The Magnificently Dysfunctional Seven

I want to take a break from writing about movies from this post (Prometheus will be the first post for next week, though) and talk about a show I recently watched, a show that many of my friends had recommended to me, something they were sure was right up my alley. I was weary about it (more on that later) but be it curiosity, hearty recommendations or peer pressure (or a combination of all three). So, I went ahead and marathoned the first two seasons of the hit sitcom, Community.

For those of you unaware, a brief overview: set in a community college, the show focuses on seven people who get together for study sessions. Jeff (Joel McHale), a former lawyer and de facto team leader; Britta (Gillian Jacobs), a crusader for many rights; Abed (Danny Pudi), a film/TV obsessed youngster; Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), mother of three who wants to start her own business; Troy (Donald Glover), a not-too-bright but good hearted jock; Annie (Alison Brie), a perky and cheerful recovering prescription medication addict; and Pierce (Chevy Chase) a pompous, stubborn tycoon who just wants some lasting company.

Now, this won't be an analysis of the first two seasons on a large scale, or even a listing of favourite episodes, I'm considering those for another time. This is going to be about my first impressions of the show and the characters.

Well, truth be told, I don't know why I resisted watching for so long, I really enjoyed the show. I guess I was afraid that it would be a standard sitcom like Rules Of Engagement or The King Of Queens, and be more interested in easy dick and fart jokes. Or that they'd develop the characters early on and see what people pick up on, then ramp that aspect up (like in The Simpsons, where Ned Flanders' obsessiveness with religion became his defining trait, hence the trope 'Flanderization') and make them a shallow character. But as a whole, the show almost is like a bunch of veteran tropers got together to crack-wise. They (though mostly Abed) recognize all the weird things we'd see in a TV show/movie/etc and comment on them, or on various conventions of TV (in one episode, Season 2's “Cooperative Calligraphy”, Abed makes the reference to their situation as being a “bottle episode”, which is TV jargon for when an episode of a show is set entirely in one place with little to no extra cast beyond the regulars. For example, on Friends, there was one episode set entirely in Monica and Rachel's apartment. Or maybe it was Chandler instead of Rachel. You see where I'm going with this). In basic terms, the show is witty and relies on extensive knowledge of tropes as a primary source of humor, as well as call-backs, character interactions and running gags (in Season 1, the gang kept talking about Shirley's unseen friend Gary and how much they hated him).

Now, let's go into the characters a little more, descending in order from my favourite to least favourite.

I relate a lot to Abed, due to being so caught up and obsessed with pop culture, though I broaden my horizons to include things like comics and video games. Not that I'm insulting the character, of course not. Since he's an aspiring film maker, his near encyclopaedic knowledge of film and TV serve as powerful tools in his arsenal (in the Season 2 episode “Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples”, he makes what is almost a revolutionary take on a religious film and dominates the entire campus with his vision). And his childlike innocence is just so endearing.

Annie is unfailingly optimistic in the face of overwhelming odds and it's really hard not to be won over by her smile and personality. She is a bastion of warmth and despite being the youngest (maybe second) member of the group, she is who I would consider the “team mom” (when you want comfort or a confidante, anyway. More on the other side of this trope later). She has her faults, like being over-competitive and just a teensy bit obessive, but she is one of the most caring people in the show.

If there is one central character amongst the group, Jeff would be the top pick, as it his actions to get … well, some action with Britta (see the pilot) that brings about the formation of the group. A former lawyer, Jeff oozes confidence and seems to run on the principle “fake it till you make it” (which he's good at, admittedly). Lazy and cynical, but will often go the extra mile for his friends with little provocation. In one sentence, I'd describe him as a “jerk with a heart of gold” (man, this post is pretty trope filled...)

Troy isn't very book smart but is still a kind and trusting kid, who is hard to get angry at and is also very sensitive, which only adds to just how much you can't get mad at him. He and Abed have great chemistry together and make a wonderful comedic duo. Much like Abed, Troy also have a childlike innocence and eagerness to get into weird and wonderful adventures (like the blanket fort in Season 2's “Conspiracy Theories And Interior Design”).

Britta's character changed a little from Season 1, from the outspoken moral compass for the group to the crusader around the entire campus. While I'll get into this a little later, I'm not sure I like where this is going. It's a stereotype I'm not fond of, the “college age woman gets involved in every cause and acts like she's always been fighting for them but is either misinformed or just in for selfish reasons and is a hypocrite when not involved with the group of the week” one. It doesn't help that she's a vegetarian and a self-proclaimed feminist. While this isn't enough to wish that she be written off the show, I do hope this gets downplayed in the future and she gets restored to being upstanding but snarky, basically Jeff if Jeff gave a damn.

If it weren't for the supporting cast, Pierce would damn well be the antagonist of the show. Due to his substantial age difference between the rest of the group, his values are much different compared to theirs. He (unintentionally, for the most part) makes racial jokes, dismisses Britta as a lesbian (she isn't but don't think that stops him) and has no real idea how to talk to women. And when you slight him, even in the most minor and trivial of ways, he makes it known and he'll fight back. I have to wonder if this isn't Chevy actually projecting his own feelings through the character, as Chevy's made some... unflattering comments, if my intel is right, about the creator of the show, Dan Harmon, not to mention the show itself. And I say to Chevy, with all due respect... no one forced you to act in Hot Tub Time Machine, don't take it out on us that your star power is fading.

Despite that, Pierce is capable of being sympathetic at times (and hilarious, see the Season 2 episode “Celebrity Pharmacology 212”, which is a strong contender for my fave episode so far).

Lastly, there's Shirley. She is the “team mom” in the sense that she's the one who often tries to defuse a potential bad situation and is often very supportive of the team trying anything new that could lead to happiness. However, what prevents me from liking her more is the fact she, moreso than anyone (except maybe Jeff or Britta) suffers from “Aesop amnesia”, in which she repeatedly forgets the same lesson over and over. In her case, it's to not push her Christianity on the group, which is made up of many diverse followings, including Jewish, Jehovah's Witness, agnosticism and some really freaky Buddhist-type (though the name “laser lotus” is wicked cool). Yet despite coming to grips with it in the Season 1 episode “Comparative Religion”, it seems she quickly forgot about her tolerance (aren't Christians supposed to be tolerant in general?) and is back to showing disdain at how un-Christian the rest of the gang is. Much like Britta, I hope this is something that is fixed up in the future.

In spite of everything, the group functions like a family: they argue, they pick on each other, they get angry with each other, but they help one and other. And they all form a strong bond as characters and actors. They should all be proud of the work they're doing (even Chevy, though he needs to keep his ego in check).

Now, throughout the show, I only have two major problems, one of which I've gone over with the the characterization of Britta and Shirley, though I should point out that if left unchecked, they could become one note characters, defined by only one annoying trait.

The other, albeit a little less problematic, comes with the titles for the episodes. The thing is... they can be a little confusing. I do get the theme, and I like it, but it can be hard to remember which episode is which when they use college course names for 90% of the time. Hell, to get the names of the episodes I listed, I had to go to the TV Tropes Community recap page and sometimes, just click blindly on something that seemed vaguely familiar. Again, nothing to frustrate me but it is confusing.

I know I'm leaving out a lot of things like more episode descriptions or the supporting cast, but with the blog being this long already, I think it's time we end it here.

Suffice it to say, this show has really impressed me, and has the potential to become a new favourite for shows currently on TV (though not favourite comedy playing. How I Met Your Mother will not be dethroned until it ends for good. And that better not happen anytime soon).

 

I highly recommend it if you're not watching it already. And can we hurry up and get Season 3 on DVD, please?