The whole plot of the episode is that there is a guy who is rolling coins in people’s butts, thus being called “the ass crack bandit”. It’s the most typical prank ever made in high school and college, but as this is Greendale, of course things would go out of control and people will start making a mess of something that happens every day. That’s always been some of the beauty of Community, being able to take the most simple concept and make it crazy, and along that craziness the characters almost always find something about themselves and grow together. That’s not the case here; we have the crazy, but not the character moments, and that’s what make this episode so bland.
There’s also the return of Psychology professor Duncan, and it’s really sad that he gets to pop up in the episode to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Sorry, he flirts with Britta, that’s something. Duncan is a character that we haven’t seen in a while and his return was more than welcome, but they didn’t use him at all, which was one of the biggest bummers of the night.
The episode tries to work as a crime show (I think it’s trying to make a parody out of “The Killing”, but I’m not really sure), so we get our obsessed detective Annie on the case trying to work around the Dean who is obstructing her work. There are two good moments in this whole thing: the first, when they find the teddy bear with the bandit’s message in its butt (get it? It was in its butt! Add sarcastic laugh) and Annie tells the Dean she thinks a teacher did it, but the Dean refuses to listen to her, and when the Dean is snapping his fingers so that Rhonda can trace the call from the bandit. Aside from that, most of the jokes try to work around the word “butts”. Whenever Annie and Jeff are talking about how serious this thing is, I’m like “dude, they are not selling this”. It’s not an acting problem, it’s a script problem, the dialogue is often too serious to the point it’s just not funny, it lacks of a touch of glee and sassy remarks in the midst of it.
Talking about Jeff and Annie, why do the writers insist in throwing their relationship issues out of nowhere? The biggest issue I have with the “will they/won’t they” dance these two have is that it pops up time to time and then it is shuts completely; I assure you next week we won’t even remember these two shared a moment when Jeff grabbed Annie’s shoulders.
Jeff and Annie figure out that Star Burns is not the bandit and as someone screams and a chase scene is started, but how it ends? In a hallway, with Shirley telling Jeff and Annie that Pierce had passed away. WHAT?! Is that how they delivered the news?! There is zero build up to the moment, it is supposed to be touching, it is supposed to be an important moment, but it was trapped in the middle of a weak bandit plot that didn’t live up to its potential.
What is this Community? Why did you make an episode like this? Luckily, next week we have an episode named “Cooperative Poligraphy” and I have high hopes for it; right now, I just want the bad taste of the episode to go away.
Grade: D+
Stray Observations:
-I hope the show makes more use of Rhonda, her dead eye look can make some funny moments with the Dean’s cheerfulness.
-I also hope that this isn’t the end of Star Burns storyline, it can’t end like this.
-Though I’m not a Jeff/Annie shipper, I do hope the show finally tackles the issue, Annie should at least be able to move on now or end up with Jeff, but it’s getting old, they can’t be stuck on this “will they/won’t they” dance forever.
-Some people liked Abed’s monologue, I found it pretty bland.
-On a side note: I love AV Clubs reviews, I always found them insightful and spot on, but Todd VanDerWerff’s review of this episode left me cold; he pointed out that the liked the episode mostly because of the butts jokes. Now, I think everyone is entitled to their own taste and opinion, but to grade an episode “B+” just because of one joke regardless of everything else? Does anyone else agree with this? Am I being too hard on the episode? I don’t know, I just know I didn’t like it at all, but if you did like it as Todd did, then I’m happy for you. I surely wish I could have enjoyed it as much.
-Even though I didn't like the episode, I was truly happy that the ratings increased.
-Last week maybe I was too hard on season 4, but I still believe this season can be much better than the previous; this is just a small setback. I trust next week’s episode will be great.
I enjoyed the episode a lot on my first viewing. Unfortunately, after watching it again, I have to agree with you. Not only did the episode lack any cohesion whatsoever but the pacing was atrocious.
ReplyDeleteIt also makes me very, very concerned about the rest of the season. The ensemble has been criminally underused to this point. Britta has had a handful of unimportant throwaway lines in the first three episodes. Shirley, after her heavy announcement in the premiere, has seemed like the same old character with reduced screentime.
Episode was good. Not sure how someone can call it a convoluted concept. It was actually a pretty straight forward concept.
ReplyDeleteI think you're being very anal about this episode. There was so much more than butt jokes, but it's true that if you think it's too childish, then you'll have a problem with the episode.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a parody of The Killing (which is a parody in itself sometimes), but it's funny you should mention Zodiac because I believe it was a David Fincher parody. It's supposed to look very grim, the dialogue is meant to be extra serious and the mood needed be dark. Yet nonetheless, I found it very funny overall, in how they played with the genre. I had to watch the episode twice to take it all in, and both times I was equally amused and impressed by how well it was done.
I couldn't care less about Annie & Jeff, and I'm so glad Dan Harmon feels the same way. When the Dean talked about him being "the 50th person to ask about that creepy business", it's like they're talking to shippers and screwing them, and I love that. Community is not a show about friggin couples (except Troy/Abed, Jeff/Dean, and also Annie/Britta if they want to give it a shot). With Jeff/Annie, the writers are making fun of "will they/won't they" crap (the shoulder holding is a clear example of that, with Jeff doing the same thing to Leonard who then tries to kiss him).
The very open-ended ending was appropriate (I for one couldn't care less about finding the culprit, it's not a procedural), and the song that was invented for the final montage (where everyone looks guilty, like Britta typing her name instead of Bandit :D) was so much fun, kudos!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7leNzsDbUpQ
♫ Out of the shadows, down the coin goes ♫
This won't be the end of Star-Burns, this won't be the end of Duncan (and his obsession over Britta feels very appropriate somehow ; "Oh, the American high five?" :D). And for some reason I want to believe this isn't the end of Pierce either (maybe he is the Ass Crack Bandit...) ; if not in life I trust his 14-year tenure at Greendale or his massive fortune (that allowed him to do the hologram thing in 5.01) will again have an impact on the study group.
"You were one hell of a D&D player" - for some reason I think Chevy wasn't on board with that episode :D.
In its 87th episode, Community continues to surprise me and continues to push the envelope in how ambitious network sitcoms can be. Maybe it wasn't the funniest episode (in terms of sheer amount of laughs, episode 5.02 was better indeed), but it certainly is one that I will remember. And if there's one thing I value in comedy other than laughter, it's unpredicability.
Glad you liked it! I wish I could have enjoyed it too :(. The convoluted thing is mostly because the episode throws too many things at once, the ass crack bandit, star burns return and pierce death, without making any cohesion whatsoever
ReplyDeletePretty terrible review tbh
ReplyDeleteSorry you didn't like it, but this is my opinion, I didn't like the episode and that's that. If you liked it, good for you, I truly wish I could have liked it, but I don't think the review is bad, I merely point out the reasons why I didn't like the episode, like every reviewer should do
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the episode, maybe I'm being a little bit too harsh, but I just can't come to like it. I watched it several times and it just doesn't feel right for me. I don't have troubles with the butts jokes themselves, it is just that they seem like an excuse to stall time that could be used for better character moments, and that's why it falls so flat.
ReplyDeleteI love when Community does concept episodes like "Modern Warfare" or the blanket episodes, or things like that, but this one didn't work for me not because the concept was bad, but because the cast is underused and the characters don't get to interact with each other which is the episode's biggest mistake (in my opinion). In episode 3x17, the one with the Law & Order parody, everything worked mostly because the cast was used to its fullest and they got to interact a lot with each other and the greendale students. Here Jeff and Annie were isolated, the episode was mostly about those two working together and nothing else, and their dialogues were way too serious to be funny, it almost felt forced at times; I know it's supposed to be that way, but the show could have give it a little spin so it could be funnier
To be fair Fincher's films often put mood first and characters after (to me anyway, and I love Fincher's films for that). The real hero of the episode was the concept, and for it to be effective, to not feel cheap, the characters had to be super serious.
ReplyDeleteOther than displaying a particular style, sure the episode was centered on Jeff/Annie and the Dean, but that's not such a huge problem to me three episodes into the season, I assume we'll get more of the other study group members later on in season 5 (love me some Britta, as the cool guys say).
Still, Abed had one of the funniest lines in the entire episode, meta worked very well :
[tragic music] "I see a man, using a social disorder as a procedural device. Wait, wait, wait, I see another man. Mildly autistic, super detectives everywhere. Basic cable, broadcast networks. Pain... Painful writing. It hurts..." [he leaves the room]
Also, you didn't like Duncan's return but I just rewatched his scenes and they were all very funny :
- (To Hickey) "Oh Pierce, good for you, I always felt that hair piece was a bit cowardly".
- His psychopath look in his office when Annie drops her keys was priceless.
- "Would you mind coming and getting me when Britta's drunk?" / "Oh, the American high five!" as he is about to kiss Britta.
Duncan doesn't have to be deep, he never was in seasons 1-2, him being a perv was pretty funny imo.
It is kind of weird how this episode has very few people in the middle ground on their opinion on it. Some people hated it (which is a perfectly valid opinion), very few thought it was ok, and many thought it was great/awesome. I myself found it hilarious and awesome.
ReplyDeleteYes, if you think the whole ass-crack/bandit stuff is childish and not funny, then it stands to reason you're not going to enjoy it. But I found so many lines, particularly from the Dean, to be absolutely hilarious. Or Duncan's sudden infatuation with Britta. The whole mocking over the overused movie theme of a mystery killer who you think gets caught, then you find out you're wrong and it's another person, only to find out that they aren't it either and the killer gets away was perfectly executed. I also liked Abed's bit that poked fun at shows like Hannibal.
All in all, I very much enjoyed this episode. Very Greendale. I've seen it 3 times now and I've grown to like it even more upon more watches. For me, it'd be at least in the Top 20 episodes. It's too bad you and some others didn't enjoy it, but that's fine, I can understand why some didn't like this particular episode.
But you're right with next week being possibly being a great episode since it's kind of the spiritual successor to Cooperative Calligraphy, one of the better episodes of Community as well.
I really enjoyed it too. The only thing i've been consistently sad about over these three new episodes is seeing/hearing so little from Troy, which i presume is connected to him leaving and being phased out, but still, i miss him already and he's not gone yet!
ReplyDeleteI do think you were a little too hard on the episode, but it definitely wasn't without its faults. To me, this was the funniest episode of the season so far. The Dean was hilarious throughout (and used in his best form, i.e., the bad Dean who's trying way too hard to make a bad school look good), Chang was funny, and the general serial-killer-crime-drama thing was also humorous.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree that the other characters weren't used well, that the Pierce news failed to be touching (though I don't know how much of this is due to me already knowing that Pierce is dead (I didn't expect it would be revealed until next episode though)), and that the episode just kind of fell apart once Annie "figured out" that Duncan was the ACB.
I also thought Abed's speech was strange and retroactively uncharacteristic since him deleting Hannibal in his TiVo showed that he was including that show in his speech, which means he was saying that Hannibal is one of the shows with "painful writing", which makes absolutely no sense and is something Abed would never say (unless he just hates stories about people on the spectrum so much that he would confuse writing quality with his hatred of the use of that sort of character in a show or movie).
IMO, the first two-thirds of the episode was (mostly) gold, but it fell apart hard in that last portion. And I'm not even a fan of butt jokes. I just enjoyed the other jokes, homages, and imagery enough to make up for it.
Thanks for the review and analysis. It was well written and thought out. Opinions and people's right to have them aside; you were pretty much wrong on all counts. Learn to recognize and appreciate witty absurdity done well, when it happens. D+
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, but I disagree; I love absurdity, but it wasn't well executed here
ReplyDeleteProbably, in my first view I thought about giving the episode a C, but the second time it fell to a D. I just didn't like it at all, I was incredibly pissed because I thought it could have been much better, but I may have gone too far. I still think it wasn't a good episode, but I understand that there are people that have liked it quite a lot and all of them have made some very good points, the thing is that those points are not convincing me that the episode itself was good, or even ok; I understand why people liked it, but I think the cracks on the storytelling were too deep to ignore; there was a comment below that said that the concept was the star of the episode and not the characters, but that works better in a movie rather than a TV show. In TV shows the characters are the ones that have to take stage center.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched any Fincher's movies, so I really can't comment on that front.
ReplyDeleteIf we look at the episode with the concept as the star, then yes, it may succeed, but that works better for a movie rather than a TV show; TV shows lean on their characters more than anything, and this is the first time I've seen the concept devouring the characters for the sake of storytelling in Community, and as thus it felt off, and not the kind of humor the show usually does. Maybe it's not a bad humor, maybe it's good, but it felt really off for the show.
It's good that the show is ambitious enough to try, but I think here they were too ambitious and it ended up backfiring. But then again, that's only my opinion.
I agree that The Dean was usually hilarious, his scenes are the ones that I enjoyed the most, but aside from that... the episode didn't do much for me.
ReplyDeleteIt hurts me more than anyone else to give Community such a low grade, but hey! It's probably going to be fore this week. I do think I may be judging this episode too hard, there were some good moments in it, but the thing that made me grade it with a D was the fact that Pierce's death, a moment that should have been built up to make a huge emotional impact, felt flat. It's disrespectful not only to the character, but to the what the show built for four years. I was fine with the send off they made in the premiere, so I felt they didn't need to kill him, but if so, they could have been more classy about it, not throw it in the midst of a concept episode as if it was just a piece of newspaper; only 1 minute was dedicated to the Pierce bit, and that totally threw me off in an episode that was already unimpressive for me.
I want to say that I'm really glad that so many people liked the episode. Honestly, I'm very, very happy, I rather be the grumpy guy making a review than sharing the pain of a bad episode with you guys .
ReplyDeleteIt hurts me more than anyone else to give Community such a low grade, but hey! It's probably going to be only for this week (I expect to grade next week's episode with an A). I do think I may be judging this episode way too hard, there were some good moments in it, but the thing that made me grade it with a D was the fact that Pierce's death, a moment that should have been built up to make a huge emotional impact, felt flat. It's disrespectful not only to the character, but to the what the show built for four years with him. I was fine with the send off they made in the premiere, so I felt they didn't need to kill him, but if so, they could have been more classy about it, not throw it in the midst of a concept episode as if it was just a piece of newspaper; only 1 minute was dedicated to the Pierce bit, and that totally threw me off in an episode that was already unimpressive for me.
To those who say this review is bad, please tell me what part of it is bad written or not thought through, because if I was being too shallow about it, then I accept that I may not have done a good job in these 2 days of writing the review, but if you say it's bad only because the grade is low, then you need to think better what doing a review means: one watches the episode (I do it at least 3 times) and you see what works and what doesn't work FOR YOU! A reviewer tries to be technical and see it with a critic eye in order to make a fundamented opinion, but it is an opinion nontheless. AV Club reviewer, Donna Bowman, gave the last episode of How I Met Your Mother a C, and a lot of people complained about it; the review wasn't bad written at all, Donna just didn't look at the episode the same way most of the viewers did. And that's what happened here; I made a case of why I didn't like the episode. I'm not trying to impose my opinion in any of you guys. I'm truly, truly happy that you liked the episode, You don't have to hate the episode like me, all I ask is that you respect my opinion.
Thank you very much for your comments and your opinions, I think I'll be able to look back at this episode a little bit better from here onwards.
After reading the review, I understand why Community isn't doing too well ratings wise.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest it's only this episode; Community is almost always flawless when it comes to be enjoyable (even the so bashed season 4). This is a minnor setback, it's not something that defines the series
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge, and i mean HUGE, Fincher fan... From the opening hallway scene approach to the blue filter lens; it was a flawless tribute to one of the best directors out there.
ReplyDeleteThe plot might be a little contrived, but it's a 20 minutes show... Obviously they're gonna come back to the ACB for another episode(Maybe the finale). The tribute wasn't plot centric but about the episode's direction.
Much like the Law & Order episode, this episode's goal was to try and emulate Fincher's approach. People are just peeing far from the jar.
Community has never done well ratings wise. There are those who love the humor and style of the show and others who hate it. And then there is a similar split with the fans of the show (however few we are) on what kind of episodes we like between big concept episodes and more grounded, non-themed episodes. And then there's even splits on what kinds of concept shows.
ReplyDeleteThe point is just because there is some people who didn't like this episode doesn't indicate the reason the ratings are so low. NBC on whole is extremely low in ratings. Heck, Community is one of the best in the ratings for a comedy on NBC.
I bloody loved the episode!! agree with few of your points there too. but im going to chill out, not be too critical and watch my favourite show. :D
ReplyDeletefor better or for worse, right?!
I agree with you that people shouldn't just say you wrote a bad review because of the grade you gave it and they disagree with your grade. You are perfectly entitled to your opinion.
ReplyDeleteAnd even more, you give reasons as to why you didn't like an episode or something didn't land well with you, and you even allow and accept other people's sides on the issue! That is something I respect about you and others like you. I myself try and take myself back sometimes, cause of the internet's anonymity, so that I can try and look at something from someone else's point of view. You aren't wrong about your opinion, you can't be.
So thank you for a thoughtful review. Even though I disagreed with it. I can see that you are a strong supporter of the show, heck you're like me and you watch an episode multiple times. We Human Beings gotta stick together!
Could not disagree with you more. Loved this episode. In fact love any Jeff and Annie centered episode. A+ for me.
ReplyDeleteWell, I could see that coloring your review a lot. If you have never seen a Fincher movie, then you really had no reference for anything in the episode. No wonder it felt off to you. Unfortunately that invalidates a lot of your criticism in my eyes. But opinions are opinions and I respect yours. I'm guessing I would catch flak due to the only episode of this show I detested being Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas. Hated it with a passion and can't understand the universal acclaim I hear for it. So i guess the lesson is "to each his own". Great review btw, well written and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your words, I really needed them :). Humans Beings stick together!
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you disagree with me :), it would be sad if everyone thought this episode was bad
ReplyDeleteRight! One good thing that came out with the low grade and a little bit harsh review is that it has proven once again that Community fans are passionate; they want the show to succeed in every level, from ratings to reviews. It's sad that I can't come to like the episode, but I'm happy to see that a lot of people liked it. I'm sure its just this episode that I'm not going to like, after all out of 87 episodes so far, there are only 3 episode I haven't liked (including this one), so 84 out of 87 is pretty good and I'm confident the rest of the season will be awesome :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen some people talking about how they want the Jeff/Annie thing to either happen or to end it for good. I'd much rather take the will they/won't they thing to keep going over killing it. Killing it would be final, and if they just never kill it then if the show ends, in my mind they'd get together after the show.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much! Just as you detested Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas (an episode I happened to love) I just hated this one. I think the fact that I missed the Fincher's movies hurt, but that also means that Community aimed for a limited audience (those who have seen the films) in the episode instead of a broad one and that is something very risked to do considering its low ratings. Also, I think most episodes of Community should be all inclusive, both for fans of the thing they are toying with and those who are not fans of it; Modern Warfare was enjoyable pretty much to anybody, so I wish this episode could have been this way,
ReplyDeleteAnyway, apparently I'm one of the few who didn't like the episode, so that's a good sign, and I'm happy so many people happened to like it. Next week's episode seems like a strong one and I'm looking forward for it ;)
Personally, I think it has gone for too long; at least the show could try to give Annie a temporary boyfriend or something so there's a sense of development, right now the thing seems stuck and it's starting to feel like a broken record. If they are going to keep the "will they/won't they" then it needs a new turn or twist to give it some life.
ReplyDeleteThat's fair. Some kind of new turn or twist on it would be welcome. I just mean I wouldn't want it to be over for good. Those 2 have great chemistry and can bring out the better qualities of each other (as long as the writers don't write it weird/creepy on purpose). Throw in a boyfriend, add a twist, whatever, just don't kill it. That's my thought at least.
ReplyDeleteI think Jeff and Annie can still share a lot of good moments even if the whole thing is resolved, after all Jeff will always care about Annie, but it seems like he cares for her as she was his little sister or his daughter, I've never seen it in some other way than that (except, of course, when they kissed in the season 1 finale). For now I think the writers really need to bring in something new the next time the issue is brought up.
ReplyDeleteWeirdly, I agree with a lot of what you say, even though I'd like Jeff/Annie together. They do work well even in a non-romantic sense. Something should happen one way or another, you've swayed me!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, this week it scored a 1.4, being second on its timeslot and the second highest rated comedy NBC has. That 1.4 is not far below from NBC ratings avarage. If Community can hold that 1.4 it can be considered a winner, standing much better than the freshmen comedies and doing near the avarage for an NBC show. (Also, delivering a constant 1.4 this season would mean a very important gain from last season, which avaraged something around 1.2)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. I think it being consistent amidst all the other NBC shows that just slip further and further down in the ratings has helped it stay alive as long as it has. And you're right, when it's a returning show with an established fan base going up against freshman comedies that have equal or worse ratings, it should have a better chance.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, they'll be able to leverage another renewal with the added thing of there needs 3 more episodes to get to 100, which I think is syndication for everyone (as opposed to some places only needing like 80 or something), so the possibility of more money should help with a renewal for the fabled six seasons!
Thanks for the nice response man. Glad to see reviewers who can take a little criticism and not go all postal about it as many do, nut have a reasoned debate. Your spot on man! Only thing I disagree is saying the limited audience that have seen David Fincher movies. I would say you couldn't aim for a broader audience, given that pretty much everyone in the world has seen at least one of his films, not limited to Alien 3, Seven, The Game, Fight Club, The Hire, Lords of Dogtown, Love and other Disasters, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. If you have never seen any of these movies, do yourself a treat and sit down one weekend and watch a couple. After 2 or 3 movies, (especially Seven, which alot of the episode paid homage to), you will start to notice his distinctive directing style.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. And let me know if you have seen any of these. And if you ever do, drop me a comment. Would love to know what you think and if it influences your view of the episode afterward.
I do agree with you very much about Jeff and Annie's relationship. I am a huge fan of it ( a Jeff/Annie shipper if you will) but agree that it has been on the back burner for too long now. This is the season they need to either have them both deal with it, or just kill it with the fire of finality, so no hope remains.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. The "will they/won't they" can only go on for so long before it comes to a point where even if they finally get together, it feels hollow and disingenuous.
ReplyDelete#sixseasonsandamovie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteActually, some writers think(for some dumb reason) that when you get a couple together their dynamic must change. That's not true.
ReplyDeleteIf you change how your characters interact because they are in a romantic relationship then you sir are a bad writer.
The whole "will they/won't they" mechanic is a writing set up when two characters have feelings and act as a couple without adressing it. A perfect example are the main characters of the TV Show Castle, they are together but their dynamic is the same... it just adds some more things wich aloud you to play along without recurring to recycling plot devices.
The problem with Jeff/Annie is that they never adressed it, something they finaly did last episode when Annie asked Jeff "If the Dean was right", Jeff holds Leonard to prove his point and the old man tryes to kiss him. That is the Community way of saying and making these two characters understand that "platonic" is something that doesn't exist between them. Now it's in the open, but will they forget for the next episode like always?
I'm writing a book series and my characters don't change how they are just because they hook up. It just adds more layers to them: now that they are an item, how will they react to "x" problem? I mean, even in real life, just because you're with someone you don't change the basis of who you are around your significant other
Next is something tied to this about Dan Harmon's writting:
People hated Season 4 because of what they did to Annie, Chang and The Dean; but they forget something i've been saying in this forum for the last three years: Dan Harmon killed the characters of Britta, Troy and Pierce. He is an spectacular writter, the flawless direction of concept episodes he has made is incredible. But he is horrible by adressing characters... I've never trust him with a drama, for example.
They actually adressed that in episode 5x01. Britta somehow became an idiot; Troy became a character without meaning, tied to Abed(In Season 1 he actually have a personality, nowdays he doesn't); Pierce...well, he stopped being used.
My point is, Dan Harmon isn't the best in this department... Since Season 3, Community became a show wich people can't wait for the next conceptual episode. It's not a character driven show like in Season 1 or 2.
I almost stopped watching The Big Bang Theory because the writing in that show is painfully bad... The characters got stucked for 6 years(Except for Howard). The show was broaded so it can reach a higher audience(i mean, Season 1 had one spectacular joke: The Doppler Effect gag...now we have to conform with one sex joke after another).
The only two shows that did a great job with getting their characters together were Chuck and Castle. Especially the latter, it was just so organic.
PD: Sorry if something didn't make sense... I'm from Argentina(Spanish speaker here!), so i don't have a broad vocabulary... xD
I loved the episode. So, i have to disagree with your grade, however you made some good points in your review. I also had a problem with the way they handled Pierces death. They just did that scene so fast and then went right to making a joke and going back to the storyline for the episode. I can also agree with you a little about the other characters not getting to do much in this episode. However, i still thought this episode was great, i love that they just went for it, all the way in full David Fincher satire more than parody. with subtle humor and jokes. Since I've seen zodiac i got what they were doing with this episode right away, and was probably able to enjoy it a lot more than someone who hasn't seen zodiac. When i was watching the episode i did think it was a risk for them to do a David Fincher zodiac episode, because if you haven't seen the movie you probably won't get half of what they were doing like the whole scene with Ben Folds, catching the wrong guy, then thinking it was someone else but being wrong again, then the end montage were everyone acts suspicious as well as the lighting and dialogue all straight out of zodiac. But like i said earlier i kind of liked that they just went for it. Plus i just thought the dean was hilarious, i loved some of Duncan lines with Britta
ReplyDeleteAmerican high five, I though Joel Mchale and Alison Brie did such a good job with all the David Fincher style serious dialogue it's like they were actually in a Crime Thriller or at least auditioning for one. Also i can't get enough of that end montage and the theme song. Anyway, I thought you're review was well written, and that you made some good points, but i still loved the episode.
Just wanted to add one more thing i found out Annie has been after the ass crack bandit since season 2 episode 17 Apparently. Just thought that was interesting felt like the fact that the ass crack bandit is a continuing storyline from season 2 adds a little more depth to the episode.
ReplyDeletedon't like the first two episodes, but this one is amazing
ReplyDeleteThank you for the very detailed reply. You brought up some good points about the will they/won't they, and how it can work when the writers keep that spark there even when the couple gets together. I don't watch Castle, but I do agree that Chuck was a great example. Even after the leads got together on there, the chemistry and dynamic was still there but with some added benefits of different types of stories.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand I agree that Britta became the butt of the joke and Troy became solely attached to Abed, but I hated Troy and Britta in Season 1. Troy was nothing more than a dumb jock who thought he was the center of the universe. I thought he became a much better character in Season 2. He had his adventures with Abed, but he was also a great character (the episode when he turns 21 is a prime example). Britta, I liked her also in Season 2 best because we got a good mix of anarchist Britta and airhead Britta. Pierce though, I agree that he was best in Season 1 when he was slightly racist, out of touch with the youth, and actually could offer some good advice/wisdom.
So Pablo, and you now, have convinced me that something should be addressed about Jeff/Annie. And don't worry about your vocabulary, everything you said made perfect sense. I thank you for your in-depth thoughts on this.
Of those I've seen Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Social Network; I loved all those movies. The name David Fincher just didn't ring any bells to me at first (to be honest, I now little about cinema and directors). I do mention Zodiac in the review though, by the end. Having a concept taking stage center feels like it works better in a movie than a tv show, so maybe I wouldn't have made this episode at all, but you gotta give the show credit for trying, and it also succeed as most people seemed to have liked it. For me, it didn't work, but looking at the whole picture and how many people have loved it, it's definitely a win for the show
ReplyDeleteWhile it wasn't as great as the first two episodes it was still very good if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED this episode. Liked it a lot on first watch; and loved it after rewatching it a couple times.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your points about Britta and Troy. Also agree about Jeff and Annie. I honestly don't care if they have a romance or a platonic friendship, because their chemistry is excellent either way, but I don't like these stories that seemingly delve into and develop their relationship, only to be dropped the episode after. I feel like something has got to give and these two characters need to really confront whatever it is between them and move forward, one way (romance) or another (friendship).
ReplyDeleteI understand the Pierce comment you made, but given that NYSE next episode is centered around Pierce's death, you may want to raise your grade of this. The revelation of Pierce's death was brought during the ACB climax; this week everyone will be picking up the pieces.
ReplyDeleteDucks fly together!
ReplyDeleteYou've never seen Se7en?! Or even Fight Club? Your opinion is invalid.
ReplyDeleteNot that this episode had anything to do with Fight Club, but jeez man, you need to watch more films.
Actually I don't see much films. For some reason I just can't seem to sit fot two hours to watch a movie regardless of how good it is, which is absurd considering how much time I spend watching TV Shows. There are some movies I can watch multilpe times like my all time favorite American Beauty and things like that, but I'm not a movie fan. Someday I'll watch Fight Club, that's for sure, but I don't think I'll ever watch much movies. Why? I truly don't know, I think that I prefer a rather longer and extended storytelling than just two hours of it
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