*Spoilers Ahead*
It finally happened. Community finally hit me with an episode that made me remember everything I love about this show all over again. It’s only appropriate that it is an episode that had every right to fall short.
As the third installment in a trilogy of paintball episodes, the first of which solidified the voice of the show and the second two-parter that ended the show’s best season, “Modern Espionage” had a lot to live up to, thankfully it passes with flying colors. It’s not just the best episode of the season, it’s one of the best of the whole series.
The episode is a parody, or as Abed would like it to be known a “flawless post-modern homage,” of spy movies as the gang attempt to track down the notorious “Silver Ballz,” who is running an underground paintball game on campus despite Frankie banning all paintball. This naturally puts the group in conflict with Frankie, especially Jeff who is insistent that he has given up the life of a paintballer. The group has been at odds with Frankie before but the angle of this one, where everyone actually wants to help her while still playing paintball, makes it work.
The direction takes a step up this week as Rob Schrab returns to direct this episode and delivers some fun action spoofery. The best of which involves a play on the elevator scene from Winter Solider involving The Dean. Production in general seems to look better this week as we get a special opening to fit with the spy theme and everything in general looks better than much of the season has to this point.
Eventually, it’s revealed that Silver Ballz is custodian Lapari who believes that Frankie doesn’t truly understand Greendale and the people in it and will only destroy it. Jeff believes that she can only better the college and the show manages to give us a nice emotional bow to tie up this episode with. While at first I expected Frankie to be Silver Ballz the actual reveal makes more sense. Frankie is a character who has come into her own in these few episodes but she still feels the most like an outsider in the group, even with Chang around! Hopefully this ending goes a bit towards making her feel more integrated.
Elsewhere, Abed and Annie prove that they are still awesome at paintball and Elroy gets partnered with Britta, providing a great excuse to have Keith David spout off a few more classic one-liners. While Paget Brewster’s Frankie has felt withdrawn from the group Keith David as Elroy feels like a person who has secretly been there all along, waiting for the right moment to actually join.
As we draw closer to the end of what could very well be the final season of this show I’m glad we got this episode, regardless of how the other two end up turning out, we at least got one final episode that delivered in almost every way possible.
Bits ‘n Pieces
- Kumail Nanjiani of Silcon Valley and The X-Files Files plays Lapari and it’s as great as I expected it to be.
- Jeff and the others use Batman actors as their code names.
- “That was instinct, I can’t help being a badass.”
- “If you’re hanging around we’re gonna need some water.”
- “Who is Silver…man?” “My accountant? Oh, how do you know David?”