Critic Time: Community-- "Football, Feminism and You"

On my first go-around with Community, this was the episode that really encapsulated what the show could be-- stories of personal growth, the weirdness that is Greendale, and the conscious usage of common television tropes to explore its themes. These had all been done in prior episodes, but "Football, Feminism and You" has a cohesiveness that the other episodes seem to lack. The confidence in the characters and the writing provides for the foundation of one of the most solid sitcom seasons I've ever seen.

Up until this point, Troy had been comic relief. I found this odd, because he arguably, other than Jeff, lost the most by having to come to Greendale. The wait for character explanation paid off here. The scheming Dean gets Jeff to convince Troy to play for the Greendale Human Beings (changed from the Greendale Grizzlies, because the students have already been called animals too much). I take a sick satisfaction in watching smug characters get their comeuppance, and Jeff gets his through some hilarously atrocious posters. At this point, it's not really clear how much Jeff has settled into Greendale-- he'll defend it to bail Britta out of trouble, but God forbid anybody from his old profession find out that he's there (which results in blackmail from the Dean through one-too-many adjectives for the profession of law). It's a place of acceptance for all creeds (more on that later), but Jeff is used to the high life-- he still drives past the courthouse everyday to remind himself of where and what he was. Watching him get stuck in the schemes of people who he wouldn't have bothered with 6 months before is a constant source of amusement, as he manages to get his way, but he almost always ends up learning something in the process.

This episode had a lot going on, and I loved all of it. All of the story lines meshed together into a satisfying denouement. The highest praise I can give it is that it reminded me of some of the best episodes of Arrested Development, albeit with a less cartoonish vibe (not that that's a bad thing. You will never, ever hear me say anything remotely bad about Arrested Development). Troy's story line cuts deep for a character without much to do before-- he went out on top, and now he's accepted where he is. Walking between ambition and comfort is a tough gig. We've all had the chance to attempt things much beyond our perceived skills or intelligence, and the grind sucks-- it even blinds us to the glory that we may be able to receive. Troy couldn't handle that, and there's nothing wrong with that. He's happy because he's realized football isn't the most important thing in the world. Wouldn't it be nice for us to stop taking ourselves so seriously and just take a pottery class?

Britta also had a nice arc in the episode. Despite being a staunch feminist, she can't really relate to other women. Her disastrous trip to the bathroom with Shirley (who drowns her out with the hand dryer in one of the episode's funniest moments) helps her to realize that people need to be soft sometimes. Britta is a harsh character. She's passionate, and she makes no effort to hide it. When Annie finally breaks down over her unrequited love for Troy, Britta struggles to comfort her. I was worried here that the episode was going to delve too soft, that Britta was going to say the wrong thing, but no: Britta's feminism and independence came out in the best possible way to help Annie. It was a strong moment for all three women.

In the most surreal arc, Pierce and the Dean design a mascot for the football team. The boards of typical ethnic body parts cracked me up, and the horrid Human Being was one of the funniest TV reveals that I've ever seen. It did prove a good point that we can be so sensitive about race that we end up being a little racist (the exchange between Troy and Jeff about racism was hysterical. "Your blood.That's racist. Your soul. That's racist. Your eyes? That's gay. That's homophobic. That's black. That's racist."). Just fantastic writing.

From my write-up, I can see how people would think that this episode is overly serious. That's not the case. There are plenty of laughs to go around. The only thing I didn't like was the only thing that Abed did, a weird meta-joke that didn't seem to mesh with what he was talking about. But hey, one bad joke in 22 minutes? Better than most.

Final grade: A. This episode brought a fledgling show into the quirky, heartfelt misfit we all love. Except for NBC, apparently.