Simon: yo!

Jef: Are you craving a five dollar footlong?

Simon: no joke, I eat Subway for lunch like 3 times a week

Jef: Of course you do!

Simon: foot long ham on whole wheat ALL DAY EVERY DAY

Jef: So enthusiastic!

Simon: It truly is the food of poor people. Like college students.

Jef: I’m partial to the McDonald’s snack menu myself, but that’s because I fail at life

Simon: this was an amusing episode

Jef: This was really good
I think I enjoyed everything, I don’t have anything to complain about here
John Goodman was wearing a ponytail, Britta was Britta, the subplots worked, and Starburns, Magnitude, Leonard and Garrett all made appearances!

Simon: and Kim!

Jef: Who’s Kim??
This was Community at its best while still being accessible

Simon: yea, all the storylines were solid and it wasn’t too wacky

Jef: Obviously I have feelings for Remedial Chaos Theory and Critical Film Studies and the like
But while this still had high-concepts, they were easy to ignore if you just wanted jokes and characters

Simon: right. it was another strong ensemble episode
the second since it’s been back from hiatus
so maybe they’re onto something
I generally like when every character gets to shine

Jef: Yeah, even Shirley and Pierce were fantastic here
Pierce doing shots of blue ink is the right shade of dumb

Simon: yea, the thought of them as a tandem never worked for me but they played off each other decently
Also, the whole concept of Subway as a person
I’m impressed and envious I didn’t think of that first

Jef: “Corpo-humanoid”!

Simon: Would McDonald’s be Ronald McDonald?
because that’s frightening

Jef: CLOWWWNS

Simon: Pizza the Hut

Jef: Does any other show do product placement as well as this show?
The KFC episode was fun enough
But this one actually had stuff to say about integrity and selling out all while taking Subway and making Subway AN ACTUAL CHARACTER in their show

Simon: I wonder if they get the money
or if NBC gets the money
like, how do these deals work
I’m kind of shocked they don’t do more of these

Jef: It’s a great a blueprint for the way forward
as more shows get viewed online where viewers don’t watch ads at all
Also, I loved Britta using the phrase “Big Sandwich”

Simon: rank the 3 storylines from best to worst

Jef: 1) 1984 starring Britta, Shirley, Pierce and Subway
2) Jeff and Annie in Who’s Kim?
3) Troy and Abed, Blankets vs. Pillows
But like I said, I was feeling them all

Simon: I agree with you
which is boring, but I’m not surprised

Jef: Even though I think Britta’s story was the slightest in terms of the over-arching storyline

Simon: right, it has the least (no) repercussions
let’s start at 3 though.

Jef: The one with the MOST repercussions

Simon: They go back to the pillow fort well
and I was kind of surprised how little of the actual fort-gag there was
WHAT DOES THE BLANKET FORT EVEN LOOK LIKE?
I guess they assume it looks like the last one

Jef: I think it was a good call
Instead of it feeling a retread or even a full revisit, it was all just something to get Troy and Abed to play off each other
I’m surprised by how much I didn’t like Abed here!
And yet it still felt totally natural for his character
It reminded me of the messiah episode where we see the inherent dickishness of Abed’s character

Simon: right

Jef: Everything that everyone thinks is cute about him has its downsides

Simon: If anything, it’s Troy who is acting out of character
he never initiates anything
except for situations where he’s protecting Abed

Jef: And will he ever really protect him again?

Simon: to be continued

Jef: Way to ruin our natural ending!

Simon: dammit

Jef: One thing I liked about the conflict here
was that even though Vice-Dean Laybourne was egging them on
Troy’s character was naturally heading this way anyway as we saw last week
You can’t chalk it up to a meddling villain

Simon: right
He was evil Abed
but Evil Abed showed up last week

Jef: Yeah, you might as well have slapped a felt goatee on Abed this week

Simon: even Vice-Dean had it going on this week
his running gag had me every scene

Jef: LOL I love the fact that he was “going through some stuff”

Simon: the ponytail!

Jef: The band!

Simon: the onesie!
where do you even find a onesie that fits John Goodman?

Jef: “Don’t look at me as I crawl out of here…”
Maybe that’s what they needed the Subway sponsor money for

Simon: bespoke sleepwear

Jef: lol

Simon: I like that Subway was the dude from Scrubs

Jef: I never watched Scrubs
Is he a beloved character or something?

Simon: no, but he was endearing
beloved is a strong word

Jef: It is, I’ve never used it before

Simon: hahaha

Jef: Except when talking about Beloved, starring Oprah Winfrey

Simon: I’ve never talked about that before

Jef: Which is also never, YES
The other thing I liked about Laybournes mid-life crisis
is that after seeing him as a maniac who has astronauts making sandwiches for him
This just makes him some guy who teaches air conditioning repair
It’s a glimpse of what Troy’s in for…which is…not much

Simon: do we know why he wants him to be in HVAC so bad?
what does he get out of it?

Jef: He’s Abed, in a sense
He cares about the craft of it
and there’s no one better at the craft than Troy.
Also: plot device-y reasons

Simon: I couldn’t tell during the mob fight slow motion
if Troy and Abed’s faces were regretful or angry

Jef: At first they looked regretful to me
but when they retreated into their respective forts
they looked pretty pissed off

Simon: I was trying to figure out what movie they were spoofing with that scene

Jef: EVERY MOVIE

Simon: X-MEN

Jef: SEXY BEACH SCENE

Simon: haha

Jef: “I HATE YOU CHARLES XAVIER, KISS ME”

Simon: I just want a hovering wheelchair
so yea, and I agree that was the least entertaining story
What about Jeff, Kim and Annie’s?
I wasn’t sure how to read Annie in this one
I liked it.
She has issues with Jeff, clearly
but I can’t tell if she’s still pining for him or not

Jef: That’s the thing
it seems more like she’s salty about being treated like shit
not that she has unrequited love
which is good for her character
Also, “Write it in a letter, Jane Austen!”

Simon: that was great!

Jef: Maybe my favourite line!

Simon: I’m going to use that in real life
probably at work, at some point

Jef: I was trying to think of where you’d use it
I didn’t think it would be work!

Simon: “this report is factually incorrect”
see?
that retort works for everything!

Jef: The Saving Garrett references were a great gag too
“But we saved him!”
“…Did we?”

Simon: I’m wondering though how many episodes of Jeff trying to be better are we going to have?

Jef: haha yeah

Simon: HE’S TRYING!

Jef: I’m just glad they didn’t mention his stupid dad again
Nice touch though on him slowly backing away from the pillow fight while absentmindedly playing with his phone

Simon: nobody knows who he’s texting

Jef: His therapist?

Simon: the Dean?

Jef: Hahaha

Simon: I think the best scene
was when they fired Subway

Jef: CAN YOU PASS ME MY JACKET

Simon: if they don’t win a daytime Emmy I’m going to… post an internet comment in anger
can primetime sitcoms win daytime Emmy’s?
probably not huh?

Jef: Yeah I don’t think it works that way

Simon: they should

Jef: I like that you don’t care if they win a regular Emmy
DAYTIME EMMY. THEY DESERVE IT.
This episode had both fart jokes and boner jokes
How can you go wrong?

Simon: you can’t
I also liked “liberal looseness”
and “woman whoriness”

Jef: Oh, Britta
I got a kick out of Shirley saying “Brit-ta” but with a regular voice

Simon: I laughed at Pierces unfiltered joke

Jef: which one?

Simon: when she says her high school newspaper article was called “Britta Unfiltered”

Jef: oh yeah hahaha
Of course it was!
Did we get a reason for why Pierce was extra insane this week?

Simon: It was that time of night??

Jef: hahaha
If there is no real reason, that just makes it more amazing

Simon: I want to see the meeting where they tell Chevy Chase he’s going to be eating ink
and he’s just like, ok

Jef: he’s just like, “Yeah, that sound about right.”
Nobody tried to stop him! Not even Shirley
What do you think is in store for next week?
Jeff’s story seems one and done

Simon: I think only Troy and Abed are supposed to have bigger implications
it’ll literally be the continuation of that I think

Jef: I can see Shirley and Pierce trying to start a business together continuing
not sure if it’ll have anything to do with Subway (the person), but I’d like it to

Simon: if one of them becomes Subway that’d be amazing

Jef: There you go!
The fall of Troy and Abed also hasn’t really affected the group as of yet
So maybe we’ll start seeing the ripple effects

Simon: the show really has been darker since it’s been back
we haven’t had any sentimental group moments
no Jeff speeches
just laughs with slight cracks in the foundations

Jef: Which is good
Those moments had reached self-parody and there was nowhere to go unless they shook things up again first

Simon: even last week’s “sentimental” moment was aware enough, between Troy and Abed, to know it was contrived

Jef: Yeah, and it was bittersweet

Simon: it’s a good point that their rift hasn’t impacted the group
I wonder if there will be side picking

Jef: I can see minor conflicts happening as maybe they try and latch on to different group members
Like, does Shirley really wanna hang out with Troy?
Probably not…

Simon: that’s tough though right
do any of them really want to hang out with any of each other?

Jef: hahaha

Simon: I feel like that’s kind of the point long term

Jef: Boo this man!

Simon: hahahaha
DAMN YOU HARMON
Abed is right
maybe it is too dark and inaccessible

Jef: DAMN YOU SUBWAY

Simon:   I’m hungry now

Jef: Eat fresh?

Simon: if that becomes slang for anal sex I will be in awe of this show

Jef: LOL
I am going to rewatch that scene right now

Simon: like if Subway paid for this placement and that’s the ultimate outcome?
genius.

Jef: for sure they did
Their logo was so bright and large in the opening!

Simon: It’s true, it was almost Josie and the Pussycats-esque

Jef: Yeah, it would be great if that’s all Subway paid for
just the logo
And then they got……this.

Simon: I’m guessing there are very few repeat customers with this show

Jef: Yeah, where KFC at?

Simon: So how do we end this? hahaha
WHY DID I WASTE THE NATURAL ENDING

Jef: LOL
It’s over now.
OVER.
Pop pop, cap’n.

Simon: fin

Jef and Simon met in a school environment much like that of Greendale. That’s just one of the many reasons they love Community. They’ll be chatting about season three every week, and you should join them, because you’re streets ahead.

Simon: yo

Jef: Are you crying?

Simon: a little
what just happened?
i’m so confused
shit got too real

Jef: It was a weird episode

Simon: metaphors wrapped in thought hats

Jef: It was both way too serious and way too wacky

Simon: yes
simultaneously, amazingly
not seperately

Jef: It wasn’t BAD
During the first act I was highly amused
During second I was like fuck this stupid shit
And during the third I had many emotions

Simon: you mean the Jeff stuff was stupid?

Jef: Yeah, I didn’t really like his story this week at all
Well, story-wise it was fine, I guess
But the Jeff’s-narcissism-is-HULKING OUT thing was not funny
Maybe the first two times
But definitely not the last 23 times

Simon: yea, this episode was filled with Family Guy-type graphics. it was odd

Jef: Yes, right?
Those cartoon cutaways need to stop
Or at least get funnier…
Not only was Jeff’s Ego Apple thing not even really a joke
it actually read “EGO” on it

Simon: I didnt get his story much either really
i liked the setup though

Jef: I also think they’re stretching his daddy issues on for too long
I was intrigued when they first starting dropping hints about it
But at this point, I can’t see how the eventual story about his dad won’t be anything but anticlimactic
Of course, I’m just saying that because I didn’t love this episode…
You liked the setup?

Simon: I like when the gang dresses up
or in general, when they make fun of how they look
like the time everyone thought Shirley was Miss Piggy

Jef: BROWN JAMIE LEE CURTIS

Simon: yes. that was amazing.

Jef: When Abed said the name of French Stewart’s celebrity impersonators company I got really jealous
”The Doppel Gang”
WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT.
(I have a doppelganger fascination.)
Did you have a have favourite impersonator?
Regular cast and cameos included

Simon: Britta
shocking, I know

Jef: LOL

Simon: but that was amazing too

Jef: No, you’re right though

Simon: she really is a great MJ!

Jef: She’s a horrible MJ!

Simon:  ok, this is unrelated
but I’m filling out security questions for an online form
and these things are annoying as shit
my only options
are questions I CAN’T ANSWER
what city was I married in?
what is my niece’s name?
WHAT KIND OF SECURITY IS THIS?

Jef: I had to invent a fake daughter’s name just for that reason.
And now I can’t shake it…

Simon: you mean you can’t remember it?

Jef: No, I mean my daughter WILL have that name.

Simon: ah, yes
it’s fated now
what’s the name?

Jef: Jessica
Nothing special.
BUT SHE’S MINE

Simon: I just had to make up an entire life for myself

Jef: Crap, now you know my security question answer
you fucking evil genius you

Simon: I was married in Vancouver and have a niece named Kate
now I’m going to name my daughter Jessica
and steal that shit from you

Jef: That’s alright. Kate Catapang.
I can roll with that

Simon: that’s not bad actually

Jef: She sounds like an asshole
BUT SHE’S MINE

Simon: anyhow, my bad
where were we?

Jef: Haha no worries
Shall we talk about Troybed?

Simon: As I was saying, it was a very odd episode
I don’t really get the ending

Jef: Abed and Evil Abed?

Simon: yes

Jef: I see it as, he knows now that Troy is growing up, and his response to Troy for the first time declining to do something stupid with him
is to retreat into the holodeck and have a mini-breakdown of sorts
Troy responds to growing up by pulling back on the imagination play.
Abed goes all in.

Simon: I guess my issue is with why Abed would do that
I feel like throughout the show
yes, Abed’s always been eccentric
emotionally aloof and a bit out of reality
but he’s also not stupid.
He’s always been the most observant
and although a little nuts, also capable of being practical.
The idea he’d not understand the concept of having his legs broken for debt, or that he was being incredibly selfish and irrational
it comes off false to me?

Jef: Well, two things
Abed is smart, but he’s not skilled AT ALL
I think out of all the characters he’s definitely the one for whom graduation will be the most daunting
It’s clear he’s not a gifted filmmaker or writer so following his passion isn’t really in the cards.
I can get why his friends growing up would mess with him.
But yeah, I do agree with you that his being dumb enough to not seem to understand the concept of money, or him having his legs broken by a fake Ving Rhames, is pretty weak

Simon: Yea. I mean maybe it’s nitpicking but I think they could have gone with a less drastic repercusion
and it would have worked better for me
although French Stewart pulls off a surprisingly convincing threatening face
I mean… it’s still French Stewart’s face
but somehow….

Jef: Is it just me
or was it great to have French Stewart in the same episode as Dean Pelton joking about Renee Zellweger’s squint face?

Simon: I have to think that was intentional haha
also, speaking of Dean
I died when he saw Jeff in the hall and fell down

Jef: Oh haha YES
That was the best moment of the episode
“OMG EVEN HIS SHADOW. LOOK AT HIS SHADOW.”

Simon: I’ve never had a day where I felt like everyone was blowing up my ego
just sayin
just once I’d like a man to fall down in awe at the sight at my shadow too.
or even like, a small animal

Jef: Yeah, maybe that’s why I didn’t dig that part of the storyline
I CAN’T RELATE

Simon: I look terrible in aviators

Jef: I have aviators
But that’s only because I look even more terrible in every other kind of sunglasses

Simon: hahaha
What did you think of Abed’s comment about this being too dark and inaccessible?
This is a show often called out for too much fan service.
It’s started talking to this stuff directly though
that’s an interesting approach, but I’m not sure how I feel about it

Jef: Yeah that’s actually one of the reasons why I’m excited about the rest of this season
Just knowing that next week — or whenever it will be depending on how far they were into the writing process before the hiatus — eventually they have to stop the real-time conversation with the fans
Harmon says this disconnection makes the show darker, but I think he was always going to skew dark this season
It’s the vacuum that interests me because yeah, that kind of blatant talking-to-the-internet stuff can get grating

Simon: I guess when they say getting darker though it’s all relative
I mean, one of the things about this show is when it gets heavy, it does it in a playful manner
like, Good Will Plumbing and all
breaking legs seemed a bit too real
I can’t imagine the show’s characters facing real repercussions

Jef: It’s been a strange progression with this show that as it invested more in real talk — divorce, mental health, daddy issues — it also got more off the rails with the zaniness
It’s becoming more realistic and less recognizable as reality at the same time

Simon: right. like Abed dealing with the angst of adulthood and relating to his friends
in an imaginary spaceship with his evil alter ego

Jef: Exactly.
How far do you expect them to take the rift between Troy and Abed?
That pillow fort war we saw in the trailers…
…is that war between THEM?
(LOL drama caps. Never done that before!)

Simon: I can’t see them not being friends
I feel like that has to be an engineered situation of some sort

Jef: Yeah, break ‘em up to bring ‘em back together
I see them friends throughout the duration of the show

Simon: I mean, if we’re taking this to its natural conclusion
they remain friends, but just become less close over time
and gradually drift apart while remaining amicable.
Which is as real as it gets.

Jef: Right

Simon: and sad, but totally true and relatable

Jef: It’s that moment in life when you’re growing up but your friends aren’t
It ends friendships, even if it does it softly and over time

Simon: or even just, the point where you realize your friends don’t define you anymore
and you have to start figuring out who you are for yourself
so you just tend to be less invested in your friendships while you focus on yourself

Jef: i.e. air conditioning repair

Simon: It’s pretty ridiculous an episode about them dressing up as celebrity impersonators is resulting in this conversation, hahahaha
this show is pretty amazing
or, we are huge nerds
… or BOTH
(there are some drama caps for ya)

Jef: EVERYTHING AND ALL THINGS AT THE SAME TIME
Speaking of BFFs
How great are Jeff and Britta together?

Simon: that’s two episodes in a row they seemed…. right, with each other

Jef: Yeah, and with ZERO sexual tension in the writing or acting
They mention that they’ve had sex but there’s no winking
I like it! I think Joel and Gillian work really well together
Which is a crazy thing to say because in season one the big complaint was always, “These two have NO CHEMISTRY AT ALL”

Simon: they’ve really developed a repore
uh
rapport
my brain is broken
hahaha

Jef: Did your apple ‘splode?

Simon: no, but my journalism degree just spontaneously combusted
but yea, I think in the early goings
they still had to play “roles” of sorts
which hindered their ability to play off each other

Jef: Yeah. So, we had Jeff and and Troy and Abed hogging all the storytime this week
Somewhere in there, a big Chang arc seems to be brewing
But really, everyone else got pushed to the sidelines this week

Simon: I wasn’t sure how to read that either
like, he wants to take over campus?
but… with an army of 8 children?

Jef: Totally.
Also….why?
I don’t even really get his goal.
I mean, he’s an idiot, so maybe I’m asking too much here
But yeah.

Simon: Yea
I’m not sure he’s supposed to make any sense
this is the first episode that didn’t feel totally self-contained though
like, usually this show hints at stuff, but this seemed like a straight up lead-in for a few stories
which is actually kind of exciting!

Jef: Yeah, which might explain the laziness of Jeff’s Hulk thing
Just something to contain the story and not make it an intimidating Mythology Episode

Simon: you know what else I noticed this episode
I like how the men are all idiots and the women are always right
it’s incredibly realistic

Jef: LOL

Simon: it honestly does show that they have a lot of female writers

Jef: Yeah, that’s just one of the many magical things that happens when you have women in the writer’s room
Everything is automatically more accurate
Even with a show that has no problem ignoring “real life” whenever it wants to

Simon: as we said
it is everything
at once
I don’t know what to expect next

Jef: Some of the Whats are pretty clear
but it’s the Hows that are exciting
The rise and fall of Chang
The history with Jeff’s dad
Britta actually being good at something
And the breakup of Troy and Abed
How they approach all those things is going to be fun to watch

Simon: I expect all my expectations to be wrong
that’s pretty much the only condition this show has trained me for

Jef: It’s awesome that a show that uses such a ridiculous amount of callbacks is this hard to predict

Simon: where the hell is Starburns yo?
like, did he die?

Jef: We should IMDB him
maybe he got a show on STARZ or some shit
Either that, or he’s being held back for a fantastic, 11th hour Deus Ex Starburns-machina

Simon: if he was an angel this whole time
I’m going to be mad pissed

Jef: MY NAME IS JEF CATAPANG
AND I HAAATE KARA THRAAAACE

Simon: that’s a great name for a daughter

Jef and Simon met in a school environment much like that of Greendale. That’s just one of the many reasons they love Community. They’ll be chatting about season three every week, and you should join them, because you’re streets ahead.

Jef: And, we’re back?

Simon: jef and simon being normal

Jef: That’s me in every life situation!

Simon: trying to be normal?

Jef: Yes.

Simon: I forgot this show had been gone for 4 months
it just kind of picks right back up

Jef: It does, which I liked.
Like Troy and Abed, this is one of those episodes that pretends Community is a normal sitcom.
Were you hoping for something crazier?

Simon: No, I think this was about right
No need for them to be all self congratulatory for not being cancelled or anything

Jef: I’m sure that will come anyway.

Simon: agreed
I thought it was nice everybody got equal play
that’s been rare this season
and it was done well

Jef: Yeah, one of the rare, true ensemble episodes.
So much so that Chang was nowhere
It really did concentrate on the study group

Simon: I just assume he’s filming a Hangover sequel

Jef: Off somewhere naked, yeah

Simon: were you excited today?

Jef: Yes!

Simon: stoked? High-fiving strangers?

Jef: I kept it together.

Simon: i didn’t
i purposely avoided making plans tonight for like the last two weeks
… that came out kind of sad

Jef: It was a wedding, after all

Simon: true say

Jef: We’ve been waiting for a hard Shirley storyline all season, haven’t we?
We got the foosball episode
But that had more to do with Shirley’s past than with where this character is headed

Simon: it also plays into the education aspect
as they each individually learn from their college experience and move on in life
she is clearly “the business” one

Jef: She’s moving forwards and backwards at the same time

Simon: whoa, deep

Jef: LOL
I didn’t mean it

Simon: you britta’d that metaphor

Jef: but yeah, heading back to marriage with Andre–

Simon: wait, that wasn’t a metaphor
dammit

Jef: –when obviously, that didn’t work out so well the first time.
What’s a metaphor?

Simon: right, but they do show evolution in their relationship
giving you that sense of hope

Jef: If there’s one thing that felt off about today’s episode
it’s when Andre got all make-me-a-sandwich on Shirley
I know we haven’t really seen much of him
but we’ve never seen his bad side

Simon: yea. And we never had any indication that that’s what they were like before, did we?

Jef: it’s funny, because it’s Theo Huxtable

Simon: he’s still rocking those sweaters

Jef: he’s still awesome, basically

Simon: yes
but yea, that seemed a bit forced
as did Annie’s Boobs

Jef: you capped both words
so I guess you mean the monkey

Simon: both

Jef: They did both make an appearance…

Simon: they both deserve capitals
but I mostly meant the monkey yes, haha
I was really enjoying that storyline for its simplicity
I mean, I guess we knew what would happen
I just hoped it’d be something more funny than the monkey

Jef: They didn’t even follow Annie’s Boobs!
Abed just put a bowl on his head.

Simon: and walked away from a hot blonde

Jef: I’m assuming now is a good a time as any
to mention one of my favourite lines

Simon: proceed

Jef: “Or is it hardly…the space?”

Simon: I had to think about that one

Jef: It’s so stupid

Simon: But I was like
the space? is it?
hm….
wait
no

Jef: smh

Simon: i laughed

Jef: So while Troy and Abed tried to stay normal for new viewers
And Shirley got re-married to Andre
Pierce was trying to start a business in the cafeteria

Simon: he had a pretty good episode I thought
healthy doses of trademark physical comedy
some pathos
character continuity

Jef: It was great when he was pulling random money out of his pockets

Simon: he’s like Ted Dibiase

Jef: LOL

Simon: I want him to show up with a manservent next week and put Troy in a sleeperhold

Jef: Troy had another good line there, when he asked why Pierce looked like “a wealthy murderer”
And Pierce responded with “I look like an entrepreneur,” which is great

Simon: everyone really played their roles though
like, things were a bit more cliche than normal
perhaps as you say to ease viewers back into things
Annie was very much in child mode
asides from the cleavage
although that’s totally part of her character, haha

Jef: It IS a defining character trait, like it or not
I thought her storyline was the weakest this week
It’s true that she would probably be the pro-wedding one
But her stance never really went anywhere like it did for Jeff and Britta

Simon: yea, she didn’t have any sort of “revelation” type moment like everyone else seemed to get

Jef: I was expecting maybe a hint of jealousy when Britta and Jeff were getting married
but she mostly just looked justifiably annoyed with their drunkeness

Simon: I was kind of hoping they would actually get married

Jef: Yes! Same here, actually

Simon: like, anti-Ross and Rachel
or bizzarro version perhaps

Jef: I could live with an arc of those two married and trying to get it annulled
We also got another glimpse of Jeff’s childhood trauma this week.

Simon: yea, and his inner desires
which are vaguely related I suppose

Jef: Yeah, he’s a man-child
I still don’t know how to take his issues, though
It may be Joel McHale’s performance
but whenever Jeff gets really serious, it doesn’t hit as true for me as when other characters do it

Simon: Yea, I think it’s the acting
it just seems like he’s joking haha

Jef: Yeah
It’s like when he cried over Horsebot 3000

Simon: right!
No discernable difference

Jef: Was he joking??
OR DID HE CRY OVER HORSEBOT 3000??

Simon: I don’t think he was
he does angry pretty well though
he just can’t do vulnerable

Jef: Yeah, one thing we are learning more about Jeff
is that he can be an angry drunk
or just a bad drunk all around I guess

Simon: does it seem like everybody is starting to acquire a super power?
plumbing
business
housewiving
why is everyone innately great at something?

Jef: Haha yes, and they are all “normal” things
Do you think they all end up with decent callings?

Simon: I have no idea what Pierce is going to do

Jef: Or will the show let one of them fall?

Simon: I feel like the show is destined to have a happy ending
like, it’ll take us somewhere darker than we’ve been at some point
but in the end it’s really all about redemption with these characters

Jef: From what Dan Harmon has been saying, this hiatus from the airwaves is yielding some of the darkest storylines yet
And his intention seems to be to put them through hell this year
In order to turn things around in graduation year

Simon: so typical heroic arc type stuff

Jef: Yeah

Simon: makes sense
I mean when you look at it, this is really a pretty cliched show
it just is able to recognize it

Jef: It’s very structured, that’s for sure
And so even this week, during a “normal” episode that feels light-hearted overall
you still get hints of possible darkness to come
Jeff’s background
Troy and Abed’s ongoing struggle with growing up
And Britta inevitably ending up a sellout

Simon: I’m shocked she didn’t student-psychoanalyze herself

Jef: Haha do you think she ends up as a decorator?
She’s a pretty horrible psych major, but she still makes the occasional on-point observation

Simon: I don’t know, it’s hard to say at this point
part of me is like
they might turn her whole shtick into a college phase thing
which it totally could be construed as, with her stunted development and all
on the other hand, that’d be really sad

Jef: lol, stunted development
“I know what an analogy is. It’s like a thought with another thought’s hat on.”

Simon: she should be a poet, is what she should be

Jef: There were a lot of good random one liners this week
Bits too, like we mentioned with Pierce and the money
I particularly liked Abed’s scoffing

Simon: yes
I also like the idea that they read the plays Annie writes at home
and that Annie writes plays at home

Jef: Oh and Annie was humming that song again
Whatsitcalled

Simon: what song?

Jef: The one that Troy was humming in the Batman episode
and was in the Halloween episode too

Simon: hm…
doesn’t ring a bell
it’s been way too long haha

Jef: What happened to you, Simon?

Simon: I’m sleep deprived is what I think happened
I’m pretty sure my brain only functions at 1/3 its previous capacity
which is scary
because, you know.
well, let’s just leave it unsaid.

Jef: Is this a cry for help?

Simon: no, I’m just laying the groundwork for all my future mistakes.
lowering expectations!

Jef: I’m crying now!

Simon: hahaha

Jef: Well alright, you wanna blow this joint?

Simon: what else is there to cover
I feel like we glossed over some things
like…
what is going to happen
hahaha
are they going to get a renewal?

Jef: I think they will.

Simon: there was so much AV CLUB ANGST

Jef: II know, that place is full of emotions

Simon: and cultural theorists
which is a fancy way of saying nerds

Jef: Emo-theos, I calls ‘em
all I know is, I’m pretty excited for the rest of the season

Simon: I really enjoyed having this show back
it was like catching up with an old friend
like nothing ever changes

Jef: Just wait until next week, when everyone dies

Simon: is it the evil alternate universe?

Jef: Abed DOES put on the goatee in the trailers
I can’t wait!

Simon: yea, pillow fights are coming

Jef: Pillow-FORT fights

Simon: so you were satisfied with this return?

Jef: I am.
It was really low-key but I think it was the right decision, the right tone
And also, it had this exchange
which I love:
Shirley: “You are dipping and dabbing and don’t know what’s happening”

Britta: “Fine, we both went to public school.”

Simon: haha
my expectations were high but it really softly lulled me into a warm place

Jef: Welcome back, Community!

Simon: WE MISSED YOU!

Santa has never given me a gift.

Unlike many of my friends growing up, there was no magical component to my Christmas. There was no altruistic value to the Christmas spirit, no creepy omniscient Alpha-Elf who broke into my house with a sack of toys.

We had a tree, yes. We had gifts, we had family dinners. But being relatively new to the country, my parents had no idea about the mythology of Christmas. It was all they could do to collect the trappings of this crazy seasonal curiosity, so they would often just ask me what I wanted as a gift.

I distinctly remember one year going to Toy City (remember that store? anyone?) and literally picking my own gift out, then carrying it to the cashier so my dad could buy it. I still do regret picking Ultra Magnus instead of Metroplex, but I digress.

I don’t blame my parents for not lying to me. How were they to know that was what parents here did? Who would assume the truth — that the population of an entire continent could knowingly be partaking in a conspiratorial deception employed to manipulate the mass psyche of their very own offspring?

It was hard reconciling this knowledge as a child with friends who firmly believed in the Christmas narrative. After inciting more than a few riotous classroom debates (and angry, vitriolic accusations), I decided to stop spouting my contrary, snarky comments when classmates talked about Santa, and flying reindeer, and cookies and milk. It wasn’t worth the effort, and who was I to tell them their parents were lying liars?

To this day I know many people who have heart wrenching tales of when they realized Santa wasn’t real. Still, it’s hard to say what I’ll do when I have kids of my own. I like to think I was a grounded child. My friends prefer to call my lack of belief in magic ‘deprived’. The truth might be somewhere in between.

I have a friend who dressed up as Santa one year to amuse kids at a holiday potluck. He’s a Chinese dude and although it was all just fun and games, part of me couldn’t help shake the thought that one day these children are going to seriously wonder about whether or not Santa is Chinese, and reconcile who this non-Chinese Santa at the mall is, asking them to sit on their lap.

(as an aside, who vets these Santas? Why are people so willing to send their children into the lap of strangers just because they’re wearing red tights and a fake beard? THINK PEOPLE. THINK!)

These are the things you have to consider when you commit to a lie. Also, the fact that these kids are always going to be one step ahead of you and, eventually, you’re going to end up with an incredibly tangled web of false reality that will collapse upon itself, crushing your child.

So in the end one has to wonder, who is this lie for anyways? Is it for the kids or for the parents to vicariously recapture the magic that they themselves had crushed as children?

I missed out on a lot of things growing up immersed in Chinese culture. The vicious cycle of Christmas mythology though? Not really one of those things.

Signed,

Scrooge McYau

This post is part of the Ethnic Aisle, a blog about issues of race, ethnicity and culture in the GTA.

Jef and Simon met in a school environment much like that of Greendale. That’s just one of the many reasons they love Community. They’ll be chatting about season three every week, and you should join them, because you’re streets ahead.

Jef: Season’s greetings!

Simon: Happy Holidays!
I was kind of hoping they’d top last year.
They did not.

Jef: Same here! Unreasonable, I guess.

Simon: yea, high expectations

Jef: Last year’s Christmas episode was something special.
It was something that I could actually see myself watching years from now and getting into the holiday spirits off of.
(But that’s me.)

Simon: screw you, Charlie Brown

Jef: This was just…a Christmas episode.

Simon: so, it’s nothing new, but Community really likes to make fun of Glee
why Glee, do you think in particular?

Jef: They do and I love them for it, but honestly I was always hoping they wouldn’t actually do a musical episode.
Glee is horrible, first off.
It’s manipulative and inconsistent with its characters, so in certain ways it’s the opposite of Community

Simon: was this a musical episode though?
or was it a Glee parody episode in the way they do parody episodes?
it’s easy to say that’s the same thing, but I’m not so sure they are

Jef: I see what you mean
Either of those things though I always felt would be lazy of Community to do
I loved that “flashback” episode last year because it felt like the show was acknowledging all of these overly wacky, overly obvious plots that they could never sustain for a whole episode
I was wrong, I guess, but also…the end result wasn’t that bad
What did you think?

Simon: I agree it was a bit of a stretch to turn that joke into an entire episode
I do think it’s pertinent that it’s Glee that’s the target of their jabs though
it really is the antithesis of Community, you’re so right about that
they went out of their way to cramp the formulaic nature of Glee’s plots
and I think even how they went into commercial with Britta as the last survivor, then suddenly she’s brainwashed when we get back
that kind of unexplained gap is absolutely Glee-like
it worked in that regard, as a joke
as an episode it was kind of fruitless though it seemed

Jef: Haha, I never thought about Britta’s sudden turn
I agree the episode was fruitless, but even worse, it felt LATE as fuck

Simon: RIGHT? I don’t watch Glee anymore
but I’m pretty sure it’s jumped the shark
although that realistically probably happened in episode 2
but still

Jef: Haha no but you’re right
I’m sure its ratings are still doing fine and whatnot, but the phenomenon has passed

Simon: the fact there is no Glee Holiday Album knocking down our radios can attest to that I think
… is there?

Jef: Haha I have no idea.
But yeah, the best time to make fun of this stuff would have been before Glee itself became a joke.

Simon: To be honest though, I kind of like musical episodes
it’s a gimmick but I’m a sucker for theatre
the songs here though
they were all terribad
just…
ah

Jef: Guh, right?

Simon: i mean I know they weren’t trying
but if you’re gonna do it, just… do it

Jef: I almost literally facepalmed when Troy went full Childish Gambino
That’s another thing I think should have never happened on this show

Simon: I was actually kind of shocked that happened
like, they let him bring that out on the show
also, TERRIBLE

Jef: Really bad.

Simon: Pierce’s Baby Boomer Santa song was equally painful

Jef: Haha I think Pierce’s was the only song I laughed at though.
When he said, “You’re welcome, you’re welcome, for everything, in the world!”

Simon: I thought Annie’s ditty was actually pretty funny by the end of it because they acknowledged the absurdity

Jef: Alison Brie can kill it with the physical comedy when she wants to, yes?

Simon: there was this one episode of Mad Men where she does the Charleston,
and it was amazing

Jef: haha yeah I’ve seen it, and it was grand.
My understanding too is that Brie can actually hit a note, so I thought it was weird they let Gambino run free but they didn’t let her sing.
I would have much preferred if they did that talent distribution the other way around.

Simon: admittedly, I almost fell off my couch laughing
when they walk into the study room and Pierce goes “who’s that guy?”
and they have a Chuck Klosterman looking fucker at the piano

Jef: “I’m not the only one who can see him, right?”

Simon: i died
i mean, just a little. but i really did.

Jef: I also liked the end of Annie’s song, “Boo bee boo pee do, boo. Sex.”

Simon: then her devolution into gibberish
there was something about this that didn’t really scream Holidays to me though
i mean, it seemed more like they were pointing out that their show’s characters have emotional depth and Glee’s don’t
and just used the holidays to hang their hat on that, but it didn’t really ring true for me

Jef: I totally feel you on that
I kept thinking this episode would redeem its concept by tying things together at the end.
I loved how last year’s Christmas episode wound down with the meaning of Christmas being LOST and all that
It was able to reach a very sincere place while also being this pop culture clusterfuck (aka Community at its best)
But this week’s fell short on both ends, I think

Simon: I agree. And whereas the characters were plumbed last year by revealing how they interacted with each other, and their personal feelings about the holidays, and background stories
this year they basically just said “look, they care about each other”
“the end”

Jef: At LEAST give us a genuinely touching moment at the end.

Simon: right. it was all tell, no show.

Jef: Abed’s line about “Maybe Jeff’s right, maybe forcing things to be bright just makes the darkness underneath even darker,” wasn’t enough.
And like we said, the songs weren’t good enough either.
We saw a way better musical mash-up with Kiss From A Rose in the episode where Annie moves in with Troy and Abed. Having that comparison made the songs here extra lackluster.

Simon: the final thing being Glee is incredibly easy to make fun of
i mean, the average Funny or Die skit could parody that show with equal aplomb

Jef: And I’m sure there’s a million of those clips already out there…

Simon: i guess i am sad about the lack of ambition for an episode i was highly anticipating

Jef: It seems like they used it just to “end the semester” on a happy note
As Abed and Jeff point out a couple of times
Jeff: “I basically killed a guy this year.”
Like, well, people are complaining we’re too dark.
Let’s throw them a bone and then get on with the show.

Simon: you think? I don’t actually hear people complain they’re too dark
then again, i don’t listen to people talk about Community except for… us

Jef: Haha
Complaint was probably the wrong word
Concern? I know we’ve talked about it before, that the characters especially were becoming a bit nasty this year

Simon: that’s true, we have touched on them being “not nice people”

Jef: So is this the response though?
“You want nice? Here. Watch GLEE.”
“See how horrible it is?”

Simon: well, they were responsible for the Glee club being dismantled in the first place
that wasn’t very nice
i suppose there’s some poetic justice in that sense

Jef: Lol
Yeah I loved that turn where we find out the teacher killed everyone in the bus crash, making everything some kind of in-the-background Veronica Mars mass murder plot.
(I am now revealing that I really love Veronica Mars.)

Simon: that show is the best

Jef: IS THIS WHERE WE JUST TALK ABOUT VERONICA MARS?

Simon: it died too soon
that’s all i have to say about it

Jef: Yeah. Great show.
I would have preferred if this were just a Veronica Mars parody episode.
Or at least if it morphed into that.

Simon: … that’s an amazing idea
dude, tengentially
have you ever watched that Star Wars Christmas special?
the one that was banned because it was so horrible?

Jef: Yeah I tried once with some high school friends.
IT’S ACTUALLY THAT BAD THOUGH.
It’s unwatchable.

Simon: IT REALLY IS
SO, SO BAD
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=323909610753051544

Jef: And EVERYONE is in it.
HARRISON FORD IS IN IT.
Which makes it harder to watch.
Lol I closed that window really quickly.

Simon: LOL

Jef: Speaking of horrible Christmas specials
Did you like Britta’s bit at the end?

Simon: I was going to bring this up but I thought one good thing about this episode was how much Britta we got
yes, I thought it was great
particularly knowing that “me so [blank]” is apparently a Britta catchphrase now

Jef: It is!
One of the reasons I love Britta is that she makes everyone else funnier as well.
Characters get to react to her and say stuff like, “Oh. Britta’s in this?”

Simon: she’s a good foil because she doesn’t really have a set way of acting
sometimes she’s ridiculous, sometimes she self-righteous, sometimes she’s actually wise
there’s more flexibility with her character than say, Troy
knowing this is the last ep for a while
how do you feel about it as a send off?
what if this is the last episode ever?

Jef: Well, it won’t be.
Right?
RIGHT?

Simon: I DON’T KNOW
*pours a shot*

Jef: I’m pretty sure they’ll finish the season like they’ve said.
But I’ve been known to lie to myself to make myself feel better, because that’s what handsome people do.
IF it’s the last episode, well, at least we ended on a nice Christmas-card-ish shot of all of them together at the end.
With enough hints of what we might miss out on, with Annie and Abed sharing a moment, and Troy and Britta sitting together.

Simon: I totally didn’t pick up on that!

Jef: Might be reading into it, but yup, those were the seating arrangements
With the adults all in the background.

Simon: duh doy!
I am continually impressed though with the show’s commitment to in-jokes
i mean, this whole episode, for starters
but things like Abed’s buttered noodles

Jef: Abed’s buttered noodles are amazing
I even just like saying it! Buttered noodles.
Was there anything in this episode that you could see them building off of?
Or was it entirely a self-contained, maybe throwaway ep?

Simon: yes, more boobie jokes

Jef: Hahaha
Boobie jokes, fart jokes
It’s been a classy season

Simon: I do think the Troy and Britta thing will coalesce by the end of this season
there was the sitting you just mentioned
but even Troy sticking up for her
“you don’t get to call Britta the worst!”

Jef: There you go! Totally didn’t pick up on that but you’re right.
And more and more Jeff and Annie’s thing seems to be based on forbidden lust and not much more.
Whereas Annie and Abed make genuine googly eyes at each other every once in awhile.

Simon: Do people make genuine goggly eyes in real life?
is that a real thing?

Jef: Well, Alison Brie and Danny Pudi do I guess.
They have rather large eyes.

Simon: goggly ones, even
uh
googly

Jef: Goggly eyes would be frightening!

Simon: but safe!

Jef: lolol

Simon: chang chang chang chaaaaaang

Jef: OH YEAH
that was my favourite part, the end number with the side characters.
Again, I feel it lacked in ambition (I thought it was going to go NUTS but didn’t)
But I still liked and will watch it again

Simon: it felt more genuine than the actual episode to me
like, the show honestly wants us to have a happy holidays guys!

Jef: “My name is Alex…My name is Alex…”

Simon: lol
he’s been totally AWOL

Jef: Yeah, right?
I mean I get that he’s pretty one-note
But he’s Starburns! Everything needs more Starburns

Simon: pop-pop to that

Jef:  anything else you wanna get into?

Simon: naw, i think we got everything?
you?

Jef: Boo boop be doop.

Simon: sex

Jef and Simon met in a school environment much like that of Greendale. That’s just one of the many reasons they love Community. They’ll be chatting about season three every week, and you should join them, because you’re streets ahead.

Jef: Hey yo

Simon: yo
game on

Jef: So…
That episode was pretty eh

Simon: we finally got that Shirley ep
it was not what I expected

Jef: I feel bad for the Shirley character.
If this is the best they have for her — the throwaway “normal” episode after the super quirky one — I think it’s clear they don’t know what to do with her anymore.

Simon: the episode from last season
Troy’s birthday
was a much better way to paint her character as three dimensional
this was like a caricature of that episode almost

Jef: Yeah Mixology did the exact same thing but so much better

Simon: although, and maybe I’m being paranoid
I do feel this episode had high general appeal
casual viewers got a lot of “Community type comedy” this week

Jef: Yeah I get the need for these episodes every once in awhile
Especially as breathing room after the run of bizarre episodes we’ve had
It just concerns me it’s the first Shirley story we’ve had, as if they tried to kill two birds with one stone.
Everything felt very obligatory.

Simon: i was almost certain we’d catch up with her baby and Chang relationship
alas

Jef: Instead we get this retcon with Jeff
Which I don’t think felt natural at all
Did you like that storyline?

Simon: I liked it from a purely sitcom perspective
i mean, it was silly and fun
and the random anime was pretty golden
the idea that it impacts the greater narrative of their characters at all seems out of place
although I guess now we know they’ve known each other a long time
asides from that their bff thing was pretty lost on me

Jef: Yeah that ending of them walking away arm-on-arm fell pretty flat for me
The anime was as fun as it should have been I guess…on the bright side the episode gave Shirley fun things to say
Like, “foosball is a vile game for vile people”
Also, I like the callback to Jeff and Shirley making fun of Britta’s season 1 boyfriend
…what was his name again?

Simon: … i dont’ know, but wasn’t it the dude from Robin Hood Men in Tights?

Jef: VAUGHN

Simon: “Britta… she’s a great big B”

Jef: “Getting rid of Britt-aah”
lol no way not Cary Elwes
is that who you’re thinking?

Simon: YES
ok no it wasn’t him hahaha
they look similar

Jef: Same daffy blonde guy stare, yeah
Did you like the B story with the Abed’s Dark Knight disc?

Simon: I enjoyed Troy and Annie’s conversations
Basically Troy is the best

Jef: The Troy and Annie scene was my favourite part
Was that even the B story?
Which one was the B story???

Simon: I think it was the B story haha
I assume anything discussed before the song is the A story

Jef: haha good rule

Simon: the idea that Troy is mildly afraid of Abed makes me giggle
also, Alison Brie does a pretty good Christian Bale

Jef: I love that she tried doing the voice twice
It was nice getting to see them just being roommates
The stakes of the B story were just high enough. It was all fluff pretty much but still a nice slice of the stupid adventures they must get into all the time.

Simon: “I thought you moving in was supposed to tone us down!”
followed fittingly with “WHO ARE YOU??”
I want to be their fourth roommate

Jef: “Women’s shoes? Rick doesn’t have a wife…OR WOMEN’S FEET.”

Simon: lots of classic Troy
sadly little Britta

Jef: Yeah!
This episode was light on guest appearances
But also light on main cast appearances in general
Barely any Britta or Pierce
No Chang or Dean
I am going to take this to mean Britta is the center of the Christmas episode
or at least I hope

Simon: We can hope, she has at least 5 Totorolla phones to get her through the holiday season

Jef: LOL Totorolla
This episode was too light, there’s nothing to talk about!
From Abed’s Batman character to Shirley’s “I have a dark past (that’s not really that dark)” thing, it was all a bunch of old jokes that they took out for another stroll
Even the foosball gimmick felt like Jeff’s pool obsession from season one

Simon: I always though Shirley was more than just a few years older than Jeff

Jef: Haha but she keeps telling us
that she’s basically the same age as Jeff

Simon: STILL

Jef: LOL
She’ll make your ass sense.
so…should we call it an early night?
I am laughing, btw

Simon: I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TALK ABOUT

Jef: Lol
I think my favourite part of the episode was Leonard’s youtube video at the end

Simon: I like how spot on it was

Jef: 5 stars!
A buy!

Simon: I also feel slightly offended on behalf of German exchange students everywhere

Jef: Horrible, horrible German accents
aka the best German accents!
I just hit pause on the giant screen of text that Leornard has up at the end of his youtube vid
I am assuming this is a dig at Chuck Lorre?

Simon: I watched it live
what does it say?

Jef: It’s a huge rant on paying late fees for movie rentals
It includes a reference to “Dan In Real Life” and the phrase “duh doy”
It’s basically awesome.

Simon: What does that have to do with Chuck Lorre?

Jef: His shows end with a big wall of text
Random rants and stuff
You know, it’s his “thing”
ANYWAYS.

Simon: I have literally never watched an entire episode of any of his shows, haha

Jef: That’s a good thing!

Simon: I think so!
I think we’re tapping out.

Jef: Yeah, there’s nothing to see here.
A pretty basic episode.
Had some laughs as usual but ultimately it’s one for the shoe safe.

Simon: you’re very good with faces
I’m off to eat some butter noodles

Jef: Alright
Next week, Christmas episode!
Yeah?
Yeah.

Simon: HOPEFULLY

Jef: FIN.

Simon: that was sad hahaha

Jef: not our fault!

Simon: it’s true!

Jef: what are butter noodles?
are they noodles made of butter?
am i being very stupid right now about butter noodles?

Simon: i think they’re noodles with butter, hahaha

Jef: that would make more sense

“Take This Waltz” is a beautiful film. Channelling the smouldering (and stalkerish) sexuality of Wong Kar-Wai’s “In The Mood For Love” while also slightly cramping its vibrant visual style, director Sarah Polley is in her element when contextualizing life — long sighs, lingering glances and carnal tension spill off the screen with prodigious visual ease.

Michelle Williams slides seamlessly into the role of Margot, a 28 year-old aspiring writer and young wife, adrift in the kind of ennui those life decisions predictably entail. Williams’ performance is sublime as she turns in her best Holden Caulfield-in-a-long-term-relationship impression.

Seth Rogen plays Margot’s doting, teddy bear of a husband Lou, who despite his evident goofiness manages to elicit sympathetic good-guy vibes in potentially ominous ways. The final piece of Waltz’s love triangle is Daniel, played by relative newcomer Luke Kirby. Daniel is Margot’s neighbour and the manifestation of her physical and emotional desire, after an initial meeting that straddles the grey area between cutely serendipitous and cloyingly ridiculous.

Toronto serves as the gorgeous, bokeh backdrop for Polley’s bittersweet sophomore effort. Not to be understated, the Earl Haig Secondary School alumnus (shoutout class of 2001!) makes her hometown look better than perhaps any other film in memory. Toronto’s local haunts and iconic neighbourhoods are supersaturated in summer palates; Polley’s penchant for focusing on minutiae transforms recognizable streets into an atmospheric haze that parallels Margot’s myopic internal conflict.

It’s worth tangentially noting that at some point in the film, I stopped consciously observing that the movie was purposely set and unfolding in Toronto. Considering an early reference to “Dufferin and Queen” generated cheering from my audience, it seems pertinent that Sarah Polley might be the first director to ever make Toronto gracefully inconspicuous on screen. But I digress.

Polley’s attempts to portray life’s vagaries are often hampered by her own ambition; delicate visuals are often juxtaposed with overwrought dialogue. Moreover, excess words do extra disservice by being slightly too on-point for the films artful ambiguity. Polley is definitely more concise speaking with a camera instead of a pen.

Still, sometimes it works. In one particular scene shot in the Lakeview Diner, Daniel verbally ravishes Margot with a raw intimacy that may forever redefine the art of sexting. The monologue is in some ways absurd, but also easily the most legitimately erotic moment in the movie.

The film clocks in at an ambitious two hours long. Tightening it down by 20 minutes might have resulted in an instant classic, but it’s hard to nitpick because, much like real life, Polley’s story is not easily defined.

If I had to oversimplify, “Take This Waltz” might be a sexually charged, romantic-dramedy, coming-of-age-tale. Mostly however, it’s just a gorgeous and artful exploration of modern life.

Jef and Simon met in a school environment much like that of Greendale. That’s just one of the many reasons they love Community. They’ll be chatting about season three every week, and you should join them, because you’re streets ahead.

Jef: Man.

Simon: that was an amazing episode
naturally
to make us sadder

Jef: It almost upset me how good this episode was.
haha yeah
I really do fear that we are recapping the final season of Community here.

Simon: don’t SAY THAT
“six seasons and a movie!” remember??

Jef: “My clique should be canceled
Freaks and Geeks”
Sigh
Alright
So in this episode the Dean has to film a new enrolment commercial for Greendale
I kind of liked that the whole episode was a countdown to a Luis Guzman cameo
You’re waiting for fucking Luis Guzman to come make things right again.

Simon: … and he does

Jef: Haha yeah

Simon: so many shows would use an obscure reference like that without following through

Jef: Or use him to up the weirdness levels
instead of returning things to normalcy

Simon: this was a Simpsons level cameo

Jef: Yeah, totally

Simon: did you go to Humber because of an ad?

Jef: LOL
I’m not even quite sure how I ended up there.

Simon: I don’t know if they had ads back then?
they have posters on the TTC these days

Jef: Yeah I’ve seen the ads playing in Yonge and Dundas square
The “journalism student” wears such funky hats.

Simon: … we kind of do though

Jef: Totally accurate!
Speaking of wardrobes
Annie was extra hot this week

Simon: why?

Jef: These are the intelligent thoughts I have to contribute this week!

Simon: I have literally no complaints
I just want to list all the amazing things about this episode

Jef: Let’s do it

Simon: chronologically
because it’s a recap? I don’t know
Jeff does a really mean Dean Pelton

Jef: Holy crap he was amazing
“This is my sister’s outfit!”

Simon: he even got the mannerisms down!
I also really enjoyed that the Dean’s office had his dalmatian posters up

Jef: Yeah, all that stuff we complained about last week re: Dean just turning into a gay caricature…
Totally solved this week.
This is exactly the kind of stuff I’ve been wanting them to do.

Simon: yes, he was pretty incredible
for some reason this show really lends itself to the fake documentary format

Jef: It’s so cinematic already

Simon: all the meta comments about Hearts of Darkness were just icing

Jef: Haha man, the Dean’s breakdown scene

Simon: YES hahaha

Jef: where he’s rubbing ash over his face and naked body
“I’m horrible….I’m horrible.”
I couldn’t even handle how hilarious and genuinely beautiful that was

Simon: what DID he do to the ice cream machine??

Jef:   Haha
I am guessing he made love to it.
The pan-sexual imp is back!

Simon: that sounds painful.
what did you think of Pierce’s role?
he was kind of like a running gag but I’m not sure why they chose that route for him

Jef: yeah, I don’t mind when they segregate Chevy usually, because normally it just gives him room to show his physical comedy chops
but here I think he definitely would have been better used actually being IN the documentary

Simon: right? I mean I get that he’s a crazy old dude
but he really did seem a bit squandered

Jef: He would have been hilarious on set
And he was already separated last week

Simon: good point.
the amount of details in this episode
was incredible

Jef: Yeah, the details! The details.
Britta’s title card: “Britta Perry: anarchist cat owner”

Simon: so accurate!
the scene of her and Troy doing the 12 hour take was comedy gold

Jef: Haha holy shit

Simon: i pretty much died
when Troy yelled “stop saying I’m different!”

Jef: When they tied ropes around them and were pulling their arms
And Dean was all “You can’t even do it when we’re helping you!”

Simon: I think part of the reason this episode was so great
was it really allows us to define the best parts of each character

Jef: It was another sweet episode

Simon: it was essentially a way to individually spotlight each cast member
each interview reinforced what we enjoy about them
Annie’s keenerism turning into stockholm syndrome
Britta psycho analyzing
Troy being Troy
Jeff was a pleasant surprise again though
he’s been a bit out of characters two weeks in a row now
in an awesome way though
“I made bald friends!”

Jef: Jeff’s been trying lately
Which is really different for him but feels organic
I like it a lot

Simon: their ability to transform him from normal Jeff to Jeff-sucked-into-crazy-director-Dean’s-vision-and-desperate-for-screen-time was pretty unbelievable
they did it in like 7 minutes with 4 shots

Jef: Haha yeah, I did make a note of the fact that the tone totally changes
after the first commercial break.
It all goes to hell really fast lol

Simon: Pelton’s costumes were amazing
I feel like they’re making fun of a director
but I couldn’t pin down who

Jef: It would be great if it were Dan Harmon

Simon: he wears hoodies with no shirt underneath?

Jef: Haha I have no idea

Simon: WHO DOES THAT

Jef: I was a little dismayed that as his stubble grew and his clothes got grimier…
…he started to look more and more like me.
I think it’s time for a new look.

Simon: I think you’re ahead of the trends

Jef: wait for it
…
STREETS AHEAD.

Simon: you deserve a trailer for that

Jef: And I’m not coming out!
How do you feel about this Troy/Britta deal?

Simon: I like that even the Dean knows Troy is into her

Jef: Haha yeah
I love love love the awkwardness of it
because they are both really good at doing awkward

Simon: i totally thought they were going to start making out
as the punchline to that scene

Jef: Haha yeah
And I’m glad they didn’t though

Simon: yes, Harmon wins again
them being scared at the sight of each other is infinitely more hilarious

Jef: Yeah, trauma!

Simon: i don’t think they should get together though
that seems kind of absurd to me?
i feel like their age difference is the same as Jeff and Annie’s?
which for some reason is always a huge deal

Jef: It’s weird because it’s definitely not as big of an age gap
But it feels like it is because Troy is like….12 at heart
Britta had my favourite line of the episode
(Which I guess goes without saying now)

Simon: *nodding*

Jef: “As a licensed psychology major I am declaring this a violation of human rights!”
Which makes no sense three different ways, lol

Simon: i peed myself
“I’m taking psych 101 and I don’t even know what’s happening to me” was a close second

Jef: Haha yeah.
And for subtlety, she also had
“I don’t know why, but this is the last straw!”

Simon: I really enjoyed when the Dean demanded reality
then subbed in a blonde wig wearing Chang

Jef: Chang was so good here too!

Simon: him pacing behind Jeff?

Jef: He was really restrained and still killing it
Haha yeah
And when he was explaining the wig under the bald cap
“I’m literally dying.”
Even Leonard was great this episode!

Simon: yes!

Jef: It was full of win for everyone

Simon: i wondered what happened to him
I am kind of shocked we didn’t see starburns
but watching the fat kid in a motion capture suit more than made up for it
“that’s a toilet!”

Jef: Haha I will never remember that kid’s name
And that’s ok with me

Simon: word

Jef: It seems appropriate.
Is this is the first episode to be that kind to Greendale as a school?
Luis Guzman’s line at the end to the Dean, “Worship the people who are here right now. This is a special school. You don’t deserve to be here.” That was….sweet.

Simon: I thought that was a really interesting angle
because it REALLY captures community college as an experience

Jef: Totally

Simon: Luis Guzman is wrong
colleges are not special schools
they, in general, are kind of awful hahahaha

Jef: Hahaha
Hey now!

Simon: but that awfulness ABSOLUTELY fosters bonding
the type that doesn’t happen in university.
we can totally attest to that I think

Jef: That’s been my experience for sure yeah, having attended both as well.
Jeff has that line at the end when he’s forgiving the Dean for his breakdown
where he says he forgives him “because we’ve all been there; which is why we’re all here.”

Simon: perfect Community ending

Jef: It’s a diss to the school in a way but goes back to painting it as a place for second chances

Simon: appropriately sappy

Jef: Which was really nice

Simon: yea
I mean, that’s the whole crux of the episode right?
the insanity of making a commercial
when in the end Abed reuses the final scene of the dancing dude
because come on
nobody picks a community college based on the ads hahaha
people go because they have to go

Jef: Yeah, you go because you need to for whatever life reasons.

Simon: but they meet special people there
which the episode portrayed astoundingly accurately

Jef: And the Dean was a great choice to focus the episode on
He runs the college but doesn’t “get” college

Simon: because he went to university

Jef:  This is all very obvious stuff I’m saying
But it was just really nice

Simon: hahaha

Jef: Haha are we saying this stuff just because we went to college?

Simon: i think so yes hahaha
i do think there’s a certain level of
…. recognition?
that you might not appreciate unless you’ve been to a community college when watching this show

Jef: Yeah, the understanding is there.
Of the community college experience and of these characters and why they’re there.
lol ok
Tangent
But how amazing were the noises coming from the Dean’s edit of the documentary?
*gunshots*
*porn moans*

Simon: i particularly liked how sudden the cuts were

Jef: Haha yeah
And Guzman’s reactions to watching it were amazing

Simon: I liked that he was editing it on his totally normal laptop

Jef: Yeah, nothing crazy there

Simon: after all that insanity
still using Microsoft movie maker

Jef: You know, the other great thing about how the show used Guzman is in just that he was playing himself.
So Greendale really is a place that you can graduate from and make something of yourself from.
Again, sweet episode.

Simon: yes, I loved that aspect of it
the shot of him looking at his statue was priceless

Jef: Hahahaha yeah

Simon: or saying
“helllooooo, it’s meeeee. Luis Guzman”

Jef: LOL yeah
And stepping out his car with a big shit-eating Jack Nicholson grin

Simon: ok, so finally, my favourite part of the episode
the final scene in the study room
where Abed is filiming
but also in random shots
while the show’s real camera guy
sporadically appears and disappears
I was like
WHAT THE FUCK
SO AMAZING

Jef: Oh the meta was done so well this week!
I agree

Simon: it was so subtle!

Jef: And Abed’s speech about how telling sad stories can make them happy, simply for the fact that they’re being told
Like, wow
I just said “like, wow”

Simon: twice!

Jef: THAT’S HOW GOOD IT WAS

Simon: his little glance at the camera as he walks away

Jef: Seriously though, episodes like this make the news of the mid-season pull really hard to take
Because I NEED to see these people graduate now.
I know they’re going to tell the fuck out of that story.

Simon: do you think they played this episode out of order just to go out into the hiatus with a bang?

Jef: I don’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised.
This isn’t the last one before the break, is it?

Simon: I’m not sure to be honest
i wasn’t even sure there would be an episode this week

Jef: I refuse to believe that we’re not getting a Christmas episode.
That can’t be real life.

Simon: I don’t understand why anybody would NOT watch this show
how it could have poor ratings is literally unfathomable to me

Jef: I saw some off-hand comments on Facebook that the show had jumped the shark this season anyway.

Simon: who said that? punch that person in the face.

Jef: DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT JUMPING THE SHARK MEANS.

Simon: they did a whole episode about that!
that’s how streets ahead they are!

Jef: Haha
“Just so you know, there was an episode of Happy Days where they literally jumped over a shark. And it was THE BEST ONE.”

Simon: exactly
there’s a lot of Community left to go
I honestly don’t know if it has 6 seasons in it
maybe one or two more at most
but it definitely needs one or two more

Jef: Yeah, at this point honestly all I’m asking is for four seasons.
I want them to graduate.
I can live comfortably with just that.
They’re building up to that story so confidently and brilliantly

Simon: i do think one more, and then it can go out still riding high
beyond a fourth season i legitimately can see it jumping the shark

Jef: Definitely, me too.

Simon: it’d still be good
but not the best

Jef: Haha yeah I’d still watch.
But that’s what makes this possible cancellation even more frustrating
If we end up reaching three years, and we know they only needed one more to score this television home run
….
I’ll be no fun to be around for awhile

Simon: i’m trying to figure out what fans will mail to NBC in a show of support

Jef: …possums?

Simon: dalmations?

Jef: I like that we pick the most threatening things.

Simon: Seal cds

Jef: YES

Simon: that’d be pretty amazing actually

Jef: Let’s start this movement

Simon: dude, if someone MAILED me a possum, I would be terrified

Jef: haha yeah
Don’t do that, people.
Just send them some kisses from some roses.

Simon: i’m sad

Jef: Haha
I’ve got no words of comfort for you
I think this might be it, to be honest

Simon: stiff upper lip
there’s more episodes
it’s not the END end

Jef: I know they were already thinking of axing it before
So they might have run out of goodwill by now

Simon: yea
i suspect the fan outrage might be pretty significant
i feel like it’s just one of those shows everybody watches via download or Hulu

Jef: We’re a passionate fandom
But are we really that large?
I don’t know

Simon: it’s true
nobody I know really watches it
except my girlfriend, because i made her

Jef: Yeah same, and I have two friends who are really into it
Everyone else says shit like “I don’t get it” or “IT JUMPED THE SHARK”

Simon: i don’t get that though
it’s so accessible
i don’t get how people don’t immediately find it hilarious

Jef: Yeah I don’t think it’s hard to get into at all
My girlfriend doesn’t even catch half of the reference but still laughs her ass of anyway
On the pure comical level it still works
Just like the Simpsons did

Simon: yes, and it just gets better the more you understand

Jef: And the characters are real
Treated with respect and fleshed out

Simon: sigh

Jef:  Hahahaha
look at us ranting on the internet about television at 12:30 in the morning

Simon: we lead difficult lives

Jef: Fight the power, people. Fight it with your hugs!

Simon: who are you talking to?

Jef: Uh…

Simon: nice try there

Jef and Simon met in a school environment much like that of Greendale. That’s just one of the many reasons they love Community. They’ll be chatting about season three every week, and you should join them, because you’re streets ahead.

jef: Annie moved in.

Stephane Gauger is a Vietnamese-American filmmaker based in L.A. whose latest work, Saigon Electric, premieres in Canada tonight as part of the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival. A hip-hop dance film based in Vietnam, Saigon Electric tells the story of a traditional ribbon dancer from the countryside named Mai who moves to the city to audition at a major dance academy. Failing her entrance exam but unwilling to return home, Mai befriends a local b-girl named Kim, who introduces Mai to her crew, Saigon Fresh. The new friends navigate family issues and class barriers as they prepare for a showdown with a rival crew, the privileged rich kids called the North Killaz.

The Ashcan: You were born in Vietnam, raised in Orange Country, right? Can you talk a bit about your background?

Stephane Gauger: Yeah, you can see the influence in my work. I have biracial parents – no wait, excuse me, I’m biracial [laughs]. I grew up with Vietnamese culture at home. I had a Vietnamese grandmother that didn’t speak any English so I spoke Vietnamese around the house and because of that, I’m fortunate to be able to work in Vietnam, to direct and produce in Vietnam, pretty easily. But yeah, if you ever meet me, you’ll see that I’m not very Asian looking [laughs].

Do you stay in L.A. mostly or do you go back a lot?

I go back to Vietnam for projects. I came to America when I was 5, so I’m pretty Americanized. I first went back to Vietnam in 1994; at that time it was still poor – and I’ve gone back about 20 times – and every time I go back , it just changes drastically.

I know for other filmmakers I’ve spoken to who were born in Asia but are living elsewhere, going back to film in their homelands seems to be a way of revisiting or learning about their culture. Is that what it’s like for you?

Uhm, I think I’m past the stage of getting to know my culture. Especially with my two narrative films, it was maybe [more about] sharing the culture. Like with my first feature for example, Owl and the Sparrow, what I wanted to share was that Saigon was a cosmopolitan city just like New York or Paris and that people have the same feelings of, you know, loneliness there. The country itself is still sort of getting out of the “third world” but the major cities are pretty cosmopolitan, I’d say.

In Saigon Electric you shoot Vietnam quite strikingly, but you don’t exoticize the scenery. 

Well, my interests in telling Vietnamese stories lie more on the urban side, rather than the postcard side, the countryside. That’s what the tourist board would like you to see – traditional dresses in rice fields with buffaloes—but I’m more of a city person and more interested in the hustle and bustle of the city. I tend to keep it on the street as much as I can.

Before you started work on the film, how into the Vietnamese hip-hop scene were you?

Very, very minimal. I had to play a lot of catch-up. Because I’m based in L.A., what I did first was I started scouting the crews on Youtube. So I got a sense of who the crews were in Vietnam, after that  I had a co-producer go out and make contact with the crew leaders in both Saigon and Hanoi…and then when we landed and were prepping the film, I had to play catch up and really absorb their day to day routines. Some of the things I learned along the way were really interesting. For instance, I had it in the film where the North crew were very privileged and the South crew weren’t, but in actuality most of the dancers within the big cities tend to all be privileged. If there were any poor kids dancing, they’d be from the outskirts or more of the rural towns.

So that’s one thing I learned – when I got there and saw all the dancers, all the kids in crews would be decked out in hip-hop gear, Puma and Converse and Adidas shoes, and that’s not cheap to buy. Most of them come from good families.

There’s a certain consciousness in your film I think, in that Mai doesn’t sort of “learn hip-hop” and use it for herself, like we see often in other dance films.

Yeah, I mean there were a few people who were expecting — and I think some audience members would expect [as well] — Mai, the traditional dancer, to dance with [the crew]. But I think that’s a disservice to real hip-hop dancers, because you can’t really wing it in the span of a month. A lot of these dancers in the film have been with crews for at the very least two to three years. It takes time to develop those skills … [but] I did try to fuse a bit of traditional dance at the end with the lion drummers, which is a very Chinese and Vietnamese thing. And it was interesting, when I was prepping the film, asking the hip-hop crews there—because I was a little worried—I said, ‘For the finale I’m going to have a drum crew perform with you guys because I think it’s energetic.’ And they said, ‘Yes, we’ve done that before.’ They’d actually fused traditional music with hip-hop before. Those are the kind of things that you learn along the way before you shoot the film.

Did you make a lot of changes as you learned more about the hip-hop scene?

Not really, just little changes. Like, I had it in the script where one crew goes around with a donation box, and they said they don’t do that, they just dance for fun and dance for pride. Later on, before the finale in the film [I planned] a montage of them training; I had them jogging along the river, and I wanted to capture that in slow motion. But they said they just kind of train…they don’t jog. And there were a lot of these details that we get from American films that didn’t really translate to a Vietnamese film.

Are you a fan of these Hollywood dance films?

A few of them. I’m more of a drama guy, so for me, with Saigon Electric, the dance aspect is secondary to the story and characters, so structurally I tried to have it more similar to something like Save the Last Dance, which is very heavy on the drama.

So more story, and less…Step Up 3D, I guess?

Yeah. The emphasis in the Step Up movies is to showcase the dance…with mine, because I like good acting, I tried to emphasize the story more than the dance. And you know, with a small budget, I didn’t feel like I could really compete with American dance films so I didn’t even try. But because of the context of a dance film, I do have requisite dance elements in it, the final battle being one of them.

Are you a hip-hop fan?

I’m not a hip-hop aficionado; what I found interesting in the subject matter was more the youth culture. In Vietnam, hip-hop is relatively new–it’s really only exploded on the scene in the last few years—but for me, youth culture is important because you’ve got a really young population going through a sea of change in Vietnam, with everything become more global. A lot of the dancers were influenced or inspired by watching a lot of stuff on the internet, by American dance movies and watching battles of other dance crews on Youtube. That’s a part of the change in Vietnam, a lot of young people are on Facebook and the internet. We still keep in touch with the dancers over Facebook.

Saigon Electric screens tonight as part of the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, 8:45 p.m. at The Royal. Director Stephane Gauger will be in attendance. An encore screening will be held at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts on November 19 at 1:30 p.m.