[7.1/10] A bit of a weird episode, and one of the earliest where the show started to take its meta-ness to the next level. I like Jeff’s arc here though. He tries not to be uptight anymore, subtly manipulates things anyway, and then when push comes to shove, steps into the leadership-esque role of the group but finds that there’s good to be done in that. The progression of it is a little clumsy, but it evolves Jeff in a believable fashion, and Abed’s Hawkeye metaphor goes from silly to meaningful.
I’m just not on board with all the Jack Black stuff. I like Jack Black! He’s a fun guy and he does good work. But he just has a strange energy for this show. Granted, that’s the point here, but maybe Black did his job too well, as he didn’t even work as a misfit and there weren’t a lot of laughs from his presence. That said, I did enjoy the ending with Owen Wilson accepting him into the cool kids’ group, and Buddy admitting that the Spanish study group was his “safety.”
Overall, not the show’s strongest outing, with Black being a weaker presence, but Jeff’s arc lifts it into “good” territory.
"I can't stop thinking about his high kick. His ratio of girth to hip flexibility is mesmerizing!"
That really is one of the best ways to describe why Jack Black is such a fascinating entertainer. I still remember thinking someone was lying to me when they told me that was Jack Black singing those Tenacious D songs; "no fucking way! That guy can sing that well?" was my reaction.
Star-Burns and Owen Wilson leading the cool group will never not be funny. Star-Burns! The guy who painstakingly shaves his sideburns into the shape of stars and who fakes his death in a meth lab explosion is in the cool group!
Jack Black wants to join the study group but nobody likes him. And it’s pretty great. Especially when Jeff drags him off the table at one point. Iconic moment.
Jeff’s heartfelt speech to the group at the end is lovely.
9/10
jack black is comedy gold. kinda makes me wish he was a series regular
No way is Starburns in the cool group
first ten minutes this episode felt like a stinker but I loved Jeff’s arc in this even if it just proved something we already knew. Also Jack black is the best.
Jeff: "My new job is hanging out, having fun and cracking wise."
Britta: "Oh, must be nice. Suppose, I decide that's my job?"
[Everybody laughs]
RIP BrittaBuddy: "I'm strong, hmm, and I can kick."
[Kicks Jeff]
Jeff: "Ow!"
RIP, Po is going at itPierce: "Say your vote out loud."
Shirley: "We'll know each other's voices."
Pierce: "Troy's got a point."
Come on, PierceJeff: "Be relaxed, like me. Leave."
Buddy: "You're not relaxed. You're an uptight puppet master. And these are all your little puppets."
[Everybody gets upset]
[Jeff silences them]
He's right
SCORE: 7/10
What was the point of this episode? I feel like it didn't add anything to the overall plot.
Jack Black ruined the episode for me.
I love the M*A*S*H crew. A few episodes back, when Annie and Troy went to the hospital and the nurse said, "I'm kind of the Hawkeye around here," I realized there's a perfect opportunity to play off of Pierce's character name. And no doubt there are more opportunities to come. Surely this episode doesn't mark the end of M*A*S*H references for the rest of the series.
But the M*A*S*H references were the only thing I actually loved about this episode. The primary story with Buddy trying to join the group didn't land for me, and there wasn't really that much else happening. That said, no episode of Community has been "awful" so far; the worst so far has been "not as great as it could have been".
Shout by CarolinaBlockedParent2016-05-24T17:43:27Z
"Annie is pretty young, we try not to sexualize her"