Episode 19 Season 3, "Curriculum Unavailible"

http://www.hulu.com/watch/359981#i0,p16,s3,d0

In episode 18, Course Listing Unavailable, The Gang, is expelled from Greendale due to the treacherous plot orchestrated by Chang. For all those who don’t remember, Chang uses a doppelganger from the episode, Contemporary Impressionists, to pose as the Dean (a doppeldeaner). Two months after their expulsion, the team must go to therapy with Abed.

Many of the past episodes of Community choose a genre of TV or movies and create a satire or homage to it. Past episodes have recreated western classics (taking cues from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), Law and Order, and Christmas specials (much of the episode is filmed in claymation). These cues immediately give the show a wealth of history to draw from to entertain the audience by pointing at motifs or just by placing these seven characters in ridiculous situations (such as a zombie apocalypse).

One motif used in this episode was the technique used in movies with unexpected twists plot (think the Sixth Sense, or Last season of Lost). The psychologist, played by John Hodgeman (featured on the daily show), tries to convince the gang that Greendale never existed.

” But there is no there, you can’t go back, because it doesn’t exist!”

*** Thunder!!!***

What they do remember was the two years they shared at Greendale Asylum. He claims that they were all put there by past traumas.

Truthfully, viewers learned in the first season that each of the characters did end up in Greendale do to failed marriages, careers, mental break downs, and in Peirce’s case, being old. How else could his community college, where everything is unbelievably ridiculous and all revolves around them, exist?!?!

Once the gang realizes that the therapist is lying and returns to find him crawling out the window, the discover that John Hodgeman was paid by Chang to keep them away from Greendale.
Although this plot twist theme is a main part of the episode, the main hat tipping comes from the usage of flashbacks to illustrate points. Often when sitcoms get into their later years and have a hard time coming up wit new plot points or when a sitcom is in its last season it will have an episode where the characters “remember” all the good times they’ve had. What this really means is the show is repackaging old content in a little box of new laziness.

Fortunately for us Community watchers, the powers that be uses this as an opportunity to illustrate yet again how a) brilliantly funny they are

and b)that there are events that occur outside of the show’s half hour and without the gang.

Note: these are all examples that the Gang gives to prove to the therapist that Greendale is insane/ they are just as crazy as Abed is.

So Community is taking an opportunity that most shows use to be lazy and have used it to expand the world of the show and give the viewers a few extra laughs.

• What would a community episode be without the 30 second clip after the last commercial. Here is the clip from this episode. 
• ·      Troy and Abed in the Morning, Nights!
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  ·            Last clip to clinches it.

Can’t wait for February 7th!

See you all next week,

Tom