For the first time in Season 4, Community finally included the normal, full-length version of the theme song. And with the banter as the study group walked to class – especially Pierce’s note of approval to Jeff’s impression of everyone whining – there was a similar sense of rightness with Greendale … until that sense was stopped dead in its tracks by the returning German invasion. The foosball-playing German students were just as ridiculously stereotypical when they first appeared in last season’s “Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism,” but that first time Nick Kroll imbued lead German Juergen with just the right weird vibe, whereas this time Kroll is no longer here, replaced with Chris Diamantopoulos as Juergen’s brother, who goes beyond exaggerated German into full-on cartoon, sounding more like a Muppet than anything else. Still, I was intrigued by the fight for the study room leading the Greendale Seven to realize that maybe they have been selfish and overly possessive about their sacred space all along. The flashbacks to previous episodes felt enlightening, though they did play a little loose with continuity. Everyone else at Greendale was supposedly at the puppy parade during the events of “Cooperative Calligraphy,” though I can believe that not quite everyone was there. What was more bothersome was Jeff shooing Leonard away during the game in “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,” which was not in keeping with the positive spirit of that episode. However, I can appreciate how differently things can look from a different vantage point. This was all brought to a head with the protest in the study room (even the Human Being was there!), which cued Britta’s pro-anti disposition (“Oh, cool, what are we protesting?”). Danielle Kaplowitz gave her meatiest performance ever as Vicki. The whole affair was reminiscent of last year’s Todd-episode, “Competitive Ecology,” and like that one, I liked the idea of this episode more than the execution. As for Malcolm McDowell’s debut as Professor Cornwallis, it was inauspicious; hopefully, it develops into something.
As for the Dean-Chang subplot, I feel like this barrage of punnery deserves particularly harsh criticism, but it kind of worked. It didn’t do much more than act as what seems to be a prelude for something more happening with this “Changnesia” storyline. While it makes sense that Chang and the Dean would continue to use their names as puns, the gag had gotten a little stale. But this plot – particularly the Dean getting all “turned around” with “Changnesia” and then “Amdeansia” – managed to breathe new life into the punnery.
I have been watching each episode twice this season before writing my reviews to get a full idea of what I think, and this was the first time I wasn’t looking forward to the second viewing. But I must say that I enjoyed it. It was the typical sort of Community-rewatch enjoyment that I have experienced many times. So, this episode was good enough to do that. B
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