Community Review: "Interpretive Dance" (1.14)
This week's Community gave us two main plotlines but the focus of both was the same: secrets. Every group of friend has theirs, but when do these need to go public if you're really in fact friends. OK, the episode doesn't treat this thematic material as seriously as that, but the story ends up a surprisingly taut tale of these secrets coming out between friends and everyone becoming closer as a result. Awww. Gotta love TV.... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Investigative Journalism" (1.13)
It was only a matter of time before Jack Black made his way onto Community. I'm not sure how he initially met Community's creator Dan Harmon, but the two have worked together in the past and his sensibility seemed right for a comedy this surreal. While he likely won't be back this season, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll return at some point.... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Comparative Religion" (Episode 1.12)
Arrested Development was the best sitcom of the past decade. If you've paid attention to either our list or one of the various other ones out there, this is starting to look like less an opinion than a certain level of fact at this point, so generally agreed upon that it's not that controversial. That being said, while the show is certainly a situational comedy in the literal sense, part of its greatness was to transcend and, frequently, ignore typical sitcom tropes. Single camera, laugh track free, contuity based—these are all small parts of how the show broke away from... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "The Politics of Human Sexuality" (Episode 1.11)
One of the early concerns for Community was whether it would wear itself out quickly. As good as the pilot was, and it was damn good, the next few episodes were in large part repetition. Meet the cast, meet a class, and get a few jokes about how bad community colleges are. Rinse, show Abed being weird in some sort of autistic or foreign way, repeat. ... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Environmental Science" (Episode 1.10)
It seems like Community is becoming simultaneously less and more formulaic as the series goes on, which is an interesting phenomenon. If anything, it seems like episodes are ripping through sit-com clichés at a faster than believable pace, each episode more reliant than the last upon tired old stories that we’ve been watching on TV since we were born. The episode’s structures are impeccably fitted to a traditional three-act structure and it’s hard not to predict where the entire episode is headed after merely what appears in its cold open. ... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Debate 109" (Episode 1.9)
Just a couple of episodes ago, I was pontificating about whether Community would up the self-reflexiveness that it’s started to show or stick with its more typical tone. “Debate 109” answers that question quite nicely, with a vehement yes that for once is a good thing. Self-reflexiveness is a tricky tool. On the one hand, it can lead to jokes otherwise inaccessible and on occasion create some awesome situations. Venture Bros. comes to mind here, given that the entire show is aware of its own ridiculousness but that’s in some ways part of its essential premise. On the other hand,... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsSalute Your Shorts: Dan Harmon's Channel 101 Shows
Salute Your Shorts is a weekly column that looks at short films, music videos, commercials or any other short form visual media that generally gets ignored.For any longtime fans of Dan Harmon’s work, Community is a surprise. Not the fact that it’s good, no, that’s something that we could all be pretty sure of. It’s that the show, a relatively conventional sitcom, could come from the avant-garde co-founder of Channel 101, whose prior claim to fame involves shows such as Computerman and Laser Fart. He’s long been a superstar for a relatively niche group of Los Angeles filmmakers and comedians,... read more
Found in: Movies, FeaturesCommunity Review: "Introduction to Statistics" (Episode 1.7)
For the past couple of weeks Community has been largely an ensemble show. Joel McHale naturally steals the show when he’s on due to that whole charisma business of his, but the plots haven’t revolved around him any more than the other characters. Overall it was a nice change of pace that helped flesh out the Community universe. Frankly, it’s impressive that after only a handful of episodes its supporting roles were justified in taking over the show as much as they did. ... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Football, Feminism and You" (Episode 1.6)
I don’t think anyone will be making the argument that last week’s episode of Community, “Football, Feminism and you,” is the series’ funniest. The list of quotes in the random observations this time is much smaller than it would be for most sit-coms truly hitting on all cylinders, and yet I can’t help but feel that it was truly at the top of its game … even without either Ken Jeong or John Oliver popping in to take things truly over the top. ... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsCommunity Review: "Advanced Criminal Law" (Episode 1.5)
One of my main complaints with Community so far had been that, while it did a pretty good job recreating the feel of actual college life, it wasn’t a very distinct place. In fact, it rarely even felt like a community college and was more of an every college. That’s not bad, as it made the experience a lot more universal, but the lack of distinction was starting to make the show a bit blander and less interesting with every passing episode.... read more
Found in: TV, Reviews
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