[Chat] My Thoughts on "Community", Season One

I recently finished watching the first season of Community, and I don't know if I liked it or not. Here are my unstructured, off-the-cuff thoughts.

First of all, it was an incredibly long first season at 25 episodes. Off the top of my head, I feel like that's not very common. Don't shows usually have a shorter first season to give people (and investors) a feel for what they want to do? A full 25-episode season right from the beginning feels ambitious, and it makes me wonder if something changed in the middle of filming. Were they given more episodes after some audience or network feedback? It wouldn't matter much except that there is a distinct shift after the first 10 episodes or so, and everyone happens to get a little bit sexier. The female characters start wearing heels and tighter clothes, and we see way more body parts in general. It's also more forced that some of the characters could be interested in one another. The show isn't all about that, but I do notice that it feels different from that point forward. I never watched the show when it was running, but I'd guess that something changed to cause the shift.

Without preparing notes, I wanted to sit down and document some of my thoughts as I watched the show. It's like live-tweeting - it's interesting to see someone's reactions before they have broader context that comes later. It seems too soon to judge if I think Community is 'good' based on my preferences, but it is interesting. I'll give it that.

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

First, I'm not sure I'm on board with the show's vibe as a whole. I've heard of things being 'campy' many times but am new to the term as an established concept. The explanation I've seen is that 'camp' refers to something outrageous taking itself seriously (more or less). I would absolutely say that's what Community does. It's a suspension of disbelief. Community colleges do not have campus-wide paintball fights, people don't just fake having a license as a practicing teacher or lawyer, and there is a very small chance that anyone is hot enough to turn heads everywhere he goes. It seems like that's the point, though; Joel McHale's character (Jeff Winger) is so good looking and charming that he gets away with almost everything and has friends and strangers alike trying to impress him. Intentional or not, I don't buy it. That doesn't read as entertainment to me. I want the characters to be dimensional, see consequences for their actions, and live in a world where things are fairly equal. The fact is that nobody makes fun of Jeff for being a big slacker who isn't the smartest, yet Britta is constantly ridiculed for her political views and unusual pronunciation of the word 'bagel'. Abed is also rarely criticized, but Annie's self image and drug problems are brought up repeatedly. I won't go into a full-on dissection of whether or not the jabs seem fair across demographics - that would require more notes and analysis than I want to give. Regardless, it takes away from the show for me. It's no fun for Jeff to be the golden boy who fixes all of the problems and has unrealistic actions that only lead to good results. There are too many instances to list, but one that comes to mind is when he strips completely naked in class to make a point and not only avoids getting in trouble but is praised for some asinine reason.

One point I will give in Community's favor is that it tends to at least be consistent in the way the world operates. It isn't fair, but it is pretty consistent. One criticism I've had of another show with an abrasive-but-oddly-popular main character is when the character knows they're being awful and expects to be punished but isn't. That's annoying. With this show, at least, Jeff perceives himself to be witty and charming, and everyone else sees him that way, too. I don't really agree but at least appreciate that the rest of that universe does. Even so, you're telling me that THREE DIFFERENT WOMEN want to get with him in the season finale? After we've seen almost no chemistry between Jeff and Annie, silly hints then full-on attraction with Britta, and an awkward breakup with Michelle, who is also a professor who has no qualms about sleeping with a student?! Come on. It doesn't matter how old Jeff is, I can't see any school being okay with a student/teacher sexual relationship. You could argue that all three of these really came out of nowhere. Speaking of school faculty, do not even get me started on the horrible counselor they have in John Oliver's character, Ian Duncan... He is such a shoddy representation of the mental health profession that it's laughable. Hitting on students and giving no counseling assistance at all, all while somehow having already earned the reputation that he might help students cheat in their classes...

But I digress. I could go into much more detail, but I think I've gotten all of my feelings out. Community is a unique show with a lot of fun moments, and I think it is doing exactly what it means to do. I don't think the over-the-top lack of realism is really my thing, but that's okay. I'll probably watch a little longer before I make a final judgment.

P.S. I did watch the first two episodes of season two. So far, it seems much more intentional. Things are definitely over-the-top, and the show is really embracing it. I think they're doing a better job, too. It feels more genuine, and I like it better already. Who knows where it'll go?