Top 7- Best Episodes of Community
This is the 100th post on my blog so I decided to do an entirely self indulgent post about the best episodes of Community. It's pretty much certain that the show is now over and with the sixth season out on DVD soon and the fact that I'm entering my sixth (?) total rewatch of the show, now is the perfect time. I figured it'd be a pretty simple list but my short list consisted of a fifth of the episodes made so I had to cut 24 down into 7 honorable mentions and my final 7 picks. This was hard and you've probably stopped reading by now. If you're still here, I'm sorry. You don't have to stay, this is just for me and the two other Community fans. So, honorable mentions.
Advanced Gay- The one where we meet Pierce's dad, Jeff kills him and we learn the significance of wet wipes to the gay community
Modern Warfare- The one where a simple game of paintball assassin turns into a parody of every action movie but mainly Die Hard. Also, Jeff and Britta finally bone
Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps- The one where we get a series of scary stories to determine who is a psychopath. They range from Shirley's religious judgement to Pierce's 70s porno story
So with those out the way, let's get to the cream of the cream of the crop. If you thought those were good, these are even better.
7. Introduction to Finality
The end of Season 3 was, for many years, the perfect ending for the show, even when it happened in the middle of its run. What it manages to do is provide a great ending for each character. Jeff starts to care about learning, Annie grows socially, Shirley is a buisiness woman, Pierce is less racist, Troy and Britta start dating and Abed shows growth, while still staying Abed. It's an emotional episode but also a funny one, with the return of evil Abed who tries to saw off Jeff's arm. Rob Corddry also returns as the sleazy ex-colleague lawyer of Jeff's and is as despicable as ever. It's a well rounded episode all round.
6. Epidemiology
Many credit Modern Warfare with being where the show got really weird but I would point them to Epidemiology. It's a Halloween episode that is totally in cannon in which a zombie outbreak occurs to the tune of ABBA's greatest hits. You haven't lived until you've seen a man in a Xenomorph costume, Sexy Dracula ("I don't need to know which Dracula I am") and a dinosaur outrun a horde of zombies to Dancing Queen. It pokes holes in the tropes of horror films and is just plain weird. It makes me love ABBA even more and somehow managed to make zombies feel kind of fresh again.
5. Cooperative Polygraphy
Season 5 was a comeback season for the show, which had a lot to prove after an underwhelming fourth season. This was the episode that really showed us that Community was still here and wasn't going anywhere any time soon. After the untimely death of Pierce, the gang have to take a polygraph test to ensure they didn't kill Pierce, after which they will be given the items bequeathed to them in his will. It brings up a lot of the underlying tensions in the group and reminded us how important the group's chemistry is in making the show great and has an iconic moment from Chang that is equal parts gross and hilarious.
4. Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television
For now, this is the finale that we have to live with but it's a corker. The first two thirds are comedy gold in which the cast try and pitch a seventh season to each other. They pick apart the formula they've been creating for seven years and we get a final reminder of what makes every character great. The Dean adores Jeff, Abed wants them to stick to their formula and Britta wants a gritty drama. Continuing that theme, there's the classic end credits bit in which we get an ad for the Community board game in which nothing exists and it's all a lie. What makes this episode as amazing as it is though is the final third. It is a tearful goodbye to the characters and it gives us a happy enough amount of closure that I can wait a good few years until the movie. It's the ending we deserved, just too soon.
3. Remedial Chaos Theory
I'm going to make a bold claim here which is that this is one of the single most original and unique episodes of television made. It's a simple concept: to decide who goes to get the pizza, Jeff rolls a die. What we then get is a look at the 6 different timelines caused by this one dice roll and their events vary greatly. In one, Jeff and Annie hook up and fulfill my shipping dreams. In another, Pierce dies, Jeff loses an arm and Shirley becomes an alcoholic. It shows how far Community is willing to trust it's audience and trust them to understand and appreciate weird concepts, as well as giving us some fantastic jokes.
2. Documentary Film making: Redux
All this episode is is the Dean trying to direct a new advert for Greendale using the study group as his ethnically diverse cast. It's simple. What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, quite a lot. The Dean thinks himself quite the Coppola when it comes to directing and that includes going crazy when it doesn't all work out. Highlights of the episode go to Chang and Jeff as the Dean, Troy and Britta trying to hug and the Dean realising how bad a job he's done. I forgot to mention, the whole episode is done as a documentary by Abed, chronicling the downfall of the Dean's cinematic career. Unmissable stuff.
1. Pillows and Blankets
So, this is it. My favourite episode of Community. It's another documentary episode but more in the style of war documentaries than fly on the wall type ones. This is the second part of a two-parter that studies the war between Abed's troops in Pillow Town and Troy's forces in Blanketsburg. It's weird but makes a strange amount of sense. We get some great jokes, fantastic pop culture references and an ending that still shocks me with how emotional it is. It's a tale of friendship and how it can fall apart but be rebuilt. It shows the study group together and apart and also features a voice over from future cast member Keith David. While I wouldn't recommend it as an episode to jump into for first time viewers, it's one that truly rewards the pathetic fans who dedicate their existence and blogs to the show.
So thank you all very much for reading my 100 posts. I wouldn't be here without you and whether you read every post, just the Top 7s or click on all of them in the hope of seeing some pictures, I appreciate you all equally. Mainly those of you who actually made it to here in the text though. Don't tell the others, okay? Our secret.
Advanced Gay- The one where we meet Pierce's dad, Jeff kills him and we learn the significance of wet wipes to the gay community
Modern Warfare- The one where a simple game of paintball assassin turns into a parody of every action movie but mainly Die Hard. Also, Jeff and Britta finally bone
Paradigms of Human Memory- The one where it's a clip show only all of the clips we get are from episodes that don't actually exist. Initially confusing but consistently refreshing
Basic Intergluteal Numismatics- The one where it's all an elaborate David Fincher parody but about a man who puts spare change down people's arse cracks. Surprisingly deep considering the topic matter
G.I. Jeff- The one where it's all animated and a G.I. Joe parody that parodies cartoons, commercialism and being old
App Development and Condiments- The one where it all goes a bit 1984 and the college becomes dominated by an app called Meow Meow Beans but Britta saves the day by having mustard on her face
Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps- The one where we get a series of scary stories to determine who is a psychopath. They range from Shirley's religious judgement to Pierce's 70s porno story
So with those out the way, let's get to the cream of the cream of the crop. If you thought those were good, these are even better.
7. Introduction to Finality
The end of Season 3 was, for many years, the perfect ending for the show, even when it happened in the middle of its run. What it manages to do is provide a great ending for each character. Jeff starts to care about learning, Annie grows socially, Shirley is a buisiness woman, Pierce is less racist, Troy and Britta start dating and Abed shows growth, while still staying Abed. It's an emotional episode but also a funny one, with the return of evil Abed who tries to saw off Jeff's arm. Rob Corddry also returns as the sleazy ex-colleague lawyer of Jeff's and is as despicable as ever. It's a well rounded episode all round.
6. Epidemiology
Many credit Modern Warfare with being where the show got really weird but I would point them to Epidemiology. It's a Halloween episode that is totally in cannon in which a zombie outbreak occurs to the tune of ABBA's greatest hits. You haven't lived until you've seen a man in a Xenomorph costume, Sexy Dracula ("I don't need to know which Dracula I am") and a dinosaur outrun a horde of zombies to Dancing Queen. It pokes holes in the tropes of horror films and is just plain weird. It makes me love ABBA even more and somehow managed to make zombies feel kind of fresh again.
5. Cooperative Polygraphy
Season 5 was a comeback season for the show, which had a lot to prove after an underwhelming fourth season. This was the episode that really showed us that Community was still here and wasn't going anywhere any time soon. After the untimely death of Pierce, the gang have to take a polygraph test to ensure they didn't kill Pierce, after which they will be given the items bequeathed to them in his will. It brings up a lot of the underlying tensions in the group and reminded us how important the group's chemistry is in making the show great and has an iconic moment from Chang that is equal parts gross and hilarious.
4. Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television
For now, this is the finale that we have to live with but it's a corker. The first two thirds are comedy gold in which the cast try and pitch a seventh season to each other. They pick apart the formula they've been creating for seven years and we get a final reminder of what makes every character great. The Dean adores Jeff, Abed wants them to stick to their formula and Britta wants a gritty drama. Continuing that theme, there's the classic end credits bit in which we get an ad for the Community board game in which nothing exists and it's all a lie. What makes this episode as amazing as it is though is the final third. It is a tearful goodbye to the characters and it gives us a happy enough amount of closure that I can wait a good few years until the movie. It's the ending we deserved, just too soon.
3. Remedial Chaos Theory
I'm going to make a bold claim here which is that this is one of the single most original and unique episodes of television made. It's a simple concept: to decide who goes to get the pizza, Jeff rolls a die. What we then get is a look at the 6 different timelines caused by this one dice roll and their events vary greatly. In one, Jeff and Annie hook up and fulfill my shipping dreams. In another, Pierce dies, Jeff loses an arm and Shirley becomes an alcoholic. It shows how far Community is willing to trust it's audience and trust them to understand and appreciate weird concepts, as well as giving us some fantastic jokes.
2. Documentary Film making: Redux
All this episode is is the Dean trying to direct a new advert for Greendale using the study group as his ethnically diverse cast. It's simple. What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, quite a lot. The Dean thinks himself quite the Coppola when it comes to directing and that includes going crazy when it doesn't all work out. Highlights of the episode go to Chang and Jeff as the Dean, Troy and Britta trying to hug and the Dean realising how bad a job he's done. I forgot to mention, the whole episode is done as a documentary by Abed, chronicling the downfall of the Dean's cinematic career. Unmissable stuff.
1. Pillows and Blankets
So, this is it. My favourite episode of Community. It's another documentary episode but more in the style of war documentaries than fly on the wall type ones. This is the second part of a two-parter that studies the war between Abed's troops in Pillow Town and Troy's forces in Blanketsburg. It's weird but makes a strange amount of sense. We get some great jokes, fantastic pop culture references and an ending that still shocks me with how emotional it is. It's a tale of friendship and how it can fall apart but be rebuilt. It shows the study group together and apart and also features a voice over from future cast member Keith David. While I wouldn't recommend it as an episode to jump into for first time viewers, it's one that truly rewards the pathetic fans who dedicate their existence and blogs to the show.
So thank you all very much for reading my 100 posts. I wouldn't be here without you and whether you read every post, just the Top 7s or click on all of them in the hope of seeing some pictures, I appreciate you all equally. Mainly those of you who actually made it to here in the text though. Don't tell the others, okay? Our secret.
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