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| Danny Pudi |
The truth is that while Community is gone with little resource of chances to come back, I don't want it to return. As stated in a retrospective of the series last week, the show's impressive 97 episode run brought forth one of the biggest middle fingers to mainstream audiences since Futurama. It defied expectations and was perpetually a cult show with the phrase "Is it cancelled" lingering over every episode. It stuck around despite all odds in a storied run that should make for a great Alan Sepinwall book one day. However, more than the hi-jinks, there is plenty that I will miss about the show. However, none will be more evident than the one element that has carried through in a lot of my Thom Bitches About Community series: Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi).
Of course, to fully appreciate Abed, one must incorporate Troy (Donald Glover), whose teamwork together is the glue for a lot of the geekier show moments. They lived in their own world and had the show ever decided to have a spin-off, "Troy and Abed in the Morning" could easily fill that time slot. During their time, they pushed the boundaries of what a network comedy series could do by challenging norms through pop culture ventilation. No other character on network TV (or cable at this point, though Silicon Valley is young) has been this universally acclaimed and quotable. It even gave us the infamous "Six seasons and a movie" slogan that has been prominent the past three years.
However, take away Troy for a minute. Not as in season five take away. I mean focus on Abed solely as a character. At first glance, he is the strangest, most banal character on the series. He talks in monotone and only does things that are in some ways referencing movies and pop culture. He worked the statistics to get the group together in the first place. He even "shot" (within confines of story) the amazing Hearts of Darkness parody episode. The man is passionate about film in ways that would lead him to eventually do an entire dinner based around My Dinner with Andre. To an average viewer, this is nonsense. To those who would embrace the show's desire to go surreal and challenge what a reference's purpose within the show could do, Abed was like Jesus (okay, he was like him for one episode).
This was largely because it made him human. Think for a second on what the other prominent figures in modern pop culture are that are nerds. There's the veteran Comic Book Guy (The Simpsons), though he is oafish and a comic folly half of the time. There's The Big Bang Theory, which plays as a broad series of stereotypes only beneficial thanks to its access of Wil Wheaton cameos. Most of these characters have been played for laughs due to their social malfeasance. While the nerd figure of any show has evolved to not be a total loser, we're still in a time where nerdiness is comical for being O.C.D. or out of touch with social norms.
Maybe Abed is "out of touch," but consider how he impacts the show. There have been stories that have revolved around him, including the classic "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas." Because the show itself was audacious in trying new things, its allowance of Abed's story to focus on stop motion animation specials took the show into a direction it wouldn't likely stop using. Most of all, we would get to the heart of Abed's weekly problems at some point. He was sympathetic and complicated, not so much hiding underneath the pop culture references, but using them to describe his turmoil. Maybe his stories weren't as fruitful as the more beloved cast members, but Abed gave the show access to strange opportunities.
Which is where we tie Troy back in. For the first three seasons, they were an undeniable force. They may have existed in their own world, but it provided plenty of moments to belt out raps and do strange side missions. Abed delivered a baby once, remember? Then season four came around and things slowly changed. With new show runners, they tried new things that saw Abed falling apart. This was most evident in the choice to do a brief but unforgivable cutaway to a Muppet Babies parody called "Greendale Babies" which took everything that Abed stood for and lampooned it. We had lost him and was unlikely to come back.
This concern was short lived after season four, or the gas leak year, was over. When Dan Harmon came back, we had a last few moments between Troy and Abed that included a Nicholas Cage class and even a hot lava episode. As arbitrary as these concepts seemed, it explored Abed's grasp with reality in profound ways. It also reflected Troy's maturation as a character as he was eventually called upon to sail around the world with LeVarr Burton. After that, Abed was an inescapable mess that was lost forever. He became the meta device in order to glue the loose ends of an episode together. He became the cliche nerd that many still mock The Big Bang Theory for being. Maybe not as broad, but compared to season three, it was a far cry.
Which is why I have trouble forgiving the past two years of the show. With Community being at least one of the most innovative programs in recent times, it ended its history on a solid note with one last major meta joke. However, listening to Abed spout about asteroids and renewals felt forced. What was Abed without Troy? Very little. He was lonely and desperate, rarely meeting his inner turmoil with a nice batch of meta commentary in effective doses. Most of all, Community reflected why it couldn't work well without the Greendale Seven that started the series. Yes, it was great to see Jonathan Banks and John Oliver kicking around, but they were no Troy.
The truth is that Abed may go down as one of my favorite characters in TV history because of everything that he has done. He made nerdiness accessible and sympathetic without losing the edge. In ways, it is very much a reflection of me (though I don't really care for Doctor Who or time travel) in a TV series. Maybe I invested too much in that fantasy, but then again so does everyone currently crying out for the annexation of last week's cancellation. I don't want it to come back partially because I want to see what Danny Pudi can do. He may never escape the persona of Abed, but there are far more embarrassing things to be associated with. I mean, he does have a special edition of The Dark Knight that I still want after all.
This concern was short lived after season four, or the gas leak year, was over. When Dan Harmon came back, we had a last few moments between Troy and Abed that included a Nicholas Cage class and even a hot lava episode. As arbitrary as these concepts seemed, it explored Abed's grasp with reality in profound ways. It also reflected Troy's maturation as a character as he was eventually called upon to sail around the world with LeVarr Burton. After that, Abed was an inescapable mess that was lost forever. He became the meta device in order to glue the loose ends of an episode together. He became the cliche nerd that many still mock The Big Bang Theory for being. Maybe not as broad, but compared to season three, it was a far cry.
Which is why I have trouble forgiving the past two years of the show. With Community being at least one of the most innovative programs in recent times, it ended its history on a solid note with one last major meta joke. However, listening to Abed spout about asteroids and renewals felt forced. What was Abed without Troy? Very little. He was lonely and desperate, rarely meeting his inner turmoil with a nice batch of meta commentary in effective doses. Most of all, Community reflected why it couldn't work well without the Greendale Seven that started the series. Yes, it was great to see Jonathan Banks and John Oliver kicking around, but they were no Troy.
The truth is that Abed may go down as one of my favorite characters in TV history because of everything that he has done. He made nerdiness accessible and sympathetic without losing the edge. In ways, it is very much a reflection of me (though I don't really care for Doctor Who or time travel) in a TV series. Maybe I invested too much in that fantasy, but then again so does everyone currently crying out for the annexation of last week's cancellation. I don't want it to come back partially because I want to see what Danny Pudi can do. He may never escape the persona of Abed, but there are far more embarrassing things to be associated with. I mean, he does have a special edition of The Dark Knight that I still want after all.
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