SPOILERS AHEAD, so study up cautiously, Community buffs…
Season Five; Episode Nine: “VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing”
Written by Donald Diego; Directed by Tristram Shapeero
This week mixes some of the classic Community parody style with normal sitcom scenarios, making it a perfectly delightful episode. Plus, Vince Gilligan and Gina Gershon have some very random guest appearances. Plus, Annie finally gets some story time! Also, what’s with Shirley this season?
Quick Breakdown
At the end of the committee meeting, Jeff volunteers to clean out a storage room, assuming that on Annie’s list of chores, this will be the least difficult because Annie said it first. Shirley and Buzz agree with his assessment and volunteer to help too. A disconcerted Annie closes her book and ends the meeting: “Nobody picks up on my patterns! What am I gonna say next? Graham cracker! You didn’t know!”
Abed and Rachel (aka Coat Check Girl) walk in; Abed flaunts the “anniversary” gift she gave him: an interactive VHS game called Pile of Bullets. They’re celebrating their anniversary because, while they’ve only been dating a month, their efficiency puts them at one year of dating: “Our sleep cycles are in sync, we can communicate with our eyebrows, and she knows my Netflix password — well, Jeff’s Netflix password.” He asks Annie if it’s OK for him and Rachel to play the game tonight, but she has her brother coming over for a visit. Abed turns it into a “double date.”
Annie’s brother Anthony (a long-haired, long-bearded quiet dude) lurks next to her while cooking dinner. He deftly manages to fix their broken refrigerator door. Annie uses that triumphant moment to have an aside with Abed in which she asks if he can move in with them to replace Troy. But Abed was hoping Rachel could be their new third roommate. Looks like they’ll have to battle this one out over Pile of Bullets.
While cleaning out the storage room, Jeff decides to open up a large vent when he notices that something is blocking the airflow. “You’re gonna open that? You do realize nothing good has ever been found in a vent, right?” Shirley says in an attempt to dissuade him. When he opens it they discover a giant stack of textbooks, still in their plastic packaging. They’re mint condition Intro to Chemistry books — $200 retail, $160 on the street, according to Buzz.
Assuming the books are stolen, Shirley is quick to suggest they report them to the Dean. But Jeff wants to take a minute and look at their options. He and Buzz suggest they sell them to make some extra money. This worries Shirley until Buzz convinces her it was God’s plan to give her the books. She turns to their side quickly and takes control over how they’ll sell off the books, sounding like a pro.
Pile of Bullets is a nonsensically complex game hosted by guest star Vince Gilligan, dressed like a cowboy. It involves shooting at the TV with finger guns and frantically rolling dice. Annie and Abed get very into the game, hoping their respective person will be the new roommate. Rachel and Anthony aren’t into the game at all.
Britta shows up at the storage room to assess the books. She offers to help sell off the books for half the take. Just as they decide to evenly divide the take, Chang wanders in. He tries to leave, but Shirley says he can’t. Jeff and Annie tie him up. They make a blackmail video to keep Chang quiet. With everything going too far, Jeff wants out. Shirley gives Buzz a look and he ties up Jeff as well. Things are really getting out of hand this week.
Neither Annie nor Abed win the game, and they want a do-over. Rachel suggests they stop the game. That’s when Abed reveals why they’re so intent on winning. Rachel gets mad about the bet and leaves the apartment. Anthony is mainly indifferent.
Britta sets up a meeting with her guy. Jeff and Chang, while tied to a chair, start spreading dissent and distrust among the group. Britta tries to get everyone to keep their cool, but soon Shirley has everyone tied up to chairs. (She’s very power hungry this season.) Shirley meets with a guy who examines the textbook. He’ll give her $20 for the books because they’re all misprints. They don’t have any page numbers. Shirley unties everyone.
“I just think there’s some unresolved issues here,” Anthony says as he packs his stuff. He’s referring to the “vacuum” left by Troy. At school, Abed shows up for his “third act apology.” He has a guy pour water over him to imitate rain, while delivering his apology to Rachel. He’s been accelerating their relationship because he was afraid he wouldn’t pass the preliminary relationship tests. Rachel tells him to just take it slow and it will be fine. When he sees Annie again, they agree to just use Craigslist to find a roommate.
Rating
B+
This is a great example of a good Community episode that isn’t mired in parody (unlike the one about male bonding). It has its quirky moments and some great jokes and tells a story. It reminds us just how good Community is when it’s normal (well, normal for Greendale). But, really, what’s with Shirley this season? Is her need for power and control going to build into something in the final episodes, or is it just a storytelling crutch?
Now for some random thoughts and my favorite moments of the night…
The Dean has to postpone Payday, so he dresses up like a giant peanut bar and raps an apology: “Well, I’m a peanut bar/And I’m hear to say/Your checks will arrive on another day/Another day, another dime, another rhyme, another dollar/Another stuffed shirt with another white collar/Criminals! Wall Street! Takin’ the pie!/All the black man gets is a plate of white lies!” His rap goes off the walls from there, and he runs out of the room.
Rachel about Pile of Bullets: “Are we sure this is a game and not some art film?”
Anthony to Abed when Rachel leaves: “I don’t really know how girlfriends work, but I don’t think you have one any more.”
At the end, Shirley says they learned a lesson: “We learned that sometimes there’s no lesson.”
In the tag ending, it’s 1993 and Gilligan is at home with a woman played by Gina Gershon(!!!). He says they want him for the Wild West video board game, and Gershon freaks out she’s so excited. She tells him these VCR games are where everything’s heading. She gets them to move to LA and quit his job at Apple. It’s very hilarious and random and a little bit sad (for Gilligan whose life will be going down the toilet). Plus, Gina Gershon!
