The other problem with that episode was how lazily sitcommy it felt. There was this terrible sense that the show was getting comfortable with throwing out some kooky premise and stuffing the characters into it, regardless of how it strained the believability of the show’s universe. It was the kind of sloppy, trite plotting that weaker sitcoms—and Community’s fourth season—might fall back on. The vibe at the outset wasn’t that different from last week and I was worried that Community Season 5 was quickly becoming Season 4 – The Second Coming, but the tone quickly evolved to one that made more apparent that this episode knows what it is that Community is actually supposed to do: develop its characters meaningfully. This is an episode focused on learning about layers of these characters that we didn’t know existed. At the theatre, Britta runs into some of her old activist friends and is worried they’ll hate her for being a sellout. In a smart and (quite true-to-life) twist, her friends are even bigger sellouts than she is, having successfully made it into the world of real estate. But Britta’s situation is really just a catalyst to bring out some character from Jeff and Duncan. The other major plot concerns Abed crafting a Kickpuncher costume based on the original film’s costume design, which he intends to wear in protest of the design changes made in the remake, premiering that night. (It’s only sort of a nod to the remake of a real world film franchise you might have heard of.) However, he shows off his new suit to Hickey, who’s staying late at Greendale to work on his “Jim the Duck” comic (introduced in the second episode of the season) and shoots out foam all over his practice drawings. As punishment, Hickey handcuffs Abed to a filing cabinet, forcing him to miss the movie premiere. Honestly, this plot would’ve made me happy even if it was handled terribly. The way all of Abed’s friends have gradually folded in to accommodate his manchildness has always rubbed me the wrong way and I absolutely love the idea that Hickey is someone who has observed all this and it pisses him right off. We got a hint of this in the episode where Troy left, but it really comes to a head here and it’s brilliant. Does the plot feel like it’s cribbing a bit from that classic Simpsons where Homer bans Bart from seeing The Itchy & Scratchy Movie? Sure. But if you’re gonna crib, crib from the best. And, ultimately, mostly I’m just as glad as Hickey is to see Abed not getting his way for once. The only person to get a total joke storyline is Chang, who ends up performing a one-man show (or does he?) for a rapt audience (or are they?). Considering the rest of this episode is kind of dark and quite sincerely emotional, Chang’s story is maybe jars just a touch with everything else, but it was a nice little nod that, yes, for you people who come for the absurdity, this is still your Community, too. Plus, Chang getting into his one-man show with such gusto worked so well for the character and really cracked me up. But all in all, this episode didn’t make me laugh all that much. The funniest stuff comes from Chang and Duncan (who gets a little monologue about Dane Cook that only gets funnier and funnier), but the big laughs are infrequent. However, I’m all right with Community not being that funny if it’s doing something else right. Tone-wise, this episode reminds me most of Season 2’s “Mixology Certification,” one of my all-time favorites of the series. Like that episode, everybody seems kind of down in the dumps (Jeff particularly seems downtrodden and is cradling a drink most of the times he’s onscreen) and the positive moments are small self-realizations brought about by understated character interactions. Though I recognize it shouldn’t be this way all the time, I seriously love it when Community gets all dramedy on me like this and I’m happy to see it recapture that feeling. With perhaps the exception of the Chang plot, this is the most down to earth episode of Community I can remember seeing in a long time and possibly one of the first times I could see a new viewer tuning into this season and finding a charming and quirky, yet not alienatingly odd, sitcom. It’s occurred to me that fans who come to this show for reasons very different from my own might outright hate “Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality.” But I personally found it warm, lightly funny, and brimming with character. And I’m more than okay with that kind of Community. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
