Advanced Documentary Filmmaking (Season 4, Ep 6)

Here's a Link to the Episode

Time for a "Chang" of Plot Focus

I felt like this episode had its roots more deeply set in the first three seasons. Mostly from the filming style/ content. Abed is filming a documentary for the Dean which focuses on Chang, now known as Kevin, and his Changnesia. If you click on the picture to the left, it will send you to the opening of the show which explains this tragic disease and some of the plot leading up to this episode. This clip also was a quintessential opening for a documentary, so great job, Abed. The slow fading in and out of the worlds/ title of the documentary, the use of visual dictionary definitions, splices of other interviews which help give setting and background for the subject of the documentary.

 We find out that Greendale is going to apply for a fair amount of grant money from a research society. To win said grant, the Dean asks Abed to direct a documentary to make the board members more sympathetic to 'Kevin.' So Abed and Garret are following the gang around which results in the shaky unfocused content we are watching.

A man on a mission

Conflict? Jeff doesn't believe that 'Kevin' is faking it and can really remember everything. At first he tries to challenge the Dean and his friends but they truly believe that 'Kevin' is telling the truth. Jeff then tells Abed that he is going to find evidence that he is faking and will expose Chang to the whole audience. But to do so, he is going to pretend that he believes in Changnesia and wants to help with the presentation. Jeff recruits Troy and Annie (who don't have many plot lines together) to do an investigation on where 'Kevin' had been for the past few months starting with his appearance. He also ask Pierce to give a speech, which Pierce immediately indicates will be VERY racist. Even if Troy and Annie don't find anything, Pierce's puppet show will drive the board members away.

Now I wasn't the biggest fan of the Troy and Annie cop duo plot line. I think that they did do an excellent job digging up the the information which will definitely come back in an few episode but they have done the Cop show episode before. When the gang's yam will 'murdered' they design the episode after a Law and Order show. It was one of my favorites from the season. But this was clearly just a side plot to add some depth. Not as much chemestry between the two of them. But it got the job done.

The Duo Hard at Work

Jeff ends up going too far in the presentation and Kevin hold his ground. Everyone still believes that he really can't remember and the school gets the grant money (god knows they need it, did you see those study rooms?). Jeff is an outcast until he apologizes to Kevin who then tells him that he is forgiven.

We find out in the last few seconds of this episode what I had suspected for some time; that Kevin is really still Chang!! It would have been too flat of a plot line, and a waste of talent, to keep Chang locked away inside the puerile Kevin. True, the lunch room scene between Kevin, Shirley, and the irate Jeff was one of the better parts of the show, but Chang's anarchist tendencies are too valuable as a conflict for the Gang. More importantly, it seems that some shadowy figure is orchestrating Chang's insertion into Greendale. But who has a reason to infiltrate the community college and the Greendale seven? I would like to put my money on the Dean from City College, Greendale's rival. We have seen that City College has no problem with invading Greendale in the second paintball episode and they have expressed their intention to wipe Greendale off the map. If this is true, then possibly, the gang may some how resolve this threat to the campus either by ameliorating relations or by defeating the other Dean. 

Can't wait to see the next episode.

See you all soon,

Tom