Community Series Blog: Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality

Community returns after a three week break, and while it hasn’t really come back to our screens with a bang, it continues to demonstrate that this season is more of the show as we know it.

The episode focuses on Professor Duncan’s pursuit to seduce Britta, which sees him playing to her sensitive side by inviting her to a theatre fundraiser in aid of starving children with cleft palates. Unfortunately, most of the study group end up tagging along as well.

Abed, however, embarks upon crashing the premiere of a unnecessary Kick-Puncher reboot.

My main issue with this episode is that it doesn’t quite seem to know where its strengths lie. Both of the plots at play in this episode could work as self-contained instalments in and of themselves, but instead we cut back and forth, losing some connection and momentum.

There is also a needless thread which sees Chang possibly having a supernatural experience. It reeks of the writers desperately trying to find some purpose for a character who should have been written out two years ago.

One of the unsung assets of this season is John Oliver’s performance.

The strongest thread would have to be the Hickey and Abed sub-plot. The first scenes of Abed alone in his ‘Kick-Puncher’ costume have a strange melancholic touch to them as Troy’s absence is truly felt for the first time since his departure. The relationship that he then strikes up with Hickey seems to suggest that Abed will have a new foil, but one that will thankfully progress his character into previously unseen territory.

One of the unsung assets of this season is John Oliver’s performance. With him now more available to participate, his character is given more room to grow and move away from being a figure of the one-note joke.

Another refreshing development within this episode comes in the form of one Britta Perry, who seems to be returning to the more level-headed character that we were introduced to way back  in 2009. It was one of my main hopes going in to this season, and it finally seems like it is coming to bear.

Possibly the weakest episode of this season thus far is still worthy of your time and marks season five as a change in the tide for the series future.