06-04T16:55:21.947-04:00D.D., I totally realized my error when I published...D.D., I totally realized my error when I published the post regarding the Jeff/Annie conversation. I should know that Pascal's Triangle Revisited scene better by now, considering how many times I've watched and re-watched it. :PJenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-40600290498856294772015-06-04T16:33:07.890-04:002015-06-04T16:33:07.890-04:00" Annie asks: "Do you know who you are, ..." Annie asks: "Do you know who you are, or do you try to evolve?""<br /><br />Actually, Jeff was the one who asked himself that. I don't recall Annie being particularly mature in Pascal's Triangle Revisited. <br /><br />About Jeff's arc this season, here's my cheat sheet:<br />Episode 2: Jeff is concerned that he may never get out of Greendale.<br />Episode 5: Jeff admits that he actually likes Greendale. It's become a home to him.<br />Episode 8: What's a home without a family? Having finally admitted that he doesn't want to leave Greendale, he is frightened with the thought that the others don't feel that way, and they will one day leave him behind. With what turns out to be prescience, he makes particular mention of Abed and Annie's potential.<br />Episode 10: Abed's fake Winger speech to pacify the Dean ends up unexpectedly hitting home for Jeff, who realizes how much he's holding on to his Greendale family . . . but what else can he do?<br />Episode 13: explained above.<br /><br />-D.D.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-45710995026220018912015-06-04T16:07:24.426-04:002015-06-04T16:07:24.426-04:00I don't agree with Richard? This...this feels ...<i>I don't agree with Richard? This...this feels wrong.</i><br /><br />That's okay:-) I'm not saying it's the good life (or even a good life, though not an awful one either of course), just that it's probably a default option or path of least resistance in the event Annie doesn't come back. They probably could do better, this was just something I saw that would be relatively safe and easy.<br /><br />I like your S6 too, BTW.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423394808469206711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-30822624487347737302015-06-03T22:16:06.834-04:002015-06-03T22:16:06.834-04:00Jen, from this reply, I think we are closer in wha...Jen, from this reply, I think we are closer in what we are saying than I thought. I don't think he questioning his love for Annie in his marital fantasy. I think he is realizing that he has no solution for his pain that is fair to Annie. He doesn't want a kid either, but he seems willing to see a future with one if it keeps her. He doesn't have to ask her what she is feeling, because he is having her question their existence.<br /><br />And what I really agree with both of you is that there is some really good moments of honesty in the finale, particularly with Jeff's feelings for Annie. It's a good point, and yes, if every episode had this weight and humor, I would be on the 18 seasons and a trilogy bandwagon. It didn't. Now I just want the movie.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10079066728808517579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-48559917563732545302015-06-03T22:04:39.514-04:002015-06-03T22:04:39.514-04:00Awwwwww, thank you so much for joining us for Comm...Awwwwww, thank you so much for joining us for Community this year, Richard! We really loved hearing your comments and being able to continue the conversation there. The goal of this website -- when I first started it -- was to be able to provide a home for people to have in-depth discussions about television. I'm so glad that people feel so at home in the comments sections and that literally every thread is full of thoughtful, intelligent commentary. :)<br /><br />As my people say: SALUTE! ;)Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-17924088613044710672015-06-03T21:54:20.841-04:002015-06-03T21:54:20.841-04:00Becca! As always, I love when you comment on thing...Becca! As always, I love when you comment on things. ;)<br /><br />I never related to Abed, really, but Danny Pudi has absolutely sold the character for me in the really poignant and emotional scenes and episodes (the movie one from this season. "Virtual Systems Analysis," and the finale). I am totally there with you -- one of the scenes I cried profusely at was Jeff hugging Abed goodbye. There's just something so... tender and understanding about their relationship? I don't know how to explain it but they really understand each other more than you think they would. (One of the other times I cried was when Abed talked about Troy. DANGIT, DANNY PUDI.)<br /><br />Seth Green was such a random appearance! I know he's been on The Soup before but it was amusing to see him on this show, too. I AM SO GLAD THEY GOT SHIRLEY BACK IF ONLY FOR A LITTLE BIT. I love me some Yvette Nicole Brown.<br /><br />Dangit, Jeff Winger. I fell so in love with him in that moment and I totally agree with your analysis of it. He doesn't know what she wants, but he knows that he'll NEVER figure it out unless he asks. He's constantly concerned about her and in this episode, I think he realized that loving her now -- moving forward -- means just figuring out what she wants from him and letting her call the shots. Such a moment of selflessness and it was wonderful.<br /><br />HAHAHAHA about the child thing. I honestly have no idea what was up with that but momentarily I thought it was one of Joel's sons because the child looked almost exactly like his sons did. And then I remembered his kids are like, toddlers now, not babies.<br /><br />Also also: the little kid said "I did it!" when he ran off and I think it's the cutest thing ever to be uttered on this show.<br /><br />I, too, liked that Jeff went back to the bar and was with his friends. Because you know he needs to be surrounded by them. It would have been really sad if he had gone home and wallowed. But it gives me hope that he hangs out with them, even just for that night.<br /><br />THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS BB. <3 Deb and I look forward to doing more things together (and separately, too) here! I'm so thankful she came aboard this season because I would not have made these reviews otherwise.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-85370667123304507842015-06-03T21:39:09.551-04:002015-06-03T21:39:09.551-04:00You CAN, anon! It's no surprise to anyone arou...You CAN, anon! It's no surprise to anyone around here that I absolutely adore that man but he seriously knocked it out of the park in the finale.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-66531289712911257292015-06-03T21:07:04.897-04:002015-06-03T21:07:04.897-04:001) Welcome, supercapo! I love when the reviews pos...1) Welcome, supercapo! I love when the reviews posted here are able to lure people out of lurking and into the comments section. :) Also, HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE NEW GIRL? I'll talk about that show forever. Sorry. Anyway. Back to Community!<br /><br />2) <i>I'm not sure why Dan and Co felt the need to backload all the emotional depth and development into the final episode. And while I actually over all liked this finale, I can't help but think, mournfully, about how much stronger it could have been if the same depth and emotion would have been placed throughout the season.</i><br /><br />Amen! I think my tweet during the episode was something like: "where was THIS show all season?" I feel a bit cheated because it's clear that the team is actually capable of writing real, emotional, heartfelt stories and romance (!!!) well. Why they chose to do episodes about meta road trips, e-mail hacks, and incest is beyond me.<br /><br />3) I really did love the end of Jeff/Annie because to me, it's not an end. And Harmon's recent interviews basically confirm what I think: they just got the timing wrong... for now. But as Annie says, who knows what the future holds. I think that was a nice little wink and nod to her keeping that door open for Jeff. Plus the coy little way she tells him that she's in her twenties right before he kisses her was just precious and indicative that she wouldn't mind there being more mistakes with him in the future. ;)<br /><br />JEFF, BB. HE GREW UP SO MUCH. Okay, so let's just pause and remember that the Jeff we met in the pilot lied to an entire group of strangers and got them to turn on each other because he wanted to get in a girl's pants. The Jeff in the finale? He let the love of his life leave the state because he realized that loving people sometimes means watching them leave and a) knowing you're better off because you loved them and b) knowing that there's hope they will return someday.<br /><br />I definitely do NOT want a season seven. Season six was really bad, apart from the finale and a few good episodes. I can't imagine the quality declining even further and the finale wrapped the show up so nicely that I think we just need a movie and to call Community good. <br /><br />I APPROVE OF THAT MOVIE BY THE WAY. I think actually that having Abed and Annie leave is the perfect way to set-up a movie: it allows the group to come back -- Shirley, too! -- together from being scattered. And as we all know, those tropes are the best kind.<br /><br />Thanks so much for your comment!Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-4785341145243449612015-06-03T21:00:28.265-04:002015-06-03T21:00:28.265-04:00I can see where you're coming from, Matt. I th...I can see where you're coming from, Matt. I think that to me, Jeff pitching was all about what he wanted. And Jeff daydreaming was also all about what he wanted. As you said, Jeff created these pitches and kept altering them in order to have everything that he wanted and everything he thought was the second-best option for the others. I say "second-best" because Jeff knows -- in the corner of his heart -- that what is best for Annie is to go to her internship and leave. But he can't help but imagine and daydream for a while, putting himself into Annie's mind. Because I do think that's what he was doing. He was imagining what he thought Annie wanted: the marriage, the kid, the stay-at-home-mom-wearing-a-bright-dress-and-cardigan-again thing. It's important that the dress and cardigan are in Jeff's fantasy because that's how he sees her when he thinks about what he could have with her: as that woman he fell in love with, but older now and not girly in a schoolgirl way.<br /><br />So when daydream!Annie asks if Jeff really knows what she wants, it's super important to me because that's Jeff subconscious manifesting itself: it's that voice in his head saying: "Do you love Annie? Have you asked her what she wants? Have you thought about what is best for HER?"<br /><br />SO it is even more important to me that Jeff gets in those moments of honesty, telling her that he loves her and as much as he tried not to, he still does but that he also puts the ball in Annie's court. He's not going to ask her to stay. He could have. He could have done that and it's what he WANTED to do (daydream!Jeff cares a lot about Annie but never asks her how she feels). Instead, Annie calls the shots and asks him to kiss her and Jeff is hesitant because he's now extremely aware that he has to let her go and doing that means learning what she wants, not what he ASSUMES she wants.<br /><br />Anyway that was kind of rambly but I hope it made sense. Also, thanks to both you and Richard and all of the anons for the comments too! :)Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11696902354009598893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-23553836931601072652015-06-03T20:10:16.626-04:002015-06-03T20:10:16.626-04:00I don't agree with Richard? This...this feels ...I don't agree with Richard? This...this feels wrong. If Harmon ever allowed a closing of Jeff and Annie, "Milord, Milady" would be perfect. I don't know if if had the chance he would take it, but if ever the doors are finally closed, I could see that. What I can't see is Jeff with Britta. She has her parents now, and as much as Britta makes Jeff act better, it is always begrudgingly. What I really want for them is a good life. I don't know if the safe choice of Britta is the good life.<br /><br />My personal ending that I wanted with season 6 was for them to start right before Christmas. An event happens, frisbees/Frankie/yadah yadah yadah, and the tag is Jeff and Annie ending up in an unexpected, passionate kiss. Episode 2 avoided the topic, but I whenever the two of them were not in a scene, I would want them sneaking around in the background referencing not only Abed's episode where he delivered a baby, but also as a nod to various movies like 9 and 1/2 weeks, The Notebook, etc. with occasional gender roles being reversed and only references to what happened (it might be Yahoo, but it ain't HBO, so relax just misplaced honey, leftover fake moustaches, the boombox scene from Say Anything from a different angle) to hint at a passionate and spirited relationship that was obvious, but never an episode that threatened the group. The finale could have stayed the same, except instead of it being the first kiss in, what, 5 years, it could have been a couple that loves each other accepting their paths were diverging.<br /><br />Otherwise, I agree with Richard.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10079066728808517579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-67042874872805263122015-06-03T19:55:41.509-04:002015-06-03T19:55:41.509-04:00I hope Richard agrees with me. He generally says i...<i> I hope Richard agrees with me. He generally says it better.</i><br /><br />Absolutely. About the agreeing that is, you said it perfectly (and thank you for the praise, it is greatly appreciated and wholly reciprocated). I will only add that I thought the table of redheads was meant as a little joke and the important part of that pitch was Jeff saying " we're going to have some pretty crazy times. And eventually you'll leave and be replaced by new ones, and that's something I'm equipped to handle now, I' sort of a hero that way." Then he snaps back to the real world, there's a smile on his face and we get the "I love that I got to be with you guys..." speech. This is Jeff finally accepting that his friends will move on and being at peace with it.<br /><br />One other thing from higher up - <br /><br /><i>Abed is the one that told him about Britta and the one that invited the other members of the group (I think I remember that right).</i><br /><br />Almost. Abed invited along Pierce, Troy and Shirley, but what is literally Annie's second or third line in the entire show is - " I'd like to know why I had to find out about this group on accident?"<br /><br />It's remarkable to remember in the light of how important she became that Annie started out as basically a gatecrasher.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423394808469206711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-15879190079593297632015-06-03T19:36:33.294-04:002015-06-03T19:36:33.294-04:00(Continued)
And for the other one of the core fou...(Continued)<br /><br />And for the other one of the core four who is staying -<br /><br /><i>Important question: HOW IN THE WORLD is Britta going to afford rent on the apartment now that Abed and Annie have moved out? I feel like this is important.</i><br /><br />She won’t, and it is. My own personal future headcanon (which will almost certainly be proved wrong if there is a 7th season or a movie) is that in a month or two’s time Britta’s going to be kicked out of the flat for failure to pay the rent and that at that point she will move - with much grumbling and snark - onto Jeff’s sofa. After a while, when the pain of Annie moving away has died down a bit, she will move into his bed (because it’s ridiculous to sleep on a sofa when there’s a double bed with only one person in it, right?). They will never be particularly passionate, they will never be particularly physical, they will never admit to being in love or even an official couple but months and years will go past and short of Annie returning and begging Jeff for a second chance (which is unlikely to happen, though blessings and congratulations from a distance may) they will simply stay together. As was said in Pascal’s Triangle Revisited after all (and confirmed at the end of Season 5 with the bizarre marriage plans) Britta is Jeff’s safe choice, the one that allows him simply to be himself without making undue demands on him and that is what he is going to need to get past losing Annie (and Abed) from his life. I think something like this is probably the best chance these characters have of something like a happy ending at this point, which, given that this is Dan Harmon’s Community, probably means it’s not going to happen.<br /><br />I know Dan Harmon has talked about a seventh season with an almost completely new cast (perhaps only retaining the dean and maybe Jeff as teaching staff), but I have to say I’d be almost completely uninterested in any show that did not have both Jeff and Annie in it, and I’m having difficulty seeing a credible and satisfying scenario for Annie to come back (I don’t want her to fail again in the real world as she did at the start of S5). You can only catch lightning in a bottle once, and you can’t replace Jeff and Annie and shouldn’t try.<br /><br />As for a movie - come up with a decent excuse to get the gang together for one last hurrah and sure, why not? <br /><br />Confession time - before S6 started I had this vision of a series that respected everything we’d been told about Jeff and Annie, would give the plenty of scenes together and the final tag of the final episode would go roughly as follows - <br /><br />Jeff is sitting at a breakfast table marking a stack of papers and drinking a coffee. Sunlight is streaming in through open windows. Annie creeps out of the bedroom door behind him only wearing one of his shirts. Unknown to him, she tiptoes up behind him and embraces him.<br /><br />“Milord.” He looks up with an expression of perfect happiness on his face.<br />“Milady.”<br />Fade to black, end credits.<br /><br />Then the movie could have been a Community twist on a wedding caper film, with lots of scope for cameos from the old gang. That would have my personal pitch for a perfect final season, but we didn’t get that - we got this instead. And although the season as a whole was flawed, the finale was worthy of the show and respectful of the characters and the journey we have been on with them. It was a good place to end.<br /><br />Ave atque vale Community. Hail and farewell.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423394808469206711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-86207302974140213072015-06-03T19:36:05.396-04:002015-06-03T19:36:05.396-04:00(Continued)
And secondly, this applies for most o...(Continued)<br /><br />And secondly, this applies for most of the episode when Annie is in her interview suit but it’s especially clear in that scene - Annie’s fringe is clipped back the same way it was for most of the first two seasons but which we haven’t seen for a long time now (certainly not in S6, probably not S5 either). Symbolic of a new beginning perhaps. I don’t know if this is a deliberate callback, but as this is Community I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised.<br /><br />As for the future? I know Harmon gave that interview a while back saying Jeff and Annie will get together and there’s been a lot of stuff today about all that talk of Season 7 and how open ended stuff is implying that Annie might be back after her internship but I have to say I don’t see it myself. I took the “kiss me goodbye or you might regret it for the rest of your life” line as Annie saying, in the most tactful, compassionate way she could that she is unlikely to ever come back once she leaves - after this there are unlikely to be any more opportunities for Jeff to kiss Annie as though he meant it, as she deserves to be kissed. And in a way I think this is right and proper - part of Jeff Winger’s journey has been from a man who prided himself on how good he was at being selfish to someone capable of putting others first (especially, and always, Annie Edison) and the keystone of this arc was the moment when he showed how much he loved her by letting her go. Hopefully the memory of a truly noble and selfless act will be some consolation in the dark hours of the night before morning. To bring Annie back and insert her once again into the Greendale asylum would cheapen this somehow.<br /><br />As for our other departure -<br /><br /><i>Abed's poor coping strategies imply bad things for his move to Los Angeles.</i><br /><br />Unfortunately, I think you’re right. Greendale is a relatively small community full of people who know and love Abed and are tolerant and understanding of his quirks - Los Angeles is a megacity full of strangers. If Abed tries to force LA to comply with him (and I think he will try), it’ll break him. Without Troy to befriend him or Annie to mother him I have real difficulty seeing a good future for Abed. Annie is definitely going to be okay, so is Britta (but more on that later) and probably also Jeff if he can get past the first few months without climbing into a bottle and refusing to get out again, but Abed? I’m really having difficulty seeing it.<br /><br />(TBC)Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423394808469206711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6678481478994191244.post-41309719514326274272015-06-03T19:27:35.219-04:002015-06-03T19:27:35.219-04:00Well, that was extraordinary - the sort of episode...Well, that was extraordinary - the sort of episode that I had stopped believing the show was capable of producing over the course of the last two seasons. I tend to agree with the views expressed that we should have had more build up to this, but taken on it’s own merits the episode had the heart, the respect for its characters and its history to make it a worthy last ever episode should that be what it turns out to be. I’m feeling a bit of a splodgy, gooey mess of emotions at the moment, so apologies if I throw a splodgy, gooey mess of words on the screen and see what sticks. But anyway…<br /><br />Oh, Jeff, Jeff - I loved his growth in this episode, going from his initial shock at hearing Abed and Annie are leaving and desperation to game scenarios where they stay to that heartbreaking, beautiful scene with Annie in the study room and dropping them off at the airport before coming back to the bar and embracing the fellowship of those friends who remain. I really think Jeff is going to be okay. But yes, it should have been spaced over more episodes.<br /><br />And on the subject of Jeff -<br /><br /><i>but honestly -- to me -- it's "without Joel McHale, there is no show." He's the anchor and he's always been the anchor. And JEFF has always been the anchor.</i><br /><br />I completely agree with this, but I think it needs to be added to with a word - sentence, paragraph - of praise for Alison Brie. What she has done over the six years of this show in taking Annie Edison from a giddy, idealistic schoolgirl with a dark past and control issues to a mature, confident young woman with a great future ahead of her - and all the time staying remarkably consistent to the fundamentals of her character - has been truly remarkable.<br /><br />So I’d say it’s not just that without Joel there is no show, it’s not just that Jeff is the anchor - it’s Joel and Alison, it’s Jeff and Annie. It’s especially remarkable in that - trying to be as charitable as possible - neither of them have set the world on fire in their careers outside Community and yet, as we’ve all observed before, put them together on screen and something extraordinary happens, as it did again in this episode. So I’d argue that, certainly since “Debate 109”, and arguably since “Football, Feminism and You” it’s been the relationship between these two actors and these two characters that has been the rock that has anchored the show. It’s even more remarkable in that not only was this not intended by the show’s creators and writers but they actively fought against it - some things are just too big to be contained.<br /><br />So, let’s talk about that scene in the study room then. It’s easy to say that Jeff never told Annie how much he loved her - I’m sorry, but he did in every way that counts except for the use of the actual words. And you can from the look in Annie’s eyes when Jeff does his “I let you go” speech and that gentle offer she made to him (“I think you should kiss me goodbye or you might regret it for the rest of your life”) shows she understands what he is saying. After six years, these two are connecting on a level where they barely need words anymore.<br /><br />A couple of other thoughts about that scene - firstly it may be an overactive imagination on my part, but I got a distinct Casablanca vibe from it, especially the bit at the airport where Rick shows how much he loves Ilse by sending her away (“if that plane takes off and you’re not on it you’ll regret it - maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life” - it’s difficult to imagine those words did not at least inspire Annie’s line) - another scene where emotions and feelings are conveyed by looks and actions, not just by mere words.<br /><br />(To be continued)Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423394808469206711noreply@blogger.com