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"Critical Film Studies" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of ''Community''. It was originally aired on March 24, 2011 on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. In the episode, the study group organize a ''
Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...
''–themed birthday party for Abed. Instead, Abed spends most of the evening with Jeff at an upper class restaurant and the two engage in what is seemingly a deep conversation about their life-changing experiences. Unknown to Jeff, Abed is actually using the dinner to reenact another movie. Meanwhile, the rest of the group wait impatiently for Abed to finally show up. The episode was written by Sona Panos and directed by
Richard Ayoade Richard Ayoade ( ; born 23 May 1977) is a British comedian, actor, writer, director and presenter. He played the role of socially awkward IT technician Maurice Moss in Channel 4 sitcom ''The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013), for which he won the 2014 Br ...
. Although it was promoted as a ''Pulp Fiction'' centric episode, the episode also notably paid homage to ''
My Dinner with Andre ''My Dinner with Andre'' is a 1981 American drama film directed by Louis Malle, and written by and starring André Gregory and Wallace Shawn as fictionalized versions of themselves sharing a conversation at Café des Artistes in Manhattan. The ...
''. It received positive critical reviews.


Plot

Jeff (
Joel McHale Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for hosting ''The Soup'' (2004–2015) and his role as Jeff Winger, Jeffrey "Jeff" Winger on the NBC sitcom ''Community (TV seri ...
) and Abed (
Danny Pudi Daniel Mark Pudi (born March 10, 1979) is an American actor and director. His roles include Abed Nadir on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he received three nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supp ...
) have dinner at a fancy restaurant. Abed acts unusually social and normal, which Jeff finds weird. Jeff is trying to get Abed to go to the surprise ''
Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...
''-themed birthday party at the diner Britta (
Gillian Jacobs Gillian MacLaren Jacobs (; born October 19, 1982) is an American actress. She is known for playing Britta Perry in the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), Mickey Dobbs in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Love'' (2016–2018), and Mar ...
) works at. Each member of the group has dressed up as a character in the film. At the restaurant, Abed tells Jeff about his visit to the set of ''
Cougar Town ''Cougar Town'' is an American television sitcom that ran for 102 episodes over six seasons, from September 23, 2009, until March 31, 2015. The first three seasons aired on ABC, with the series moving to TBS for the remaining three seasons. AB ...
'' (of which he is an admirer) and how appearing as an extra in one of the episodes supposedly changed his outlook on life. Having opened up to Jeff, Abed then insists that he and Jeff have a "real conversation" without the usual references to pop culture. Jeff responds by saying that he doesn't believe in real conversation. In the process of explaining himself, he inadvertently lets out his insecurities. He recalls an embarrassing incident where he was forced to trick-or-treat in a "little Indian girl" costume. As he is getting comfortable opening up to Abed, the waiter stops by and accidentally reveals that the dinner was a reenactment of ''
My Dinner with Andre ''My Dinner with Andre'' is a 1981 American drama film directed by Louis Malle, and written by and starring André Gregory and Wallace Shawn as fictionalized versions of themselves sharing a conversation at Café des Artistes in Manhattan. The ...
'' planned by Abed. Meanwhile, at the diner, Troy (
Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...
) is jealous and intrigued by the
briefcase A briefcase or an attaché case (/əˈtæʃeɪ/) is a narrow hard-sided box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and equipped with a handle. Lawyers commonly use briefcases to carry briefs to present to a court, hence the name. Bu ...
Jeff has gotten for Abed for this birthday. Chang (
Ken Jeong Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong ( ; ; born July 13, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the NBC sitcom ''Community'' ...
) incessantly tempts him to open it. Britta has booked the diner for the party up till 8 pm. When the party still hasn't started long after that, her boss becomes annoyed and spitefully reveals to Annie and Shirley that Britta is an outcast at work, too, mocking her offer to give him her tips from her next shift. Troy breaks and opens the briefcase, finding a lightbulb and a "Certificate of Authenticity" (later revealed to be a forgery from
eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
) claiming that the briefcase is the actual prop from the movie. After he closes it, the lightbulb overheats and the briefcase catches fire. When Chang blames him for the mishap and accuses him of "being a bad friend" to Abed, an enraged Troy attacks him, breaking some items in the diner in the process. Jeff gets angry when he finds out that Abed's talk was an act. The rest of the group arrive at the restaurant very upset. Jeff strikes a deal with the diner owner to pay $800 of the damages, but Britta is fired. Abed meets Jeff at the diner and reveals that he set up the reenactment to get closer to Jeff as he feels they have been drifting apart. Jeff accepts that this is simply Abed's way of expressing friendship. In the penultimate scene, the group, still dressed up, celebrate at the restaurant. In the final voiceover, Jeff says "... I doubt I'll ever forget my ''Dinner with Andre'' dinner with Abed." In the end tag, Abed & Troy once again eat at the restaurant. Unfortunately, neither Abed or Troy can pay the check, so they both decide to
run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
.


Production

The episode was written by Sona Panos, her first writing credit for the series. It was directed by guest director
Richard Ayoade Richard Ayoade ( ; born 23 May 1977) is a British comedian, actor, writer, director and presenter. He played the role of socially awkward IT technician Maurice Moss in Channel 4 sitcom ''The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013), for which he won the 2014 Br ...
, who had worked with series semi-regular
John Oliver John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British and American comedian who hosts ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' on HBO. He started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom and came to wider attention for his work ...
while in the Cambridge troupe the
Footlights The Cambridge Footlights, commonly referred to simply as Footlights, is a student sketch comedy troupe located in Cambridge, England. Footlights was founded in 1883, and is one of Britain's oldest student sketch comedy troupes. The comedy so ...
. Ayoade and Joel McHale also starred together in the never-picked up pilot of an American remake of ''
The IT Crowd ''The IT Crowd'' is a British television sitcom originally broadcast by Channel 4, created, written, and directed by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, and Matt Berry. Set in th ...
'' (with Ayoade reprising his role and McHale taking the place of
Chris O'Dowd Christopher O'Dowd (born 9 October 1979) is an Irish actor and comedian. He received wide attention as Roy Trenneman, one of the lead characters in the Channel 4 comedy ''The IT Crowd'', which ran for four seasons from 2006 to 2010. He has star ...
).


Promotion

"Critical Film Studies" was heavily promoted by
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
as the "''
Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...
'' episode". The network ran many promo slots for the episode hoping to capitalize on the film's iconic cultural status, which was unusual for the show. Many of the show's actors and writers also
tweeted A tweet (officially known as a post since 2023) is a short status update on the social networking site Twitter (officially known as X since 2023) which can include images, videos, GIFs, straw polls, hashtags, mentions, and hyperlinks. Around ...
about the episode, though show creator
Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American television writer and producer. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC sitcom ''Community (TV series), Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast ' ...
cautioned that the episode was less of an homage to ''Pulp Fiction'' than was promised by NBC.


Cultural references

The episode is an homage to the 1981 film ''
My Dinner with Andre ''My Dinner with Andre'' is a 1981 American drama film directed by Louis Malle, and written by and starring André Gregory and Wallace Shawn as fictionalized versions of themselves sharing a conversation at Café des Artistes in Manhattan. The ...
''. Just like the film, the episode is centered almost entirely on two characters—Jeff and Abed—conversing in an upper class restaurant. The film is unknown by most people. The story exploits the elusive knowledge of the film keeping the audience, and Jeff, suspended from the idea that Abed is actually playing a movie bit. The characters, after discussing life-changing experiences of their own, open up to each other, creating a much deeper friendship in the process. Abed also wore a similar sweater to the one worn by Andre Gregory in the film. Jeff's narration throughout the episode also imitates the film. The piece of piano music played over the episode's final scenes is the same piece used in the film,
Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born 17 May 18661 July 1925), better known as Erik Satie, was a French composer and pianist. The son of a French father and a British mother, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoire but was an undi ...
's Gymnopédie No. 1. The first part of Jeff and Abed's conversation focuses heavily on Abed's visit to the set of ''
Cougar Town ''Cougar Town'' is an American television sitcom that ran for 102 episodes over six seasons, from September 23, 2009, until March 31, 2015. The first three seasons aired on ABC, with the series moving to TBS for the remaining three seasons. AB ...
''. Actor
Danny Pudi Daniel Mark Pudi (born March 10, 1979) is an American actor and director. His roles include Abed Nadir on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he received three nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supp ...
made an actual cameo in the season 2 finale of ''Cougar Town'' playing the part of Abed. Jeff mocks the name of the series: "If you want me to take it seriously, stop saying its name." The episode also made many references to the 1994 film ''
Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...
''. Aside from the ''Pulp Fiction''-themed birthday party set in the 1950s diner, it also spoofed the
MacGuffin In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. The term was originated by Angus MacPhail fo ...
plot device involving the mysterious briefcase. The study group dressed up as characters from the film: *Jeff as Vincent Vega *Britta as Mia Wallace *Shirley as Jules Winnfield *Troy as Pumpkin *Annie as Yolanda or "Honey Bunny" *Chang as Butch Coolidge *Pierce as the Gimp


Reception


Ratings

In its original American broadcast on March 24, 2011, the episode was viewed by an estimated 4.46 million people, with a
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the #Nielsen TV ...
of 1.8 in the 18–49 demographic.


Reviews

"Critical Film Studies" received positive reviews from critics. Emily VanDerWerff of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' praised the episode's strong emotional tone: "'Film Studies' demonstrate that, yes, these are characters who do care about each other and want each other to be well. They're not just joke machines; they're people with feelings and passions that go beyond the latest movie homage... an elaborate film homage, yes, but it's also one of the most humane things the show has ever done, a half hour of TV about what it means to be a good friend." Kelsea Stahler of Hollywood.com called it "a little bit of a pill", but still "one of my favorite episodes of the show ever." Alan Sepinwall of
HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
said the episode traded funniness for complexity, but praised the execution: "Doing an episode with that many layers, and with such a small number of overt jokes, that tries to have its cake and eat it too with the emotional life of a character who can only sort of be said to have an emotional life?... That takes some major-league huevos, and I applaud Pudi, Joel McHale, writer Sona Panos, special guest director Richard Ayode (from "The IT Crowd") and everyone else involved for both trying it and pulling it off." Sean Gandert of ''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...
'' praised the episode's change in tone noting that "as with the great years of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'', one of the important lessons is that to be a great comedy you don't have to feature start-to-finish laughter, you just have to be good." In 2013, two years after its release, Rob Sheffield of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' called it the best television episode of the 21st century.


References


External links


"Critical Film Studies"
at
NBC.com The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
* {{Community (TV series) Community season 2 episodes 2011 American television episodes Media containing Gymnopedies Television episodes about birthdays