The Way Way Back Review- “Everybody’s Just So… Sad”

This review is presented free of spoilers. Except for my tears. Those are fairly well-documented.

“My mom doesn’t smoke pot…”

So is the plight of young Duncan (a terrific Liam James), a boy in the throes of that awkward time in his adolescence, as he contends with his mom’s new boyfriend and just being sad all the time. It doesn’t help that his stepdad (Steve Carell) is an absolute dick, and Duncan’s mom only seems to want to hang out with him, leaving poor Duncan on his own, lonely and singing REO Speedwagon ‘till his heart’s content. Problem is, Duncan’s heart gets content pretty fast, so he finds his way to a local water park called Water Wizz and starts working there, under the watchful eyes of a bunch of really funny people you didn’t know you secretly wished would run a water park together.

“Invasion of the Abed Snatchers”- Community Season 4 Episode 11 Review- ‘Basic Human Anatomy’

I never thought I would end up caring about the Troy and Britta relationship. Don’t get me wrong, I was rooting for the kids back when they were still in the “faffing about” stage of courtship, but their entire time as a couple has really been a wash. It was a drag back in the season premiere and has mostly been forgotten about since then. Also, I’ve always felt that Jeff and Britta should end up together, if Jeff and Shirley don’t. Jirley is still my primary ship.

And now that all of that Tritta stuff is said and done, I thought it got a nice and touching outro for something that was never that great, like if Revolution’s last episode suddenly changed the way we think about scripted sword fights. I legitimately cared as Troy finally worked up the courage to end it, but that may be attributed to my unnecessary love for Britta.

And, boy, this episode should just not work. I don’t know if a body-switching episode has ever been done, much less done well. Glover and Pudi have great fun and nail their impressions, and it really elevates an episode that could have (and probably should have) been abysmal.

“Does a Pierce Crap in the Woods?”- Community Season 4 Episode 9 Review- ‘Intro to Felt Surrogacy’

There are spoilers here. By clicking on this review, you accept the responsibilities associated with such.

This episode had me nervous. Besides the premiere, this is probably the nervous I’ve been for an episode this season, mostly because this felt (forgive the unintentional pun) almost exactly like something that people would pitch at a meeting of something Community hasn’t done, but totally would. It felt (I wish there were another word for this) like someone trying to masquerade as Community, picking up its remains and using it like Weekend at Bernie’s, and that could go so horribly, horribly wrong.

“Together Her Cats Can Do Anything”- Community Season 4 Episode 8 Review- ‘Herstory of Dance’

The following is a review that contains lots of spoilers, so you best check yoself, foo’.

Awwwwwwww, Britta…

My secret love for Gillian Jacobs and Britta are far from hidden and she really has been the MVP this year, so when I read on Wikipedia that this episode was coming, I was absolutely ecstatic. Britta has never been the best proponent of plot (many of the show’s best episodes eschew her almost entirely), but she brings with her an incredible amount of heart and the absolute joy of watching Gillian Jacobs do weird physical comedy.

“Pop Pop Permissions Revoked”- Community Review Season 4 Episode 7- ‘Economics of Marine Biology’

Chekhov’s Gunman is a film and television blog moderated by Kevin Lanigan, a future writer of movies and TV and current City College scholarship winner.

It was at about the time where Shirley was spooning Troy was spooning Chang that it became very apparent that this season of Community is being aired drastically out of order. After last week’s revelation that, whoa, Chang totally doesn’t have Changnesia, it seems very weird to see him taught how to Frisbee for yucks.

For those curious, here’s the order the episodes were supposed to play in, using layman’s terms instead of fancy episode names…

“And We Could All Use a Little Chaaaaaaaang”- Community Season 4 Episode 6 Review- ‘Advanced Documentary Filmmaking’

Chekhov’s Gunman is a film and television blog moderated by Kevin Lanigan, a future writer of movies and TV and current Good Will Hunting-esque mathematical savant. (That’s a Smash Mouth reference in the title, for all of you who are interested).

I was a little nervous about this one. Since I view the three (now four) documentary episodes as the sacred cows of Community, this one had a lot to live up to. A lot of shows could do paintball episodes, although admittedly not as well. Hell, Glee could probably do it. But no other show in history would thrice forsake its entire format for an entire episode. And it helps that all three are relentlessly funny and intimate portraits of our favorite study group (out of aaaaaaalllll the shows that consist of study groups. Namely none).

It doesn’t help that the episode was not only going to be about Chang, which is dicey enough as it is, but memory-less Chang. This is bad, seeing as I’ve already marked memory loss and one of the worst things in the world including babies and consummated will-they-won’t-theys. This looked to be bad news bears.

Top 20 Movies to Look Forward To- A Mexican Standoff

Chekhov’s Gunman is a film and television blog by Kevin “Kevin” Lanigan, a future writer of movies and TV and current underpants enthusiast. “Mexican Standoff” is our newest feature, a categorical list of something.

There’s a lot of good stuff waiting for us at the motion pictures. Of course, none of it is out right now, but there’s lots on the horizon. I’ve been trying to soak news up like a Bounty Quicker Picker Upper (thanks for the money, Bounty) and here’s a list of the 20 movies that I’m most looking forward to, or to which I’m most looking forward if you’re a grammar ass.

There are movies that are of course not on this list, mostly sequels to movies I didn’t enjoy. The second The Hobbit movie comes to mind, as well as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, although the casting news on that one is really promising. Admittedly, I’ve only seen the first ten minutes of the first Andrew Garfield Spider-Man flick, but that was a really terrible ten minutes. In either case, here’s the list…

“Chubby Cheeks Basted in Tears of Gravy”- Community Review Season 4 Episode 5- ‘Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations’

Chekhov’s Gunman is a film and TV blog moderated by Kevin Lanigan, a future writer of television and movies and the first monkey shot into space. Spoilers for Community follow, so, like… watch out…

Before I start in on tonight’s episode, let’s talk about all the awesome things to come. Recently, Community’s cast and crew went to PaleyFest and treated us to some tasty tidbits of what’s to come. We’re getting a puppet episode! With Jason Alexander as a “friendly mountain man!” I’m in! I am so in! I’m in like Professor Binns! Also, something big for Shirley, more paintball but not a full episode, and a Freaky Friday-esque episode written by Academy Award winner Jim Rash where Troy and Abed switch bodies. That’s all very promising. Speaking of promising…

I really, really liked this episode you guys. It was kind of lacking in the big laughs department but it was so damn pleasant and emotional that big comedy set-pieces would have almost ruined what was at work. As a viewer, I feel that often times comic relief can spoil something good, like making Argo’s tone a bit jarring or whatever the hell the “fat people fall down” section in Lincoln was. The Jeff’s dad storyline was so delicate, with so much real emotion to it, that too much schtick from Troy or Pierce would have ruined it. There was a lot to laugh at here (Gillian Jacobs was funnier tonight than anyone else has been all season), but—Oooooooh. Jeff’s Dad!

“Well, It Fared Better Than Poland”- Community Season 4 Episode 4 Review- ‘Alternative History of the German Invasion’

Chekhov’s Gunman is a film and television blog run by Kevin Lanigan, a future writer of movies and TV and current Community superfan who’s just going through some stuff right now, OKAY?!

The fourth episode of any season of Community has always been one of its linchpins. No season of the show has started off particularly well. Season 1 was a textbook example of a strong pilot leading into a show that struggles to find its feet. Season 2 started off best, but still not strong. Hell, Season 3 started off just awful and then went on to be one wildly inventive season of television.

With each of those seasons, it was the fourth episode that really kicked us off in the right direction. The Jeff and Shirley gossip story from Season 1. The Space bus episode from Season 2. And while it was filmed third, the all-time classic “Remedial Chaos Theory” multiple timelines episode was the fourth to air in Season 3. So, perhaps needless to say at this point, there was a lot hinging on this episode.

“Bigger Secret Dogs to Come”- Community Season 4 Episode 2 Review, ‘Paranormal Parentage’

Chekhov’s Gunman is written by Kevin Lanigan, scriptwriter, amateur botanist, and die hard Forgetting Sarah Marshall fan. Normally he does essays, but tonight he was feeling frisky and also really likes site traffic. Spoilers follow, so please use your harsh words and violence on each other.

Community is building to something big. Like the calm before a storm or Japanese immigrants visiting Pearl Harbor in the winter of 1940, I feel something big is coming. I know it in my bones. And by bones very rarely steer people wrong.

They’re simply laying too much groundwork for me to think they’re not trying to go somewhere with it, like that construction site across the road run by Italian Americans and loose-lipped greasers who keep disappearing.