Recap / Community Webisodes

Community features several short series of webisodes:

• "The 5 A's" is a series of informational videos extolling the high points of Greendale, hosted by Dean of Admissions Pat Isakson.
• "A/V Department" is a series of student films by Abed, specifically "Six Candles" from "Introduction to Film" and two episodes of "Community College Chronicles", an amateur sitcom featuring caricatures of the study group.
• "Office Hours" provides a peek into the life of Dean Pelton outside of the study group as he provides other students with advice during his office hours.
• "The Spanish Video Assignment" is a two-parter featuring Abed and Starburns's video project for their Spanish 101 class. Starburns plays Starburns El Star Prince while Abed plays Starbrows in a quirky, kitschy sci-fi movie. Senor Chang fails the pair for not hewing closely enough to the prompt, but allows them to shoot a sequel for make-up points—provided Chang gets to star as antagonist Señor Tigre.
• "Study Break" is a three-part series of mini-episodes showing the group's activities during 90-second study breaks mandated by Annie. These were included on the Season 1 DVDs.
• "Abed's Master Key", a series of animated shorts taking place over the season 3 hiatus.
• "Community Airing Someday" is a short video made by the Community cast as a special present for the fans. It was put online after Community's scheduled air date of October 19th was put off and the series was put on an indefinite hiatus (although a February 7th airdate was scheduled before too long).

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The Community webisode series "The 5 A's" provides examples of:

• Bad "Bad Acting"
• Creator Cameo: Isakson is played by Dan Harmon.
• Cringe Comedy: There are certainly some elements of it.
• Laughing Mad: Dean Isakson engages in a bit of this, although it's all on the cutting room floor.
• Loophole Abuse: Apparently Greendale is so affordable (a maximum of $64 per credit-hour, to be precise) that one of the interviewed students is somehow making a profit simply by attending.
• Mood Whiplash: In the outtakes Dean Isakson yells for at least a full minute straight about how he thinks everyone but him is screwing up the entire affair, then transitions back into his fake enthusiasm for another take without missing a beat.
• Noodle Incident: Dean Isakson makes a vague mention of court settlements, and one of the interviewed students brings up "increased security since the Accident."
• Pretentious Pronunciation: "Higher education at the cost of a fancy meal? Bawn appetut!"
• Punny Name: The a capella group is named the Tune-ition Payments.
• Show Within a Show
• Stepford Smiler: Dean Isakson is hiding some real issues.
• Stylistic Suck
• Teen Pregnancy: One of the interviewees had one, it seems.
  Young mother: The value made Greendale an...unexpected compromise.
  Young father: (lame shrug)

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The Community webisode series "A/V Department" provides examples of:

• Bad "Bad Acting": The actors Abed got to portray himself and his friends aren't very good, though in different ways and to various degrees. True to form, Britta is the worst; her actor speaks in a stilted way and completely fails to emote — Abed is almost as bad, as his actor radiates awkardness and over-pronounces everything. The rest of the actors are slightly better, but tend to overplay.
• Character Exaggeration: This version of the characters are pretty exaggerated caricatures of their normal selves, almost to the point of Flanderization.
• Life Embellished: The first episode of "Community College Chronicles" is simply a somewhat badly-performed and exaggerated abridgment of "Home Economics". The second episode involves lycanthropy.
• Mary Sue: Invoked. Abed is one in "Pop Quiz," reversing the werewolf curse put on Troy and the "awkward sexual tension" put on Jeff and Annie. Annie even calls him "our favorite character"
• Ship Tease: Played up to eleven with Jeff/Britta in "My Hobo Days" and Jeff/Annie in "Pop Quiz". The latter is lampshaded by Abed, who goes on to state that it was the work of another Spanish curse.
• Skepticism Failure: "Pop Quiz" involves Britta using a working curse to turn Troy into a werewolf.
• Special Effect Failure invoked
• Stylistic Suck
• That Makes Me Feel Angry: Frequent for Britta — presumably because her actress can't actually show the emotion in a believable way.

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The Community webisode series "Office Hours" provides examples of:

• Country Matters: in "Hair Piece".
• A Day in the Limelight
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin
• Innocent Innuendo: Dean Pelton's assistant misinterprets his texts regarding a hole-punch. invoked
• Samus Is a Girl: The Greendale Human Being in "Pamphlet Serious".
• Stalker with a Crush: The Human Being for a cheerleader.
• Teacher/Student Romance: Dean Pelton's independent study assistant in "Independent Study Assistant" propositions him due to a string of dirty texts. Turns out Pelton was talking about a literal hole-punch.

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The Community webisode series "The Spanish Video Assignment" provides examples of:

• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Lord Diablo and the princess he kidnapped, surprisingly enough.
• Bad "Bad Acting"
• But Liquor Is Quicker: Senor Tigre attempts to liquor up Amanda, Starburns's ex-wife.
• Dawson Casting: Inverted with the princess, who turns 15 during the story but is played by a Greendale student, meaning she's likely at least 18.
• A Day in the Limelight
• Divine Parentage: Starburns is a demigod.
• Don't Explain the Joke: Starburns and Lord Diablo fight by shooting Spanish antonyms at each other. Abed-as-Starbrows sits on the sidelines translating said words for the audience while pointing out that they're opposites.
• Eye Beams: Senor Tigre develops this power out of anger and heartbreak.
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin
• Gratuitous Spanish
• Half-Human Hybrid: Senor Tigre is half-human, half-tiger.
• Jerkass: Senor Tigre.
• Mayfly–December Romance: Lord Diablo (played by Leonard) and the princess, who is barely 15.
• Show Within a Show
• Special Effects Failure invoked
• Stylistic Suck
• What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Starbrows has the power of observation.

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The Community webisode series "Study Break" provides examples of:

• Big "NO!": Pierce choosing "Truth" in a game of Truth or Dare elicits this response from Annie. Abed's question of "What's something you're ashamed of?" prompts everyone to have this response.
• Book Ends: Not done with plot elements, but with plugs for an on-demand service offered by Comcast.
• Don't Look At Me: Troy after Abed demonstrates a wrist block on him.
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin
• The Generation Gap: "The floor is lava" vs. pinochle. Jeff & Britta fall in the middle.
• Here Comes the Science: Annie buys "hydronically fortified" bottled water.
• I Am Very British: Pierce's aptly named character James British.
• Inherently Funny Words: Pinochle
• Logic Bomb: The group ask Annie when she read about the need to take these 90 second study breaks, and pull this when when she admits she read about it on her last study break.
• Ludicrous Precision: Abed can silently count down 90 seconds.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Jeff invokes this when he asks if they can't just study for the 90 seconds & be done quicker.
• Parlor Games: Truth or Dare.
• Potty Emergency: Subverted - Shirley tries to get to the restroom, but gets halfway before realizing the 90 second study break isn't long enough.
• Schedule Fanatic: Annie.
• Ship Tease: Britta/Troy when he's asked in Truth or Dare "Would you?"
• Time Stands Still: Abed, upon being told to take a 90 second break, literally freezes in place for 90 seconds counting the time in his head.

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The Community webisode series "Abed's Master Key" provides examples of:

• Adobe Flash
• Actor Allusion: The Dean's stance at one point alludes to Jim Rash's "Angelina Jolie stance" at the 2012 Oscars.
• Animated Adaptation
• Art Shift
• Broke Episode: Budget cuts have forced Greendale to rent out its furniture, including the study group's table. It's the Dean's fault for not submitting online students to count for state funding.
• The Cameo: The story is really only about Abed, Britta, and the Dean; the other main characters are reduced to this.
• Cannot Keep a Secret: Pierce lets the entire study group know Abed is handing out favors.
• Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Britta incorrectly believes she is this for Kyle.
• Drunk with Power: Britta convinces Abed he has been corrupted by his power.
• Four-Fingered Hands: Lampshaded.
• Last-Second Word Swap: Fun Dean.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
  • Part 1:
    Annie: Dean Pelton, you seem extra-animated this morning.
  • Part 3:
    Abed: Welcome back, table. It's been a long hiatus.
• Medium Awareness: Jeff and Troy.
• Mistaken for Subculture: Britta assumes Kyle is homeless.
• Monochromatic Eyes
• Noodle Implements:
  Dean: There's a complicated hazing process, but we had to slash our pickle budget.
• Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: Britta mistaking the plot of Lord of the Flies for The Lord of the Rings.
• Reality Subtext: Not counting "online students" causing financial difficulties mirrors how "online viewers" are not counted in ratings.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Kyle and Britta argue the legality and morality of stealing from a vending machine.
• Spit Take: Troy, with his own fists that he had earlier stuffed into his mouth.
• Toon Physics

The Community webisode series "Community Airing Someday" provides examples of:

• Audience Murmurs: Troy and Abed's chatter at the very start. Troy's filler chatter of choice is "red leather, yellow leather".
• Biting-the-Hand Humor
• Continuity Nod:
  • Chang is wearing one of the Evil Goatees.
  • Annie identifies as a long-time viewer, some time co-host of "Troy and Abed in the Morning".
• Everyone Join the Party: The study group members agreeing with the October 19th mindset. First Troy and Abed, then Shirley, then Annie, and finally, the rest of the cast.
• Flashmob: Chang, apparently.
• Hope Spot: "Troy and Abed airing someday!"
• Insane Troll Logic: The Powers That Be and their struggle where to put October 19th, followed by their explanation that October 19th is a state of mind rather than a date.
• Not So Above It All: Jeff and Pierce join in with the "October 19th" saying in the end.
• Take That!:
  • Really, the entire clip is just one to NBC for pushing the show from it's scheduled premiere date until mid-season.
  • "What powers that be? It's just the two of you pretending to have a show." This sort of reminds you of how NBC treats Community and its staff.
  • The Dean saying, "Guys! Annie's Boobs wanted their own show and I said yes!" is a definite Take That! at NBC for their show Animal Practice.
• Trailers Always Spoil: Somehow, Chang is back at Greendale & on friendly terms with the Dean & Study Group, despite his attempted takeover of the school & nearly killing everyone when he tried to burn down the Records Room..