COMMUNITY SEASON 5 EPISODE 7: "Bondage And Beta Male Sexuality"

COMMUNITY SEASON 5 EPISODE 7: "Bondage And Beta Male Sexuality"

Community has been worrying me lately: With the gang already graduated last season only to return in college as unofficial school staff, it's already grasping for straws to retain its premise. Coupled with Donald Glover and Chevy Chase's absence in the main cast this season, and a previous episode that didn't know how to find direction in its new ensemble, the signs are pointing that Community would never be the same again. But little did I know that there are still a few sparks left to harvest. This is Community, damn it! Where good writers go before and after season 4.

Review Opinion
By dbatman - Feb 28, 2014 10:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Other


By Jon David Garca



Ian Duncan asks Jeff for advice on how to hook up with Britta. This leads to the whole gang, except for Abed and Hickey, to attend a charity event where Britta meets up with some of her old anarchist friends. Meanwhile, Abed and Hickey gets into a heated fight, after Abed inadvertently destroys 5 hours of Hickey's work.


There aren't much laughs to be found this time around, it instead focuses on little character moments; establishing the pairings with the new additions of the group. And every once in a while, I like that. It keeps the character from being caricatures of their former selves.

Take for example, Britta Perry: Britta was never my favorite character, but at the start of the series she was actually a cool idealistic girl. Yet by season 3 her idealist personality had become a joke; relegating her to the group's "airhead." So it's to my surprise that the writers made an effort to humanize her again. In this episode, when she comes face to face with some of her old anarchist friends, she comes to realize she is a failure of the standard she holds herself up to. This episode did what I thought the writers could never do again; they made me like Britta again.





Another example is Ian Duncan: Again, Duncan isn't my favorite character. He's rude, selfish and a creep; generally unlikeable. And his running gag of "being British" was never funny to begin with. His friendship with Jeff was never developed and seems to only exist so that, in the very few times Jeff isn't with the group, he has someone to talk to. But with Duncan now in the study group, it was only a matter of time for the writers to let Duncan and Jeff have a dynamic. Question is, would it come out organically? The answer is, yes. The writers point out that their friendship never came out as actual friendship; a revelation to the characters themselves. So by the end of the episode the problem has been fixed and they now feel like actual friends. Again, this episode did what I thought the writers could never do; they made me like Duncan.






Meanwhile, Abed and Hickey gets to lock horns. It's been hinted before that Hickey doesn't like Abed. Now, it's revealed it's because Abed never gets to suffer the consequences of his actions just because he's Abed. People left and right enables him, too accepting of his quirks. Hickey believes him to be spoiled. And this time things must have consequences. When Abed destroys Hickey's drawings, he ties him to a drawer with handcuffs; making Abed miss a "Kick Puncher" movie. Abed gets mad and used his super observational skills to psycho-analyze him. They get in a verbal exchange that cuts deep to both men. If anyone misses the "Troy and Abed" pairing, at least we have this new pairing and I'm excited where it leads.





And for some reason, Chang is getting funnier. I never liked Chang. I think he's the weakest of all the cast, and it got me worried when they added him in the study group. But the writers seem to be learning, and he's not as loud and insane as before. His storyline might not be important like the others, but it's hilarious anyway. Again, This episode is doing what I thought the writers could never do; I might be liking Chang.



This episode might not be the best the show ever had, and the new study group can't replace the dynamic of the original study group. But this show has life left in it. And if anything Community can do is surprise the hell out of you with each episode it release.




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Pasto
Pasto - 2/28/2014, 10:32 AM
How'd you do this?
dbatman
dbatman - 2/28/2014, 11:32 AM
@Pasto DO what?
jaysin420
jaysin420 - 2/28/2014, 4:05 PM
Love the show but didn't like this episode, it was weird without Pierce but now without Troy it's just so different.

But those were always my favorite characters so maybe it's just me.
dbatman
dbatman - 2/28/2014, 9:26 PM
@jaysin420 Yeah, I know what you mean. I miss the episodes where they can just interact with each other in the study room. It seems now that the members are different you can't do that because it's not the same.
Minty
Minty - 3/2/2014, 10:46 AM
Great review, and even better reviewing style. I'm a big Community fan and I really liked this episode, mainly for the Duncan/Britta stuff (both characters I do like but feel they've been less well used in recent seasons). I'm missing Troy a lot as well, and I'd hate it if they try to use Hickey to replace him in a new Abed pairing (though in this episode the pair worked pretty well together).

Anyway liked how you did this, and was pleasantly surprised to see a Community related thing on this site
dbatman
dbatman - 3/2/2014, 9:58 PM
Minty@ THanks, Man. I expected that I community wouldn't have an audience here, since, it's a comic site.
SteveBosell
SteveBosell - 3/4/2014, 1:29 AM
I stopped watching after Season 3. It just became absolutely infuriating that Abed always had to be right. I had other problems with the show but that's one of the main reasons. The first 3 seasons were comedy gold (at times). It should be mercifully cancelled.
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