S06.E07: Advanced Safety Features

[formerlyfreedom]

A former boyfriend lures Britta into joining Honda’s guerilla marketing campaign. Jeff looks to get Elroy to like him.

 

Please note - the topic will be locked until the episodes have dropped on Yahoo! Screen at 12:01 a.m. PT, 1:01 a.m. MT, 2:01 a.m. CT, and 3:01 a.m. ET. This topic is for episode discussion only please.

[Amarsir]

This might have been the best episode of the season for me. The plot was simple but I was laughing throughout.

 

Plus it was educational. I for one did not realize the 2015 CR-V was named Motor Trend's Sport/Utility of the year - not just for it's fuel economy and driver-assistive safety technologies but also the Earth Dreams™ powertrain technology and newly-redesigned touring trim. So you know, it's nice to learn something.

[VCRTracking]

I LOVED this episode! Gillian Jacobs has been killing it two episodes in a row. The part where she slapped Rick twice and then tried to a self defense kick was great. The scene where they sell to Todd and at Britta's parents(nice to see their back) was also funny.

 

My favorite scene though is with Frankie and the Dean with her trying not to call him an idiot.

 

Glad they acknowledged Troy and his value to the group and that Abed just isn't as fun without him. It was sweet that Frankie tried to fill the gap with metal drums.

 

Billy Zane! Wow, he really has become the new Pernell Roberts(he was Adam on Bonanza and Trapper John M.D.) His failed attempt to exit like Batman made me laugh.

 

Elroy and his ex was amusing mainly because Keith David was wearing Lisa Loeb's glasses.

[Tetraneutron]

I just think if the show is going to bang the (steel) drum of 90s nostalgia so hard, they could at least have Annie and Abed not get it.

 

Also, all of pop culture is way to nostalgia-focused.

[godonlyknows]

I'm struggling to get through this Honda advert. I swear I've already watched 20 minutes of it and there's still 15 minutes left. Alison and Gillian both seem to be over-acting this week.

[marieYOTZ]

"They can advertise something without you knowing?? That's like brain Windexing!" Gave me a laugh. That's as far as i've watched so far ;)

[Amarsir]

I noticed they ADR'd the "steel" in "steel drums", if not necessarily the "drums" part. It made me wonder what that line was originally supposed to be. So I searched and Dan Harmon tweeted:

 

embarrassed sigh. Yes. I fucked up. Those things aren't called kettle drums. If I wrote sooner, someone could've caught it

 

Which I think sheds light on a number of the issues we've seen in earlier episodes: the scripts are rushed. As I said above, I did like this one. But it shows, especially if Yahoo isn't exercising control the way NBC did to create more editing and review process.

 

I just think if the show is going to bang the (steel) drum of 90s nostalgia so hard, they could at least have Annie and Abed not get it.

 

Also, all of pop culture is way to nostalgia-focused.

Until your comment and a rewatch, I had no idea there was any nostalgia component in the show at all. I still don't, to be honest, as even though the band and game are "from the 90s" both are fake.

 

I'm struggling to get through this Honda advert. I swear I've already watched 20 minutes of it and there's still 15 minutes left. 

Is product placement so awful that we can't tolerate parodies of it either? We can say it's been done, both Arrested Development and 30 Rock did their bit on it in addition to a prior Community episode. But if it's that pervasive it's also fair game to mock.

[CletusMusashi]

This episode had kind of a slow start. At first I thought the only laughs I was going to get were from Chang breaking an egg over and over again. Not that I didn't laugh, but... the Dean and Annie were too frantic, Abed making jokes about not being funny is not as funny as Abed being funny, and the overall dynamic of the group has just not felt right this season.

But then it found itself, and it stayed found. I think that if they'd tightened it up into a traditional pre-Yahoo length, it would have been great. But they just don't know what to do with this extra time. The lack of editing distillation takes great scripts and turns them into bloated, diluted half hours.

Harmon used to go on the DVD commentaries and talk about how, before script editing, many of their episodes would have had running times of over forty minutes. I used to think "Wow! I'd love to see that!" But honestly, it appears that there is a correct length for an episode of "Community" to be, and that length, unfortunately, is 22 minutes.

[TeeVee329]

Yay to Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlett popping by again!

 

Also?  I love Frankie.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, I loved Lisa Loeb repeatedly telling people that no one in the band is actually named Natalie. It reminded me of Darius Rucker saying people used to call him Hootie. I also cracked up at at Jeff referring to the band as Natasha Freezing because there was a San Diego band called Natasha's Ghost (and for the record, no one in the band was named Natasha).

[JayKay]

The drawbridge thing had me dying. Britta has been on fire since last season. Frankly, I think she makes a better lead than Jeff at this point. I loved how the song the band played was also the one Britta tripped out singing earlier this season.

Chang's PowerPoint presentation was hilarious. I had to watch it twice, I was laughing so hard. And speaking of rewatching, did anyone catch what was on the white board after the subliminal advertising was brought up? I swear it had "It's totally blank!" written on it as if to mock me for looking for it.

Frankie can stay. The steel drums really did pay off. I've absolutely been the Frankie in situations like the one with the Dean - I was so amused when she tried not to go off on him. There should be a word for what that was. Between that scene and the drawbridge one, it's clear the cast has comedic chemistry with the new characters. Elroy, you stay too.

I will say that I kind of suspect that Yahoo has been giving the writers notes on how to be tumblr/tech relevant all season, and the 90's throwback craze is just one more checkmark off that last.

I can't wait to watch next season on my smartphone from the comfort of my new Honda, thanks to Yahoo and not sandwiches. Gross. We want cars now, sandwiches are dumb and slimy.

[arc]

But honestly, it appears that there is a correct length for an episode of "Community" to be, and that length, unfortunately, is 22 minutes.

Though if NBC had renewed the show, it still wouldn't be 22 minutes. Just in the five years Community had been on NBC, the network had slowly been ratcheting down the amount of airtime the show got. I think by the fifth season it was more like 21:30?

I do think they could stand to tighten up the editing a bit, but on the other hand, it's nice that bits like Chang's PowerPoint presentation and Frankie's terrific run of insulting the Dean have room to breathe.

[Kalliste]

To me it's strange they keep mentioning the things that have become bad about the show (Chang being used incorrectly, Abed not being able to work without Troy, that none of them go to class anymore) but they don't seem to do much to fix it.

 

I didn't mind this episode, I thought the 'ad placement' was so strange. I know it has been done before but it was just odd but sort of in a good way. I was mostly concerned for the people that fell for it. I guess that's Greendale for you.

 

I have to say I think one of my favourite parts was when 'Subway' came to the bar for Britta and she 'jumped' the bar but did it so badly and awkwardly.

[arc]

To me it's strange they keep mentioning the things that have become bad about the show (Chang being used incorrectly, Abed not being able to work without Troy, that none of them go to class anymore) but they don't seem to do much to fix it.

You didn't think Chang's PowerPoint presentation was a thing of genius? Cause I thought it was really, really solid work.

[Irlandesa]

Chang has bothered me since Season 1 but I actually think they have fixed him to an extent this season.  The Karate Kid episode made me care about him and I don't think I've ever cared about him.

 

And the PowerPoint bit in this ep was hilarious. 

[Zahdii]

I keep forgetting when the new shows air, so I just saw this one.  I thought this episode is the best so far, it's much more like the Community I fell in love with so much I got all five seasons on DVD.  I have hope now.

[arc]

I still can't stop thinking about this exchange:

Britta: That's from Chariots of Fire. I love that movie.

 

Rick: I do too!

 

Rick: [a beat. sheepish:] Also, we have to.