Grade: A
Every TV show should get the series finale it deserves. A series finale should encapsulate everything that the show was about, while giving the viewers a last chance to say goodbye to their favorite characters. The season six finale of “Community,” while not officially a series finale, does that perfectly.
“Community” is defined by its awareness of the fact it is a TV show and the heartfelt love it has for its flawed characters. It is probably best known for the wonderful self-referential gags that litter most episodes. But its most successful episodes are those that marry postmodern sensibility with empathy for its characters’ feelings.
“Modern Warfare” parodied action adventures films while exploring Jeff and Britta’s relationship, as well as working fan criticisms of it into the narrative. “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” was done in stop-motion animation to show how Abed was having a mental breakdown.
“Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television” is just as good as those episodes. It involves the characters imagining what they want “season seven” to be. Each scenario is then shown with the characters acting how the storyteller thinks they would act.
This concept gives great insight into how each character thinks. It also provides some excellent absurdist humor — Ice Cube Head is one of the best and most ridiculous things that has happened in season six.
But what makes this episode so great is how that concept is used to explore the theme of moving on. Even Abed, who has had breakdowns over similar issues, is preparing to leave Greendale and grow up. Not even Jeff reminding him of his hope for “six seasons and a movie” can persuade him to stay.
Jeff is reminiscent of Klinger from “M*A*S*H” in this episode. Both wanted to get out of a situation as fast as they could at first but ended up staying in that situation longer than they originally thought. Unlike Klinger, who was content staying in Korea with his wife, Jeff is at first not happy with his friends leaving.
Joel McHale gives a great performance as Jeff which makes the viewer feel all of his pain. The scenarios that he imagines perfectly reflect his dismay at his friends moving on without him. They are an excellent example of how “Community” uses its meta trappings to explore a character’s fears and desires.
These compassionate parts and the final goodbyes between characters are greatly aided by composer Ludwig Göransson’s work. His wistful music captures the bittersweet feeling of saying a goodbye whose time has come.
The future of “Community” is uncertain. But the last episode of its presumably final season was emotionally satisfying and true to the show’s inimitable style. The episode’s writers, Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna, certainly outdid themselves and made me eager for the long hoped-for next step of “Community:” #andamovie.
