*Spoilers Ahead*
Fresh off last week’s final installment in the Paintball trilogy we get another of Community’s most beloved concept episodes getting a third installment, this time it’s Abed’s documentaries. Whereas the previous two times, Abed has filmed the possible final moments of one of his friends and the disastrous shooting of a Greendale commercial. This time, Abed starts out directing Garrett’s proposal to his, apparently long-time, girlfriend and it eventually evolves into him just filming the group at the wedding and reception. While “Videography” isn’t as strong as last week’s episode it still manages to be a hilarious and oddly thoughtful look at the group as a whole and apart.
The whole episode struggles to actually define the current dynamic between the group and what it means when they’re apart but that struggle feels like it actually might be on purpose. Relationships themselves are usually hard to actually define, especially the longer one goes on and when you focus in on a group of longtime friends it can seem like a odd club that you never got an invite to.
Never does the show make that point more clear than when Frankie comes over, presumably because Britta and Annie made her, to get ready for the wedding. They hype it up as a little girl time, with Abed looming around with a camera, before the rest of the group arrives. Instead, we get a lot of awkward silence as the ladies try to find any sort of conversation they possibly can. Frankie is still an outsider, how can she not be when the majority of the group has known each other for six years at this point.
Thankfully, Jeff comes over with the boys and the actual party begins. The group parties and enjoys themselves to get hyped for the wedding. The wedding of Garrett, a side character who most of them barely care or know about. The show plays on this when they arrive at the wedding and immediately put the attention on themselves. Community has played with the idea that the group immediately draws attention away from those around them when they show up, mainly because their the characters we follow on this show, but also because most of them are loud and kind of ridiculous when taken out of the confines of Greendale. Even Garrett looks a bit more normal here and he usually looks like God spilled a person.
After a stern calling out from Garrett’s mother, the group decides to split and enjoy the wedding separately which leads to some hilarious bits including Elroy falling back into his addiction of encouraging white people and Annie coming up with names for her imaginary fake dragon.
Things quickly go awry when Jeff becomes the replacement best man and does some research to make a great speech. He, unknowingly, ends up revealing that the newlyweds are actually cousins and almost ends up destroying the entire wedding. Jeff and the rest of the group are quick to blame themselves, which felt like a refreshing change of pace since they are usually so unaware of how horrible they can be. Chang refuses to believe the group is bad though, he’s convinced they’re better as a unit because he’s better when he’s with them.
Chang has been such an odd character in the show’s history but his use this season has been the best since the first. He even gets to give a rousing and emotional speech that brings everyone together.
In a way, this episode feels like the ultimate answer to the often asked question, “Is the study group really healthy for all involved?” The answer is “yes and no.” It feels like a cheat but it’s also the most realistic way of looking at it. Community, at it’s heart, was never about Greendale, not really, it was always about a group of disparate people coming together to create their own makeshift society. Some of those people might have changed but the idea is still there. Sometimes they have great moments and sometimes they have terrible ones but the group itself is necessary. Everyone in it might not exactly know their role but why should they? Apart, the people in the Save Greendale Committee are broken but together, well, they’re still broken but they have a better chance of making it.
Bits ‘n Pieces
- Sorry if this week’s review feels rambling and sappy, I realized halfway in that next week might be the final episode of this show we ever get.
- Nice to see Mrs. Dan Harmon herself, Erin McGathy, as Garrett’s cousin-wife.
- Also another solid tag that got a great laugh out of me with it’s fake Dan Harmon and his bottle labeled “VODKA.”
- “Well, it’s official, I’m getting laid!”
- “Please don’t Jim the camera like that.”
- “Any of those people could be God.”
- “My name is Elroy Patashnik, and from 2000 to 2009, I was addicted to encouraging white people.”
- “God I love my job! Wait, this isn’t my job. God, I love myself!”
- “Now this is a man who knows how to marry his cousin!”
- “Everyone stay and eat cake or go to Hell!”
If you’d like to give me feedback or just chat about Community you can email me at theSuperAlbino@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter @JesseSwanson