Greetings, alternate universe friends! We’re taking a break from our time in the office Dreamatorium to bring you another recap of Community‘s sixth season from the brightest timeline, where the show was never canceled. Enjoy!
Even here in the brightest timeline things can get a little sad sometimes. This episode hit us right in the feels, you guys.
This week’s episode starts in Troy’s new office as the school’s guidance counselor. He’s meeting with student after student after student. At first we see who he’s meeting with and hear what they’re saying. They’re complaining mostly. Not surprisingly, a lot of students are unhappy at Greendale. After a few students though, the camera just stays on Troy. The camera does that slow pan/fast motion thing on him while students file in and out.
It’s interrupted by Leonard. He’s clearly caught on that Troy isn’t paying attention and slams on the desk. Troy’s startled. Leonard yells that he wasn’t paying attention, but Troy says he was. Leonard tries to prove Troy wrong by asking what he was talking about. Confused, Troy just guesses and says, “Butts?”
Leonard apologizes for thinking Troy wasn’t paying attention and sits back down. He says, “As I was saying…” and the opening credits kick in.
It’s clear throughout the whole episode that something is wrong with Troy. As a character, Troy is a near-constant source of jokes. It’s weird to say he and Abed are the comedic relief given that the show is so funny overall, but they’re at least the absurdist relief. But in this episode every time you think Troy is about to make a joke he’s just staring off blankly. It’s a little unsettling.
When the study group/Save Greendale Committee are meeting in the library everyone catches on. They start trying to set Troy up to say something funny or nonsensical, but it takes a few tries before he even responds.
The whole episode goes on like that. Once everyone else realizes something’s wrong with Troy they seem to have put their own stuff on hold. The whole thing with Annie and Jeff getting together isn’t addressed outside of a few shared glances. The only recurring story we see is Chang and City College trying to take over the school.
Dean Pelton is excited that enrollment is up at the school, but it turns out it’s because City College is enrolling spies at the school to try to convince people to leave Greendale for green(dale)er pastures. When the study group finds this out they at first assume it’s only new students, but when Jeff finds and confronts Chang he tells them that it’s been going on for years. Anyone could be a City College spy.
After initial suspicion, the group rules themselves out, but still suspect everyone else. Annie and Jeff start interrogating suspects, and eventually find out that Leonard has been a spy all along. It’s why he’s been the worst this whole time. That story gets wrapped up and the group reconvenes in the library.
They’re all celebrating, but as soon as Troy shows up he drops a bombshell we weren’t prepared for.
He’s leaving Greendale again. This time for good.
Obviously, no one takes it well and they’re all surprised, but Abed refuses to believe it. Troy explains why he’s been acting so weird the whole episode. He stands in front of the group and tells them that since he’s come back from his boat trip things have been different. He isn’t sure if he’s changed or if Greendale has, but he knows he doesn’t belong there anymore. He’s taking a scholarship to a Heating and Air Conditioner in Chicago. Troy continues his speech and tells the group that it’s not them he’s leaving and that he’ll miss everybody. We may have cried a little bit. Shut up.
We assume that just like in our normal timeline, Donald Glover is leaving to pursue other interests like his comedy and music careers, but there was less warning in the brightest timeline. We didn’t see it coming.
(images via Community)
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Published: Aug 22, 2014 07:45 pm