I agree that was one of the better S4 episodes. The P.E.E. thing was like something that would have happened in season 1. The other plot was more like a watchable episode of a normal TV sitcom.
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It's a sad thought to think that's the only way to accept Season 4, is to say it's like a normal sitcom, but sadly that is the truth.
I'm working my viewings in such a way that I will be watching the Season 4 finale right before I watch the Season 5 opener. Just so I can really compare and contrast the extreme differences in seasons
It's up next in my run-through, though I should point out that I did originally see it when it was first broadcast. I don't recall too much from it except that Britta wants to put on her own dance and it's also the episode that introduces us to Brie Larson, who didn't get to be an interesting character until Season 5, thanks to Harmon.
I agree that's one of the best season 4 episodes, but my only problem with it is they leaned on the 'Britta stupid' thing too much.
In Harmon Community Britta is more contextually stupid than really stupid. I hate the way S4 just made her an idiot who wasn't even that into protesting.
In Harmon Community Britta is more contextually stupid than really stupid. I hate the way S4 just made her an idiot who wasn't even that into protesting.
I did end up watching it today, and I can't really add anything that hasn't been said. I do really like how Pierce got a bit to do actually, it seems like so far he's just been around. Which I've a feeling the writers have no idea what to write for him because of how difficult he can be. I have a feeling Harmon was able to put up with him more, probably because Harmon comes off as a dick at times too.
Earlier in the evening I asked for some recommendations for films that Gillian was either the star of, or had a major role, because I think before today the only movie I saw her in was that Burt Wonderstone movie with Steve Carrel, and the only non-Britta tv role I saw her in was Law and Order.
So I ended up watching this pretty dark little film called 'Gardens of the Night.' I have to say, after watching it I have a new found respect for Miss Jacobs as an actress.
Earlier in the evening I asked for some recommendations for films that Gillian was either the star of, or had a major role, because I think before today the only movie I saw her in was that Burt Wonderstone movie with Steve Carrel, and the only non-Britta tv role I saw her in was Law and Order.
So I ended up watching this pretty dark little film called 'Gardens of the Night.' I have to say, after watching it I have a new found respect for Miss Jacobs as an actress.
I just finished 'Intro to Felt Surrogacy."
I was actually really enjoying it up until the moment the gang revealed their darkest secrets. I thought Shirleys' and Jeff's were OK, Britta's, Troy's, and Annie's secret really took me out of the episode. Britta doesn't vote? Don't buy it. Annie letting someone rub her feet for answers? Yuck. And Troy being an arsonist? Even accidentally? How is that funny?!
I did like the concept though, and wish more was done with it. But oh well, I'm going to put this one down as an episode I didn't enjoy. I just can't get past the terrible secrets that weren't even very funny. Perhaps they weren't supposed to be funny and I can see that, but they shouldn't be so horrible that it makes me think less of the characters.
I was actually really enjoying it up until the moment the gang revealed their darkest secrets. I thought Shirleys' and Jeff's were OK, Britta's, Troy's, and Annie's secret really took me out of the episode. Britta doesn't vote? Don't buy it. Annie letting someone rub her feet for answers? Yuck. And Troy being an arsonist? Even accidentally? How is that funny?!
I did like the concept though, and wish more was done with it. But oh well, I'm going to put this one down as an episode I didn't enjoy. I just can't get past the terrible secrets that weren't even very funny. Perhaps they weren't supposed to be funny and I can see that, but they shouldn't be so horrible that it makes me think less of the characters.
I find that episode unwatchable. The claymation episode worked because it had the constant real life layer. You knew at all times what was going on in Abed's imagination, and what was going on in the real world. The felt episode didn't have that connection, what was going on didn't correlate with plausible things going on in reality. Would they really go on a hot air balloon on their own? Would they really accept psychotropic berries from a stranger? Definitely the worst episode of the season in terms of characters behaving in ways they would never behave. At least the other episodes were cartoon exaggerations of how they might really behave, this episode wasn't even that.
I'm watching the 'Ground is lava' episode right now and I'm realizing, I would LOVE it if they made fun of all the paint ball episodes next season by having an episode where they start another paint ball game, and immediately somebody gets badly hurt.
I'm watching the 'Ground is lava' episode right now and I'm realizing, I would LOVE it if they made fun of all the paint ball episodes next season by having an episode where they start another paint ball game, and immediately somebody gets badly hurt.
I don't disagree with you on any of the points you brought up. In fact in a youtube video I am very fond of ("Everything that's wrong with Season 4"), one of the points that is brought up is the fact that the gang just leaves Pierce in the woods as if it's no big deal.
In season 2 he overdoses on pain pills and is left on a park bench...and we spend a whole episode dealing with the aftermath, because the study group really cares for him. But in season 4, because Chevy didn't really give a crap we're left with the explanation that "Oh he's just off in the woods somewhere."
In season 2 he overdoses on pain pills and is left on a park bench...and we spend a whole episode dealing with the aftermath, because the study group really cares for him. But in season 4, because Chevy didn't really give a crap we're left with the explanation that "Oh he's just off in the woods somewhere."
My Google-fu is failing me this morning. Do you have a direct link to that video?
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
It's actually called 'Community Season 4: What happened?'
If you're interested, here's a direct link to the video:
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0_EyZEmK14[/yt]
He brings up some good points, but the audio is pretty crummy, so you may need to turn down your speakers if you have them up.
If you're interested, here's a direct link to the video:
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0_EyZEmK14[/yt]
He brings up some good points, but the audio is pretty crummy, so you may need to turn down your speakers if you have them up.
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"Intro to Knots"
I just watched this and I want to post my thoughts before reading the A.V. Club's review lest it taints my reaction:
This was a nice change of pace after the Puppet episode in that it was actually pretty decent. It also has the advantage of being another Season 4 episode I saw when it was first broadcast so I was able to enjoy the episode already knowing what came next. The real stand out for me this episode was the stinger with the darkest timeline. When I first heard that Season 4 expanded on that concept I was a bit skeptical, but I really enjoyed seeing one armed Jeff getting Annie released from the insane asylum, and I can't wait for the finale where they develop it even more (and yes, I realize it's all a dream, but it's still interesting to me).
Something that didnt' really occur to me until a few episdoes ago, this season is sorely lacking in the Troy/Abed dynamic. Pairing Troy off with Britta kind of robbed us of that and Troy/Britta isn't even that good of a substitute. Speaking of Troy and Abed I'm really missing seeing scenes taking place at their and Annie's apartment. I mean if someone was watching Community starting with this season it would be very easy to miss the fact that the three of them live together. Unless there's more in future episodes, the only time I saw any hint that she lived there was in the first episode (which was my favorite part of that episode: Britta trying to hide her relationship with Troy from Abed).
I just watched this and I want to post my thoughts before reading the A.V. Club's review lest it taints my reaction:
This was a nice change of pace after the Puppet episode in that it was actually pretty decent. It also has the advantage of being another Season 4 episode I saw when it was first broadcast so I was able to enjoy the episode already knowing what came next. The real stand out for me this episode was the stinger with the darkest timeline. When I first heard that Season 4 expanded on that concept I was a bit skeptical, but I really enjoyed seeing one armed Jeff getting Annie released from the insane asylum, and I can't wait for the finale where they develop it even more (and yes, I realize it's all a dream, but it's still interesting to me).
Something that didnt' really occur to me until a few episdoes ago, this season is sorely lacking in the Troy/Abed dynamic. Pairing Troy off with Britta kind of robbed us of that and Troy/Britta isn't even that good of a substitute. Speaking of Troy and Abed I'm really missing seeing scenes taking place at their and Annie's apartment. I mean if someone was watching Community starting with this season it would be very easy to miss the fact that the three of them live together. Unless there's more in future episodes, the only time I saw any hint that she lived there was in the first episode (which was my favorite part of that episode: Britta trying to hide her relationship with Troy from Abed).
Thanks. You're right, that about summed up my feelings about the season!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
So I just watched 'Basic Human Anatomy.' I'd probably be done with the season by now if I wasn't stretching it out so I can jump straight into Season 5 when I buy it tomorrow.
What I really liked about this episode the most is it had a lot of heart, something that's been lacking this season. It was also nice for them to finally shine a spotlight on Troy and Britta's relationship, something we've only really glimpsed here and there. It was nice that they never once tried to pretend that they actually switched bodies, but the whole group went along with it anyways, and I really liked seeing the real reason we saw the two switch bodies, to deal with Britta.
Dean pretending to switch bodies with Jeff was probably the highlight, even if that subplot didnt' really go anywhere. Unfortunately it seems that even Jim Rash gets Annie wrong, I wonder if it was a mandate to write her more like her season 1 self and ignoring all her growth through season 3, but oh well. Only two more episodes to go and then I can get into Season 5.
What I really liked about this episode the most is it had a lot of heart, something that's been lacking this season. It was also nice for them to finally shine a spotlight on Troy and Britta's relationship, something we've only really glimpsed here and there. It was nice that they never once tried to pretend that they actually switched bodies, but the whole group went along with it anyways, and I really liked seeing the real reason we saw the two switch bodies, to deal with Britta.
Dean pretending to switch bodies with Jeff was probably the highlight, even if that subplot didnt' really go anywhere. Unfortunately it seems that even Jim Rash gets Annie wrong, I wonder if it was a mandate to write her more like her season 1 self and ignoring all her growth through season 3, but oh well. Only two more episodes to go and then I can get into Season 5.
I just can't help but crack up whenever Annie suddenly finds herself falling for the Dean but can't explain why.
I really liked the darkest timeline stuff in Season 4. I felt like, while Jeff & the study group had always accepted each other, "Advanced Introduction to Finality" was the sign that he was finally 100% one of them.
Overall, it's one of my least favorite episodes of the series. But I do love Jeff's conclusion at the end that Chang pretending to not be Chang anymore is probably the sanest decision he could make.
I think it's unfair for Harmon to blame Britta's development on Season 4. This was already a major problem with the character in Season 3 ever since "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps." Even though Britta was pretty well in character in that episode, it started this offensively disrespectful attitude towards her from the other characters that eventually spread to Britta herself.
Agreed. As a big Britta fan, that was one of my favorite episodes. (And I owe a big debt to that episode because I'd never heard of Sophie B. Hawkins before that episode. Now I'm a big fan.)
I doubt it. I suspect it was just a matter of gradual decay. But I certainly wouldn't blame the writers for neglecting Pierce in the writing stage. Why bother making any effort writing him good material if there's only a 50-50 chance that he'll even bother shooting it?
Frankly, I'm still not sure why they brought him back for Season 3 when they had a perfect out for him at the end of Season 2. I don't think anyone really wanted him back that badly. (Unless the NBC execs were desperate to keep his name recognition to promote the series to older viewers.)
I really liked the darkest timeline stuff in Season 4. I felt like, while Jeff & the study group had always accepted each other, "Advanced Introduction to Finality" was the sign that he was finally 100% one of them.
Overall, it's one of my least favorite episodes of the series. But I do love Jeff's conclusion at the end that Chang pretending to not be Chang anymore is probably the sanest decision he could make.
I think it's unfair for Harmon to blame Britta's development on Season 4. This was already a major problem with the character in Season 3 ever since "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps." Even though Britta was pretty well in character in that episode, it started this offensively disrespectful attitude towards her from the other characters that eventually spread to Britta herself.
Agreed. As a big Britta fan, that was one of my favorite episodes. (And I owe a big debt to that episode because I'd never heard of Sophie B. Hawkins before that episode. Now I'm a big fan.)
I doubt it. I suspect it was just a matter of gradual decay. But I certainly wouldn't blame the writers for neglecting Pierce in the writing stage. Why bother making any effort writing him good material if there's only a 50-50 chance that he'll even bother shooting it?
Frankly, I'm still not sure why they brought him back for Season 3 when they had a perfect out for him at the end of Season 2. I don't think anyone really wanted him back that badly. (Unless the NBC execs were desperate to keep his name recognition to promote the series to older viewers.)
I could blame Season 4 on Pierce's decline, but you're right. He was already on the outs in Season 3, it just wasn't as noticeable because the writing for him was still there.
So I watched the last two episodes of the season back to back. More to get ready for Season 5 tomorrow, and also just to get it over with (I don't hate Season 4, but I'll get to my feelings on it as a whole in a bit).
'Heroic Origins'
This episode was really fun, though it did start out a little slow (at least for me), and the ending with "fake" Pierce took me out of the episode a bit, but I really liked what they were going for, showing us that the Study group was always meant to be, and I loved how 'Don't You Forget about Me' was playing over the final scene, I'm always a sucker for that song.
'Advanced Introductions to Finality'
I mentioned earlier on that I was looking forward to this episode because it dealt more with the Darkest Timeline, and I wasn't disappointed, well kind of. I felt the third act with paintball was pretty weak, even with the cute line: "We found a way to make Paint Ball cool again." When it wasn't really "not cool" in the first place. Not to mention the scenes involving the evil Study group hunting the good study group down didn't even come close to the other two (or three I suppose) Paintball episodes.
So a few thoughts on Season 4: I never cared for Annie in this season, she had a few good moments (especially towards the end) but I never really saw her as the same character that she was in the other seasons. Pierce either, though I'll blame that one on Chase and give the show runners a break on this point. He wasn't interested in being there and you were right: Borgified Corpse, that lead to the writers really not being able to write for him.
Also, I wrote down the names of the episodes that I enjoyed and I am surprised to see that out of the 13 episodes I can say that I really enjoyed 9 of them, that's too bad actually. But (and yeah, I'm going there) this isn't Harmon's Community, and while I know I should judge the episodes on their merits (and I am) it's just hard to get by the fact that the show is a shadow of itself. And I know while a lot of people can name several episodes from Harmon's show that they dislike, I can't say I dislike a single episode. There might be some here or there that I find weaker, but I always find something to enjoy (I'll put that to the test when I rewatch Season 5's 'App Development and Condiments' an episode that I struggled to make it through the first time I watched it.
So I watched the last two episodes of the season back to back. More to get ready for Season 5 tomorrow, and also just to get it over with (I don't hate Season 4, but I'll get to my feelings on it as a whole in a bit).
'Heroic Origins'
This episode was really fun, though it did start out a little slow (at least for me), and the ending with "fake" Pierce took me out of the episode a bit, but I really liked what they were going for, showing us that the Study group was always meant to be, and I loved how 'Don't You Forget about Me' was playing over the final scene, I'm always a sucker for that song.
'Advanced Introductions to Finality'
I mentioned earlier on that I was looking forward to this episode because it dealt more with the Darkest Timeline, and I wasn't disappointed, well kind of. I felt the third act with paintball was pretty weak, even with the cute line: "We found a way to make Paint Ball cool again." When it wasn't really "not cool" in the first place. Not to mention the scenes involving the evil Study group hunting the good study group down didn't even come close to the other two (or three I suppose) Paintball episodes.
So a few thoughts on Season 4: I never cared for Annie in this season, she had a few good moments (especially towards the end) but I never really saw her as the same character that she was in the other seasons. Pierce either, though I'll blame that one on Chase and give the show runners a break on this point. He wasn't interested in being there and you were right: Borgified Corpse, that lead to the writers really not being able to write for him.
Also, I wrote down the names of the episodes that I enjoyed and I am surprised to see that out of the 13 episodes I can say that I really enjoyed 9 of them, that's too bad actually. But (and yeah, I'm going there) this isn't Harmon's Community, and while I know I should judge the episodes on their merits (and I am) it's just hard to get by the fact that the show is a shadow of itself. And I know while a lot of people can name several episodes from Harmon's show that they dislike, I can't say I dislike a single episode. There might be some here or there that I find weaker, but I always find something to enjoy (I'll put that to the test when I rewatch Season 5's 'App Development and Condiments' an episode that I struggled to make it through the first time I watched it.
There's only a handful of Harmon episodes I can say I dislike. The episode with Troy's grandmother, the episode with those teenagers that ended up with Jeff and Britta going 'DUUUHHHHH' for hours, the episode where Pierce dates that Asian woman who turns out to be a competitor to Hawthrone wipes. 81/84 is a pretty damn good ratio, of course. Also I might add First Chang Dynasty just because of how ridiculous it is but it's hard not to watch it because it's the culmination of major storylines.
There are a few episodes in season 4 I thought were decent but I don't have any reason to watch it again just because there's so much entertainment out there and no reason to spend my time on stuff that doesn't stand out as unique.
There are a few episodes in season 4 I thought were decent but I don't have any reason to watch it again just because there's so much entertainment out there and no reason to spend my time on stuff that doesn't stand out as unique.
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