by Graham Osborne
There’s nothing sadder than watching something you love slowly fade away. Community is slowly turning into a ghost of its former self, the performance that it gave last week has thrown light on the cracks in its facade, and this week’s attempts to retain the momentum only serve to point out its failings.
There’s nothing sadder than watching something you love slowly fade away. Community is slowly turning into a ghost of its former self, the performance that it gave last week has thrown light on the cracks in its facade, and this week’s attempts to retain the momentum only serve to point out its failings.
Taking on another two-tier storytelling experience, this week sees the return of Travis Schuldt as Rick, formerly the corporate-owned entity Subway, once again attempting to sell products to the good students of Greendale. The main focus of the plot revolves around him and Britta rekindling their brief fling from Season Three’s Digital Exploration of Interior Design. Meanwhile, Annie and Abed, along with Chang, attempt to bring Elroy into the group as a friend.
Schuldt’s return seems to suggest that the writers of the show are retreading (the same) ground they’ve been over. Enough has been changed to keep it from being a total rehash, but it still feels a little too samey for what should be a completely new experience. Bringing Schuldt back in was necessary to make this episode work, but we all knew the end result of the show because we’d seen it all before.
Schuldt’s return seems to suggest that the writers of the show are retreading (the same) ground they’ve been over. Enough has been changed to keep it from being a total rehash, but it still feels a little too samey for what should be a completely new experience. Bringing Schuldt back in was necessary to make this episode work, but we all knew the end result of the show because we’d seen it all before.
The secondary plot line about making Elroy like the group is barely worth mentioning, apart from saying that some of the madcap adventures that Annie and Abed appeared to be having sounded more enjoyable than what was happening onscreen. There is also another mention of Troy, as well as a reference to how his leaving has affected the group. There is a lovely bit of meta-humour where Troy’s absence is equated to the group’s lack of energy, and also, possibly, a knowing wink by the writers about how this season doesn’t quite cut the mustard, but it turns out to be a set-up to a relatively weak joke at the end of the episode. Part of what made Community so great was the ability to look at certain, definitive moments in the characters’ lives and then build on them to create heartwarming comedy within the scenarios. Troy’s departure would easily fit in to that mould, and it seems they might be slowly building up to it. If only they’d hurry up.
After last week’s breath of fresh air, Advanced Safety Features is descending back into the fetid depths. It’s not in the murky pits yet, and the sunlight still sometimes peeks through, but it doesn’t seem as if Community is trying too hard to stay afloat.
After last week’s breath of fresh air, Advanced Safety Features is descending back into the fetid depths. It’s not in the murky pits yet, and the sunlight still sometimes peeks through, but it doesn’t seem as if Community is trying too hard to stay afloat.
RSS Feed
