Community Season 4 Episode 12 Recap

Community

Season 4 Episode 12 Recap

Heroic Origins

The season is getting better. I loved last episode but this recent ep was up to par as well. Again the gang, minus Pierce, is in their usual room studying for this history final. Pierce is not present due to a kidney donation. Jeff tries to keep the everyone focused but Abed cut in that he has been studying history……their history.

Without getting too specific and detailed, Abed basically proved that they have all crossed paths before going to Greendale. I’ll try to make it easy with a bullet list:

• Annie (nerdy pill popper) and Troy (super popular athlete) went to high school together (we all know this)
• Shirley was at the mall buying lingerie for Andre (their anniversary) on the very same day that Abed was there.
• Britta was at the courthouse with her anarchists group the “an-HER-chists” at the same time as Jeff. Jeff won the ever-important case for a stripper named Misty. Britta actually thanked Jeff for defending women’s rights. A few minutes later Britt’s group dissolves and leaves her alone.
• Back in the study room Shirley realizes that Misty is the stripper that cheated with Andre. If he hadn’t won the case Misty would be locked up for tax evasion and would not have met Andre. Abed excitedly cuts in “Jeff ends Shirley’s marriage”. An upset Shirley accuses Jeff of ruining her marriage. Jeff interjects that the win didn’t do him any favors. It was to “make” his career but made him a target instead.
• Back in time Jeff is celebrating with Misty and one of the partners of the law firm.  He dismissed Misty to have a word with Jeff and informs him that there is a rumor that he does not have his degree and cannot practice until it’s sorted.
  
• In present time Shirley and Jeff exchange words. Troy voices that he thinks it’s cool they are connected and he’s willing to forgive Annie for wrecking high school. Annie is surprised.
• Flashback to a high school party. Troy does a keg flip and fakes a career-ending injury. Why? Well earlier that night when Troy wins all high school superlatives, including Most Likely To Succeed, Annie cracks and hurls insults that wound Troy to the core. After her tirade she runs screaming right through a sliding glass door and jumps a fence. Two balloons pop right next to Magnitude and a simple yet effective catchphrase is born.
• In the study room Shirley wants to stop this as it shows how fragile happiness. She regrets leaving Andre at the restaurant, where he met Misty, to go pick up the kids. Abed suddenly realizes that he was at the mall with her kids.
• Flashback to Abed at the theater talking to Shirley’s kids. He goes off on a rant about how they are stupid for want to see a Star Wars prequel. They call Shirley to come get them because some strange man frightened them.
• Abed has to get court ordered therapy because Shirley chewed out the theater and the theater obtained a restraining order against Abed. As he and his dad walk into the therapist’s office we see Annie hiding and Abed mentioning to the doc “someone just stole your prescription pad”. Annie sneaks out into the hallway and runs into Britta liberating a monkey.
  
• In present time, Abed comes to the conclusion that he was the bad guy in the study group. Jeff says they’ve all made bad decisions, but the real villain is him.
• We flash back to the restaurant where Jeff pushes Misty to go back and talk to a married guy at the restaurant.
• Back in the room the group is unsettled and everyone, but Abed, leaves bummed out.
• Abed decides to get yogurt in the mall. As he sits there sadly, Jeff joins him. Then Shirley comes out of nowhere and asks to sit there as well. She forgives Jeff as he is not that guy anymore. Britta and Annie show up followed by Troy. Troy says this is the place where he first decided to go to Greendale. Everyone states that’s the place where they, too, decided to go to Greendale.
• We flash to the mall where Dean and Chang are passing out flyers for Greendale. Shirley upset that she can’t return her lingerie throws it to the ground. Dean walks by and picks it up and something stirs inside him. Chang goes and passes out flyers at the yogurt place. The whole gang is there at their own tables.  They look at Chang’s flyers and resolve to go to Greendale. Chevy Chase makes a brief appearance as the guy who broke the yogurt machine that day.
• In present time Abed suddenly realizes who really got the group together. He runs off and gets Chang and invites him for yogurt. Chang melts because this is all he ever wanted.
  
  The new Greendale Seven?

The side plot is Chang conversing with the Dean of City College (called it). The two were going to take down Greendale. Later that day Chang is in the registration office with Dean and he’s sealing a lease renewal for Greendale. It is über important that the renewal goes out that day and he entrusts it in Chang’s hands. After being let in the group he has a change of heart and mails the lease. He then calls Dean Spreck and tells him that he it out of the deal and hangs up. Dean Spreck moves on to Plan B which, according to blueprints, involves a giant spider.

High Points:

Britta and Annie’s 2008 looks were awesome! Plus as a comic book reader, I enjoyed the artwork in between scenes.

Predictions:

The study group will face off with their alternate timeline counterparts.

If last week’s ep was a 9, this week’s was an 8. Which is fine with me as they should never dip below a 6. And this season has had some 2’s and 3’s.