It isn't often that a show presented so spectacularly can manage to constantly top itself so consistently, but then, regular TV isn't Community. If last week's episode was about pain, this week's was almost certainly about pleasure. So far, this season of Community has managed to showcase something new about the dynamics of everybody's favorite study group, and this week was no different. Studies in Modern Movement was one of those lovely little gem episodes that managed to crush my soul with sweetness. It's moments like those shared in these 30 minutes that make you forget that these are the same people that are at each other's throats on a consistent basis.
The episode starts off with Annie gathering her things from her old grimy apartment. She is happy to be moving in with Troy and Abed, and seems to have completely overlooked the fact that her personality can clash quite strongly with theirs at times. Britta is confident that Annie will start to lose her cool with them and that friends should never live with other friends. In the context of real life, this is actually really good advice, but this is Greendale. You know that Annie is going to manage to overcome. In the meantime though, Britta gives her a bit of advice. Go with the flow.
Before they leave for Troy & Abed's, Britta calls Jeff, who is faking sick to avoid the move, and is actually at the mall. He is able to con his way out of helping the group, but that doesn't stop Dean Pelton from bursting his solidarity bubble and blackmailing Jeff into. spend the day with him. Once Britta hangs up the phone, the group splits into threes.
First, there is Pierce, who volunteers to fix up Annie's old apartment to help her get her security deposit back. There is really no story to go along with this, but we all know how good Pierce really is at stuff he is confident in. Leaving him alone turns out to be a huge mistake to say the least. On the other hand, it feels like we are getting back to a very season 1 Pierce, who is a lot more caring and empathetic. It's refreshing despite how great he is as a villain. Sometimes you just want to see him be a "grandpa".
Shirley and Britta have been fighting all year about religion and morality, so naturally, this takes over their car ride conversation. In an effort to show Shirley that you can be good without god, Britta picks up a suspicious hitch hiker and offers to drive him 40 minutes out of the way. Her plan backfires when he starts talking about Jesus and religion. Shirley is thrilled until he reveals that be believes that he is Jesus himself.
Britta, realizing that she may have Shirley beaten just yet, starts asking him questions about marijuana and other amoral topics. Hitchhiker Jesus managed to amuse both of them at different times, but once he starts treading into racist territory , both women snap onto the same page immediately and throw the hitchhiker out. It's been awhile since Britta and Shirley have teamed up, and it's always refreshing to see since they are the two seasoned women in the group.
At the apartment, Annie's attempts to go with the flow are tested when she finds out that Troy & Abed were not being totally honest about giving her a room. Instead, they have set up a blanket fort that afford her no privacy or space. She takes the news a bit easier knowing that Troy & Abed mean well. The two set up an adorable puppet show for her and genuinely make an effort to put a smile on her face.
Then there is Jeff. Poor Jeff. The Dean is very, very persistent about making sure that Jeff takes him on a proper date. One in which he must participate in and maintain a certain level of enthusiasm for. Their first stop is lunch at a casual Mexican restaurant, in which Jeff orders the Dean (ehem…Craig) his food and has the band seduce him with the sweet sound of mariachi…none of which were his ideas of course. Their next stop is karaoke, where the two passionately sing "Kiss From A Rose". This time, Jeff actually starts to enjoy himself.
This session really puts the hi light of this episode into motion, where a montage of the group's moments pass through the music. The drive. Pierce helping. The puppet show, and Jeff singing. Sometimes, Community has these little scenes that physically hurt you with positive feeling. You see this group and how much they love each other, and even if the moments are silly or stupid, they hit you like a truck…and like a truck, they then run over you.
Once the song ends, the chaos starts. Jeff realizes that the Dean has been reading his emails and lured him to the mall that day. Pierce reaches an unexpected level of destruction in Annie's apartment. Annie finds a special room that Troy and Abed have reserved for their make believe, and becomes infuriated that they left her to sleep in a blanket fort out of their own selfishness.
In Community however, chaos ends swiftly in the wake of something brighter. Lessons are learned and friendships are restored. Troy and Abed hunt Annie down and give her the extra room. Everybody is there is support her, including Jeff, who comes with a pack of beer and an apology (or as much of one as you are going to get from him). The night closes out with Britta and Jeff watching the three new room mates put on a new puppet show. I don't think a single second of Studies in Modern Movement could not be described as "adorable", and as an added bonus, there were a lot of really great comedic moments to boot. Community is often a hit or miss with fans, splitting off into "decent" episodes, and "mind blowing" ones. This was one of those episodes that managed to stay happily in the middle. Not every episode needs to be an unforgettable experience to really move you.
The most profound thing about the episode was how incredibly "NBC" it was. The sitcoms on the comedy hour are often about the platonic love between friends, and that was the message tonight for Community. It doesn't have to be about drama, romance, or crazy sub plots. Every so often it's important to take a step back and remember that you have people in the world that love you.
