Community

I don't think I have talked about it before on this blog, but here it is-- I love "Community." It's a show about a study group at Greendale Community College, composed of an ex-narcotics addict, a former high school football star, a single mom, a high school drop out, a falafel restaurant heir, an elderly kook, and a former lawyer, along with reoccurring supporting characters (Star-Burns, Senor Chang, etc.). The show chronicles their time at Greendale and all the TV-sitcom situations that they encounter.

The first season won me over with its quick banter, dialogue infused with pop culture references and sharp humor that I haven't seen rivaled anywhere save the late "Arrested Development." The show marvels in taboos and goes where most shows try but fail due to lack of comedic respect. With "Community," the characters are so funny that they know they're funny, something most shows don't allow their characters. And "Community" even references that it itself is a TV show, but only subtly. The script is unusually smart.

On a side note, I think the study group room has the potential to become a iconic location like that of the Cheers bar or Monk's Restaurant from Seinfeld.

All this to say, I have officially become a regular fan of a show, something that I have never done. I make sure that on Thursdays at 7pm central time, I am in front of a TV. Before, I have only watched shows on DVD. But this time, I feel like I'm mentally investing, I'm allowing myself to be part of a pop culture experiment. I have realized that I come to the TV set expecting to laugh, a high expectation for me, seeing as I rarely truly laugh at anything. But I find myself squealing with joy frequently. And hard. Which brings me to the Season 2 premiere.

Like I said, expectations were high for the Season 2 premiere. It would be the first episode I watched when it originally aired, linked with all the other "Community" fans watching at the same time. I told all my friends in the dorm that they had to watch it, that it was so funny, and we were all in Drew's dorm around the TV. But as we watched (and I was annoyed over and over by commercials), I saw that the writers were trying too hard. The quick banter was gone, and too much stuff was happening. Granted, they did have to deal with Brita's confession of love to Jeff, and his escape into the arms of Annie. But the fake wedding? Come on. That would be something that "Community" would make fun of if it were on another show. And I didn't like the move to Anthropology class, even with Betty White as the teacher. It felt forced, not to mention the cute bow tied on top of the episode's theme that was overtly spelled out. Come on Dan Harmon.

Suffice it to say, I was disappointed. But I still tuned in today (Thursday) for the second episode of the season. And my hope was restored. I saw that the dialogue was snappy again, full of esoteric references that I understood sometimes and others not, but I laughed at all of them anyway because I knew they were references. The jokes were fresh, and the actors seemed to find their characters again. My favorite line was (surprisingly) Peirce's attempt to make a gay joke about Jeff and his old colleague--"He's got a butt for Jeff's wiener." And after Troy, Annie, and Abed knocked out the janitor of the law firm's building, I laughed harder than I ever have when Troy was freaking out, jumping over the janitor in a severely feminine manner. "Community" had found it's stride again.

I don't know how long I will watch the show. At any hint of lameness, I'm gone faster than a frightened deer. But hopefully, maybe, I'll get to see this show all the way through.

If you want a taste of "Community," here's the best episode of the show so far, "Modern Warfare."