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[[File:abeds_uncontrollable_christmas_9929.jpg|frame|<small>From left to right: Teddy Pierce, Baby Doll Shirley, Troy Soldier, Abed, Christmas Wizard Duncan, Ballerannie, Britta-Bot, and Jeff-in-the-Box.</small> ]]
 
{{quote|"''Fair warning, guys. A journey through Winter Wonderland tends to test your commitment to Christmas. So when I say test, I mean [[Charlie and Thethe Chocolate Factory|Wonka]]-style. I'm talking dark. My advice: Stay honest, stay alert, and for the love of God, stay between the gumdrops.''"|'''Abed'''}}
 
It's Christmas time again for the study group when Abed announces that everything's in [[Stop Motion]] animation. The group, suitably worried, take Abed to Professor Duncan for therapy. Though Abed at first rejects this, he's tricked into going to the study room for a group therapy session...which he immediately turns into a magical trip through the mind, Willy Wonka-style.
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=== The ''[[Community (TV)|Community]]'' episode "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" contains examples of: ===
 
* [[Affectionate Parody]]: Of the [[Rankin /Bass Productions|Rankin/Bass]] stop-motion Christmas specials, but especially [[Rudolph the Red -Nosed Reindeer]].
* [[Alas, Poor Villain]]: {{spoiler|Professor Duncan and Britta. Especially Britta, as she honestly did try to help Abed}}.
* [[All There in the Manual]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110208031318/http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/12/08/dan-harmon-community-christmas-episode/ This interview] with Dan Harmon (warning: spoilers for upcoming episodes) explains the reasons why Abed chose those toys to represent his friends:
{{quote| "Abed sees Jeff as a big talking head with limited practical functionality, and he sees Pierce as maybe deserving of more love than he gets, and sees Troy as a soldier, and sees Britta as a malfunctioning device, and sees Annie as a creature of grace, and sees Shirley as a big baby who feels entitled to the Christmas of her choosing."}}
* [[An Asskicking Christmas]]: The group beats the snot out of Duncan.
* [[Art Shift]]: The entire episode ''is'' [[Stop Motion]]-animated afterall, and Abed's noticing of the art shift that no other character notices is central to episode's plot.
* [[Awesome Yet Practical]]: A Christmas Pterodactyl... that self destructs!
* [[Big Red Button]]: It summons the Christmas pterodactyl! Also initiates the self-destruct.
* [[Break the Haughty]]: Abed does this to Duncan, making him relive his tenth Christmas with his dad nowhere to be found.
** [[Break the Cutie]]: {{spoiler|Duncan later does it to Abed, using his mother's absence.}}
* [[Call Back]]: This episode isn't the first time that [[Community (TV)/Recap/S1 /E04 Social Psychology|Abed has managed to turn one of Professor Duncan's rather self-serving psychological experiments back on him.]]
* [[The Cast Showoff]]: Somewhat averted; Alison Brie, who sings a bit in real life, was asked to tone down her performances because people would find it unrealistic that Annie is a good singer. Played straight with Yvette Nicole Brown, who belts her section of the song.
* [[Christmas Episode]]
* [[Cool Train]]: The Planet Abed train. Going at the speed of [[Bjork]].
* [[Moment of Awesome|Crowning Moment of Awesome]]/[[Heartwarming Moments|Heartwarming]]: The end, where [[Nakama|everyone comes back]] to beat up Professor Duncan and ''sing about it''.
{{quote| "Aaaand...Christmas pterodactyl! Initiate self-destruct." "Don't you think that's a little--" BOOM!}}
* [[Funny Moments|Crowning Moment Of Funny]]: The tag: "Troy and Abed in stop motion!"
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Jeff gets eaten by "hum-bugs" because he is one.
{{quote| '''Britta-Bot:''' If ''only'' he could find the power to not be a smug douche.}}
* [[Deconstruction]]:
** Deconstructs Abed's [[Genre Savvy|Genre Savviness]] and [[Leaning Onon the Fourth Wall]]. In this episode, he breaks the fourth wall...and all his friends worry about his sanity.
** It also deconstructs the "true meaning of Christmas" by saying that the true meaning is that Christmas has whatever meaning we impose on it - thus meaning there is no "true" meaning.
* [[Designated Villain]]: Britta mostly, but Duncan too. Granted, he was trying to help Abed for his own purposes, but he ''was'' trying to help him. And what Abed was doing ''isn't'' healthy.
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* [[Disappeared Dad]]: Apparently, Professor Duncan had one.
* [[Dwindling Party]]: Only {{spoiler|Pierce}} manages to make the trip with Abed to the North Pole. [[Battle Royale With Cheese|Everyone]] comes back in the end though.
* [[EverythingsEverything's Better Withwith Dinosaurs]]: Christmas pterodactyl! And even better, an ''[[Stuff Blowing Up|exploding]]'' Christmas pterodactyl.
* [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin]]: "Sad quick Christmas song..."
* [[Food Porn]]: [[The Tag]] involves Troy imposing stop-motion on reality again for the sake of delicious-looking fake food.
* [[Fridge Brilliance]]: A stop-motion episode, co-written by [[Moral Orel (Animation)|Dino Stamatopoulos]].
** The episode's last scene shows the group watching a Christmas special on TV. In the final shot, the screen on the set goes blank and we briefly see a reflection of the characters in live-action form, signifying that Abed's breakdown has finally ended.
* [[Funny Background Event]]: As Dean and Duncan drink together, the gang breaks into the holiday-zone and steals the tree. Then Shirley comes back and takes the menorah.
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* [[The Grinch]]:
** Duncan's not a fan of Christmas, most likely because of his [[Disappeared Dad]].
{{quote| '''Duncan:''' Hey, this is not ''my'' fault! This is what Christmas ''does'' to people. We put too much meaning into it and it lets us down!}}
** Britta, with her outspoken dismissals of Christmas and many of the holiday trimmings, also comes off as a bit of a killjoy as well. This is, however, ''not'' why Abed ends up excluding her from his Christmas journey.
* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: Troy Soldier, Humbugs.
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* [[Jerkass]]: Duncan is less interested in helping Abed than in getting a paper published on his delusions, making the enabling of Abed's delusions less worrisome and more heartening instead. And towards the end of the episode, even these self-interested-yet-mildly-benevolent intentions appear to be replaced by simple spite towards Abed {{spoiler|for reminding Duncan how crummy his own Christmases were as a kid}}.
** [[Jerkass Woobie]]: He becomes a lot more sympathetic once we see how unhappy his own Christmas' were after his dad left.
* [[Matryoshka Object]]: A gift labeled "Meaning of Christmas" has two nested boxes inside. Inside the last one is a DVD of ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'', which represents "lack of payoff".
* [[Medium Awareness]]:
** Abed sees that they are all in stop motion. Nobody else does - until the end credits, when {{spoiler|Troy}}goes into it.
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* [[Missing Mom]]: The reason that Abed's trying to find the meaning of Christmas.
* [[Musical Episode]]: Abed breaks into song several times. The entire gang gets in on it by the end. Reluctantly.
* [[New Powers Asas the Plot Demands]]: Or rather, as Duncan's controlling of Abed's hypnotherapy session demands:
{{quote| '''Abed:''' I'm on the roof of the train!<br />
'''Duncan:''' Oh, great! Well... I'm teleporting there! Because I can do that! I'm a wizard! }}
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: {{spoiler|Pierce}} claims he's there for the {{spoiler|cookies}}, but he's really just lonely this time of year.
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* [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]]: "It's that very special time of year, Greendale! A time for me to remind you that your school acknowledges ''no'' specialness to this time of year. You ''do'', of course, have a constitutional right to lend this season the significance of your choosing in any of our designated 'holiday zones'." Said 'holiday zone' is a taped-off corner of the cafeteria with a miserable looking tree and a menorah.
** Subverted when the Dean gives in to the urge to just wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
* [[Self -Destruct Mechanism]]: The Cave of Frozen Memories & Christmas Pterodactyl each have one.
* [[Ship Tease]]: At one point Annie kisses Abed on the cheek, and at another she sings the line "saying 'I love you'" in unison with Jeff.
* [[Shower of Angst]]: Snowman Chang claims Abed's molestation of him is the reason Chang will be crying in the shower tonight.
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* [[Something Completely Different]]
* [[Special Edition Title]]: Abed sings a revised version of the theme song before being tased:
{{quote| Give me the snow,<br />
Light up the trees,<br />
Deck every hall,<br />
And while you can see.<br />
Roast every nut<br />
Mistle the toe<br />
This needs to be the best Christmas<br />
Since the original<br />
20,000 years from now<br />
They'll say<br />
The most successful Christmas was to-day! }}
* [[Stop Motion]]: Abed even points out that they aren't clay, but rather silicone over ball-and-socket figures.
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** The reason why Abed's searching for the true meaning of Christmas: {{spoiler|Every year his mother would visit on December 9th to celebrate Christmas with him and watch Rudolph. This year, she didn't because she has a new family.}}
** Abed's song about Britta when he leaves her behind:
{{quote| ''Britta-Bot,<br />
Programmed badly,<br />
Wires with fraying ends.<br />
Functioning<br />
Mad and sadly.<br />
No faith in herself<br />
Or friends.'' }}
** Any sympathy gained by it is pretty much negated by his [[Jerkass]] behavior at the end of the episode, but Duncan's outburst about his missing father and terrible home life counts.
** One that doubles as [[Fridge Brilliance]]: Of course Pierce is the only one to {{spoiler|stay 'til the end}}: this is his {{spoiler|first Christmas without his mom}}, too.
* [[Took a Level Inin Jerkass]]: Duncan, normally abrasive and lazy but not cruel, takes several levels in this episode. Even ''[[Even Evil Has Standards|Pierce]]'' calls him out on it.
* [[Traintop Battle]]: Christmas Warlock Duncan chases Abed atop the train.
* [[True Meaning of Christmas]]: Of course. It turns out to be that the meaning of Christmas is the idea that Christmas has no inherent meaning, and it means different things to everybody.
* [[What Could Have Been]]: This episode could've been ''much darker.'' From [https://web.archive.org/web/20130528055148/http://www.avclub.com/articles/dan-harmon-walks-us-through-communitys-second-seas,57209%2C57209/2/ this AV Club article:]
{{quote| '''Dan Harmon:''' I remember there was this little elf girl. There was a visit to Duncan’s office where you actually meet all the broken toys outside the hallway. Christmas is a booming time for Duncan because of all the suicide attempts and thoughts and things, and there’s this little redhead elf girl out in the hallway who Abed befriends, and he indoctrinates her into the ability to willfully deny reality and just engage in this fascination. It just got too fucking dark. [Laughs.] Because she ended up killing herself again or attempting it. And it was like, “Oh my God, there was no way. I can’t even watch this.”}}
 
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Community (TV)/Recap]]▼
[[Category:Community S 2 E 11 Abeds Uncontrollable Christmas]]
[[Category:Recap]]
[[Category:Community]]
▲[[Category:Community (TV)/Recap]]
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