Fail Whale? More like WIN Whale, am I right? Ohhhhhhhh, ME.
So the Twitter Poll results are in! Of those who answered, most are at least ON Twitter. And of those people, it was one part "Yes, let's party it up on the Twitters," one part "I can't keep up with the confounded thing so you do whatever the hell you want and I'll occasionally tweet when I'm stuck in line at the grocery store," and one part "shhh...if I don't answer the poll I can still pretend like I don't read this blog."
Word to your mother.
Well okay then, how about this? My twitter handle is (unsurprisingly) @iheartejs. Follow me and I'll follow you back. I pretty much follow anyone back, which is how I've gotten into the predicament I'm in. See, I've been on Twitter since early 2009 and have pretty much been following people willy nilly. Which means I follow a bunch of people who I don't really care about (but then also Tom Hanks, as well as nearly the entire cast of Parks and Rec--again, unsurprisingly. Best tweets? Jerry, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.) So, okay, here we go. I'm going to unfollow a whole bunch of people. Watch me.
....
There we go. I'll call it The Great Purg---nope! Nope, not calling it that. Regardless, I have room now to follow people I actually want to hear from, aka: YOU. So if Tweeting is your thang, let's be Twitter budz. If for no other reason, to make it so Adrienne is not the ONLY person I interact with over there. I mean, I love her like Leslie loves Ann, but I want more. And I promise to cultivate my Tweets and actually read and respond to others, not use it as a dumping ground for my poorly-crafted one liners. Usually. Sometimes. A little.
If you love inside jokes and hope to be a part of one someday, you need to be watching Community.
Recently, it was announced that Community would not be part of NBC's spring lineup. It isn't cancelled, it's just on hiatus I guess. I am in freak-out mode over it, even though NBC probably did it to get some buzz going for a show that isn't getting the ratings it deserves. But I'm involved regardless. Involved in the same way a grad student and professor are involved. I am neck-deep, cutting my own hair and doing an interpretive dance to show my love involved. Please, NBC! Don't take my show! My precious, precious show! It's still in the early, lovely, beautiful phase (aka 3rd season) where nothing is overdone, characters aren't played out, and Chandler hasn't started his weight fluctuations. Or was that another show?
Here's the first reason you may not watch the show: It started off MEH. And I'm with you. Community and Parks and Rec started at the same time, and my opinion of both shows was exactly the same: MEH. I could take them or leave them, and I had other shows to worry about. I GET IT. I get why you left. But you need to turn that boat around, people. Come watch this show.
Obviously I am back on the Parks and Rec train, but I was still skeptical of Community until Adrienne sat me directly in front of her television, Carl-on-LOST-style. That's when I saw it had risen to epic proportions. When it started, it was just a bunch of goofy characters who didn't mesh, and The Soup guy hitting on some blonde chick.
Now?
If you can't tell from that video, Community is superb at parody. They have done zombie movies, apocalyptic battle movies, documentaries, Christmas claymation, AND MORE!! They have these epic, absurd premises that somehow still work and feel down-to-earth. It's like they throw you into the possibilities of, say, Supernatural, but then bring it back to a group of people at a community college by the end of the half hour.
There are plenty of places you can read about Community for general overviews of characters and plot lines. But what I haven't seen is anyone talk about my theory on why the show isn't gaining more viewers:
It's filled with inside jokes. Which I love. And which might be slowly killing the show.
Sure, the main storylines live by themselves in each episode, so it is possible for you to miss one or go in random order and get the basic gist. But there are nuances that you might not catch unless you pay attention. Which means the best way to watch is from start to finish. Problem is, getting your hands on the whole series is hard (they need to get some Instant Netflix action up in here, up in here) and even if it wasn't, I don't think people know to bother with every episode anyway. That's how you miss the inside jokes, and why you might find the show confusing and too meta. And that is a TRAVESTY.
So until Community gets in on the Instant Netflix wagon, maybe it would help to have a place where people can find basic inside jokes. So I want to try--nothing seriously involved, just the basics so you could start watching. Problem is, I'm not sure I can make it all on my own, so I need some help from others who watch the show. I wanted to enlist Adrienne to help, since she is the biggest Community fan in existence, but I didn't give her enough time--bah! But anyone and everyone, please add more in the comments. Let's get Community to the viewership it deserves!
To start us off, here is my measly contribution:
Troy and Abed in the MOOOORNING: Troy and Abed have the best friendship that has ever been. They are adorably childish in an non-naive way. They make epic forts, watch bad movies and make fun of them, and dress up as the main characters from Inspector Spacetime (ie the show's Dr. Who parody). Their biggest running gag is this:
You'll see hints of it all over. It is ALWAYS worth it.
Señor Chang:
He used to teach the group Spanish, but they've since moved on to other classes and Chang has lost his job yet somehow still worms his way onto the show constantly. He and Sherry once had sex and they all thought her baby might be his, but it turned out to be her re-married husband's. Annie's Boobs:
The name of a monkey who now lives in the vents of Greendale.
Pierce Has Money
This isn't really an inside joke, but I've noticed it comes up often and I wanted to make sure you're with us. Pierce (aka Chevy Chase) inherited the money, and the moist towelette company that made it, from his father.
Side Characters: The Human Being- When the Dean created a school mascot, he didn't want it to exclude any sex or race, and the monstrosity that came out of the project was the Human Being.
Starburns- He's a man with starburns. He sometimes wears a top hat and vest. He's lame.
Magnitude- Magnitude is the life of the party, but never says anything but "POP POP!"
And that's all I've got so far! Help me out, other Community Fans! And to those who don't watch? WATCH. Especially if you have one of those magic boxes that tells people that you're watching. That helps.
Well it's mid-September, we all know what that means: TELEVISION IS COMING BACK! Who’s excited? Is it possibly the girl who is living alone with her cat? Hey now, that was harsh. You don’t know me.
So I’m sure there are shows that you’ve been hearing about but you’re unsure if it’s the show for you. Or even where to start. Here’s what I’d like to do: I want to create a comprehensive list. A list of shows worth watching, and the episode you should watch first to get you hooked. A few shows start out amazing out of the gate (AHEMmodernfamilyAHEM) but some take a little while to get going (AHEMparksandrecAHEM).
So here are just 8 shows to get the list started. These are currently running shows (yes, all comedies because that's how I roll) which I suggest to anyone and everyone, paired with the episode that I believe will convince you to start watching it. I tried to pick episodes that are high quality, but introduces the characters, too. So it's not just that these are the "best" episodes, they are the best introductory episodes.
I'll give you links if I can, but they mostly require a Netflix or Hulu Plus account. I give you all my personal permission to find them any way you can (wink wink nudge nudge say no more). So here we go.
IF YOU DON"T WATCH...
Parks and Recreation
Watch "Hunting Trip". After I gave up on Parks and Rec, I saw this episode and realized that I’d been missing out on what had become an amazing show.
Modern Family
Watch the Pilot and keep going. But if you can’t get your hands on it, watch any (they each work on their own) and I’ll give you the basic rundown so you know what’s going on: Jay (aka Al Bundy) married a Columbian woman named Gloria, who has a son, Manny. Jay has two adult children from a previous marriage: Claire, who is married to Phil and has three kids, and Mitchell, who recently adopted a Vietnamese baby named Lily with his partner, Cameron. They all live near each other in California. AAAAAAAAND GO.
The Office (American)
Watch "Boys and Girls". This was the first episode I ever saw and it made a life long fan out of me. Current episodes are more touch-and-go but certainly still have their moments. But seasons 2-4 shone like diamonds.
Tough One. Any will do, really. “Secrets and Lies” is a good introduction to characters, but “Reunion” is funnier.
Community
Watch "Modern Warfare". Then go back and bother to learn who the people are. Like with Parks and Rec, this was the episode that made me realize the show had become awesome without me. There is also a zombie Halloween episode, and a Christmas claymation episode. Just to whet your whistle.
Of course you don't watch this show, because this is the new show with Zooey Deschanel and so far the only thing available is the pilot, but it is absolutely hilarious. Sure, a little unbelievable that Ms. Deschanel is supposed to be one step above repulsive, but it’s so funny and cute you kinda have to overlook that.
This show just started last year. It’s basically "New Girl" without Zooey but with a bro-y gay guy and still hilarious. The episodes play off each other a LITTLE but I say watch what you can find—the only thing to note is that the platinum-blonde girl and the non-gay white guy were almost married but she chickened out at the altar in the first episode and now they’re friends. Aaaaaaaaaand, GO.
Now I want to hear from you!
1. Do you think I got the “key episode” wrong on these shows? Think there’s a better one to start on?
2. What other shows should people watch? And what’s the first episode people should start on? Clearly I have a “type” when it comes to shows. How about sci-fi shows? Dr Who? Breaking Bad? Entourage? Weeds? I want to hear it, sure, but think of all the new people you may influence to watch a new show.
3. Are you mad at me for not finding you ways to watch all these episodes immediately? I know I am.
I think Amy Poehler might be secretly watching me from the bushes and then recreating my life on Parks and Rec. It's becoming freakish.
EXHIBIT A. I make this exact face to Joe at least seven times a day
EXHIBIT B. Awkward when attempting accents
EXHIBIT C. I got 100% when I sang Playstation karaoke for "Baby Got Back." Leslie Knope rapped the lyrics to "Parents Just Don't Understand" without pause before Ron finally told her someone was on fire and she had to leave.
EXHIBIT D. Friday night I was high on exactly ONE red bull and explaining to people how my new dance move was going to involve my feet firmly planted on the floor at my arms moving in awkward circular motions.
EXHIBIT E. The more nervous I get, the faster and more nonsensical I become, before I am no longer speaking actual words. Also, the leader of our program at work is named Carl. I have called him Kyle, Craig, and Doug several times. Luckily not to his face. To his face, I stick with "you." Leslie went on a practice date with her friend, Anne, and got so nervous she knocked over a vase and blanked on the word "bathroom," opting for the replacement, "wizz palace."
EXHIBIT F. A few weeks ago, I accidentally drop-kicked my phone into a wall.
EXHIBIT G. My senior year of college, my friends would ask me to tell them stories about my latest attempts at love for a good laugh. One story involved a guy putting on his favorite episode of Family Guy and then asking, "So, do you wanna make out?" (Hint: no.)
Really what I'm saying is: watch Parks and Recreation and you might as well just be watching a blonder, nicer me.
