(This is the ninth part in an ongoing series, in which I am writing brief reviews of each and every episode of Dan Harmon's beloved cult- comedy "Community." Originally conceived as a response to the initial cancellation of the series, the show has since been saved by Yahoo! via their streaming service. However, as I had already started my reviews before it was "un-canceled", I will continue them.)
Is man good? Is man evil?
An interesting question to ponder. And one that is the centerpiece of the Season One episode "Debate 109." Certainly a subject that one could dwell on, even incessantly, for months if not years. And perhaps bring about some troubling revelations.
... ... ...but who has time to think about that question when we're laughing so hard at a great episode of TV?
An incredibly funny example of "Community", this episode has a lot going for it. While it may not reach for particularly dramatic heights, it's still a fantastic episode with some wonderful humor and a few really cool moments of character development and potential foreshadowing of where future episodes may go.
Jeff (Joel McHale) reluctantly agrees to join Annie (Alison Brie) on the Greendale debate team, but their partnership slowly unveils a potential attraction between the two as they work together (hoping to win over City College, who has a ringer in the form of a disabled team member who easily earns sympathy points due to his eloquence and wheelchair-bound state, despite a nasty attitude), causing some minor tensions.
At the same time, Britta (Gillian Jacobs) humors Pierce (Chevy Chase), by allowing him to attempt (rather poorly performed) hypnotherapy sessions on her to assist her quite smoking. And all the while, the other members of the study group become confused and even concerned when Abed (Danny Pudi) begins making student-films based on the group that are so accurate, they almost seem to be able to predict future situations they will find themselves in.
The beating heart of the episode revolves around the potential growing attraction between Jeff and Annie. And this is one of the first episodes to show that sort-of potential dynamic between the two characters. (And also show just how gorgeous Brie can become, and how deep Annie can be as a character when she both literally and metaphorically "lets down her hair") But fans can thankfully be assured that because this is Dan Harmon's "Community", it isn't going to exactly follow the same, basic, bland "romance formula" that other sitcoms almost exclusively stick to. Here, without spoiling anything, I will say there are some great amusing moments and subversions of the idea.
The humor here is a wonderful mixture of silly, broad, "belly-laugh" gags and wonderful (and quite meta) chuckles for harder-core fans of the series who take note of the little things and the "Easter Eggs." Which is something I always admired about the series as a whole- the ability to be both broad and specific all at once. It's one of the reasons the series is so ripe for repeated viewings and analyzing.
I give "Debate 109" a near-perfect 9 out of 10. It's a great episode and has a lot of appeal. And it makes the way for the next episode, "Environmental Science"... which some will be surprised to know is my favorite episode of the entire series. (More to come on that in a later review!)
Is man good? Is man evil?
An interesting question to ponder. And one that is the centerpiece of the Season One episode "Debate 109." Certainly a subject that one could dwell on, even incessantly, for months if not years. And perhaps bring about some troubling revelations.
... ... ...but who has time to think about that question when we're laughing so hard at a great episode of TV?
An incredibly funny example of "Community", this episode has a lot going for it. While it may not reach for particularly dramatic heights, it's still a fantastic episode with some wonderful humor and a few really cool moments of character development and potential foreshadowing of where future episodes may go.
Jeff (Joel McHale) reluctantly agrees to join Annie (Alison Brie) on the Greendale debate team, but their partnership slowly unveils a potential attraction between the two as they work together (hoping to win over City College, who has a ringer in the form of a disabled team member who easily earns sympathy points due to his eloquence and wheelchair-bound state, despite a nasty attitude), causing some minor tensions.
At the same time, Britta (Gillian Jacobs) humors Pierce (Chevy Chase), by allowing him to attempt (rather poorly performed) hypnotherapy sessions on her to assist her quite smoking. And all the while, the other members of the study group become confused and even concerned when Abed (Danny Pudi) begins making student-films based on the group that are so accurate, they almost seem to be able to predict future situations they will find themselves in.
The beating heart of the episode revolves around the potential growing attraction between Jeff and Annie. And this is one of the first episodes to show that sort-of potential dynamic between the two characters. (And also show just how gorgeous Brie can become, and how deep Annie can be as a character when she both literally and metaphorically "lets down her hair") But fans can thankfully be assured that because this is Dan Harmon's "Community", it isn't going to exactly follow the same, basic, bland "romance formula" that other sitcoms almost exclusively stick to. Here, without spoiling anything, I will say there are some great amusing moments and subversions of the idea.
The humor here is a wonderful mixture of silly, broad, "belly-laugh" gags and wonderful (and quite meta) chuckles for harder-core fans of the series who take note of the little things and the "Easter Eggs." Which is something I always admired about the series as a whole- the ability to be both broad and specific all at once. It's one of the reasons the series is so ripe for repeated viewings and analyzing.
I give "Debate 109" a near-perfect 9 out of 10. It's a great episode and has a lot of appeal. And it makes the way for the next episode, "Environmental Science"... which some will be surprised to know is my favorite episode of the entire series. (More to come on that in a later review!)
