When the short summary for "Advanced Gay" came out, I had this initial feeling in my stomach of dread. As a long time South Park fan, I am generally impervious to all forms of insensitive humor… but I had a feeling that this episode would make a lot of people angry. Community is my favorite show on TV, so imagining all of the offended people out there ranting about how they will never watch the show again was really the only thing on my mind whenever the thought of the episode came up. Dan Harmon is an equal opportunity offender. I know that. Hardcore fans know that. But would the general public get it?
Thankfully, my fears were a little overblown. scouring the internet after the episode aired, I saw a few mildly annoyed quips, but nothing extreme. No activist posts about boycotting the show. No massive hate for Dan Harmon like what had transpired after "Competitive Wine Tasting". All seemed right with the world.
Upon finally getting around to watching it, I soon realized that despite the overt "offensive" humor, "Advanced Gay" didn't really cross any lines that would get it into real trouble, and all and all, it was a pretty good episode. Keep in mind that after two home runs in a row, going back to a more tame and character heavy episode isn't as easy as it sounds. You need to maintain the interest of your audience, who has spent the last two weeks being blown away by hands down, two of the best episodes in the show's 3 season history. So how do you follow up with that? An episode about daddy issues, naturally.
This is something Community does very well. It sets up an eccentric and weird plot that weaves itself around the characters. Rather than the plot dominating those characters, it is usually just a backdrop for their development. This is especially rare in sitcom series, where a static character flow is almost expected besides in rare special occasions. This week, the focus was a throwback to season one, centering largely on the similarities between Jeff and Pierce.
The show opens up with Pierce finding out that Hawthorne Wipes have somehow become a gay staple, made famous by the lovely former RuPaul contestant Shangela. At first, his mild homophobia makes the news frustrating for him to hear, but he soon embraces it, and quickly attempts to take on the role as a gay icon. His first goal is to throw a gay themed party to kick off a new Hawthorne Wipes line targeted towards his new gay audience. Jeff calls him out right away for not being genuine in his support for the gay community, and Britta decides that this is an ample opportunity to evaluate both men with what she's learned in her psych class. She notes that both men have extreme daddy issues that affect who they are today. Like 90% of what Britta attempts to do, she just ends up mucking up her point and getting made fun of. Remember how I said that this was a "Season 1" type of episode? Your first dead giveaway is the overt Jeff and Britta banter, which has come back in full swing after being toned down for an entire season. Season two really made an effort to avoid getting these two screen time, but a huge part of this episode was reclaiming that "best friends who give each other crap" relationship that we had grown accustomed to.
The B plotline is also something straight out of season 1. Remember how Troy is an amazing magical plumber? The greendale janitor sure did, and he is out to make sure that Troy realizes his gifts and utilizes them. His encouragement is rivaled by the air conditioning repair school at Greendale, who see Troys potential and want to snag him up for themselves. Troy is kidnapped by these guys, and brought into the dark and mysterious world of air conditioning. The Vice Dean & head of the department explains to Troy that should he go into this field, he will be promised riches and status beyond his wildest dreams. The catch is that air conditioning repair department is something of a secret society, and if Troy joins, the only way out is death. He is given a choice: become a plumber, or choose air conditioning. He is given 24 hours to make that choice.
Upon hearing about Pierce's gay party, his father Cornelius comes to Greendale to put an end to it. Yes, old guy Pierce still has a living father, and after 2 minutes of screen time, it explains a lot about why Pierce is the way he is. His father is so racist that he even hates other white people. He is homophobic, classist, and an all around controlling jerk that to this day, still pushes Pierce around. If he says the party is off, it's off. This doesn't sit well with Jeff, who feels threatened by watching Pierce being treated poorly by his father. His experiences with his own have made him hyper sensitive to emotional abuse and he takes it upon himself to make sure that Pierce is able to stand up to Cornelius in a way that he never could with his own. He solidifies the party behind Pierce's back, knowing full well that the attention that it garnishes will suck him in.
At the party, Pierce is celebrated ad loved by Greendale's LGBT community, and you get a real sneaking sensation that he is actually learning something about acceptance. He enjoys the appreciation and embraces it. His happiness is short lived when his father shows up; the mere presence pressuring Pierce into retracting his support and getting boo'd off stage, subsequently causing a heart attack. At the hospital, Jeff visits only to find Cornelius already there. Unable to take any more of watching Pierce being treated poorly, Jeff screams at Cornelius in a heartfelt rage about being a poor father and the affect that it has on a man.
There is a lot of Jeff's own feelings coming out, but I do think that after seeing what Pierce lived with his whole life, the rant was far from selfish. There is a certain connect between these to characters despite their differences, and the thing about Jeff is that when he is able to empathize, he doesn't go into it half assed.
Anyway, this rant gives Cornelius a heart attack, killing him. Nothing of value was lost, but it was probably the most heartwarming death ever depicted on a TV sitcom.
Meanwhile, Troy is confronted by the janitor, who is upset to hear that Troy is torn between both fields. Their encounter gets heated, leaving Troy even more confused about what is right for him. Abed's advice is to do whatever makes him the most happy, but Troy isn't quite sure what that means yet.
At the funeral, Pierce speaks openly about his resentment towards his father with all of the group there to support him. Jeff is especially apologetic, but Pierce is understanding about what had transpired in the hospital. After Pierce's speech, Troy is called down to discuss his choice with the Vice Dean. He explains that he doesn't want to make a choice and would rather watch TV with Abed instead. As he leaves, one of the air conditioning grunts informs the Dean that Troy is much more useful than they are lead to believe, and he vows that we have not seen the last of him.
As the funeral ends, Jeff and Britta share a walk down the parlor, and Jeff tells Britta that she is actually a good therapist. She responds by inquiring about his personal life, and he shuts her down outright. The episode ends leaving a very stanch tone that Jeff's father issues are far from over, and that he still has a long way to go before he finds closure.
I tell people who are new to Community and find it troubling their senses, "If you want a politically correct, feel good sitcom where everyone is really nice and the jokes are safe, you need to wait 30 minutes after Community starts. Parks & Recreation well be on". This is a jaded show, and it will always be a jaded show. It is a show that is as negative and critical as possible while still allowing a small light to shine through. It presents the idea that the world is a chaotic mess and people are even worse, but love will always conquer all. Advanced Gay may have not been the most positive and welcoming episode, nor the funniest, but it was one of those episodes that really did a great job representing the core values of the show. The love and the ugliness.That despite the mess that the world of Greendale is, these people will always fight for each other. The story of Pierce and Jeff was actually very moving, and incredibly sad when reflected upon. Troy's story was something easily relatable for everyone; being a time in your life when you are at a turning point and you feel crushed under the weight of your choices as you move into adulthood. This is not a typical sitcom world where problems are solved over a cliche and the world resets. The experiences had by the study group are often self contained, but linger on through the course of the series and reflect an image of real life behind them.
