The cast of “Community.”
What could have been Abed’s nadir instead blossomed into the best episode of the season, thanks to a valedictory turn of sorts from the show’s creator.
This week, at least, Dan Harmon got to implement some plot points for the season, and it’s a welcome sight to see so much business get addressed efficiently in his collaboration with Maggie Bandur.
Before the credits even roll, we learn that yes, Troy and Britta’s relationship has “progressed” and yes, Abed knows about it, despite the couple’s efforts to shelter him, though it does give Gillian Jacobs the chance to show off some physical comedy.
The episode then quickly sets out to move all of the show’s primary relationships along through a trip to InspectiCon, the gathering place for Troy, Abed and their fellow Inspector Spacetime fans. While Troy works to include Britta, Abed takes the opportunity to meet uber-uberfan Toby (Little England stalwart Matt Lucas), with whom he seemingly doesn’t even have to work at all.
Fittingly, Bandur and Harmon’s wisest move is to account for the passage of time in this subplot. Britta’s mature enough not to feign interest in the show while remaining supportive of Troy. Abed’s learned both to trust Troy and to deal with Britta liking the only female Inspector. All of this lets Troy’s momentary freak-out and subsequent moment of clarity play out not just gracefully, but naturally. Lucas should also get credit for underplaying Toby just enough to let him show the worst qualities of geekdom without veering too far into caricature.
While the Troy/Abed/Britta situation gets cleared up, Jeff and Annie’s bond also gets moved along, as Annie indulges in some light daydreaming as “Mrs. Winger” while Jeff finds himself on the make with Lauren (Tricia Helfer, who’s helped by a script that avoids stereotypes) when he’s mistaken for one of the show’s villains. Though it’s still a bit of a crock that neither Jeff or Annie have come to terms with them making out all the way back in Season One, they both seem more secure with the idea of something happening. Whether that’s worth anticipating or cringing over depends on your opinions of Harmon’s successors.
The one piece of business that the show should now deal with soonest, however, is the elimination of Pierce, who is once again — and ever more obviously — written in such a way that Chevy Chase doesn’t have to deal with most of the core ensemble. It’s rough calling for somebody’s job, of course, but seeing Shirley, who’s shunted off to provide a counter-balance to Pierce in this episode came off as a waste of time (and space) for everybody involved.
