I'm just gonna go for it.

Community

Last night’s episode continues telling the sad story of Abed and Troy’s deteriorating friendship with a PBS-style war documentary on their epic fort battle. It is one of the best episodes the show has ever done. It’s definitely been the best since coming back from hiatus, and if not for Annie’s slutty Christmas song, I’d call it the best of the year. I’m gonna go ahead and forgive that Subway ad from last week. In fact, I’m going to thank that Subway ad from last week, because maybe that extra revenue is what made this extremely ambitious episode even possible.

Community riffed American Experience flawlessly, from the meaningless infographics and nicknames to the cheesy voice-overs reading correspondence from the front lines. If there is one thing that public television viewers love, it is feeling self-important, so 22 minutes of inaccessible comedic mockery fits perfectly into their our high-brow masturbation materials. Brilliant.

In addition to being clever as all get-out, it was SO FUNNY. I mean, Jesus Christ:

Stop making me enjoy you, Chevy Chase.
  • Stop making me enjoy you, Chevy Chase.

CLICK EXTENDED ENTRY FOR FEELINGS

Just about every line uttered became the best thing I had ever heard. They coined “Ferris Buellerian” and “The Changlorious Basterds.” There was Abed’s thing about Rambo: First Blood, Part II. The poem with the line about pajamas without children, read by “poet by choice, lesbian by birth.” I could go on. I should go on. I should obtain a transcript from the show and put the whole thing into this post and highlight it all and just put a smiley face (or fancier emoticon?) at the end. Because that is how I feel about the things they said in this episode. There were a few weird things, like character’s being not exactly themselves (there is no way Britta could have been a photographer during the war rather than her usual idealistic blowhard self, and Pierce would probably not have taken sides) but WHATEVS. Troy and Abed made up, Jeff and Annie were cute, Shirley was secretly a bully, and everything is right with the Greendale world.

So not to bring everybody down, but I’m going to: last night’s episode got horrible ratings, and I’ve got this knot in my stomach because I think this show is going to get canceled. It’s too good, and people are too dumb, so now I’m going to kill myself with a pillow. AND a blanket.

30 Rock

I think this episode was pretty silly. Tracy’s thing about obeying Liz because he smelled like his dad was weird. Jenna, Lutz and Pete were all depressing. I didn’t get Jack’s personal crisis about not knowing where he’d be in 5 years because didn’t he just settle on becoming a couch bigshot? You know what, I am probably judging it harshly because it followed such a fangirl splooge-a-thon. There were good things. I liked Pete’s dick-swastika birthmark. And I caught 2 lines about Dukie from The Wire so automatic victory.

The Office was an actual rerun, not just an episode that felt like a rerun (OH BURN) so I went to bed. I think Up All Night was new but I didn’t really care.

I missed Parks and Rec. We've still got a few weeks to wait for it, though. In the meantime, because he is a recurring character on the show (and because Steve challenged me to incorporate this link), let's raise our glasses to Paul Rudd on the 43rd anniversary of the world becoming more awesome.