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Whether you’re a Greendale regular or a first-time student, welcome to another episode of Maria Watches Everything! Today, Maria is joined by Marvellous Johnny to deep-dive into one of the most beloved cult classics in television history: Community.
Created by Dan Harmon, Community follows a diverse group of students at Greendale Community College. Despite its meta-humor, pop culture homages, and critical acclaim, the show faced significant off-screen drama and ratings struggles before eventually finding a new home on Yahoo Screen for its sixth season. and a future film on Peacock.
The six season long series starred Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase, Jim Rash, and John Oliver.
Maria Watches Community
In this episode, we discuss our favorite episodes, break down the cast and characters and analyze why this show remains so relevant today.
Welcome to Greendale
Host Maria and her guest share very similar tastes in TV and film but realizing they were both community fans is when everything fell into place. Maria watched the series as it aired.
Johnny recalls being at a friends house when the Season 3 Halloween episode “Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky was playing. He was sold the specific moment that Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) burst through a door in lingerie with a chainsaw, yelling “gay marriage!”
The Greendale Study Group
Maria and Johnny discuss each member of the Greendale seven and how they fit in their role and progress as a character. Johnny mentions Shirley’s sensibility while Maria gets into the Flanderization of Britta Perry. Her arc going from love interest to the butt of the joke.
Following with a examination of Troy Barnes launching Donald Glover’s career and introducing his level of talents. Mentioning many of his lines were ad-libbed.
The Chevy Chase / Pierce Hawthorne Controversy
How Art imitating life and the character of Pierce Hawthorne mirrors Chase’s real-world behavior is of particular fascination to our host. Pointing out the off-screen drama with role Chevy Chase played in the production’s turmoil and Harmon’s temporary firing. Johnny brings up how in Joel McHale’s book there is chapter called “Fighting Chevy Chase”. Analyzing Pierce as a “Boomer” archetype in his inadequacies and his relationship with his father. Further dissecting how Chevy squandered a potentially great career-redeeming role
Duali-Dean of Man
Community would be nothing without Greendale and Greendale would be nothing without Dean Pelton. The episode spotlights Dean Pelton and Jim Rash’s performance with all the iconic costumes and even more memorable puns.
Troy and Abed in the Morning
The best duo on TV, Troy and Abed are a big part of why the show is so beloved by the host and her guest. Johnny relates to Troy’s transition to college while Maria saw herself in Abed’s media-based communication style. Relatability aside Troy and Abed friendship is considered an emotional crux of the series and two main characters. The segment dives deeper into the the emotional impact of Donald Glover’s departure. The heartbreaking goodbye between the best friends and how the series and Abed were never the same.
It’s a Bottle Episode
Maria discusses Community as a love letter to TV and its frequent use of tropes and homages. She and guest Johnny, recall episodes and the movies and genres they are inspired by or are referring to. Commenting on their favorite meta moments.
Then getting into a deeper discussion of the bottle episode trope, its self referential and ongoing use in the series. They compare the episodes of Cooperative Calligraphy to Remedial Chaos Theory as opinions are given on the trope the strongest episode.
Ben Chang’s Arc
Our host asks Johnny about his feelings about Ben Chang as they get into all his various and polarizing storylines and character shifts. Giving opinions on the character arc as a whole as they episode analyzes Ken Jeong’s performances from “Senor Chang” to “Chang-nesia.”
The Gas Leak Year
The last two notably weaker season highlights do get mentioned specifically Abed’s Nicolas Cage monologue and the “Hot Lava” episode. Getting into the Annie and Jeff dynamic, Maria and Johnny’s take on the controversial romantic pairing and its resolution.
Six Seasons and a Movie
What started as a fan-fueled pipe dream, a Community Movie has been confirmed. Maria and guest Johnny speculate on the possibilities of reunions and openings for character arcs. Both give their hopes and predictions as they make plans to watch the movie together and see the Greendale study group again.
