NBC’s ‘Community’ season 5 spoilers: More details on a certain ‘Crack Bandit’

When you see what we’ve written above, we understand if your first inclination is to automatically assume that we are talking about the drug. As it turns out, not so much. Instead, this “Community” season 5 story is about a different sort of “Crack Bandit,” and one that is going to be on a nefarious crime spree throughout Greendale Community College in the third episode of the season (airing on January 9).

If you saw the trailer earlier this month, you already know a little bit of what we are talking about here. Someone is nefariously pantsing various students of the college, and Donald Glover’s Troy seems to be one of the victims. (The good news? That seems to rule him out as the suspect.) The press release for this episode lists the title as “Basic Intergluteal Numismatics,” and the synopsis gives you a few more details about this person’s heinous acts:

“Everyone is up in arms when an anonymous bandit starts dropping coins down people’s pants. While Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) mobilizes the school to investigate, Jeff (Joel McHale) and Annie (Alison Brie) pursue their own theories – methodically interrogating staff members. When someone eventually confesses, the school heaves a sigh of relief, but Jeff thinks there is more to the story than meets the eye.”

Isn’t there always more than meets the eye with this show? Couldn’t the Crack Bandit possibly be some elaborate City College scheme? Is this someone the Dean’s way of getting Jeff’s pants on the ground? There are so many theories, but whenever “Community” takes on mysteries, it does so brilliantly. There’s no reason to doubt this one, even if the premise seems a little bit silly. (In lesser hands than Dan Harmon, it would be on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”).