Thom Bitches About "Community" - Economics of Marine Biology

Left to right: Alison Brie and Jim Rash

Like most people, I was skeptical about what Community without Dan Harmon would look like. His inane fantasy of a community college was so meta and well structured that anyone who would come in would probably not do the show justice. However, it has happened, and Community is back with former Happy Endings show runners. Is it capable of finding its footing with new controllers, or is this the end? In Thom Bitches About Community, we will attempt to figure that out with sporadic thoughts on season four. Hey, maybe it's not all bad. Maybe it's better? Check back every week for further commentaries, and please feel free to add your own thoughts.

Right off the bat, I want to apologize ahead of time for my late posting. I am aware that the episode originally aired on Thursday during its normal time slot. Due to a misunderstanding, I wasn't aware that there was an episode this week until very late on Friday. 

Also, I have implemented the three strikes policy with this show as far back as the third episode. I have tried to stand by this show as it worked out the kinks. Alas, here we are seven episodes in and while I appear to be the only one giving faint praise to last week's episode, I am officially on the third strike. It isn't because Chang (Ken Jeong) is still a very annoying character. It isn't that the plots are derived. It is something going back to that dumb title episode where the Germans just made me convinced that this show was jam packed with racism.

In this episode, we introduce a character that I am sure is ripped off from Back to School and the Rodney Dangerfield character. A rich schmooze who is choosing schools and is himself a really pathetic human being. Except, Dangerfield had class and one-liners to spare. This guy just walks around like he is the hero to this school. The reason for all of this? Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) is convinced that if he chooses the school, he will help to put money into the school so that they can keep it going. Perfectly fine.

That is, if the character wasn't so repugnant to begin with. He clearly was created to be obnoxious, and his purpose in this is to make the school participate in debauchery. However, unlike Back to School, there is no Oingo Boingo to justify any of it. All of the bikini-clad women and balloons throwing in the air cannot convince me that this character deserved to be the center of the episode.  No, he was just too repulsive and made the whole plot really, really, really terrible.

And then there was the whole Jeff (Joel McHale) and Pierce (Chevy Chase) hanging out all day. Who knew that it would be the most tolerable subplot in this whole story?I cannot really find anything to bitch about here. It was perfectly adequate and while it ended in a very ho-hum way, it was acceptable. The idea of keeping Pierce separate from the group has been a common theme this season. Possibly because he was being written off, or just because his racism is no longer needed on the show. The show itself has done itself no favors of biting its own foot.

I am not even going to touch that dumb potato chip promotion that they did. It felt like a rehashed Wayne's World joke 20 years too late. The commercial over the credits wasn't really that good either. 

Left to right: Chevy Chase and Joel McHale

There was that whole P.E. coach thing, which was fine to see Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) become a tough leader. That was perfectly fine. Seeing Troy (Donald Glover) struggle was fine as well. However, as the story progressed, I just had more and more trouble with it. It probably started around the time they had to do a simulated locker coaching technique. Troy not being able to handle the kids wasn't really that funny. On top of it, the kids throw him in the locker. A few scenes later, he is doing a lame montage of trying to turn Chang into a model student. Add on top of that a really bad song and... you lost me. Even the satirical element of training montage in this episode felt weak. Just give me the South Park "Montage" song when we need to do straight-up on the nose nonsense.

Maybe I dozed off, but what was the point of Abed (Danny Pudi) joining a fraternity about? Was it really to add subtext to that jerk's stay at Greendale? It just wasn't funny and I could never buy Abed doing half of the things he did here. I mean, dropping trow and forcing people to run around like loons? This is ridiculous and I totally miss where Abed was at the end of even last season. He has moved so far away that I cannot even recognize why I liked him.

I want Chang to die so badly, and when he keeps getting praised, it only makes me lose faith in the show. Add on top of that a lame chip commercial and a terrible subject, and you have officially lost me. It isn't that I feel the show isn't trying. It just isn't trying in a way that I care to invest more time into. Let's face it, if the show thinks that bringing in broad, obnoxious characters instead of sincere and flawed people into the story, then I don't want to be part of it.

As it stands, I just don't care anymore where these characters go. I tried to stick with this show, and I feel like I have bitched my way through it rather successfully. However, as of this episode, I am resigning from this column, as I don't care to watch Community season four anymore. It is just too depressing to have to force myself to watch it diminish with each return. I know that there is someone out there that enjoys it, but for me, if I keep going, I am risking ruining what I loved about the first few seasons. They do not exist anymore. Their shells do, but not them.

I am sorry for having to quit, but I just have to. I am sure many of you will feel the same way at some point. However, check out my friends Andrew and Benson's podcast Shut Up Leonard. They will keep you on track for the rest of the go. They are more qualified to than I am.