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Community Season 1 Episode 4

Social Psychology

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Aired Thursday 8:00 PM Oct 08, 2009 on NBC

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AIRED: Oct 08, 2009

7.1

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Episode Summary

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For Professor Duncan's psychology research team, Abed and Troy are recruited as test subjects by Annie. Also, Shirley and Jeff start to bond as they gossip about Britta and her boyfriend. Pierce tests out his new eavesdropping device.

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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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8.0

By Canogaparkcindy, May 02, 2011

A very funny episode that explored different character interactions that we wouldn't usually see on this show such as Abed and Annie or Jeff & Shirley. It really worked here though, I loved Abed & Annie's story line, and we got a great reference to Friends with Chandler & Phoebe.

Abed & Annie are now the Chandler & Phoebe of Community, and I thought it was funny they established that. The flip outs in the psych room were absolutely hysterical from the Spanish teacher to Troy, it was just hilarious.

It's just like Abed to wait for 26 hours for an experiment but it showed how much he cared for Annie, surprisingly. Anyways these were one of the better plots of the night. Meanwhile Jeff & Shirley interactions are honestly just as good as Abed & Annie interactions.

I love Yvette Nicole Brown and she did nothing but impress me here. I also I'm really rooting for the Jeff & Britta relationship. Great episode, and the ratings on TV.com are undeserved.moreless
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Funnier each week

9.5

By efc91, Oct 30, 2009

For Professor Duncan's psychology research team, Abed and Troy are recruited as test subjects by Annie. Also, Shirley and Jeff start to bond as they gossip about Britta and her boyfriend. This was another really funny episode, his show is the funniest show of this fall, I havent laughed so hard since Chuck season one I think it is because the characters are all very likable and that its all just good fun, the show isnt trying too hard its just genuinely funny. I loved the ending to this one where Jeff could hear Abed and Troy. Abed and Troy are so awesome.moreless
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Much better than last week's episode.

8.0

By Water78, Oct 14, 2009

Community,

Social Psychology, - In this episode Annie convinces Professor Duncan to let her join a psychology research team. Which is usually for second years but he lets it side. Annie gets Troy and Abed to join as test subjects. Jeff finally gets closer to Shirley, who he belived he would never be close friends with. They find a close friendship, more on the lines of gossiping on Britta's boyfriend the hippie. Pierce gets what he class his earnoculars. Problems: the research lab Annie joined makes its test subjects wait until they freak out. While the people watching watch in nothing but joy. A great moment by the spanish teacher is there. However everybody but Abed freaks out which sends all the lookers mad and Annie is kicked out of the class. Annie is angry at Abed for what he didnt do. But in the end Abed says he waited because they were friends. Problem solved. Jeff finds out that Shirley cant actually keep her mouth shut and blabs outloud about Britt's boyfriend the hippies poem. Which they laugh at. Which wrecks the hippies passion of being a hippie. Pierce on the other hand is offended because he thinks Shirley and Jeff are making fun of him. In the end Jeff misses out while Shirley and Britta start gossiping. Overall a way better episode which had alot of comedy moments in it. Worth a watch.moreless
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Pretty funny episode, a little weaker than the last couple of weeks.

8.7

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Oct 11, 2009

I've been one of the people complaining about the lack of Ken Jeong in the show, but unfortunately, his return after not appearing in the Introduction to Film episode was somewhat disappointing. It's one thing when he's in Knocked Up and playing a super-sarcastic doctor, but in this movie, he even makes his role in The Hangover look calm. His reaction in the social psych experiment was funny, but not the kind of funny I thought he'd have.

Regardless, this episode proves that this show, along with Modern Family, are the best new comedies on TV this season. Unfortunately, Community airs in the same block that other failed NBC comedies have aired in (Kath and Kim, My Name is Earl etc.) and unless they're willing to ignore the viewers and focus on the quality of the show, we'll be having yet another comedy that was smart, witty and gone before its time should've expired.

It's nice to see episodes of Community where Jeff isn't a total jerk. Seeing his attempts to connect with Brita's boyfriend Vaughn was funny, and seeing each character interact with people they normally didn't (Abed with Annie, Jeff and Shirley). This shows the show isn't just your straightforward cookie cutter comedy. They're actually trying to branch out and show us new things about the characters.

So far, four episodes in and the show's appeal has started to fade. Not for me though. I'm still hooked and I'd like to see the quality improve. It's good, but it has the potential to be great.moreless
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Britta is hanging around with a guy who's sort of a free spirit. It gets awkward when it becomes obvious that she is having a physical relationship with him. Shirley pulls Jeff into gossiping about everything and in the end it ends up backfiring.moreless

8.0

By jyarter, Oct 09, 2009

Sort of a weird episode. There's the Jeff, Shirley, and Britta story. The Annie, Abed, and Troy story. Then there is the Pierce story as he seems to be a story unto himself.

Annie's experiment was a hoot. Senor Chang freaking out in the first minute was actually fairly funny. Abed though pulls a fast one on all of them. I love how he admitted he was furious, but in the end they were friends so he just put up with it. Boy he really screwed up Duncan's Theory didn't he!

Chase doing his thing with the weird gadgets is just Chevy being Chevy. Sometimes I think they must be just finding a bit and telling him to go hog wild.

The main plot was sort of cruel and weird at the same time. Britta really came off looking really bad this episode. Somehow I don't think that was the idea, but she put everyone else into the position they were in. Trying to be friends with Jeff when she knows that's not what he wants. I think she wants have her cake and eat it too.

In some ways the funniest parts of this show are the random little bits like Abed and Troy sitting on the couch at the end doing the lip syncing. Now that was funny when they could hear everything on the other side of the glass, but no reacted until Jeff told them he could hear them and everyone looked. Funny stuff.

An OK episode on the whole. Needs to get better though. Thanks for reading...moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Joel McHale	Jeff Winger
Ken Jeong	Señor Ben Chang
Gillian Jacobs	Britta Perry
Danny Pudi	Abed Nadir
Yvette Nicole Brown	Shirley Bennett
Alison Brie	Annie Edison

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Eric Christian Olsen	Vaughn	Guest Star
Erik Charles Nielsen	Research Assistant #1	Guest Star
Matt L. Jones	Stoner Friend	Guest Star
John Oliver (II)	Professor Duncan	Recurring Role

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Episode Photos

Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley and Joel ...

© 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.
Joel McHale as Jeff on Community from th...

© 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.
Gillian Jacobs as Britta, Chevy Chase as...

© 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.
Ken Jeong as Senor Chang and Alison Brie...

© 2009 NBC Universal, Inc.

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- Abed waited 26 hours 13 minutes and 31 seconds for the "psych experiment" before he is finally let home by Annie.
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QUOTES (8)
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- Annie: I'm not looking down on this school at all, but I'm only here because of a brief addiction to pills that I was told will help me focus, but they actually made me lose my scholarship and virginity.
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- (Annie asks the guys to join a pysch experiment)
  Troy: Do they do stuff to your butt?
  Annie: No.
  Troy: Do you get paid more if they do stuff to your butt?
  Annie: No.
  Troy: It's fine. I'll do it. I'm in.
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- Shirley: I don't see why you and Britta aren't together. Two cute white people going to school together just seems right.
  Jeff: Shirley, we're not pandas in a zoo.
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- Jeff: (about Britta) I'm going to show her that I'm not the jerk she thinks I am and befriend the hell out of that green-tea-drinking drum circler.
  Shirley: Ok, but tell me you noticed how small his nipples are.
  Jeff: Not engaging.
  Shirley: (giggles) Nah, it's not gossip when it's fact. My kid's got hamsters with bigger nips.
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- Professor Duncan: I never should have let you into this lab, Miss Annie Fanny, panties in a bunch.
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- Britta: The problem right now is that [Vaughn]'s calling me 'baby'. He's trying to hold my hands. It's-- it's getting a little relationship-y and... he gave me something.
  Jeff: Herpes?
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- Pierce: I heard you with my own ear... noculars.
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- Jeff: Look, we can still hang out. It's just... we won't bag on people.
  Shirley: Come on, Jeff, what are we going to talk about? My-- my kids? Your doc-- doctor career?
  Jeff: I was a lawyer.
  Shirley: See, I'm already bored.
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NOTES (4)
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- Yvette Nicole Brown ("Shirley") and Eric Christian Olsen ("Vaughn") also worked together in the The Loop episode "Yeah, Presents".
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Canada: October 8, 2009 on Citytv
  Latin America: February 25, 2010 on Sony Entertainment Television (a.k.a. Canal Sony)
  Sweden: February 22, 2010 on TV6
  Czech Republic: December 26, 2012 on SMICHOV
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- The 2009 song "How You Like Me Now?" by The Heavy is featured in this episode.
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- Beginning with this episode, the series now aired at Thursday nights 8:00 p.m.
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ALLUSIONS (3)
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- Professor Duncan: Fine, go kill John Lennon again, you loser!
  
  Professor Duncan was talking to one of the kids who were doing the research with him as he decided to leave. He was referring to John Lennon's murderer Mark David Chapman, because the guy looked just like him.
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- Abed: I figured we are more like Chandler and Phoebe. They never really had stories together.
  
  Chandler Bing and Phoebe Buffay are principal characters in the popular TV sitcom, Friends, which aired for 10 seasons from 1995 to 2004.
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- Troy: I'm Doctor Doogie Seacrest.
  
  As he makes fun of Jeff, Troy combines the names of teenage doctor Doogie Howser from the early '90s medical dramedy Doogie Howser, M.D. and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.
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