Talk about Community here

[BBmolla]

Yeah that episode was awful.

[PeregrineV]

http://screen-web.media.yahoo.com/commu ... 00282.html

http://screen-web.media.yahoo.com/commu ... 00879.html

http://screen-web.media.yahoo.com/commu ... 42979.html

[Porochaz]

Hadn't realised that they had set up the baby thing so far in advance. Thought it was just the episode joke.

[xRECKONERx]

IT'S HERE IT'S HERE

[bv310]

Scale of Season 1-5, how much like old Community is it?

[ChannelDelibird]

Well, those were certainly two episodes of a programme called Community. I wasn't really feeling it, though. I liked Paget Brewster's performance but none of the jokes particularly landed for me. It all just feels a bit empty and off without Troy, Shirley and even Pierce. Chang just being this huge mess of a character with no direction whatsoever only emphasises that.

I've been rewatching the first three seasons recently and the lack of zip in these two episodes was really evident in comparison.

[Porochaz]

Second episode was better than the first, I would agree with CDB except maybe not as harsh. I agree though it did feel slightly empty, it felt like it was going through the motions and neither episode had a stand out moment, although I did enjoy the ending tags of both episodes. Paget Brewster was the best thing about the two episodes. As the first two episodes were establishing characters I feel that it might be where the "lack of zip" has gone and hopefully will be better next week now that I think we are done with that. Although it's in it's sixth season now, I don't think we will get back to the height of the second season.

I laughed and I enjoyed them quite a lot, but they weren't the best. Certainly not the worst either, and Community has a habit of starting slow out of the gate.

[Albert B. Rampage]

I'm just happy there's going to be another paintball episode.

[BBmolla]

Eugh why? I rolled my eyes when I saw that.

[Albert B. Rampage]

Paintball episodes were the three best of the show by far.

[Aeronaut]

Yes.

[BBmolla]

Wonder what Dan did to not be allowed to be served :p

[BBmolla]

I dig episode 1. I think it's a step up from season 5.

[hiplop]

Episode one was great. I thought episode 2 was fine, wasn't top tier of series or low tier. Enjoyed my time thoroughly

[RedCoyote]

Well, those were certainly two episodes of a programme called Community. I wasn't really feeling it, though. I liked Paget Brewster's performance but none of the jokes particularly landed for me. It all just feels a bit empty and off without Troy, Shirley and even Pierce. Chang just being this huge mess of a character with no direction whatsoever only emphasises that.

I've been rewatching the first three seasons recently and the lack of zip in these two episodes was really evident in comparison.

I think I agree. I'll still watch, but my high expectations weren't met. Maybe we're just out of ideas at this point? I thought the concept of a virtual reality suit was kind of funny, but didn't it seem like they were telling the same joke over and over? For the first time I'm actually thinking maybe this should be the last season and maybe #sixseasonsandamovie was more prophetic than I gave it credit for. Porochaz is on point that the ending tags were the best parts of both episodes... the Gremlins skit was as true-to-form, "this is what makes Community funny to me and how it's unlike anything else I've ever seen". I got a hearty laugh out of that.

Britta's character was way, way overplayed... to the point of her now being this caricature. I struggle to see her character as a real person and now see her as an actress playing a part. This has actually been an ongoing thing though that has seemingly gotten worse over the course of the show. I guess you can kind of say this about every character in a way, but Britta seems like she's on a different level. Or maybe I'm just saying that because she was such a focus on the these first two episodes.

Anyway, still having fun with it. I look forward to what they can do with Keith David. I think I would like Brewster's character better if she wasn't around as much (as I would with Chang... Chang was more fun as the lovable villain... now he's just some doofus... I really, really dislike the direction they went with that).

Hmm, it's easy to criticize stuff though. I do really enjoy the show. I'm consistently surprised with the creativity it brings to the table.

[RedCoyote]

Also Brewster reminds me of Alyssa Milano and I thought it was her until I looked it up on imdb.

[BBmolla]

Britta's character was way, way overplayed... to the point of her now being this caricature. I struggle to see her character as a real person and now see her as an actress playing a part. This has actually been an ongoing thing though that has seemingly gotten worse over the course of the show. I guess you can kind of say this about every character in a way, but Britta seems like she's on a different level. Or maybe I'm just saying that because she was such a focus on the these first two episodes.

Britta has been a pretty awful character since her and Jeff being a thing stopped being pursued by the writers.

Her character was literally "hippyish girl who lawyer Jeff has a thing for" and then once the last part went away, they went further with the first part to the point of caricature.

[xRECKONERx]

I actually really loved those two episodes! Maybe it's because some people set my expectations low, but I thought they were great, especially considering they were both setup episodes to add the new guys to the study group.

The first one was, yeah, a little bumpy I think. I thought the Speakeasy thing was a bit overplayed, and at some point I felt like OKAY WE GET THE MONTAGE GAG and it went on for too long and just felt like padding... but really the group dynamic being weird and mixed up and having Abed be the only one to accept the new addition to the group was a sweet touch. I loved the tag with Shirley at the end. I think Paget Brewster fits in really well with the group. Her coming in with cops in dumb uniforms was Community levels of whacky, but without the Season 5 style of THIS IS NOT ONLY OVER THE TOP BUT WE'RE TAKING IT SUPER SERIOUSLY. It was just the right mix... it kept it grounded. "Hey, this is how ridiculous you're being, do you see these cops and also a carrot?" is just the right dynamic to take and it's right in the sweet spot.

The second one, man, I loved it. Britta's parents were great. I love that they're giving characters some backstory. I love the slow burn reveal that Britta's friends have been BFFs with her parents all these years. I totally bought her reaction to it, because I've had the same conversation with people about my parents. "oh man your mom and dad seem so nice" "WELL YOU WEREN'T FUCKING THERE FOR THE BULLSHIT YEARS" is typically how it goes. And while it wasn't much character

growth

since the arc was self-contained in the episode, I felt like it was a really good touch. "Jimmy Fallon Syndrome" made me spit out my drink. Oh, and all of the scenes with the Dean in the VR thing were fucking great. Jim Rash is so good at the physical comedy and he just nailed it with his dramatic mime motions and ridiculous VR getup. A little more lukewarm on Keith David since we didn't get to know him that well, but he seems like a brand new character altogether that we haven't seen before, so I'm interested to see where he fits into the study group's dynamics.

I loved both episodes, though. They felt like a return to form.

[BBmolla]

New character really grounds the show, really digging it.

[Brandi]

These episodes were so awful

The show is a hollow shell of it's former self and it keeps getting worse

[xRECKONERx]

no you're wrong

[Brandi]

No

The funniest part of the show was the Honda commercials

[xRECKONERx]

counterpoint: http://forum.mafiascum.net/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=61135

[Brandi]

Community is not a show I had heard about and judged before watching

I watched it and it was great

and then it got bad

I don't even care that it doesn't have all the best characters anymore

the writing is just bad and the jokes are bad

A show that made me laugh every episode now makes me sad that it is no longer funny or interesting

it's dead

I mourn it

[Porochaz]

That episode, excluding the Jolene cover, which possibly wasn't as funny as I found it, was dire. Not the worst but probably bottom 5.

I am starting to get a bit jaded about the whole thing.