by Graham Osborne
This week’s episode of Community had a lot riding on it. After the rather disappointing previous episode, it felt like only a miracle could save Greendale.
Thankfully, they did it the only way they knew how. With paintball!
This week’s episode of Community had a lot riding on it. After the rather disappointing previous episode, it felt like only a miracle could save Greendale.
Thankfully, they did it the only way they knew how. With paintball!
For the uninitiated, Community paintball episodes are the high points of every season they appear in. From “Modern Warfare” in Season One, to “A Fistful of Paintballs” and “A Few Paintballs More” In Season Two, each plot playing a loving homage to a number of films and genres, such as Westerns and Action Movies.
Modern Espionage takes a leaf out of the Spy Thriller as it is discovered that an underground paintball game is being played on campus. The Greendale Seven agree to uncover who is behind it and shut it down before someone attempts to assassinate Guest of Honour at the Cleaner Greendale Ceremony.
Modern Espionage takes a leaf out of the Spy Thriller as it is discovered that an underground paintball game is being played on campus. The Greendale Seven agree to uncover who is behind it and shut it down before someone attempts to assassinate Guest of Honour at the Cleaner Greendale Ceremony.
The action sequences are sublime. Of particular note is The Dean’s moment of glory reenacting a scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier (you know… that scene) is enough to bring a tear to your eye from the beauty of it all. Included in the accolades for badass action sequences include Britta and Elroy during the kitchen shootout and everyone involved in the dramatic shootout during the awards ceremony. The spy motif is laid on thick and fast, rapidly ticking off the tropes associated within the style, such as the death of the initial lead and the tense standoff between the hero and villain. All of this is delivered with the show’s traditional tongue-in-cheek humour and lovingly done in such a way that encourages numerous repeat viewings to catch all the little details missed the first time around.
Despite the fantastic story and homages, there was a distinct lack of cameos in this episode. Admittedly, the writers brought back Starburns to give him a (possible) send-off, but the strong focus on the custodial staff throughout the episode made the lack of their Chief Custodian (Nathan Fillion) all the more noticeable. His absence doesn’t hurt the show, but the lack of lampshading about it feels like a missed opportunity.
All in all, “Modern Espionage” is a fantastic episode to come out of Season Six, it doesn’t quite match up to its paint balling predecessors, but really feels like a return to the original series nonetheless.
Despite the fantastic story and homages, there was a distinct lack of cameos in this episode. Admittedly, the writers brought back Starburns to give him a (possible) send-off, but the strong focus on the custodial staff throughout the episode made the lack of their Chief Custodian (Nathan Fillion) all the more noticeable. His absence doesn’t hurt the show, but the lack of lampshading about it feels like a missed opportunity.
All in all, “Modern Espionage” is a fantastic episode to come out of Season Six, it doesn’t quite match up to its paint balling predecessors, but really feels like a return to the original series nonetheless.
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