The W - Movies & TV - Community - “Digital Estate Planning” / “The First Chang Dynasty” / “Introduction To Finality” This thread has 31 referrals leading to it
LOVED the game episode, watched it twice last night. Also enjoyed the plot to free the Dean, and Jeff's rewarding him with a shoulder touch!
The finale sure looked like they thought they weren't coming back. I would have totally been happy with that being a series finale, and it leaves me concerned that next season will feel tacked on, say like the last season of 'Scrubs'.
Edit to add - STARBURNS!
(edited by whatever on 18.5.12 1434)
"As you may have read in Robert Parker's Wine Newsletter, 'Donaghy Estates tastes like the urine of Satan, after a hefty portion of asparagus.'" Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock
With Executive Producers Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan leaving for FOX after this season, and the status of Dan Harmon up in the air.... and Community moved to Friday... I don't know what to expect next season. Maybe we should all just accept the finale as the series finale.
Originally posted by whateverEdit to add - STARBURNS!
His name is (probably not) Alex (anymore)!
The whole time I was watching the video game episode, I couldn't believe it. I am utterly amazed something like this got made and aired on national broadcast TV. (Good amazed. It was AWESOME.) I laughed my ass off at Troy's constant jumping.
I wonder where that episode fit in the timeline, though. There weren't any references to "The Greendale Seven" crisis, were there? It sure seemed to be a standalone episode. "The First Chang Dynasty" picked up pretty much where last week's episode left off.
Originally posted by oudomWith Executive Producers Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan leaving for FOX after this season, and the status of Dan Harmon up in the air.... and Community moved to Friday... I don't know what to expect next season. Maybe we should all just accept the finale as the series finale.
Wow. Already nailing a coffin shut and throwing dirt on a show that IS NOT DEAD BY ANY MEANS.
They have at least 13 episodes to have the benefit of the doubt that the sky hasn't fallen on Greendale.
@CMPunk
“@ZackRyder: @CMPunk She played me bro” I got your back.
Originally posted by whateverEdit to add - STARBURNS!
His name is (probably not) Alex (anymore)!
The whole time I was watching the video game episode, I couldn't believe it. I am utterly amazed something like this got made and aired on national broadcast TV. (Good amazed. It was AWESOME.) I laughed my ass off at Troy's constant jumping.
I wonder where that episode fit in the timeline, though. There weren't any references to "The Greendale Seven" crisis, were there? It sure seemed to be a standalone episode. "The First Chang Dynasty" picked up pretty much where last week's episode left off.
Dean-el-Chang-er.
the production codes say "Digital Estate Planning" is 322, "The First Chang Dynasty" is 320, and "Introduction to Finality" is 321. so it was the last episode completed. but Harmon said the episodes aired where they were originally planned, the video game episode just needed extra work done after filming the season finale that's why it has a later episode code. so I can only assume they didn't reference anything just in case got bumped
Originally posted by oudomWith Executive Producers Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan leaving for FOX after this season, and the status of Dan Harmon up in the air.... and Community moved to Friday... I don't know what to expect next season. Maybe we should all just accept the finale as the series finale.
Wow. Already nailing a coffin shut and throwing dirt on a show that IS NOT DEAD BY ANY MEANS.
They have at least 13 episodes to have the benefit of the doubt that the sky hasn't fallen on Greendale.
I rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed. :)
I hope on the DVD they re-order a few things just for OCD's sake (Remedial Chaos Theory before terrariums, the one they came back on after the next one after that, video game to earlier in the season).
I've only watched it once but for now I will say, I thought the video game episode was stunning, but it was the first time where I felt like it was just a cool concept for concept's sake as a creative exercise, as opposed to an organic story being told through a new lense. Chang's takeover of Greendale and multi-month kidnapping of the Dean also tugs on the elasticity of what I personally want out of the world of Greendale (as does, I guess, Vicedean Laybourne being str8 up murdered by Dan Bakkehdahl). But I loved the heist so much, I loved the finale so much, I loved the ending so much, and I love that this show exists and still exists and is willing to be so ambitious and is mostly allowed to be that ambitious and the final montage was a bit of an eye-weller that left me feeling hopeful about humanity so yeah I would say it was very good.
1 timelines 2 Glee 3 Law & Order 4 clip show 5 foosball ah crap can't leave out ghost stories and model UN and the back half hasn't fully set in yet
I wonder if they had a more summative tag filmed if that had been it, and since it wasn't they were like "Leonard, sure." Or if they were just like "Leonard, sure" no matter what.
How many things that Jeff promised in his season-opening song actually happened? He didn't sleep with Annie and they didn't be less weird so probably not many!
The video game episode was so full of joy and fun and digital murder. I loved Troy's jumping around the board constantly, because that's how I would play too...always jumpkicking across TMNT2 as Donatello. Even though the game was more Mega Man-meets-Final Fantasy (and my g/f said it made her think of TLOZ: A Link To The Past).
From TV Week:
"NBC tried a triple run of “Community,” wrapped around the season finale of “30 Rock” at 8:30 p.m. All four programs -- including the season finale of “Community” at 9:30 p.m. -- came in with feeble 1.3 ratings in viewers 18-49, a series low for “Community,” and none of the shows cracked the 3 million mark in total viewers."
Originally posted by JustinShapiro 1 timelines 2 Glee 3 Law & Order 4 clip show 5 foosball ah crap can't leave out ghost stories and model UN and the back half hasn't fully set in yet
Pillows and Blankets. I felt like I didn't to watch the entire Ken Burns Civil War miniseries after that.
@CMPunk
“@ZackRyder: @CMPunk She played me bro” I got your back.
Morality goes out the door in the gaming world. I like how even trade schools are surreal in Community. Maybe this is a comment on non-university schools being a bit off as far as student body and faculty.
I can't think of his name but the head of the air-conditioning repair school (played by Goodman), was he an illusion in Troy's head? During the deathmatch between the new air-conditioning king and Troy he looks over and Goodman's character is covered in blue light. When Troy looked again he was gone.
Honestly if the show ended on these three episodes I'd be pretty upset. It's really surpassing my expectations each season. That 8-bit episode was beyond hilarious, it was art. To me being a life long gamer and having an odd sense of humor the episode was honestly beautiful in it's execution. I've seen sitcoms attempt to use the format of videogames to tell a story and sell jokes, but it always felt contrived (like the only episode of Big Bang Theory I could stomach).
The Heist episode was awesome, The Law and Order episode, hell the Trampoline episode was hilarious. I praise the actors, the writers, NBC for listening to the fans even the catering crew for adding to a masterpiece of television that is Community.
Originally posted by CruelAngel777 I can't think of his name but the head of the air-conditioning repair school (played by Goodman), was he an illusion in Troy's head? During the deathmatch between the new air-conditioning king and Troy he looks over and Goodman's character is covered in blue light. When Troy looked again he was gone.
That was a dead Jedi moment as Vice Dean Laybourne died in an "accident" (murdered by the new Vice Dean AC guy).
Chris McKenna is leaving too. He co-executive produced 55 episodes and wrote some of the best, including "Remedial Chaos Theory". I am about to scream like Abed.
Nov. '09 I joined my favorite show on TV and today leave my favorite anything ever. Thanks Community, fans, and @DanHarmon. E Pluribus Anus.
Speaking of darkest timelines.. I feel it is safe to say now that Abed really is insane. He could not deal with Troy's departure other than locking himself in and eventually planning on maiming another person. (of course, we knew he was insane based on the episode where they did some sort of sanity tests and at first they had the results backwards..)
The final scenes did feel like a series finale. And maybe with all the departures it will be in a way. I'll keep my fingers crossed it all works out (if we have to give up even a tiny bit of awesomeness in order for the show to survive, I'm willing to make that sacrifice)
The Chang dynasty episode was good too, including their Oceans 11 style plan. Troy and Abed dressed up as plumbers. With the mustaches of Mario and Luigi??
There was something very wrong (but funny) with Abed cracking the game code, creating countless "kids" and having them labor for him. That entire episode was great. So many great lines. "white crystal? do you think my dad was into meth" "he was suffering!" "yeah, from axe wounds!" "Troy and Abed shooting laaavaaa!" etc etc.
Part of me thinks, like, why even bother? This show is Dan and his weird, weird brain. He follows that long storytelling structure and he knew the general character endgames for where he wanted everything to go with things like Jeff's father. All the punk rawk stuff like Britta and Jeff hooking up all along or the Glee aggression is Harmon. The guy who wanted to do self-conscious bottle episodes and clip shows. The mix of misanthropy and humanity. He's not God, but I really wanted to see his vision seen through for four years with whatever missteps and odd reaches it took in the process.
But he's indoctrinated his writers well and the cast is still the cast. I dunno. I really like Happy Endings but that "Sony wants quirky but accessible" verbiage is not really what you want to hear. But hey, maybe "consulting producer" will be more than just a title, and he can step away from the professional and human being stuff he sucks at and just be a creative voice.
So when they get to the "and a movie" part, he's allowed to come back for that, right?
This sucks so badly. They pretty much replaced Harmon without even calling him to let him know and he has no say in anything for Season 4 so basically he had his assistants pack his office and is done.
Jesus Christ. This is fucking shitty. oudom, I'm with you now. To say Community with Dan Harmon running it ended season 3 at a creative and emotional high and now enters season 4 with diminished expectations is an understatement.
For all the times we watched Community and marveled, "I can't believe this is on network TV!", yeah, Sony and NBC just put a kibosh on that.
We don't know what Community will be now. It could be different, it could be kind of the same. Could it be better? How? Like Justin said, it was a show driven by a distinct personality who guided other distinct personalities.
I don't know...
Man. This just sucks.
(edited by John Orquiola on 19.5.12 0613) @CMPunk “@ZackRyder: @CMPunk She played me bro” I got your back.
This was released today, and as much as I enjoyed the first two parodies, this one fell really flat. The animation is really beautiful and the character designs are all great; but the jokes are way more "miss" than "hit".