^ I think part of the reason why Hickey works so well is that he's not a Suspiciously Similar Substitute of Pierce. He's unique enough in his own right that he works well. The April 3rd episode looks good: Follow the link above for some very cool (and possibly spoiler-filled, if that kind of thing bothers you, images).
I enjoy Hickey as well, I think he's a great character. And yeah, one of the reasons I like him is because he's not a carbon copy of Pierce. While it's true Chang has always been a regular character. In the first two seasons at least he was used much more sparingly, as was the Dean. It's not that I don't like these characters, but I'd rather them spend more time on the core characters of the (old) study group. I'd rather a smaller cast that gets equal time over a larger cast where some people get pushed to the background every once in a while.
I get the feeling the writers never quite knew what to do with Chang, but realized, especially after The Hangover, that they had Ken Jeong, and didn't want to waste him, so they kept trying to include him in the show. I base this on nothing substantial, though, other than my own opinion. As far as the Dean, I think he's best used to introduce the plot, through his announcements, then disappear until the end. Every once in a while, they can involve him in the main plot, but they need to do so only if it involves Greendale. They also need to drop the "Jeff-love," as it's been worn out.
I think, season 4 aside, they've done a good job not overdoing the 'Dean loves Jeff' thing. That 'Having Jeff inside me' thing in the Freaky Friday episode was atrocious. But I loved the father/son thing in this episode, and I loved the episode where Annie was moving and he blackmailed Jeff into spending the day with him. It's true they aren't using Shirley enough, but they always had trouble creating chemistry with her and the rest of the cast. Her best episodes are the ones where we see her dark side like the Troy turns 21 episode and the foosball episode. Other than that her role is mostly to make Christian comments about what everyone else is doing.
In the credits tag, Abed is suspiciously wearing a GI Joe-esque T-shirt. Oh Community, you do this thing in the best way. Mark
Only Community would devote an entire half-hour to something that odd and in-jokey. And it was awesome.
Lately the last thirty seconds of have been the best part of the episode. "We can't be too preachy, otherwise we risk creating a generation of jaded sarcastic babies." Dan Harmon just summed up an entire generation in one sentence. Did they really not know Jeff's age? Annie would have done the math when she found the Real World audition tape.
I loved (love) GI JOE. I'm amazed they made this episode. I recognized the voices of Flint and Duke and that alone made me love this episode. I'm amazed they did this. The tag was great. That is all.
I've only seen Community a few times but I had to see that one. It was really something to see real GI Joe characters and toys not just some parody pastiche so I imagine Hasbro gave their blessing which is cool. A real love letter to those familiar with GI Joe, I wonder how it plays to an audience who aren't.
Scarlet was her 80s voice actor too. This was an amazing episode. Hit all the right notes for a very narrow part of the audience (North American, 30-something people who watched GI Joe in the 80s), but it did it SO WELL. One thing that bugged me though was the ending - it seemed SO very 1980-1990s sitcomish, with everyone saying things in unison and going out on forced laughter. Was that intentionally part of this episode, or are we expecting a reprise with that style in the future? I wonder. Mark
I think that was the point, that it was supposed to echo the era of sitcoms that always end with a hearty laugh among the principal actors. Only way it would have been better would be for a freeze frame, the name of the director, then a voiceover saying "Community is filmed in front of a live studio audience". Only thing that bugs me is this is effectively a "dream" episode, which I thought Harmon didn't like doing. Other than the season 4 darkest timeline episode, he's never done an episode that was 100% dream. Even Abed's Christmas was "real".
Well, given that Dan Harmon wasn't involved with the show in its fourth season... Also, that WAS Scud in the background of the court martial scene. Harmon (and Rob Schrab) strike again! Mark
Maybe it was meant to tie into the episode, like he woke up from the cartoon but doesn't realize his "real world" is actually just yet another TV show. Or something...
This wasn't a typical dream episode though. A typical sitcom dream has characters who are fully 'Into it' and have no idea it's a dream until they're about to wake up.
It was also ABOUT something. Most sitcom dream episodes are just about putting the characters in weird situations or settings. This episode had a very strong theme that developed Jeff's character while still remaining consistent with what we already knew.
Good episode. Did anyone else get the impression at the end that Annie really didn't have any idea how old Jeff was and was a little uncomfortable with the revelation?
She's just lost track. The next shock to her system was when she remembered how old she was herself. She's just about lost all her best years at Greendale.