It’s a shame I couldn’t write my Community reviews until today because this one got stuck on the way with the finale, and after watching the finale I said to myself “there’s no way in hell I’m bundling these 2 together”. The finale deserves its own review, its own space, especially since this episode is just a standalone.
And how did it fare? Meh, it wasn’t anything outstanding, it had its funny bits, but I felt like it dragged for too long, like many episodes this season.
Don’t get me wrong, Garret and Stacy’s wedding was an eventful mockumentary episode (the third installment of the series) and it offered so many great bits that it’s impossible to say it’s bad or mediocre, but I also expected so much more from it.
There are scenes that are completely skippable, such as Annie and Britta discussing while doing their nails. which add nothing to the narrative and I find pretty unfunny. And Frankie being uncomfortable around them wasn’t that funny either, at this point I would expect to be more topics for them to talk about, though it is fun to watch Frankie trying hard to fit in and be chill.
And just when everyone is on Annie and Abed’s apartment and they are getting along, they realize they are late to the wedding and they come in as if they crashed it, de facto ruining the ceremony. But there’s still the reception, and as Garret’s mom tells them they pretty much suck, they try to be on their best behavior.
And for a while it works, everyone finds a way fit right in, my favorite being Elroy saying he was addicted to giving compliments to white people and that he learned that for survival back in the day.
The weirdest thing happened when Chang is the one to step up and tells Garret to go through with his marriage if that’s what he really wants and forget about his family, since they are already so disjointed and dysfunctional that they Garret and Stacy didn’t know they were actually cousins. It’s a sweet moment that reflects what Chang’s says “I’m the best when I’m with you”.
The whole incest thing is creepy, no wonder about that, but I rather see what it underlines; besides the shock for comedic twists purposes, it poses the question of how healthy or not the group is. Are they the best when they are together or when they are apart? And while Chang makes a point for the former, I think the group simply pushed Chang through enough grow to do what he just did, and this seasons he has been far better used than the previous ones.
The group has grown together, but they still have kinks, as all humans do. They still do terrible things, but there’s always a way out when they are together, and this time the surprise was that Chang was the one to step up.
I like how Community can play around with its minor characters, and this season the show has had plenty of fun with Garret and it maximized the character potential for comedy during this episode. Still, something’s not completely right.
I feel the main characters weren’t as well utilized as they were on the previous episodes; they were so self centered to the point it became annoying during the half hour, and though the show tried its best to make a good storyline out of it, and it managed to bring in plenty of chuckles, something just didn’t feel right, it almost felt like they were trying too hard.
But my takeaway from the episode is that I had a good time, and that’s what counts, right?
Grade: B
Stray Observations:
-I must admit, I lost my sh*t with the last bit in which a writer of Community stepped up saying he had to take responsibility for the incest episode. And in the white board behind Dan Harmon there was written “Does Troy come back? Pierce?”
-The students say Jeff is no worse than the teachers that try hard. Both hilarious and sad.
-Jeff: “Aren’t you sniffing hairs to tell Frankie from Annie?”
-Garret: “It’s official! I’m getting laid!”
-Britta: “Today is Garret’s wedding. For those who don’t know Garret he is this guy we don’t really know, that we’ve known for like 6 years at school, the funny looking guy.”
-Frankie: “Who say not to that? The kind of person who turns a sleepover into a stoning. I had rocks thrown at me. That’s not gonna happen again!”
-Jeff: “That’s synergy.”
-Frankie: “You just described codependency.”
-Elroy: "This is going to sound racist, but white people are very discouraged."
-Frankie: “Why do you record these?”
Abed: “It relaxes me.”
-Next up, my finale (series finale?) review: spoiler alert, it's going to get emotional. Gather your tissues
