Jmunney's Blog

If you watch an episode of Community like “Paranormal Parentage” and end up disappointed, then it is because you have high – perhaps impossibly high – standards when it comes to Community.  That is understandable, considering how many all-time classic episodes Community has produced.  And seeing as this is the Halloween (#Valloween) episode, it is doubly understandable, considering the show’s track record with Halloween episodes.  But if you’re overly worried about this episode not measuring up to “Epidemiology” or even “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps,” you’re liable to have missed what “Paranormal Parentage” had to offer.  After Pierce locks himself in the panic room of his mansion (or so he says), the rest of the Greendale Seven are commissioned to spring him out – and possibly confront the ghost of his father.  What follows is an homage of haunted house movies.  The title suggests that Paranormal Activity may be the main inspiration, but this is actually the Scooby-Doo episode: a bunch of happenings that seem paranormal thanks to clever editing and misleading perspectives ultimately turn out to have a perfectly logical, though fiendishly complicated, explanation.  That fitting conclusion allows for a couple of well-earned emotional beats: Pierce’s brother Gilbert (a very welcome Giancarlo Esposito) returns, and the two embrace after deciding to be roommates, and Pierce’s daddy issues lead into those of Jeff, who it is revealed has tracked down his father (and been wearing his boxing gloves).  Joel McHale plays these dramatic beats better than perhaps any of his others in the series.  The strengths and weaknesses of this episode are flipped compared to those of last week’s premiere: the emotional beats land cleanly, while the humor isn’t as raucous.  That isn’t to say there weren’t any moments that made me laugh.  There were in fact enough to make this episode satisfying, particularly Annie nervously calling out to a missing Abed that if he is doing that thing “like that part in that movie” to stop it because she doesn’t watch scary movies and “therefore can’t appreciate the reference.”  Britta’s overeager therapizing is also a delight, especially the “Ziggy Freud” malapropism and Jeff’s command that she “stop answering phones.”  Also, like Abed, I too remember dates by movie releases. B+

“Congratulations: it’s me.”

Indeed, after nearly a year off the air, it is Community, so congratulations to us.  But, while it is back, it is also unequivocally different – no surprise, considering it lost its creator, a handful of writers, and a few producers.  The characters are still the same characters, and the plots are not too dissimilar from those of the previous seasons.  It was the subtle things that really made a difference – shots are closer than before, the music cues aren’t quite what they were.  It’s not necessarily worse – just, different.  Honestly, though, Community had already become a different show than it originally was.  Season 2 was different than Season 1, and Season 3 was different than Season 2.  But it wasn’t like those changes had previously happened between season finales and the subsequent season premieres.  So this change is much more sudden and jarring.  Could this change ultimately work?  “History 101” is more promising than not.

If there is anything significantly wrong with this episode, it’s that it’s overstuffed.  There are four separate plots, plus Pierce just sitting around doing his own thing.  The multi-cam version of the show within Abed’s head is an unqualified success.  Fred Willard as Pierce in this version is an inspired choice, especially considering that he was one of the actors originally considered to play Pierce.  The Greendale Babies within Abed’s head in the multi-cam show within his head is also a treat, with Britta making for a particularly cute baby.  Abed constructing the Winger speech for the Jeff in his head felt appropriate.  The Hunger Deans plot felt a little rushed, though I actually appreciated that it really had nothing to do with The Hunger Games.  I think that was the joke.  The Annie-Shirley senior prank plot was small-scale, but it did provide some nice character moments.  The Troy-Britta fountain plot barely even qualified as a subplot.  I’m basically neutral on Troy and Britta as a couple, but I will say it probably would have been nice to see some of the progression that apparently progressed offscreen.  The Chang scene was … intriguing.  The Dean moving in next to Jeff struck me as something the Dean would totally do, and it could work as a clever way to keep things moving along should Community get a fifth season and move beyond Greendale.  Shirley’s “Oh, Lord, NOOOOOOO!” at the end provided the biggest laugh of the episode. B+