"I'll imaginary-sleep when I'm imaginary-dead."
"I'll imaginary-sleep when I'm imaginary-dead."Sometimes when something works we, AS A SOCIETY, have the tendency to run it into the ground: things that are clear (thank you 90’s for ruining my chance at a transparent Macbook), irony (a tip of the hat to you BROOKLYN) and Megan Fox (fist bump to 2009) are all perfect examples. Now some may say that Community is guilty of this. When something works this show brings it back, paintball, documentaries, post-apocalyptic games gone awry; but the difference between this show and REALLY LOVING BACON is that it’s still novel and interesting. Yes this go round of D&D wasn’t as enthralling as the first but it was still funny, touching, and unlike a Woody Allen movie that evokes the same feelings, you didn’t feel like a bad person after watching.
Did we really need a Hickey-centric episode? Absolutely not. Was it pleasant to have David Cross guest star? Yes. Was the episode all around good but still medium in terms of Community standards? Definitely. Onward to the Necromancer’s lair.
Hickey
C
He’s a crotchety old man, we get it, he has a strained relationship with his son, it happens. Do we really get to know why that is? It’s said directly that he wasn’t there (Times Square) but that’s basically all we get. I mean, I want the dude to see his Grandson but it’s a little hard to get behind this whole shebang when I’m not that invested in the character. It’s almost as if the group has run out of things to do for themselves (which isn’t true, they’re a veritable goldmine of storylines) and so they have to focus their actions elsewhere.
Meanwhile Hickey is chest punching and generally not getting the point of this carefully plotted game of D&D. I guess it’s sort of a metaphor for how he lived his life, if something wasn’t working he ran at it and if he couldn’t get away he punched it right in the heart. In doing so, he broke his son’s. HIT IN THE FEELS.
Hank Hickey
F
Sure his Dad seems kind of grumpy and emotionally stunted -- OH WAIT DID I JUST DESCRIBE DADS? I mean hell, that’s literally my Dad’s Twitter bio (if my Dad actually had Twitter it would be the best. A lot of angry exclamations ‘God Damn Kids still costing me money!’ and ‘@jonbowling when’s the last time you thought about joining the military?’) So while I get the yearning for a stronger emotional connection with Pops, it’s also like YO let’s chill on the passive aggressiveness? So dude was distant, BUILD A BRIDGE (but don’t hire Goblins) and get over it, don’t withhold his Grandson because he missed a t-ball game. He’s not Billy Ray Cyrus or Joe Jackson, he’s a baby boomer and doesn’t know how to express love. I enjoyed the commitment and all out nerdery brought to the game but otherwise he a pretty flat character… and you just know he had jorts on under that outfit.
Jeff
B
He murders his own son. Now, notably his son is actually the Dean of his Community College (now his boss?) and is completely obsessed with him in a very clear and well-defined sexual way. Context or not dude committed (imaginary) filicide and his son only wanted one good, creepy hug, not cool Winger, NOT cool. That said this could have been a great episode to show some of Jeff’s own inner turmoil regarding his relationship with his father. Unfortunately so much of the narrative focus was on Hickey that everyone else kind of played supporting. I guess solid B for Jeff feeling feelings and agreeing to help Hickey try and reunite with his son.
Annie
A
First of all, Annie as ‘Hector the Well-Endowed’ will never stop being hilarious. When things devolve into all out war, the montage of Annie spewing raunchy sexual threats at her antagonists is gold. Not to mention the hand gestures #FISTING. Annie is sort of the best when she’s breaking away from type A pretty and perfect Annie. Hector the Well-Endowed does good things for her and I’m sure many an Elf Maiden.
Shirley
B-
Crouton we hardly knew ye’. In a sad twist of fate, despite excellent hand-spell choreography, Shirley bites the big one early on thanks to Hickey’s hot headedness. Her death is avenged through the slaughter of Goblins, but I for one feel like Crouton had only just begun to live. #NeverForget
Abed
A
Abed is an excellent Dungeon Master (mine is always so mean and never remembers our safety word! It’s NEBRASKA in case we ever meet up) his lack of emotion and cold hard judgment allows him to oversee the gameplay as a completely unbiased God-like being. It’s sort of the perfect world for him, as evidenced by the most do or die tea-party D&D game EVER PLAYED w/ Annie’s stuffed animals.
Chang
C
Bonus points for calling him Dingleberry, which is still one of the most exquisite and evocative insults of our time, if you’re wondering it’s dried poop caught in your butt hair. YOU’RE WELCOME, HAPPY FRIDAY.
Britta
C
I usually love Britta in these situations because it’s a great opportunity for her to be the worst and that’s kind of the best. Unfortunately she took a backseat, an underused Britta is a bad-one.
Dean
A
Such creepy. Much sexual Innuendo. Wow.
"Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons"
B-
Trying in vain to integrate secondary characters more solidly in the group makes a plot device that worked spectacularly the first time fall a little flat this time around. I was so excited to see another D&D Ep (and I’ve never played!) and I was genuinely disappointed. It could have been so much better and it could have been so much worse. A medium episode of Community is still B worthy but I’m giving it the minus so they remember they can do better.
Extra Credit
- Joseph Gordon-Jokes
- No matter how I feel about his character, David Cross is a welcome addition
- The Dean and Abed’s commitment to the game, specifically the Dean’s death and Abed’s Goblin work.
- Hank Hickey: "You know where he was for most of my birthdays? A little place that rhymes with 'not there.'"
Chang: "Times Square?" - "Well, I'm assuming you guys can help me beat him. Because if we lose, I'm going to punch you each in the heart." - Professor Hickey
- "That's what I love about role-playing games -- being told exactly what to do." - Hank Hickey
- Hank Hickey: "So, Dad, I'm just curious--what is it about Dungeons and Dragons that suddenly leaped out at you at age 60?"
Professor Hickey: "Dungeons. It'd be the dungeons."
Demerits
- Under utilization of central cast
- Crouton’s untimely death
- Not being able to hear what Hector the Well-Endowed was yelling during battle