has everyone lost their mind it's just a
game of paintball yep
with one rule last man standing gets the
prize surprise
what is this prize back in the day nbc
had what some might call the final
hoorah of the network sitcom yes
they still exist today but they just
don't reach the same level of cultural
ubiquity the network's thursday night
sported the office parks and rec 30 rock
and a little show called
community that power comedy television
shows that became popular during this
time period regardless of network
unity was always something of a black
sheep it always took the road less
traveled it always attempted to
accomplish something unconventional even
while existing in quite literally one of
the most storied and traditional means
of building a television a large portion
of this attempted unconventionality can
be attributed to the show's creator dan
harmon these days you probably know him
for
the other projects that you know make
its way across everyone's television
streams lately like rick and morty level
up and up top the thing that sets
community apart from so many of the
other shows attempting the
highly commercial 30-minute sitcom
structure is harmon's unique blend of
story structure rooted in a classical
tradition and well as deeply
idiosyncratic and offbeat interests
quintessential example of this would be
what just
might well be the perfect episode of
community season one episode 23 modern
warfare episodes are cast of love of
misfits all competing together for the
macguffin of priority registration which
is a fairly logical setup for a sitcom
how does this play out the xander way
would be to have two or more characters
camping out in front of the registrar's
office sabotaging each other in ever
increasingly over-the-top ways a
community well it isn't a standard show
might have the structure of a classic
sitcom but it's interested in taking
that road that's traveled so
how did the characters compete here
school-wide paintball competition
that's filmed like a serious action
movie
come with me if you don't want paint on
your clothes but before we delve too
deeply into the specifics of this
episode and what makes it fantastic
let's take a step back and examine why
dan harmon wanted to create the show at
all at the time harmon based the concept
for the show on his real life experience
and taking a spanish class at a
community college
espanol nori army coche he said
repeatedly in interviews that when he
first started the class
he did it specifically to try to save a
relationship with an ex however what he
really gained was
strangely deep friendships with people
from a variety of backgrounds that he
normally would not have given a second
thought to this underlying kernel of an
idea grew into what ultimately became
community prior to his podcasting fame
or rick and morty fuel success harman
was primarily known for distilling the
joseph campbell's hero's journey into an
easily comprehensible diagram
what is a story oh my god in heaven the
entirement story circle is
a very simple concept it's an 8-part
journey that harmon chose to represent
is a circle
starting with the character in their
comfort zone moving to them developing a
desire entering an unfamiliar situation
adapting to that situation ultimately
getting what they need but paying a
price for it and then returning to their
comfort zone
evolved as a person whoa
you just wrinkled my brain man modern
warfare is a perfect example of what
both makes this structure work and also
how community is different than every
other sitcom and the way it uses
said structure let's drill down modern
warfare written by emily cutler and
directed by justin lin of fast and
furious fame by the way is fantastic
because it's filmed like an action movie
is already mentioned but it's still
rooted in the structure that we just
talked about
it takes its silliness seriously while
underneath
being exactly what harman believes makes
for a perfect story
sure it's all dumb they're fighting with
paintballs but the fact that it's filmed
seriously
gives it a gravitas that well it'll be
easier if we just move through the story
of this particular episode beat by beat
according to harmon's story circle the
episode begins with a cold open that
features the romantic pairing at the
center of the first season freddie and
jeff
arguing with each other group comments
on their sexual tension they brush it
off not wanting to admit they're
secretly into each other oh
just like sam and diane i hated sam and
diane jeff being the eternally selfish
person he is decides to take a nap in
his car he's anointed his schedule he
has and how much time is wasted when he
wakes up he learns that the whole
school's devolved into near
post-apocalyptic warfare which then
leads us
to meeting up with abe and troy jeff
winger you son of a [ __ ] he begins to
take in the high concept of this world
but there are two roving bands of
paintball equipped students who all want
the prize
that prize being again priority
registration to which he says you could
sketch all your classes on a monday
and then take a six day weekend they can
do a lot of things again underscoring
his selfishness and making clear his
desires from here the episode escalates
with our characters fully embracing the
action movie mentality we see the group
dynamics play out over the course of the
episode with the students forming
various alliances breaking those
alliances and then we get these
extremely well choreographed fight
scenes breaking everything up eventually
it's revealed that shirley wants the
priority registration
so that she can spend more time with
their kids which the other students
realize is more important than their
selfish desires
except for jeff who still wants to keep
it for himself
after brilliant scarface and die hard
parodies
and the slightly less brilliant mocking
of lee eventually jeff does get what he
wants he gets the priority registration
and also gets spread out over the course
of the end of this episode britain and
jeff's tryst appears as a looming dread
the show seems to be aware that when you
actually consummate a relationship
everything goes downhill which
the characters meta textually comment on
something's changed
oh bad however for now it seems fine
maybe
and in a final act probably to assuage
his guilt over the british situation we
finally moved to that last beat
when jeff gifts the priority
registration to shirley so she can spend
more time with her voice
wow i didn't see that coming neither did
i so no one feels it
no one senses anything different nope
not at all
how do warfare exist in the class all
its own yes there are many sequels and
rehashes of this idea later in community
however if you throw your mind back to
2009-ish there just wasn't anything like
this
today with streamers and increased
artistic freedom for creators high
concept episodes or gimmicky episodes of
tv shows happen all the time the problem
is many of them forget
that all of these gimmicks or bottle
episodes or whatever structure you try
to strangely throw something into
it doesn't matter if you're not
establishing
something that is concise from a story
writing perspective
community is a proof in the pudding
moment for dan harvin's way of
structuring story and better yet modern
warfare
is a full bowl of it community took an
idea that could have been fairly
run-of-the-mill
or a normal sitcom and transformed it
into something different modern warfare
is a shiny example of comedic authorship
performed in a vacuum of creative
cowardice modern warfare just
isn't an episode that would have gotten
made on any of the other three shows
that nbc had at the time it probably
wouldn't have gotten made on any show
other than communities harman and the
writers had
faith in the ideas that grounded their
ideas
community is of course about a lovable
band of misfits and rejects which we've
seen before it's a fairly common trope
in sitcoms but it also feels like an
artistic enterprise created by another
gang of weirdos who somehow got their
shot
decided to try things a little
differently there isn't another show
that has an entire animated gi joe
parody episode or an entire episode that
recreated the feeling of being in a
pillow fort modern warfare is not only
the beginning of davidos which grows
over the show's run but the perfect
example of that modus apparandai be
fearless in your ideas and flawless in
your execution
when your ideas get too big don't drag
them back down find a way to chase them
and catch back up to them that when done
right will always
be funny
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