Community (Season 6)

Community's final season is a lot different from the first five, as it didn't actually air on NBC. Rather, the season aired on Yahoo, resulting in longer episodes and a slightly different feel to it. Season 6 was a pretty solid place to end the series, even if it wasn't really one of the better seasons.

Similarly to the fifth season, Season 6 of Community is about the Save Greendale Committee trying to improve the school, but this time, they're actually taking it seriously. The season introduces Frankie, a consultant who joins the team, and a lot of the conflict is derived from the fact that she is much more professional compared to the rest of the study group. Personally, I really like Frankie. She bounces off of characters like Jeff and Abed incredibly well, and manages to garner a bunch of really funny moments of her own. However, the rest of the season's changes aren't as great. Shirley is gone, and while she may not have been my favorite character, it definitely feels like something is missing knowing that there's only four of the seven cast members left. In addition, the season introduces the eccentric Elroy, who I do not like all that much. He's funny, sure, but I don't think he adds anything to the cast or the story like Frankie does. He has no character development, no interesting personality, he's just there. Generally, I think Season 6 is at its best when it focuses on either the Save Greendale Committee or the fact that the show is ending. The last three episodes in particular feel like a love letter to the series and is easily the season's highlight.

As mentioned above, the shift to Yahoo means that the episodes have gotten a lot longer. Unlike the first five seasons, most of these episodes are around 30-ish minutes long due to the lack of commercials, and that's a change I don't quite enjoy. I feel like a bunch of this season's episodes just went on a bit too long as a result of this shift, and concepts like a parody of The Sting and Greendale being hacked just can't be sustained that long. Even more, some episodes feel like they've hit their climax but there's still eight-to-ten minutes left. The longer episodes definitely screws with the pacing of a bunch of these episodes and it drags down the season at times. Thankfully, the writing on its own is still incredibly good and I did find myself laughing quite often throughout the season. I also think this season does an amazing job at blending gimmick episodes with actual grounded storylines, as the sheer ridiculousness of Seasons 2-5 is definitely a lot less prevalent here. Don't get me wrong, there are some really cartoonish episodes here (Modern Espionage), but most episodes have at least one additional low-key character-driven subplot. Believe or not, I feel like this season is the closest the show has gotten to replicating the tone of Season 1, so if you're a fan of that season, Season 6 is right up your alley.

Befitting the final season of Community, there are some top-notch episodes to end the series on a high note:

Basic Crisis Room Decorum: This 100th episode of Community doesn't get nearly as much recognition as it deserves and that's a damn shame. It's a hilarious bottle episode packed with funny subplots, from the reveal that Greendale gave a degree to a dog, to Dean texting a wrong number thinking he's Jeff, to the hilarious attack ads throughout the episodes. It's fast-paced, well-written, and incredibly funny.

Intro To Recycled Cinema: As I mentioned before, I love episodes about filmmaking and seeing the study group try to shoot a sci fi film is insanely fun. The references to Star Trek and Star Wars are awesome, and I absolutely love how the episode switches between the filmmaking process and the actual movie rather than wait until the end of the episode to show off the film in its entirety.

Modern Espionage: After three seasons of no (good) paintball episodes, the ante-penultimate episode of Community brings back the formula one last time. The action in this one is on another level entirely, even compared to the other paintball episodes, from the opening shootout in the garage, to the fight in the kitchen, to that hilarious reference to Winter Solider. I like how it deconstructs the paintball episodes by focusing on how the janitors feel about all of the mess, though I also think the final confrontation is a bit disappointing which prevents it from being as good as Modern Warfare

Wedding Videography: The documentary episodes were always great and while this wasn't my favorite of the bunch, I really like the way it explores how self-centered the study group can be. It works really well as a penultimate episode to the series, and its plot twist about Garrett's wedding is definitely something.

Emotional Consequences Of Broadcast Television: Community has had a bunch of potential series finales, but this was easily the best. The concept of each character thinking of an idea for a potential seventh season is really funny and executed perfectly, with some of the best and most meta jokes in the series. But despite the near constant hilarity, we also get a lot of heartwarming goodbyes and scenes, as the characters face big changes in their lives. It's an encapsulation of what I love about this show, the nearly perfect blend of cartoonish, witty meta humor and genuine sincerity and heart.

Overall, Season 6 is a bit of a mixed bag with overlong episodes and some weak characters, but its main storyline is incredibly solid, the emotional impact is great, and the final three episodes are a nearly perfect end to the series.

3/5 Stars

My ranking of the Community seasons is:

1. Season 3: Season 3 is my favorite TV season of all time. It has the best episode of the show, an incredible level of quality, and a perfect balance of creative experiments and a genuinely gripping story.
2. Season 2: Season 2 probably has the most iconic episodes in the series, pretty much every other episode is experimental or meta and they pretty much all pay off.
3. Season 5: Pierce and Troy leaving may suck, but they got fantastic farewells at the start of the season, and the rest of Season 5 is still filled with plenty of creative episodes regardless.
4. Season 1: While it's uncharacteristically slice of life compared to the rest of the show, Season 1's writing is sharp from the get-go, and the first few experimental episodes at the end are legendary.
5. Season 6: Most of the episodes are too long and I don't love a lot of the new characters, but there are still plenty of fun experiments and the finale is probably the best one Community could've gotten.
6. Season 4: This should be obvious. It's not just that Dan Harmon is gone, it's that he wasn't able to pay off all of the plotlines he had been setting up, and instead they were all wasted.

My ranking of the Community finales is:

1. Emotional Consequences Of Broadcast Television: The premise is super creative for a series finale, but ECOBT also manages to be a perfect satisfying and heartwarming farewell for the series.
2. For A Few Paintballs More: While not quite as good as the western-themed first half, this is a tense and fun paintball episode, a great love letter to Star Wars, and a strong finale with an impactful cliffhanger.
3. Pascal's Triangle Revisited: Like 30 Rock's I Do Do, this episode is a fun spoof of season finales that also happens to be a damn good season finale. Jeff and Annie are both out-of-left-field and perfect.
4. Introduction To Finality: While not every character is utilized, this is a heartwarming and understated ending to Season 3 that would've worked just fine as a full-on series finale.
5. Basic Sandwich: While the main treasure hunt plotline is fun and the jabs at NBC are glorious, nothing actually really changes here. Everything just gets reset by the end of the episode.
6. Advanced Introduction To Finality: A rushed graduation, awful departure for Pierce, and almost the entire episode being a dream sequence? Yeah, great way to end off Season 4.

Favorite Episode: Remedial Chaos Theory