‘Community’ season 6, episode 3 review: If a dog can do it…

Did you realize that today’s new “Community” episode was actually the series’ 100th episode? Given that the series’ aim is to almost constantly surprise, maybe it is only natural for the show to change course and mostly give us a rather small-scale episode rather than one where everyone spend their time throwing paintballs or pillows at one other.

The main push of the story was this: A dog apparently got a degree from Greendale … or at least was close to one. This became a subject of a City College ad, and the school had to figure out a way to adequately respond before it was going to air in the morning on a local TV station. There were so many different little gags that worked, even if not all of them tied together completely to the rest of the story.

1. Having this be an overnight trip really worked well, especially given that Britta showed up drunk, had an “accident,” and then had to wear a pair of Elroy’s pants the majority of the time. Despite this, the writers somehow still made it not seem juvenile.

2. Chang decided that he would enact revenge by going to City College to film a very specific form of entertainment for adults, only to really just film it on a wall of the school … while wearing a Greendale shirt. Publicity, ladies and gentlemen!

3. Our personal favorite of the night was Dean Pelton refusing to understand that Jeff had given him a fake phone number, and that he was really texting some teenager in Japan who acted as though Jeff was in love with him. This was brilliant in that it justified further Dean’s insane love for Jeff, and also creating great moments regarding olives and the kid at the end realizing that he wanted to join the Yakuza.

In the middle of all of this was a story where Annie tried to be the moral authority, and wanted to ensure that no one was trivialized as a result of their efforts … including the dog. In a way she succeeded in showing everyone, including a hesitant Frankie (who we’re growing fond of as a character), that there is in fact a right way to do things.

We’re not sure when it comes to pure laughs-per-second that this goes into our top 10 “Community” episodes ever, but it was still a strong collection of scenes and gags that felt worthy for the 100-episode mark. The new characters are blending well, and best of all the show still feels like itself despite a new home. Grade: B+.

What did you think about this episode? Let us know in the comments.

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