“Ladders” [rating=7.00]
“Lawn Mower Maintenance and Postnatal Care” [rating=8.00]
This week started a whole new chapter for the Yahoo video platform Yahoo Screen. That is, the cult favorite and critically ignored Community began its fabled sixth season, premiering on the 17th. With a strong two episode set and free viewing space, Yahoo has done something Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have been dangerously close to doing for years; they lay the ground work for an all-out streaming war. Armed with well written content and a big name, the platform has finally made it into the spotlight.
This season of Community started strong; the two episode punch gave viewers a little taste of what was to come without giving away too much for fear of retaliation. Shirley has left the group, there’s been no sign of Troy returning, and the Pierce hologram is nowhere to be found. In season five, the characters often addressed the previous season, mentioning the off the rails writing as the “gas leak year”, a quick explanation for why it was so terrible. In season six there’s a clear continuity, ensuring that any big changes fans of Community seem to fear will not be present at this point in time.
Britta, Abed, Annie, Jeff, Dean Pelton and Chang are all back with bells on. Not to mention the recurring supporting cast from previous seasons littered throughout the initial introduction of the first episode of the season. In addition they’ve added the “straight man” (or rather woman) character of Frankie, a consultant brought in to help Greendale with its hijinks and financial problems. There’s still the quirky moments, wide array of unnecessary montages, and inside jokes that make Community the TV show it was always meant to be. Dan Harmon is also back in charge, taking the reins on this new venture with Yahoo. A promising beginning to NBC’s bleak ending.
“Ladders” was the flagship episode, detailing every change that we may come across throughout the season. Within minutes we were reintroduced to each of the main characters (as is customary with a network move) and a running joke literally collapsed in the middle of the opening scene. There’s mention throughout the series of a serious Frisbee problem happening on the roof of Greendale, and as we’re told Annie has been taking care of most of the problems the school has been facing she remembers the Frisbees. The roof collapses, and a literal cascade of the toys comes into view, not so subtly pushing us into the future of the series.
Immediately the character of Frankie is introduced, outlining her vision of what Greendale can accomplish and what it will achieve. In this case Frankie seems to be a metaphor for Yahoo and Harmon, working together with the original cast to keep the spirit of the school while also changing it for the better. Frankie begins to make improvements throughout the college, cancelling “useless” classes like Ladders and VCR programing, while also improving curriculum and beam support. She is met with resistance from everyone accept Abed, who agrees that a change is in order (though he still runs two montages during his time with her, keeping his charm). By the end of the episode, and two to three montages later, Abed has cracked. Frankie eventually agrees to work with the group to ensure Greendale’s future as the school that we’ve all come to know and love. Cue credits, cut to surprise ending where Shirley is spun off as a cook for a handicapped detective. She cares too much and offers to help him in his work, acting as his legs while he searches for his wife and legs.
Earlier Abed had asked if she spun off the series, with Britta assuring him that she’s simply caring for her sick father. It’s perfect. This first episode set the tone for what Community will be to Yahoo, and for the fans of the series. While it had lost some of what made it special during it’s time on NBC, it never let go of its inherent “Community-ness” that we’ve all grown so fond of.
The immediate follow up of the second episode “Lawn Mower Maintenance and Post Natal Care” details Britta’s unwillingness to take handouts from her parents, and her subsequent feelings of betrayal as she finds out they’ve secretly been helping her through her friends for years. Again, this is a metaphor, this time mirroring the fans’ resistance of change and the move from NBC to Yahoo. Though they will get what they want and have an easier time of things, there’s still a struggle. Britta’s eventual acceptance of her parents’ help is meant to help ease the change, while staying true to the character’s canon.
On the flip side, the Dean’s storyline of exploring a new space (i.e. virtual reality), and subsequently getting sucked in by its flashy newness indicates that it’s easy to get sucked in and pulled away from your roots. It take’s Jeff going to the creator of the product to help bring the Dean back to earth. Both inserting a new character in the mix (the ever talented Keith David as Elroy Patashnik) and mirroring Harmon’s role as creator grounding the show back into his original vision. It’s smart, and it’s what Community once was.
If the beginnings of the season are any indication of what’s to come, Community may just take its fans to the “six seasons and a movie” dream that Abed laid out years ago. A solid season (or two, maybe) followed by a movie would be the perfect ceremonial ending to this cult classic, solidifying both the series and its new platform in television history. If this goes well, Yahoo’s free streaming platform will serve as a real contender for the paid streaming services. Again, laying the ground work for a war that viewers are constantly fighting with their services. If this well-made, well thought out content is free and ready for the public, then what’s stopping other series from following the same path? In the wild west of streaming content, Yahoo has the potential to become the Robin Hood character, lifting potential content out of obscurity and away from the clutches of the money grubbing, big network, and into the hands of the waiting public. For now, it’s all riding on Community.
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