Community is back, y'all! "We're going to have more fun and be less weird than the first two years combined," the cast sang in the show's opening song-and-dance syllabus, a half-serious, half product-of-Jeff's-daydream-REM rundown of what to expect from the show's third season. As such, the self-referential music number is open to interpretation. I don't think they're going to fly to school each morning, but I do think Jeff and Annie will sleep together. And as for the lyric above, "weird" is definitely a relative term.
Creator Dan Harmon has promised that the show will be "toned down" this season. Fewer stunts, fewer parodies, and as Dean Pelton told us early on, no more paintball, no more spaceships, and no more trampolines. But as the episode progressed, we saw a ham-carrying Asian man wriggling through the school's ventilation ducts, a 2001 reference during a drugged-up fantasy sequence about the study room table, and an axe-hacking freakout by a powder-puffed Jeff. When Dan Harmon tells us things will be "less weird," we have to remember that his idea of normal is a super-intelligent astronaut with a talking motorcycle. This is, after all, the same man who created the Channel 101 web shows Laser Fart, about a man who farts lasers, and Computerman, about a walking, talking computer played by Jack Black with a monitor casing over his head and a keyboard over his nipples. I'm guessing that "less weird" will simply be "different weird," and still within the comfort zones of Community's hardcore fans.
And hallelujah to that. I was slightly apprehensive about Community repeating itself and pandering to expectations in Season 3. I was steeling myself for a six-week-long paintball war, a vampire episode, and Shirley adopting "that's so Meta" as her catchphrase. Instead, Season 3 opened with the sitcom I believe Harmon wanted to make all along, a show zany enough to let Greendale remain the weirdest school ever, but not so stunt heavy so that, in his own words, Harmon's mother can get comfortable with the show.
Now that we got that out of the way, let's dumb it down. "Biology 101" was funny. And it had so much to accomplish: introducing the gang's new professor (OMAR!) and the dean of the air-conditioning repair school (John Goodman), plus getting Pierce back (which I don't believe for a second is a permanent solution). It did all this by not delving very far into the lives of the main characters (except Jeff's), but it did it well. "Biology 101" was, for all intents and purposes, a setup episode designed to move Community down a new track.
What did I like? I loved seeing Jeff as the bad guy. Joel McHale is pretty good at ranting, and seeing his reaction to leaving the group while Pierce took his spot was great. And to watch Jeff turn into an angry, racist Pierce with powdery white hair while Pierce adopted Jeff's cooler-than-thou 'tude was brilliant. The Chang-as-security arc was absurdly entertaining, and I'd watch Cougarton Abbey's cyanide finale or fifty seasons of Inspector Spacetime.
It would have been easy to start the season off with a themed episode, but Harmon wisely decided to do things his way and keep the focus on the true meaning of the show: friendship. Awww. And monkey gas.
Notes:
– Is anyone else little concerned about Michael K. Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire) as the new professor? Omar Little rules, but Omar Lite as a bio prof? This character needs to be either a lot more Omar or a lot less Omar to make it work. I'm much less concerned about John Goodman and his effortless delivery of "rectum."
– Jeff: "The hungry seagulls of growing apart." EL-OH-EL! And Troy's response: "I really need this biology class." EL-EM-EFF-AY-OH!
– Starburns asking about doing a Breaking Bad thing only makes me want to see an entire episode dedicated to him and his bumbling drug-dealing business.
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
Just got back from camping, but I want everyone here to know I left right after Community ended. Our trip was based around when and where we are watching Community. Glad it is back, and super glad it is still going strong with loyal viewers!
I guess I'm just one of those few who doesn't get it. I originally mistook Community as "funny ha-ha" over "funny ho-ho," but I eventually understood it as "funny ah-yes-I-see-what-you-did-there...clever-bravo-and-brava." I get the jokes, but I don't see why everyone's laughing at them.
Goodman was badass, though, but when is he not?
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Guys r back
Brilliant. Glad it's back. I agree with you about Jeff and Annie (and about bloody time too) but I hope they don't rush it, I quite like the flirting between the two of them. John Goodman is going to be magnificent. Of all the people they could have added to the (already fantastic) cast, I think Goodman was a masterstroke. This is the best show on TV right now and long may it reamin.
I am super excited about Omar as a bad a** biologist. LOVED the line about how he knew exactly how many hours he spent on his ph.d, because he could only do one hour a day in prison.
Really great episode, and you're defintely right, this was a set-up for the rest of the season.
Loved every bit of this episode! I sincerely hope Inspector Spacetime will be recurring.
The 2001 parody was awesome. I wish they'd just used Doctor Who though, it'd be even more funny. I find it hard to believe though that Abed wasn't already into British TV. Chang as security is going to be amazing. Overall, looking to be a great season. Again.
the subtle things are the one that makes the episode great! the Abed part will be a season changer. inspector spacetime is obviously a doctor who parody. I bet Abed's season will revolve around the 1st "inspector" upto the current "inspector". As a doctor who fan this excites me a lot.
great episode!
So very in love with this episode.
It just set everything up so perfectly for the season, you can see each character as lil gymnasts lining up on there springboards seeing where they want to go! Though where Dan Harmon while take them is another matter.
I did love Joel McHale playing bad cop in this, it worked. It's community, it does tend to. No need for gimmicks and parodies. Just the absurd made real.
Plus Dr. Who references and Star Burns as the resident dealer. Win win!
I'm not really worried about Michael K Williams, mainly because we just didn't see enough of him this episode to judge yet. That being said, I loved Jeff's Sean Penn joke about toning it down a bit. The whole episode was worth it just to hear "monkey knock-out gas." I thought it was great though. Plenty of homages, but still the same show. Oh, and "six seasons and a movie!" Abed had the same reaction to the Cougar Town news that I did.
Okay one more, "It's a scary, lonely, Chang-filled world out there..."
"Monkey knockout gas: now that's the kind of grounded sensible thinking I wanna see this year"----enough said!!
While i wouldn't put it amongst the great Community episodes, it was better than last seasons premiere.
The most interesting part for me, was that for once it was not the study group that was the best part of the episode. I didn't really like Jeff going crazy or Abeds post show depression. But John Goodman, the Dean, the biology professor and Chang really stole this episode.
John Goodmans "Thats Wassup" definetly was my favourite moment.
I watch Inspector Spacetime every Saturday! The Inspector is the best, but I really love the 10th Inspector.
Loved the Doctor Who reference and I suspect many people didn't get it.
Remember when Inspector Spacetime accidentally saved Hitler? Good times.
I wasn't sold on the episode. John Goodman was good and I like the potential way this season was going but for me it was a lackluster season premier
i liked the 2001 reference and Abed through the show.. everything else was meh. i'd watch the hell out of Inspector Spacetime though!
The theme shows were getting a bit much, but come on, the paintball episodes were the best! As was the D&D episode which you yourself (TV.com) lauded as a major highlight of last year's TV. The show appeals to Scrubs fans, so being weird is never a bad thing.
I didn't find this episode very funny, but I like the changes.
Community is DESTROYING comedic television for me. That's right, I said it. It's just too damn GOOD. I can't watch another comedy without comparing it to Community. Modern Family is funny, but not Community funny. Sorry Office, keep trying HIMYM, and TBBT falls woefully short. This was a hilarious premier, and Cougarton Abbey has become my new favorite, fake show. I can't wait 'til next Thursday. WELCOME BACK, GREENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE!!
Absolutely agree. It's the best comedy on T.V. right now, hands down. It deserves an Emmy, but Modern Family alwasy wins.
The premiere was hilarious. Much better than last years.
I gasped for breathe reading the first line of your comment expecting to have to make a witty yet malicious reply, but all is well. You are correct, lol.
AMEN!
What he said ;)
I actually hated the "Jeff going crazy" part, but the rest was BRILLIANT!
Loved the episode, I was surprised when John Goodman appeared, he was great :))
Community, in Season 3, is still trying too hard and not funny enough. John Goodman was excellent though!
The opening number was hilarious. I thought the storyline of Pierce re-joining the group was going to be a multi-episode arc thingy, but they seemed to have resolved it already. Also, I loved the casting when it was first announced, and I still love them now: Michael K. Williams and John Goodman are great. "That's wazzup."
Loved it! Another amazing season of Community has begun!
The episode did definitely not disappoint. Even though the episodes are sometimes a little less funny, they are still far better than any other comedy on TV. Why people give the episodes such bad ratings on TV.com is beyond me. Maybe they are some TBBT fans who are jealous at how high Community sets the bar for comedy, while the humour on TBBT is meant to be simple enough to be understood by the viewers' pets.
Jeff's absurd monkey gas fantasy was one of my favorite parts of this episode!
Hilarious show. Definitely one of my favorites on TV. I'm surprised they talked about no more paintball though... I was kinda hoping that would become a season finale staple. Best line though had to have been Troy's comment to Britta: "You are the pizza burn on the roof of the world's mouth". And if you didn't laugh, go pick up a piping hot pizza and smash a piece on the roof of your mouth, wait an hour or so, and then rethink that line.
You'd watch 50 seasons of Inspector Space? Go for it, it's called Doctor Who in real life though.Anyways, the premiere was really good, John Goodmans character looks really great.
I wish Inspector Spacetime was real too, though. Then I could watch them both!
I'm glad this show is back! I loved the name of the monkey gas: Chimpan- Zzzz. It's that kind of attention to detail that makes this show so awesome!
I know! They really do pay attention to all the details. Pretty awesome.
I completely missed that, but I agree. Their attention to detail makes this show so great. Like the fact that when the monkey stole Annie's pen, they actually filmed a split second of his hand grabbing the pen. I just feel like the writers care so much about this show to put the effort into making it great.
I laughed at that too!