Community/Recap/S2/E15 Early 21st Century Romanticism

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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On Valentines' Day, when Jeff has an argument with the study group over the Barenaked Ladies (and, less contentiously, Pierce's increasing dependence on his painkillers), Professor Duncan uses the opportunity to invite himself over to Jeff's place to watch the Liverpool vs. Manchester United soccer match on Jeff's big screen TV -- a plan which gets a lot more complicated when Chang overhears and, for his own nefarious purposes, invites himself along as well... as well as a few other people. Meanwhile, Britta is thrilled to have made friends with a lesbian, which causes her to lord her hip liberal cred over Annie -- until Annie discovers something Britta doesn't know about her new friend. And the increasingly erratic and unstable Pierce is finding himself torn over choosing between his friends and the tiny man who appears when he takes his pills.

The Community episode "Early 21st Century Romanticism" provides examples of:

  • Actor Allusion: May or may not be intentional, but Paige (Brit Marling) and Claire seem to be an alternate version of Britta and Annie - a subtle reference to Marling's movie "Another Earth"?
  • Aerith and Bob: A non-fantasy example, some of the guests at Jeff's party includes; Magnitude, Swizzle, Scandalous, C-Dub, Tim, Mighty D, and Glisten.
  • Author Filibuster: Jeff does this In-Universe. The plot kicks off with an argument about the worthiness of the Barenaked Ladies, with the entire group defending them (citing their triple-platinum sales and billboard awards) while Jeff rants about how the band doesn't deserve notability, and certainly doesn't deserve its own unnecessary acronym (BNL.)
  • Berserk Button: It's probably best you don't insult the Barenaked Ladies around the study group, as all of them but Jeff will viciously attack you for some reason.
  • Can't Stand Them Can't Live Without Them
  • Catch Phrase: Discussed on the DVD commentary when they ask each other if people go up to them and say "Pop Pop!" Donald Glover comments that it's so NOT a catchphrase that it loops back around to become one.
  • Crazy Prepared: Pierce has a dissertation-length piece of mockery prepared for Britta "befriending" a lesbian (much of which is oddly supportive), and has another one waiting for when Jeff comes out.
  • Development Gag: Some of the names Jeff lists off as partygoers leave his house were tentative names for Magnitude.
  • Did Not Do the Research: Out of all things, about the Saw franchise; it consists of seven movies, not eight, and they last a hour and a half on average, not two hours.
  • Hot Librarian: Mariah, who both Troy and Abed have a crush on.
  • I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Troy and Abed's motivation for their two-on-one date. Although jury's out on whether the 'beloved' in this case is Mariah... or the other boy.
  • Lampshade Hanging: Jeff has never heard of Magnitude before. Neither has the audience.
  • Love Triangle
  • Mistaken for Gay: Britta and Paige. Both by each other.
  • Mood Whiplash: Jeff's heartfelt text message to his friends cuts abruptly from Britta, Shirley, Annie, Abed and Troy all together receiving and reading it at the same time at the dance to Pierce, alone, unconscious, stoned and possibly having an overdose on a cold park bench outside.
  • Noodle Incident: Pierce's prepared statement may count, since we only hear the concluding remark.
    • He also appears to have individual ones prepared for the other members of the group, or at least Jeff, that we don't get to hear.
  • Mushroom Samba: Pierce gets a visit from a tiny Andy Dick.
  • Off the Wagon: Duncan
  • One-Scene Wonder: Magnitude, the one man party. Pop Pop!
  • Pitying Perversion: Britta for Paige. And vice-versa.
  • Rushed Inverted Reading: By Chang as he spies on Jeff inviting Duncan to his house to watch the soccer game.
  • Ship Tease: Now available in Ho Yay and Les Yay flavors.
  • Serious Business: The group is just as -- if not more -- outraged by Jeff's dislike of the Barenaked Ladies than his reluctance to join them in an intervention for Pierce.
  • Shout-Out: "Where the white women at?
  • Similar Squad: Britta and Annie's lesbian counterparts. Who aren't lesbians.
  • Small Reference Pools: The game that Duncan wants to watch is between Liverpool and Manchester United, of course. Not, like, Everton or West Ham or something.
  • Stealth Pun: Abed peaks over the top of a book titled "Physical Anthropology" while checking out the Hot Librarian. In Community, Annie gives the definition of anthropology as "the study of humanity."
  • Take That: Jeff railing against Barenaked Ladies.
  • Throw It In: Annie nearly kissing Britta.
  • Two Guys and a Girl: Beautifully subverted; how to Troy and Abed get around the potential threat to their friendship that their mutual attraction to Mariah creates? Approach her at the same time, explain the situation, and invite her on a mutual date to let her decide. And then, when Mariah eventually chooses Troy, Abed takes it in good spirit. And then Troy immediately breaks up with her because she criticises Abed.
  • Unusual Euphemism:

Annie: Oh! Is she a...(stage whisper) friend of Ellen?

Britta: Yes, Annie, but you can say the word. Paige is a lesbian!

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