18 May, 2012

Review - COMMUNITY 3.21: 'The First Chang Dynasty'

Me like Britta. Me not ashamed.

The study group develops a plan to infiltrate Greendale's Chang-controlled campus; Troy turns to the Air Conditioning Repair Annex for help.

Plot
Another episode in a line of great episodes this season. I am totally in love with Dan Harmon and crew! I'd do unnatural things to all of them but they'd be slumming it.

Anyway, so this episode tackles the Chang plot to not only overthrow Dean Pelton but to get the study group expelled. His Stalin like success has resulted in lower attendance, even as he makes commercials proclaiming the opposite.

Through Troy's association with the air conditioning school, the group discovers the location of the dean's prison chamber and set into action utilizing the blue-print strategy from OCEANS 11.

It is all executed beautifully, hilariously, and other words that end in ly. And to add even more weight to the episode's greatness, we get an honest and emotional moment as Troy, having made a deal to save the group, leaves the gang to join Vice Dean Laybourne's school, which apparently requires you to leave home like some Harry Potter school for wizards.

The episode also features the study group in various costumes, fake mustaches, and roles that confuse the evil Chang empire. This includes Britta in arguably her hottest outfit/makeup yet as Jeff's gothy magician's assistant. Meowsers! Also, we get a rave dubstep action sequence. Not to mention Chang adorned in his most glorious evil. The whole episode is the icing on the delicious cake that was the previous episode.

Quotables
Officer Cackowski: I'm working on a cop opera.
Entire gang minus Pierce: Cop Rock!
Pierce: (late) Police'icle!

Chang: Where's my deanlechanger?

Britta: First Chang kidnaps the dean and now he throws himself a birthday party? It's just like Stalin back in Russia times.

Murray: Suppose you actually managed to make it past the guards at the front. There's 50 more inside, armed to the teeth with stun batons and misplaced sexual aggression. But let's say you happen to get past them. Then you get to meet Chang's number one, Joshua. A four foot ten, one hundred and five pound bucket of piss and zit cream. I cannot express to you how much I hate this kid!

Murray: Not a lot of people get a second chance. Just you and probably Obama.

Jeff: The answer's simple. We just have to plan an elaborate heist!
Britta: (under her breath) Yes!
Pierce: Great. I'll get my turban.
Jeff: Everyone except Pierce has to plan an elaborate heist!

Shirley: You had time to build a tiny working water fountain and I'm a pine-cone?

Little girl singing: Chang eats the sun and drinks the skies, and they both go with him when he dies.

Jeff: How's it coming with the guard?
Britta: Boys are pathetic. Two days of Facebooking with this Joshua kid and he's eating out of my hands. 'Got a new flavored lip-balm. Meet me at Chilli's in ten minutes.' Sheep.
Jeff: Umm, I just wanna reiterate that this should be the only time you seduce a child over the Internet.
Britta: I know!

Annie: You're gonna burn down the school and kill everyone!
Chang: Fire can't go through doors, stupid. It's not a ghost!

Abed: Chang started his solo. Knowing him, that gives us only 9-minutes to get to the records room.

Abed: Which wire do I cut?
Troy: There's only one.
Abed: God, I hope I'm right.

As Troy says goodbye to the gang, they deliver their parting words.
Pierce: Never wear a rubber.
Jeff: (shaking hands with Troy) Never listen to Pierce.

Britta: (kisses Troy on the cheek) This is a lock of my hair.
Troy: (genuinely touched) Creepy.

Rating
If I had to rate this one, and my imprisoned doppelganger says I do, then I'd give it:

94 out of 100

A great homage to OCEANS 11 with a bunch of laughs, that leads us into the finale with the right amount of anticipation about Troy's future (thankfully, it followed immediately so it wasn't a long wait). Even though this episode could have worked as a finale and the next could have easily introduced us to season 4.