It is truly hard to just choose a few good moments from this show, because each episode contains several stand out scenes. The creative team seems determined to out do themselves at every turn (with the escalating paintball stories becoming more and more thrilling).

 

“Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”:
In what could be considered the stand out episode of the season, the entire Greendale gang and school are suddenly stop motion animated in a tribute to stop motion Christmas specials of years past as we get a glimpse of one of the various ways Abed sees the world through his own eyes. What follows is a amazing Christmas musical journey that harkens back to both Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as well as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that teaches the gang about the true meaning of Christmas. Also, Christmas Pterodactyl FTW!

“Advanced Dungeons & Dragons”:
Possibly one of the most well done and accurate depictions of a game of Dungeons and Dragons in the history of Television, this episode causes the Greendale gang to embrace their inner nerd in order to help “Fat Neil” overcome his depression. The standout moment in the episode is where Pierce embraces his evil side and sets into motion a plotline that would continue for the rest of the season.

“Critical Film Studies”:
Possibly one of the biggest jokes on an audience I have ever seen a TV show pull as this episode was advertised as the huge Pulp Fiction tribute episode and ends up being something else entirely. The gang goes to celebrate Abed’s birthday by throwing him a surprise party themed of Pulp Fiction when it turns out Abed doesn’t seem to want it. Abed wants to just grow up. Jeff must now deal with having a fancy dinner with Abed and convince him to come to his actual surprise party… the twist in the episode is something not to be missed and carries over into an episode of Cougar Town with Abed in the background keeping continuity with this episode.

“A Fistfull of Paintballs” & “For a Few Paintballs More”:
In the climatic two part season finale capitalizing on the show’s biggest episode of the previous season, its time for another Paintball tournament at Greendale Community College setting everyone against each other. But there is a new badboy in town… “The Black Rider” is determined to win the prize for himself.

 

Separate from the individual episodes, I do want to give special mention to the credit sequences, which are easily the best moments of each episode. These little clips are just the icing on the cake of comedy that is Community…and it is a damn tasty cake.

 

 

 

The Greendale Study Group provides ample entertainment in the form of extras on the Season Two set. The hilarious Outtakes and Deleted Scenes are a requirement for any fan of the show, as well as watching the Paintball Finale featurette (which goes into great detail about the lengths the team went through to make this episode happen). 

 

-Commentary on Every Episode

-Outtakes

-Deleted Scenes

-The Paintball Finale: From Script to Screen

-Creating Wonderland

-Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas Animatics

-Season 2 Cast Evaluations

-DJ Steve Porter Remixes Season One 

 

 

Without any question, Community is one of the best shows on television.

 

I have no reservations in stating that it is incredibly consistent in quality of writing and acting, and has yet to disappoint on any level. These characters are entertaining to watch because you can see the emotion and sincerity in every situation that they face. Let’s face it: we all have known a Troy, or a Britta, or a Jeff. These characters might have started out as stereotypes, but they have evolved into people that the viewers are heavily invested in (yes, even Chang).

 

It was interesting to see the path that they chose for Pierce to travel during the second season, as he really became more vindictive and dark. The creative team has demonstrated time and again that they have a plan for each of these characters, and if Pierce being evil for awhile needs to happen to push others to their fullest potentials, I am all for it. Speaking of potential, Ken Jeong definitely stepped up this season and developed Chang into a somewhat likable human being, which is harder than it sounds. Chang as the villain made sense due to his role in the first season, but his transformation during season two was definitely a highlight and worth the watch. Danny Pudi (Abed) and Donald Glover (Troy) are the Dynamic Duo of the show, and are comedic gold when on screen. Joel McHale as as Jeff Winger was one of the most perfect decisions in television casting history. You like the guy and hate him at the same time. Gillian Jacobs’ Britta provides the perfect foil for McHale’s Winger, as viewers get to enjoy the passion and tension between the two on a regular basis. Yvette Nicole Brown gets a lot of screen time  this year as Shirley gets development and a major plotline of her own that resonates through Season Two. Alison Brie (one of the hottest actresses on television) does a phenomenal job as Annie, who blows viewers away with a climatic and thrilling performance during the Season Finale. 

 

The Third Season of Community premieres this Thursday on NBC, and even if you haven’t watched the show before, start now. Community is worth your time. 

 

ComicsOnline gives Community: The Complete Second Season – 5 out of 5 Betty White Rap Videos.

 

Get your copy of Community: The Complete Second Season at Amazon.

 

 

 

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline.com for more Community coverage and for everything geek pop culture!