History of Current Pop
Culture
Abed has “Meta ”ed his
match. A member of the new, junior study
group can go reference for reference with the master and then some. In a wacky trivia contest, the kid’s “kung
fu” is better. After putting up with
Abed’s pop culture cramming for a week, Rachel, his girlfriend, almost leaves
him. Abed is forced to confront his need
for a new shtick. He picks neurotic
boyfriend and asks Rachel to take him back.
Studies in Fan Service
Annie, trying to get Jeff’s attention, becomes a nude model
for a Life Drawing class. However, she
soon falls for a blind student, who is able to make stunning paintings of her
after feeling her up. Enraged with jealousy,
Jeff attempts to prove that the student is only faking his blindness (which he
is). If the show isn’t on the network,
but on premium cable or the Internet, expect to Annie’s actual boobs. Allison Brie mentally checks out of the rest
of the season and contemplates a lawsuit as Dan Harmon has inserted himself
into the show as the “blind” student.
“And I thought being on Mad Men
was degrading and exploitive,” she’ll say later in a deposition.
How to Make Enemies
and Influence Them to Hate You
Jeff is invited to host the annual city officials
roast. His routine instead focuses on
attacking the city council’s enemies in a blatant attempt at kissing their asses
for more school funding. It fails and he
bombs. Joel McHale phones it in for the
rest of the season as well in protest at this transparent jab at himself and
his White House Correspondents Dinner performance.
Bottle Episode
Dan Harmon, now fearing the regular actors left on the show,
does an episode with the new study group having a fight with themselves in the
study room over a tyrannical assignment by Mr. Winger. Danny Pudi wonders when his character will
finally get screwed over, but it never happens.
Dean Ex Machina
Chang activates his final scheme to destroy the school at
the behest of the school board. Hint: it
involves a giant pool of urine. Jeff: “Since
Pierce isn’t here, I’m going to have to say it, we’ve got save the school from
the “yellow peril.” The Dean sacrifices
himself to save everyone, though his body is never found.
Basic Mythology
All of the tropes from the previous five seasons, that
didn’t directly involve any of the departed cast members, are implausibly
used. Abed ironically comments on his
ironic commenting about the situation.
Advanced
Finality-Extra Credit
The Kickstarter for the movie has succeeded. Harmon begins writing the most epic paintball
episode of all time (spoiler: it involves zombies). Abed and Rachel’s and Jeff and Annie’s surprise
double wedding is interrupted by Troy
(special guest star) and the Dean, both objecting to the ceremony. The whole thing ends on a cliffhanger of pop culture references (how appropriate). Jeff suddenly wakes up with Britta, who tells
him it was all a dream (Newhart show ref). Suddenly, Annie
wakes up and finds Pierce coming out of the shower, drying off Annie’s Boobs,
who tells her that the last two seasons have all been a dream (Dallas ref). Meanwhile, Abed is playing with a snowglobe
with a tiny, miniature Greendale campus inside
it (St. Elsewhere ref). (Don’t worry. The movie will tie all this together.)
Okay, I think we can all agree that we dodged a bullet with
the show’s cancellation, now knowing what would have happened.
Given that the network doesn’t like the show or its creator,
it’s not coming back to NBC. I wouldn’t
be surprised if it’s probably more personal than business. Maybe they just let him think that it was
coming back, just to screw with him. The
fans say they love the show, but didn’t like the last two seasons and it
apparently has no broader appeal, so I question this show’s viability in
another venue.
Without Pierce and Troy ,
I personally don’t see the point in continuing the show. (Should have done a better job about bringing
in new characters during the previous seasons.)
Dan Harmon himself may not even really like the show, given Season
Five’s lackluster attitude. He actually seems
to resent the show being best known for the paintball episodes. He’s got another show he’s working on anyway.
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