Best "Community" Episodes

Even though our time at Greendale Community College is over, there is still a debate about the best episodes of “Community”. A show that is not just an innocent sit-com about the interaction between the students at Greendale, but a show that broke every TV rule. I listed what are in my opinion the best episodes of “Community”.

15. Basic Lupin Urology (Season 3, Episode 17)
The group has a biology project, with a yam as the subject. Their yam gets crushed and they try to find our who did it. Off course they do it the “Community” way and parody the crime show “Law and Order”.

14. Epidemiology (Season 2, Episode 6)
A Halloween episode, where a rabies outbreak turns the campus into a post-apocalyptic zombie movie. It’s the originality of their take on the zombie genre that makes this episode fun. Winks to films like “28 Days Later” or “Shaun of the Dead”. And to be honest, this episode is better then what “The Walking Dead” has been doing lately.

13. Digital Estate Planning (Season 3, Episode 20)
What if the study group was in an 8-bit videogame? Well, this episode flings the cast into a delightfully authentic 8-bit videogame experience via the promise of Pierce’s dad’s fortune through his last will and testament. Whoever beats the game gets the money.

12. Pillows and Blankets (Season 3, Episode 14)
“Pillows and Blankets” is one of the most creative episode in sit-com history. A simple pillow fort made by Troy and Abed turns into a war between them and their towns: Blanketsburg and Pillowtown. The episode turns into a documentary civil war style. Lines are read as old combat correspondence and historical pictures of Leonard and Abed dressed as pillow generals. And remember, this episode gave us the Changlourious Basterds and Pillow Pierce.

11. Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design (Season 2, Episode 9)
Dean Pelton is trying to bust Jeff for a phony night school credit, which only unveils a series of conspiracies, plots, and double-crosses between Jeff, Annie and the Dean. You gotta love the twists.

10. Paradigms of Human Memory (Season 2, Episode 21)
Allthough this episode has the structure of a sketch show and shows parts of previous episodes, “Community” is parodying itself here. After Chang crawled down the vent to follow Troy’s monkey (Annie’s boobs), he finds a lot of items that belong to the studygroup and bring back memories. They take a trip down memory lane, to situations and events wer never witnessed.

9. Cooperartive Caligraphy (Season 2, Episode 8)
Chaos and mistrust tear the study group apart as they try to figure out who stole Annie’s pen, causing them to miss the Greendale Puppy parade. This is a so-called bottle episode, where the entire episode is set in one location. And it’s a good one.

8. Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking (Season 2, Episode 16)
After and overdose of medication, Pierce ends up in the hospital. Here he decides to cause some psychological damage to his study buddies, because they never take him seriously. It’s Chevy Chase at his best here. The episode is from Abed’s perspective, since he is filming a documentary. It feel more intimate. And that moment where Troy meets his hero LeVar Burton. He was very clear about never to want to meet him and just wanting a picture. Because you can’t disappoint a picture Pierce!

7. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (Season 2, Episode 14)
This episode was directed by Joe Russo, one of the people behind “Avengers: Endgame”. In this episode the study group plays a game of Dungeons and Dragons, to make one of their fellow students Neil feel better.

6. A Fistful of Paintballs & For a Few Paintballs More (Season 2, Episode 23 & 24)
They are two separate episode, but I decided to put them together, because I can’t choose which of the two is better. The first part of the two-parter season 2 finale is a parody of the film “A Fistful of Dollars”. And as the title suggest, it’s again a paintball episode. Josh Holloway has a fun guest role as a mysterious professional paintballer. It’s stupid and over-the-top, but it makes sense in the “Community” universe. The second part of the season 2 finale takes on a “Star Wars” style, where Troy and Jeff collide on who is the leader, Abed woos Annie with his Han Solo actions and the entire school fights against an ice cream company.

5. Critical Film Studies (Season 2, Episode 19)
This episode was director by Richard Ayoade from “It-Crowd”. It focuses on Abed’s obsession for film and TV series. The gang is waiting for Abed’s “Pulp Fiction” themed surprise party, but Abed invited Jeff for a one-on-one dinner, in the style of “My Dinner with Andre”. This part is maybe the most personal the show has ever felt.

4. Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas (Season 2, Episode 11)
This episode is told as a charming stop-motion story, where Abed is trying to get his way during Christmas. It’s one of “Community’s” most creative and memorable episodes an shows how much creator Dan Harmon loved his show.

3. Modern Warfare (Season 1, Episode 23)
An abandoned campus, study books spread all over the place. The first paintball-themed episode of “Community”. The episode transforms into a modern war movie, while students fight for a change for priority registration for next semester. From Troy’s “Jeff Winger, I thought you were dead”, to the lazy Terminator jokes by Abed. It all works.

2. Contemporary American Poultry (Season 1, Episode 21)
Jeff thinks of a plan to get Abed a job in the school cafeteria, so they have quicker access to the beloved chicken fingers that they always seem to run out of whenever they arrive. Abed narrates this episode, with winks to mob movies “Goodfellas” and “The Godfather”. Another way “Community” has proved to take on different forms and still keep their own identity. Unique character moments and a great homage and references to pop culture.

1. Remedial Chaos Theory (Season 3, Episode 4)
In this episode we find all seven members of the group at Troy and Abed’s apartment when they host a housewarming party. When the pizza arrives, Jeff suggests to throw a dice to decide who will get the pizza downstairs. That’s when the episode shows us several timelines, which show that different things happen depending on who is getting the pizza. The results are just as varied as hilarious. This episode is creative, stands out, is surprising and hilarious. And that’s why it’s the best episode of “Community”.

TV Characters Everyone Loves

Each TV show has a character you dislike, you relate to, that makes you laugh the hardest. And there is always a character that you like the most. But there are also those characters that everybody just loves, and you simply can’t hate him or her. Here is a lost of those we all love and we can’t help it.

Joey Tribbiani (“Friends”)
Joey might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’s not just a pretty actor that knows how to get girls. Somehow his love for sandwiches is relatable, he is reliable since he is probably the only one on “Friends” that can actually keep a secret, he is sentimental, selfless and he would do anything for his friends.

Dean Winchester (“Supernatural”)
Aside from him being an absolute perfection of a man with endless charm, there are many other reasons why we all love Dean Winchester. He is incredibly caring, has a great taste in music, he’s a badass and can I mention his love for his brother Sam. Isn’t that just every woman’s dream?

Tyrion Lannister (“Game of Thrones”)
Even though Tyrion is only 4’5, he could easily kick your ass. He even embraces the fact that he is an imp. As Tyrion states himself: he drinks and he knows things. In fact, he would drink you under the table. And even when people think he is just a drunk, he can make one hell of speech to charm a lady or to cheat death. With that, Tyrion is without a doubt the smartest person on the show and he doesn’t need dragons. Because his weapon is wit and intelligence.

Daryl Dixon (“The Walking Dead”)
Aside from Daryl being the most badass person you will ever meet, I would definitely stick with him during a zombie outbreak. He has some serious survival skills. And although Daryl is super badass, he is a very chill person. Laid back, even a bit of an introvert you might say. Daryl is also very loyal and would do anything to keep the ones he loves save. In the groups he often functions as the voice of reason. He doesn’t want unnecessary deaths and he believes in saving everyone he can. Oh, and he knows how to work a crossbow.

Dustin Henderson (“Stranger Things”)
While at first sight, Dustin might look like the geeky outsider, he is definitely the smartest one of the bunch. Dustin is nothing if not whip-smart: while other fumble around for explanations, he draws on his scientific knowledge to point our crucial details. When you thought Dustin is only the goofy sidekick, think again. He is the most important member of the gang, their emotional glue as well as the only one who knows how a compass actually works. And yes, he is a nerd, and proud of it. Dustin is sensitive, but never weak and simply an amazing kid.

Jake Peralta (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”)
Jake Peralta has a great sense of humor, which is obvious. But he can also kick some serious ass, is romantic, kind-hearted and basically the moral compass of the Nine-Nine.

Marshall Eriksen (“How I Met Your Mother”)
He has quite a unique relationship with Lily and he is the best friend. Definitely the best of the bunch. Let’s face it: we all want a friend like Marshall. And I know he is a lawyer, whom are mostly douchebags, but Marshall is the exception on this rule. Because he actually cares about the causes he fights for. His imagination can get crazy at times and he is a die hard “Star Wars” fan, but those things make me love Marshall even more.

Kimmy Schmidt (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”)
Kimmy is first and foremost a loveable, cute and enthusiast young woman. Half the stuff that come out of her mouth make no sense, and the other half is 15 years out of date. But her endless optimism and self-confidence makes up for all that.

Jesse Pinkman (“Breaking Bad”)
Sure he cooks meth, but it’s not hard to like Jesse despite of this. And it’s also not very hard to miss those gorgeous eyes. Jesse shows flashes of genius and makes the team with his partner Walter White complete this way. He is unpredictable, sensitive and even though he deals drugs Jesse often wants to do what’s right. Jesse feels like a real person.

Abed Nadir (“Community”)
If I wanted one of the characters on this list to be my roommate, I want it to be Abed. I know, he is different and a bit weird, but he knows it. And that alone is what makes Abed such a great person. He is who he is and is never ashamed of it. He is incredibly patient, he constantly quotes and refers to movies and TV shows, he is an optimist, he turns into a child during Christmas and he is a great friend. And I just realized I’m all of the above….

Cosmo Kramer (“Seinfeld”)
His friends refer to him as just Kramer. Kramer is generally caring, friendly and kind-hearted. He often goes out of his way to help total strangers, and tries to get his friends to also help others and to do the right thing even when they don’t want to. He is confident in his own unique way. Kramer can also be neurotic, but overall is a quirky guy with strange ideas.

Sophia Petrillo (“The Golden Girls”)
Sophia is best known for her wisecracks. Often commenting on Dorothy’s unmarried state, Blanche’s promiscuity and Rose’s cluelessness. However despite her sharp criticism of her daughter and roommates, she loves and cares for them deeply.

Sheldon Cooper (“Big Bang Theory”)
Okay, he is self-centered, annoying and rude. But still we all love Sheldon so much. Well, first, he is honest. He says what’s on his mind and lying clearly makes him uncomfortable. He doesn’t understand sarcasm, is always polite enough to knock on a door instead of barging in and he always stands by his believes no matter what anyone says.

Eric Effiong (“Sex Education”)
Eric is an openly gay black guy in a small English town. I think a lot of people can relate to Eric in some way. He always wants to try and be friends with everyone he meets, he is charming and funny and is hardly ever ashamed of who he really is. And definitely not afraid to show it. Eric is a very inspiring character.

Christina Yang (“Grey’s Anatomy”)
Christina is a brilliant mind and not afraid to let everyone know about it. She knows what her priorities are, she will beat you at your own game, she thinks ahead, gives the best advice and is a very loyal friend. Although it sometimes feels like Christina has no emotions, she does, but she never lets them get in the way of what she wants.

Leslie Knope (“Parks & Recreation”)
Leslie has a range of loveable traits. First of all, she founded Galentine’s Day, which is perfect for those women who hate Valentine’s Day and just want to celebrate friendships. Lesie is a supporter of local businesses, she is half of a great power couple, a role model, a feminist and she believes in herself. But most of all Leslie is an optimist and a fantastic friend.

Jim Halpert (“The Office”)
Jim is your ‘everyman’, the charming guy working a mediocre job. Most importantly, Jim plays the straight man to comical unknowingly politically incorrect but well-meaning and loveable boss Michael Scott. We all love Jim’s pranks (which are really good btw), he is a romantic (probably the perfect husband) and we all have a little bit of Jim Halpert in us.

Hugo “Hurley” Reyes (“Lost”)
First of all, everyone on the show loved Hurley, so I am not wrong. He looks like your standard comical relief and the most unlikely hero. Hurley is a loveable, kind-hearted man who just wants to help everyone.

Reasons that “Community” is the Best

With this quarantine still going on, I found THE perfect TV series to binge right now. And, as of April 1st, all six season are on Netflix. “Community” is a great sitcom and I listed reasons why you should start binging it right now.

Pop culture references and mocking genre clichés
What distinguishes the sitcom is that it is not easy to pigeonhole. “Community” is filled with references to movies, TV shows and other media. And it likes to mock clichés in certain movie genres. The characters avert, subvert and pay homage to various tropes as episodes commit to certain genres. If there’s a documentary going on, the episode will be in documentary format. If the episode is a musical, the characters will be singing. The self-aware nature of the show is hilarious. I sometimes wish I could live out situations that feel like shows and movies that I love, and “Community” understands that desire as it puts its characters in those situations.

Not focusing on the romance
Almost every sitcom has a will they/ won’t they couple and eventually they do end up together. There are plenty of couples that hinted at getting together or not, but it was never the focus and it didn’t rely on who ends up with whom and who should end up together. This is very refreshing, since we already have a lot of sitcoms that do focus on the romance element of the show.

Troy and Abed
I could have just mentioned Abed, because I love him, but these two together are just magical. Troy was a high school jock before attending Greendale Community College, but since he and Abed became friends, Troy realizes just how geeky he actually is. They watch movies and TV shows together, build forts out of blankets and pillows and have their own talk show. A talk show for no one other than themselves. And don’t forget they were on the cover of Friend Weekly, a pretend magazine of their own design. Everyone needs a Troy to their Abed or vice versa. In my case, I need a Troy.

The ensemble cast
This groups is formed because they are all some sort of outsider. And to create a diverse group like this, you need a diverse cast. And that’s what we got. Comedy legend Chevy Chase and the break for Alison Brie and Donald Glover. Joel McHale is the perfect combination of a douche and nice guy and Danny Pudy is the perfect socially awkward and pop-culture referring bestie you need. And then there is Ken Jeong, who is at his crazy best, and the very uncomfortable Jim Rash as Dean Pelton. Just a quirky bunch, that make this show work as well as it does.

Running gags
The show has some really funny running gags. Like the awwwws, by Annie and Shirley, after something sweet, emotional or heartfelt is being mentioned. Or Leonord, the oldest student at Greendale, who often gives his advice, thoughts and opinion without anyone every asking for it. And they always answer with “shut up, Leonard”. The fact that they always say the Britta is the worst and the Changuage & Deanotation. These are two nonsense words that refer to how Señor Ben Chang and Dean Greg Pelton talk. Both faculty members have the habit of inserting their own name or title into an everyday word or sentence. But also the mention of the size of Jeff’s head and how the gang hates “Glee”.

It's daring
The show is fresh and original, but it also has a lot of guts and dares to take different comedy paths as any other standard sitcom. Like the claymation Christmas episode, where all characters turned into claymation puppets telling a story in Abed’s imagination. The several semi-brutal paintball episodes, the so-called ‘bottle episode’, the zombie episode and the one with the computer game. It’s gutsy enough to take on different formats, portray not your everyday characters and think outside the box. And I love that!

The Dean
Besides Troy and Abed, there is another character that is reason enough to watch this show. Dean Craig Pelton is a very upbeat and cheerful person and LOVES his job as Dean of Greendale Community College. He spends an inordinate amount of his time trying to improve Greendale’s prestige. Dean Pelton also goes to great lengths to be accepting or indiscriminate of others. His use of extreme political correctness often inadvertently leads to him being more offensive than intended. Pelton is aware of his shortcomings and berates himself frequently for being a ‘bad Dean’. He is also known for his elaborate costumes and his hate/ love for Jeff.

Top 5 Thursday: TV Nerds

I am a nerd, an absolute geek. So I always love the nerdy characters on TV shows. Here are my five favorite nerds, who proof they are cool.

5. Abed Nadir (“Community”)
“Community” has a lot of fascinating characters, but pop culture sponge Abed is definitely my favorite. He has an uncanny awareness that his life plays out according to sitcom conventions. Abed is a huge sci’fi geek. I’m a bit like a Abed I’m afraid.

4. Dwight Shrute (“The Office”)
Dwight has a dorky haircut, an ugly shirt, a weird background, a humorlous nature and a hunger for power. He is passionate about “Battlestar Gallactica” and has a love for martial arts. Although very intelligent, he can also be really dumb (falling for Jim’s genius pranks).

3. Jess Day (“New Girl”)
In movies, Zooey Deschanel is often the romantic leas. In “New Girl” she is an awkward schoolteacher with a disastrous love life. She is pretty much just one of the guys. Jess Day is adorkable.

2. Sheldon Cooper (“The Big Bang Theory”)
“The Big Bang Theory” is filled with geeks. Everyone besides Penny is a nerd. But I think Sheldon is everyone’s favorite of the bunch. Although he doesn’t understand sarcasm, his outstanding intelligence is hilarious. And he doesn’t even know it. Although Sheldon can be an annoying know it all, he is also endearing and hard to dislike.

1. Ross Geller (“Friends”)
His friends always made fun of his job, but I think it’s one of the coolest jobs ever. Ross is a paleontologist, which means he can talk about dinosaurs all day!!!! Ross hasn’t been very lucky in love and he seems to have bad luck written all over him (story of my life). And the fact that he fantasizes about his girlfriend dressing up as Princess Leia, makes him even more loveable.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Screech (“Saved by the Bell”), Carlton Banks (“The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”), Chuck Bartowski (“Chuck”), Steve Urkel (“Family Matters”)

Top 5 Thursday: Tv Shows Perfect for Binge Watching

What do I love to do when it’s a rainy day and have nothing planned? Binge watch TV shows! And I got a list for you with some of the shows that are perfect for such an occasion.

5. Community

It’s not one of my favorite shows, but this is a perfect show to binge watch. Whenever Comedy Central is airing a marathon, I’m in!

 

 

4. The Office

Who doesn’t want to enjoy Michael Scott’s shenanigans for hours in a row? I always loved how this movie was filmed, like a documentary. I have to admit that Michael Scott leaving wasn’t the best for the show, but there are still enough episodes to binge watch.

 

 

3. The Walking Dead

It is not a 20 minute per episode kind of show, but once you watch an episode, it’s really hard to stop. It’s such an exciting and thrilling show! My favorite show of the moment.

 

 

2. Friends

I lost count at how many times I’ve watched all the episodes, but it never gets old. I just love “Friends” and that love will never die. I still laugh at the same jokes.

 

 

1. Modern Family

Filmed in the same style as “The Office” and I just love every single character in this show. It’s a show that always makes me happy and I can enjoy this show every single day of every single week.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: How I Met Your Mother, Supernatural