Like so many times before, Community switches up the format and shows just how versatile the crew can be. As the title suggests, “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking” is a mockumentary. It covers every character, reaching something deeper inside them, not only for laughs, but also for character development and drama. What makes it even better is that Abed is directing, which makes it somewhat realistic in context of the show.
Annie, after receiving the tiara, thinks the message is that she shouldn’t be an elitist; Britta realizes she’s terrible with money; Shirley sees that her fear of the group talking bad about her is overblown; Jeff becomes angry about her father after bottling feelings for so long; Troy gets to meet his hero, LeVar Burton, aka Geordi/Reading Rainbow guy, but is so amazed and so worried of disappointing his hero that he spend the entire episode in a state of shock, eyes wide open and completely speechless.
The downside to the episode is Pierce and his behavior. Once again, I’m waffling on Pierce. His pathetic state at the end of the last episode and beginning of this episode would indicate that Pierce might come around and I said last week I was mistaken for ragging on Pierce’s increasingly hostile portrayal. But his whole plan during the episode to play a trick on Jeff, and while it does put Jeff in a place to contemplate his father, what Pierce did is still crummy by any measure. So what now? Will Pierce be the eternal jackass of the group who lingers for no reason other than to antagonize people? Community is too good of a show for that to happen–or so I think. For now, I remain cautiously optimistic that he will change eventually, preferably by season’s end.
Score: 9.1/10
