by Graham Osborne
After setting up a resounding success to last week’s “Modern Espionage”, Community tries to maintain the momentum with “Wedding Videography,” and for the most part it succeeds. There’s lots to love about this episode, but after the tour de force of paintball, it doesn’t quite reach those lofty heights.
After setting up a resounding success to last week’s “Modern Espionage”, Community tries to maintain the momentum with “Wedding Videography,” and for the most part it succeeds. There’s lots to love about this episode, but after the tour de force of paintball, it doesn’t quite reach those lofty heights.
The episode takes another previously established formula for comedy in the Greendale universe: Abed’s documentary making. The vignettes to camera by various members of the cast create a unique set of jokes and offers a break from the more traditional sitcom style of storytelling. Whilst Abed himself does not appear onscreen, his voice makes frequent cameos as he attempts to explain what he wants from his subjects as he tries to film the wedding of a long-term Greendale student.
Despite the jokes coming thick and fast, with Keith David stealing the show as a relapsing complimenter, there’s something that feels “off” with how dysfunctional the group is. The last time this was discussed in great detail was Season Four’s “Alternative History of the German Invasion”, where the college turned against them and showed how co-dependent and self-obsessed they were. The efforts of the episode to show how the group is often viewed by those outside their antics, is always fun to watch, but it loses something in the maelstrom that is the rest of the season. With just Yahoo’s episodes, the Study Group comes across more as a collaboration which flip-flops between infighting and idiocy.
Despite the jokes coming thick and fast, with Keith David stealing the show as a relapsing complimenter, there’s something that feels “off” with how dysfunctional the group is. The last time this was discussed in great detail was Season Four’s “Alternative History of the German Invasion”, where the college turned against them and showed how co-dependent and self-obsessed they were. The efforts of the episode to show how the group is often viewed by those outside their antics, is always fun to watch, but it loses something in the maelstrom that is the rest of the season. With just Yahoo’s episodes, the Study Group comes across more as a collaboration which flip-flops between infighting and idiocy.
Alongside the flaky character development is Jeff’s speech during the reception. Whilst the speech itself grants many comic moments and the aftermath is a fantastic bit of writing, it feels very out of character when you compare to Jeff’s views on Shirley remarrying her husband in Season Three, where he declared the act of marriage stupid. Admittedly, it’s not the most egregious part of the series’ continuity which has been forgotten, but it’s always nice to know the writers are paying attention.
The stingers in the credits are generally an interesting affair. Sometimes they are the saving grace of an otherwise flat episode, other times, they take an off-hand comment and run with it to completion. This week’s stinger takes an interesting form of public service announcement to dealing with some of the weirder issues brought up in the episode. It’s not the best one out there (that’s saved for Portuguese Gremlins) but it carries a slight surrealist air that works well within the confines of the show.
Wedding Videography is a fun episode, had it swapped places with Modern Espionage, it would have been even better, but it unfortunately has the latter to contend with. Next week is the season finale, will it pull off another fantastically comic half hour, or will it flop?
The stingers in the credits are generally an interesting affair. Sometimes they are the saving grace of an otherwise flat episode, other times, they take an off-hand comment and run with it to completion. This week’s stinger takes an interesting form of public service announcement to dealing with some of the weirder issues brought up in the episode. It’s not the best one out there (that’s saved for Portuguese Gremlins) but it carries a slight surrealist air that works well within the confines of the show.
Wedding Videography is a fun episode, had it swapped places with Modern Espionage, it would have been even better, but it unfortunately has the latter to contend with. Next week is the season finale, will it pull off another fantastically comic half hour, or will it flop?
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