Community's third season is my favorite television season ever created. Bold statement, I know, but it just gets everything right. It's packed with amazing episodes, a fun storyline, and a consistency that feels like a goddamn miracle.
Season 3 doesn't seem to have as much of a story the first time around. The study group has to deal with Biology this time around, but it doesn't seem to have as much of an importance as Spanish or Archeology. There are subplots about Annie moving, Shirley pitching a sandwich shop, Troy's skill at air conditioner repair, and Chang becoming a security guard, but they don't seem all that important... at least not until the final third of the season. At that point, all of the storylines converge into this massive final arc that's easily the best stretch of episodes in the show. Starburns dies (or so we think), Chang takes over the school, replaces the dean, and expels the study group, kickstarting a storyline about taking Greendale back. It's such a phenomenal story arc, it's high stakes, it's hilarious, and the show manages to keep introducing fun parody episodes in the middle of the storyline without it feeling like it's stretching the arc out. And even more, the arc ends an episode before the finale, which makes sure to tie up all of the character storylines in a neat bow, as this season was originally intended to end the series. If Community did end with Season 3, this would be a pretty damn amazing way to end things off.
As for the comedy, well it's just as amazing as Season 2, if not moreso. The writing from Dan Harmon and his team is still top-notch, balancing wit and sincerity perfectly. While it doesn't ape individual movies as much as the second season, Season 3 is packed with incredibly creative concepts that result in some of the most unique episodes ever made, from an episode exploring alternate timelines, to a psychoanalysis of Abed, to a civil war documentary about a pillow fight. We also get followups to some of Season 2's episodes, like the documentary and clip show episodes, and they're just as good if not better in some cases. And just like Season 2, the show manages sure to toss in a solid amount of fairly standard episodes to prevent things from getting too chaotic, with the highlights being the charmingly character-driven Studies In Modern Movement, and the incredibly low-key and satisfying Introduction To Finality. The most impressive thing about Season 3, however, is just how consistent it is. Looking back through the season, I don't think there's a single episode I don't like. It's incredibly tough to maintain such a high level of quality throughout a twenty-two episode season without at least one dip, but Community manages it pretty flawlessly.
I know this is nearly half the season, but there are so many episodes I love to shorten it down:
Remedial Chaos Theory: This is easily one of the greatest episodes in television history. The concept of an alternate timeline is already creative in itself, but it feels so perfectly calibrated and thought-out, like a Rube Goldberg machine of sorts. The opening scene lays out all of the character motivations and important aspects of Troy and Abed's house, so each timeline leads to said plot elements colliding in completely different ways. And when chaos ensues in the Darkest Timeline, it's easily one of the funniest television moments ever. But despite its high concept, the emotion and thematic resonance is there. Many of the characters are dealing with their own problems and situations, like Pierce's jealousy and Annie's home issues, and the way in which the timelines differ showcase each of the characters' importance to the group. For example, the group would descend into chaos with Troy, and they'd likely be more happy without Jeff. It's just such a funny and well thought-out episode on so many levels, I love it!
Horror Fiction In Seven Spooky Steps: It would be hard to follow-up Remedial Chaos Theory, but this episode did a pretty good job. I love all of the characters' different Halloween stories, especially Abed's which shows excellent why you don't write a story where everyone makes logical decisions. I also really like the punchline where the group learns that there's only one person who passed Britta's psych test, that being Abed.
Documentary Filmmaking: Redux: This is the second documentary episode in the series, and probably the best as well. This time around, it's based off Hearts Of Darkness, focusing on the Dean as he descends into madness trying to make a new commercial for Greendale. If you seen my past reviews, I love episodes about the filmmaking process, and from Jeff acting as the Dean to Pierce's prima donna antics, everyone gets some hilarious moments of their own as the production becomes more and more of an absolute disaster.
Regional Holiday Music: One of my favorite running gags in Community is about the Glee Club, which is literally just the TV show Glee, and it reaches its climax in this episode, which has the members of study group slowly get "infected" by the Glee Club into singing. Not only are the songs absolutely hilarious a lot of the time, but the sheer brutality of the jokes made at Glee's expense are just glorious.
Pillows And Blankets: This episode is just plain brilliant, making a civil war documentary based on a pillow fight. The sheer insanity of Greendale's pillow fight (especially Pierce's ridiculously pillow suit) is played entirely with a serious tone with narration and witness testimonies, and it's just great. I also like the sweet ending where Troy and Abed make up (because seeing them fight is just too damn hard), and Jeff goes through some pretty solid character development.
Basic Lupine Urology: Kickstarting the big final arc is this hilarious Law & Order parody about finding out who destroyed a biology project. The highlight of the episode for me is the "Order" portion, with Shirley, Troy and Abed heading the investigation, but even the "Law" portion with its big confrontation in biology class is great. This would've already been one of my favorite episodes of the series, but the shocking ending that reveals Starburns' death makes it even better!
Curriculum Unavailable: After the study group has been expelled, we get our second clip show episode that manages to be just as good as the first. I love how meta this one is, focusing around a therapy session that has the characters questioning if Greendale was even real to begin with. Even if the therapist was just a mole, it's funny to see Community poke holes at its own premise. Once again, the flashbacks are entirely original (and hilarious), and the ending actually manages to progress the plot a solid amount.
Digital Estate Planning: An episode about video games that actually manages to get them right?! I obviously love this episode and all of its references, but it's also just hilarious to watch the study group (especially Pierce) struggle with the game at first. I also think it's a great episode for Pierce, ending his story arc for the season and showing how much he developed as a character.
The First Chang Dynasty: A heist episode! The final episode of the arc is a fast-paced and entertaining ride as the study group tries to break into the school and stop Chang's plans. It's thrilling, funny, and even has an emotional moment where Troy sacrifices himself to the air conditioner repair school (it makes more sense in context) to save Greendale.
Introduction To Finality: While not one of the show's best finales, I think it's an incredibly satisfying one. Almost every character (sans Annie) gets a satisfying resolution to their arcs, the reveal of Starburns being alive is great, and the ending montage is incredibly sweet. I generally prefer the series finale we actually got, but this still would have been an excellent ending if the series did end here (and given what we get next, sometimes I wish it did...).
Overall, I know this review was a lot of gushing, but I just love this season so much. It's packed with amazing and creative episodes, great character arcs, and ends on one of the best final arcs I've ever seen. Community's third season is the golden standard I hold most television seasons towards, and I don't know if anything will be able to top it.
6/5 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment