Community/30 Rock/The Office

After some swift Wikipediaing (don't put that condescending red typo line underneath that word, Blogger. I knew what I was getting into when I typed it.), I discovered that last month was sweeps for the Nielsen ratings which would explain some of the celebrity cameos and unusual scenarios we found our favorite television friends in for the past few weeks. Well, things have somewhat returned to normal thankfully/unfortunately depending on your viewpoint. 


Community - "Conspiracy Theories and Soft Defenses"

It's gotten to the point now where I start every episode of Community attempting to sniff out what type of episode they are doing. Searching for the gag is never really a healthy way to enjoy a television show considering I fell in love with Community as a passive viewer when its genius unexpectedly hit me over the head. So I need to stop doing that. Nevertheless, judging from the subtle tones in the opening scenes of the episode, I knew this was going to be some sort of  mystery/sleuth theme and eventual parody. Add one more weapon to their comedy arsenal.


Also, let me say something about the world of Community. For sake of ease in comparison, it's stuck somewhere between the realities of The Office and 30 Rock (oh, that's convenient. It just so happens those are the two shows it is next to in the lineup. I know, but hear me out). The Office is a show, save a few exceptions for a joke's sake, that is pretty solidly rooted in realism. Comments, plots, characters, etc. all have a pretty real effect on the show's arc and storyline. If something ridiculous is said, it is treated as ridiculous. And this obviously makes sense considering the show is supposed to be a documentary and reflect the average office environment in America. 30 Rock is more cartoonish in its humor. Tracy Jordan can say and do outlandish things and perform, or reference, crazy stunts with little or no effect on the reality of the plot. Same goes for Jenna. The reset button is more or less pushed after most episodes. But Community is placed somewhere in between these two different worlds. It's an environment that attempts, though not always in documentary-faithfulness, to paint a picture of an odd group of friends in a community college setting. Crazy actions and words are often received with the appropriate real world response. However, the world isn't limited so much that a disease can't break out and turn everybody into zombies for one night. Or the group accidentally hijacks an old space shuttle/trailer. Or, as we saw in this episode, build a giant fort of blankets that encompasses the majority of the dorms. All these plots are explained with actual explanations and aren't necessarily fantastical. They aren't really zombies and it wasn't really a space shuttle and you could, if you wanted, build a fort that large. It's more fun-reality and in my opinion a perfect marriage.


Speaking of that fort, what a great Troy-Abed storyline. You know, it is obvious that they are best friends and every episode has the customary banter between the two as well as the weekly episode caps in order to prolong that relationship. However, it has been awhile since we got a solid Troy-Abed thread to energize that dynamic. This was one of my favorites in awhile.


Of course, this episode featured two amazing actors. The first real storyline that featured Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) as a main player and the underused Kevin Corrigan as Professor Professorson. Dean Pelton is great and I've yet to watch these webisodes he apparently has posted underneath the Community page on Hulu. And while it was refreshing to see him at the center of an episode, I hope they don't over-pepper this salad (is that a saying?) Sometimes the best appearances are the occasional appearances to whet the appetite.


-A surprising lack of the rest of the group tonight. But then again they did just do a exclusive group episode the week before.
-It's getting to the point, almost sadly, that everybody at Greendale desperately wants to be a part of the group. But can you really blame them? I wouldn't want to role with Starburns' entourage.
-"Enjoy eating fiber and watching The Mentalist."
-"That is gonna be the worst book I ever read cover to cover."
-"TV's gotten crazy good, you know"
-"Welcome to Fluffytown. No smoking, no farting, no pillow fights."
-"Be sure to check out our Civil Rights Museum."
-And my favorite quote of the episode, possibly the night: "Would that this hoodie were a time hoodie!"


30 Rock - "College"

30 Rock was back to its old tricks again this week. No star-studded cameos. No giant productions or stunts. Just the ol' meat and potatoes. And honestly, who needs more than meat and potatoes in their diet? Not British people, I'll tell you that much. 


I don't really have a ton of stuff to say about individual 30 Rock episodes from week to week besides rattling off the best lines of the night. That has nothing to say about the quality of the show. It's just a different type of show. It's a lot harder to theorize consistently. 


However, I will say this. Tracy and Jenna are like twins that speak the same language. They always know what the other one is up to. They are always in on the same rich/famous people secrets. And I love it when they scheme together.


-Liz picking her wedgie in her office when she thought she was alone only to turn around and see Jack might have been one of the points I laughed the most at tonight. Is that telling of something? Because if it is, I will continue to repress whatever it means.
-Also, I wrote down (yes, I sometimes take notes while I'm watching these shows. And sometimes I take notes when I'm watching you, too.), anyway, I wrote down "color conversation" but forgot what that meant in the episode. And since someone deleted it from the DVR (me..accidentally) I may never know.
-"Money can't buy happiness. It is happiness."
-"Your boos are not scaring me. I know that most of you aren't ghosts."
-"Usually everybody around here makes me feel like Hitler. But today I feel like ... Hitler in Germany!"
-"Why don't you ask Chakti, an Inuit who wants a hot bowl of noglok? A man and food I just made up to illustrate a point."
-"Your Aunt Ada is an idiot."
-"Lesbian Frankenstein wants ... her ... shoes ... back"
-"I'm high-fiving a million angels."
-"No! She means the pizza!"
-And how about that hilarious Lutz moment: "I told them not to! Let's get out of here Jack!" Oh what a poor soul that stupid Lutz is.


The Office - "WUPHF.com"

For The Office, like other shows this week, this was a return to form. They are all back in the office. No grand occasions or ceremonies are happening. Just classic hijinks. Yeah, ok, maybe they haven't made any progress in the seasonal arc department. But then again, The Office still has most of the season to go. Plus, let's not forget how much it can do in a few short episodes (Michael Scott Paper Company). But this showcased all, if not most, of the characters pretty well. Everyone got at least a little bit of something. Dwight was even off running some capitalistic hay place. And Angela was being courted by a gentleman suitor?? This is new. And honestly, I approve of it. I obviously am not a huge fan of Angela because, who is? I'd rather see this whole Dwight-Angela relationship dissolve and have her move off in a fresher direction. 


Anyway, Ryan. Ryan Howard. Scranton's resident d-bag. For the past few years, The Office has used him as a cultural punching bags of sort. He adopts all the hip trends (iPad, suspenders, dark-rimmed glasses (?)) and they have painted him to look stupid. But he has never really inserted himself into the forefront of many episodes, even when he broke off with Michael and Pam. Ryan has sort of just circled around the occasional plotline to make an off-handed comment. But tonight he was front and center with his ridiculous (but not altogether crazy, right?) business plan for WUPHF.com ("It's not a digital rape whistle").  And as usual, Ryan floated too close to the Pennsylvania sun on wings made of social media-wax and debted coworker feathers. 


Another thing. I seriously hope Steve Carell wins the Emmy for Best Actor this year. Honestly, he is so gifted. His major talent is in his face. Carell can command entire ranges of emotion with the most subtle eye-gaze or mouth smirk. His expressions can emote so much without him even saying a word. Tonight's example, although not his finest but still a good example, was when he tried quoting the Billy Joel song but couldn't finish it because he was in such a sad mood. Just watch that moment and you will have a glimpse of what I'm talking about.


I am such a sucker for the last two minutes of some episodes of The Office. When they wrap it up with a sweet monologue, usually by Michael, played over various shots of the characters, I am reminded of the strength this show is able to flex. And consequently mad about sub-par episodes. Past end moments that happen to come to mind are the end of "Office Olympics" and, I think, "Halloween" in which he hands out candy to kids after having to fire somebody. Both season 2 strangely. Oh! Also, when Jan comes with Astrid (Assturd) and won't let Michael hold her, the episode pans to Michael talking about how much he loves babies and it shows him playing with multiple children. That seriously might be one of my favorite Michael moments ever. I need to find a clip of that. (Update: Couldn't find a clip. Watch the episode on Netflix if you have it. It's called "Baby Shower") ANYWAY, tonight was a great ending as well. It really wrapped everybody up and I found the deck of cards analogy hilarious and spot-on. A great ending. (Watch it here)


-For some reason, when Stanley was talking tonight, he reminded me of Cleveland from Family Guy. Interesting.
-Great awkward Gabe moment. I am really starting to like when he is in scenes, oddly. “Think of your commission cap as a naked old man in a gym locker room.”
-"OK, moving backwards, our IT guys have been Glasses, Turban, Ear Hair, Fatty 3, Shorts, Fatty 2, Lozenge and Fatso."
-“Yes, I have a dream. … I want to own a decommissioned lighthouse. And I want to live at the top. And nobody knows I live there. And there’s a button I can press and launch that lighthouse into space.”
-“Oscar is my Queen. That’s easy, give me a hard one—that’s what Oscar said.”
-And an classic I Hate Toby-line: “Toby is the instruction card you throw away.”


Also, I didn't watch Outsourced but I saw the preview for it and the only joke they showed was Gupta (yes, I am aware of the names sort of) wearing a Pilgrim hat saying "I'm a Pilgrim and an Indian". HAHAHAHA!!!! HE'S BOTH!!!!!