"Community Season 5" Grasping for Greatness


     Is it wrong to say I actually enjoy the later season of Community for the most part. I mean it doesn't really have the charm of the earlier seasons, and the fact that it looks more professional can be off-putting at times, but is it wrong to say that Harmon still has it? I mean it's not that anything's become particularly worse. I mean of course losing Troy is a major blow, one they pretty much spend the rest of the series trying to recover from, and Chang is still weird, but I kind of like Professor Buzz Hickey.

    While it is weird they've been in college for so long, you cannot tell me that season 5 was bad. Basic Intergluteal Numismatics, Geothermal Escapism, Cooperative Polygraphy, App Development and Condiments, Advanced Advanced Dungeons and Dragons? I mean it's a pretty star studded season. It has all the same high concept episodes that made the show just so delectable fans, and it even tries to showcase some "underutilized" characters, such as Dean Pelton, a decent Shirley Episode but we could have used more of her, and the return of Professor Ian Duncan.

    Look, it's not the same, but it still tries to rub that same itch you've been looking for. I know you're looking for 24 episodes, and I was disappointed too, but at least we have a show, even if I miss the sitcom feel. I don't really know how to feel about the ending, I think one of the big inhibitors of this show is that a lot of the season finale's just feel like the showrunners not knowing if it's going to end, so they just end up making it big and climactic, only for them to be back next season and try and unravel the thread a bit more so they can go back to knitting.

    Honestly, I enjoyed it though, what's not to like? I'd argue it has some of the best episodes in the show, and I find myself going back to season 5 of Community more often than I thought I would, even if any sense of time or seasons is gone. I think the issue with Community is that sometimes you just watch what's happening and remember that this indeed did use to be about people in a Community College, and you sort of miss the shenanigans about being in a school. I understand not wanting to be inhibited by it, but it would have been cool to see more about Jeff being a teacher, am I wrong?

Final Score: 83/100

    It's good, it's real good. I still think that some characters like Shirley and Britta don't get the shine they deserve, and Abed really falls apart without Troy, but they make up for it with the concept episodes where they can find a little role, even if just for a little bit. The first season without Pierce completely, honestly it feels a little weird to not have him, but frankly you can make only so many episodes based off of them trying to fix a bitter old man, and his funeral episode was about as good of a sendoff as you can make it, though they really do need more consequences for Abed he is kind of a bad person.

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