How Anthropology 101 Changed Community | Streets Ahead

[@PillarofGarbage]

In case you missed it - the next video in this series is out now! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGjHk3p_f9lrfc0

[@buttscarlton1490]

-10 points for not including the line from Jeff to Britta: "let's buy a house we can't afford and a dog that makes us angry"

[@houseofholy]

that's season 5

[@Rant.]

​@@houseofholy I'm pretty sure it was the wedding episode in season 2

[@potatoman7594]

​@@Rant. nope that was the ep12s5 where subway was taking over the school.

[@potatoman7594]

and dedicate an entire cabinet to plastic bags and realize we have a favorite brand of olive oil???

[@senzasmentalissues474]

That is indeed the season 5 episode 12

[@tecpaocelotl]

2nd season is where Brita started getting the homer treatment. Becoming dumber each season.

[@boyroy4u]

Britta was one of my favouritr characters in the first season, I love how she felt like one of the only people who existed outside of a TV show, but I dont think they knew what to do with her once the will-they-wont-they dynamic with Jeff fizzled out

[@gonkdroid8279]

@@boyroy4u Agreed, Brita was such an intelligent character in season 1 that it was quite a shame to see how she ended up

[@tecpaocelotl]

@@boyroy4u agree

[@tecpaocelotl]

@Gonk Droid I felt like Brita in the first season. I abed was second person.

[@gonkdroid8279]

@@tecpaocelotl Lol, same

[@MindlessTurtle]

🎶 _And Abed hired an Irish singer._ 🎶 🎶 _Britta's marrying,_ 🎶 🎶 _Britta's marrying,_ 🎶 🎶 _Britta's marrying Jeffrey Winger._ 🎶

[@calebmarmon1310]

I appreciate you making the point that Community’s pivot in season 2 wasn’t inevitable. I love Season 1 and would have enjoyed it staying on that path. But the path it did follow was even better.

[@TSDTalks22]

easily Betty White's most iconic role

[@laindarko3591]

As a gen z kid who grew up on this show, for the longest time it was the only thing I'd ever seen Betty White in lol 😂

[@buttscarlton1490]

Ummm🤔.... Sure

[@TrashRacoon1928]

What about the golden girls?

[@JayFingers]

No.

[@anonymousinfinido2540]

Also, Betty white brought a Black guest on her show, everyone back then abused and threatened her. She was progressive and based as f**k.

[@sennacookie5043]

8:10 The "Ha gay" clip used right as you said the words "not straight" was masterfully edited

[@padillac16]

Season 2 is definitely my favorite season, and Anthropology 101 is definitely my favorite season premiere; I genuinely love every season (even the gas leak year) but season 2 always blows me out of the water every time I rewatch it

[@felooosailing957]

I consider Anthropology 101 the most important Community episode. Perhaps it is not as Community as Remedial Chaos Theory. But in its linearness, it is brilliant. And the 4 minute sequence about Jeff being discovered and called out is perhaps the most well manufactured sequence in sitcoms ever.

[@VeronicaLeasure]

Can I just say, THANK YOU for not calling the homage and high concept episodes "parody." So many Community commentary videos just call it parody and it makes me want to cry. I look forward to more of your Community content!! You've got a new sub here!

[@Redstar2613]

What exactly does it mean for an episode to be "high concept"?

[@Lordgrayson]

@@Redstar2613 It's an episode which has a plot devised around a concept that is divorced from traditional sitcom storytelling. Like for example "What if we have a story run through multiple timelines of the same event" or "What if we filmed an entire episode as a War documentary". This also requires the characters to not be changed to fit the concept and instead have the concept happen around the characters. It's why episodes like A fistful of paintballs and Geothermal Escapism are not High Concept episodes, "Let's shoot an episode as a spaghetti western", and are instead considered more of an Homage because the characters are acting ever so slightly out of character to fit in more with the story being told

[@adamstoneking]

"The type we tend to get in seasons 3, 5 & 6" was probably a real observation on the presence of those episodes in season 4 but all I could think of was how we don't talk about the gas leak year.

[@richardrose2606]

Many people, including myself, really like season 4. It may be a bit weaker but on the whole it was pretty good. For example the sci-fi convention episode is bashed but I thought it was fine.

[@EraserDude11]

Easily a top tier episode. Britta's agony turned joy, Jeff's immaturity coming out full force towards Britta and Annie, the proposal scene, the confrontation scene complete with an audience and a great Cranberries parody, Betty White assaulting Jeff. A phenomenal piece of art.

[@billsbrothertv5701]

For the Algorithm! This is definitely where the show picked up steam. I love Collaborative Caligraphy, it's the most "this actually happened" episode that has me rolling on the floor in laughter.

[@AnastasiaSavage-bd1iz]

Damm, you should've called the video "How anthropology 101 chang-ed community | streets ahead"

[@PillarofGarbage]

real

[@GiantButterKnife]

The subscribers that pass on your Community contest are def streets behind

[@nopers1317]

Love the Community content. It's truly a great show. Even season 4. In a Vacuum it's funnier than most stuff out there. It has the misfortune of being the worst of the best.

[@Drowmerc]

Community is one of my favorite shows, and I do honestly feel season 2 is probably the best season in a lot of ways.

[@vashvana]

Its rly close for me but I love season 3 bc it’s so out there and I enjoy the overarching storylines

[@debrachambers1304]

Having multiple episodes that feel like a finale continues throughout the seasons. One finale ends the continuing plotlines and usually the class, the other is focused more on character. It happens in seasons 2, 3, and 4, but not in 5 and 6. The structure of those last 2 seasons is looser with less fewer running threads.

[@Pencilman246]

Rewatching recently, I was surprised by how many great episodes were in season 1. Season 2 is where it starts to get weird, but there’s this narrative that it doesn’t get good until season 2. I think you’re right though that it stops being playful about sitcom tropes and goes fully into being it’s own weird, proud thing.

[@brokenheartedlaminar]

I originally found this channel via your community videos, so keep them coming! Season 2 is probably my favourite one, and I think this video is a great illustration of why. While other seasons have great individual episodes, Season 2 for me was able to tell a coherent story across it which made sense for all the characters involved. As community became more zany it meant that character arcs got a bit less defined, and often relied on characters reverting back to earlier versions of themselves.

[@jaketaf98]

Sorry to hear the Community videos don't perform as well. One of the all the greatest shows ever and it deserves more attention.

[@johnny0000000000000]

I subscribed to the channel to help make up for it. For the algorithm!

[@eddieregretti]

this episode is amazing. it feels like the first time the show really sets up rules and tropes for itself, giving them the opportunity for meta commentary and breaking their own structure. i didnt start watching the show until partway through the airing of season 2 but i can imagine it was a wild experience for people to tune in to this after waiting for a resolution to the last ep of season 1. GREAT VIDEO.

[@kgoofy3297]

Rewatched recently and I will say I really enjoyed how the identity tension of season one put pressure on the dialogue to make up for the conventional framework. I think if they’d stuck with it the show would have ended up more in the ianucci/Armstrong class of dialogue comedy, more my personal preference, but obviously I’m glad they made the choices they made. What they did was important

[@PillarofGarbage]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@TravisRichey]

I love that there's still great analysis being done of this fantastic show. The Season 3 premiere was the first episode I was in. Looking forward to your video on that! ~Trav

[@fatalshore5068]

Travis? No you go by the door. ;)

[@lppstudios3006]

I loved troy and abed they where peak freinds but when troy left that just hit hard

[@fatalshore5068]

It was never the same without Troy. Especially in the mornings.

[@henrypeters5291]

Sees title *Captain Holt voice* : VINDICATION That said, I do not think you are giving "Pascal's Triangle Revisited" enough credit. I could make the argument there that that was the episode that dealt the death blow to the JeffxBritta relationship and it was openly analyzing how movie/tv tropes work in the real world. Britta tells Jeff she loves him, he openly rejects her, Annie plans to follow Vaughn to college in the spirit of love, she ends up kissing Jeff. Troy pressures Abed to become roomates, Troy moves in with Pierce after realizing Abed was right. Plus the Britta vs Slater debate was openly lambasting twilight.

[@tabathaogost4982]

What I love the most about Community is that it provides for endless video essays. So many opinions on the show! This 13min take has 4.3K likes alone.

[@annabeatrizzimmermann7708]

fun video. and i think you're spot on in your analysis. community is one of my favorite shows ever, made me laugh like few others do.

[@redgreen2453]

Something must be in the air. Apropos of nothing a couple of weeks ago I randomly decided to finally watch Community. Just in time for this series.

[@PepRock01]

Just throwing out there that a dive into the character of Britta would be amazing. I think she may have had the most dramatic shift from pilot to finale.

[@nrpbrown]

Hell yeah, season two is where the show starts crazy. I appreciate all the seasons but the first two really have a special place in my heart

[@lydiaschultz86]

this is phenomenal -- so much of what you say encapsulates why i love community, in a way i haven't been in able to put into words in the way you have here!

[@Rueuhy]

I've never watched a single show but I've seen a thousand clips. I think many of the points you make, and if I could summarize, is that there was one episode that really helped take a show with a lot of potential into a success. And I think many successful shows start out with a formula and one episode usually tweaks the recipe into the formula needed. But there are differences in those ingredients between shows. The video was very well thought out and done. Thank you.

[@jenm1]

I'd argue Community always maintains its heart and its storytelling is inventively used to portray that heart

[@fatalshore5068]

That's Michael Shure in a nutshell. Heart in abundance through the lens of critical comedy. Parks and Rec, Community, Good Place....all heart

[@Salmy3]

Chang was the perfect teacher and they ruined him

[@jc3drums916]

While I feel that many of the show's best episodes were in season 2, I'm in the minority that thinks season 1 was slightly better overall. Season 2, was, in a way, a giant cookie. Too much genre homage stuff made it a lot less special. And I think the least good episodes of season 2 were worse than those of season 1. I also prefer the way Britta, Abed, Pierce, Troy, and the Dean were portrayed in season 1. Britta was more complex and not a complete idiot; Abed was more believably on the spectrum and not always characterized as the wisest of the group; Pierce wasn't just a cranky old villain; Troy wasn't a complete child; and the Dean was not hysterical, not just a running sex joke, and not quite as pathetic. And as the show itself acknowledged, they pretty much didn't know what to do with Chang after season 1.

[@MH-jn5cm]

I'm pretty sure that Anthropology 101 will always be my favourite season premiere in Community, and this video helped articulate part of the reason for that

[@fatalshore5068]

Betty White.

[@maarekstele2998]

The only sitcom i could watch back to back

[@jmace2424]

I love Annie but I think in many ways she is the antagonist of the show. She is connected with most of the conflict in the show and isn’t responsible for the resolution of any of the conflicts.

[@claytonmitchell5685]

For a while I didn't love Anthro 101. I loved season 1 of Community (and still to this day it's my favorite season, a sin I know), and while I love season 2 as well, I thought for a long time that this transition was clunky, and something that had already sorta happened with Contemporary American Poultry and Modern Warfare. It felt like it was making fun of season 1 in a way that sorta discounted how good I thought it was. Now in retrospect, I think it was the perfect transition. And I think you are spot on, the final two episodes of season 1 show the two paths the show could've gone down, and Anthro 101 is them showing which path they chose. Now it's one of my favorite episodes, because it's a perfect example of how a show can be self aware that it needs to change. I also think Repilot is an example of a bad version of this same concept. As unfortunate as the circumstances of season 4 and its missteps were, saying, "we're going to burn it all down and start over like that season didn't happen, while making fun of those missteps along the way", in a negatively-toned episode just does not do it for me. But admittedly circumstances of Anthro 101 and Repilot are very different.

[@ZombiemasterFTW]

Thank you PoG, I love your Community vids

[@obi-onekenerdi]

Anthro 101, is the best sequel season premiere of any show I think I’ve ever seen.

[@adriankerrison]

That series of dominos meme starting at Anthropology 101 and ending with "he's still up there waiting for a BETTER Daddy with a BIGGER haaaand!"

[@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm]

The Recommending Ones & Zeros apologizes for the devastating and overwhelming distress that must have happened while waiting on our blessing.

[@TSDTalks22]

Goliath returns!

[@masterofthesun138]

after watching a 13 minute video my one major takeaway is that this guy LOVES listing synonyms in leu of an actual description

[@MahkyVmedia1]

Video essays like this make me feel like I'm back in school

[@silverkyre]

Thank you for finally explaining to me why I've this episode so much. I've always felt an immediate switch and difference from the moment I watched this epsiode. I enjoyed the first season. But I fell in love with community in the second. I particularly like rewatching this episode and think it's fantastically written.

[@rednas3271]

I'm always up for more Community videos! Season 2 is my favorite, so I knew this was gonna be a good one

[@ian42069]

love this! very observant and very well articulated. makes me wanna watch the whole show again, minus the gas leak year lol

[@C.Dat.guyoverthere]

I think Anthropology 101 is my favorite season premiere of the series. I think I lost count of how many times I've rewatched it over the last year alone because of how much creativity is shoved into 22 minutes.

[@rustybling197]

Very fitting that your Community vids don't get the same numbers as the other ones ;D. That being said though I hope they pick up cause this was an excellent watch, I'm looking forward to your future videos about community Also I love how Britta turns out

[@jamex1121]

I watched this show on streaming services but i would love to see this in his premiere and watch this incredible changes to say "Oh wow, its really streets ahead"

[@crestren5996]

Just finished binging the whole series, cant wait to see more Community vids

[@jenm1]

Thank you for completing my life with more Community content

[@AngelGuzman0925]

Watched this show many times already but never noticed that Troy was bleeding from the side 11:40 😅

[@sassoatomico]

You probably meant "How to CHANG a show"

[@jadeyarrowjuntunen6258]

Can't wait to see more Community videos!

[@PillarofGarbage]

Another coming this weekend!

[@JoeBuk724]

I always saw the way the show changed in season 2 like with most other shows. S1 shows have to play it safe to be backed S2+ they can be more loose since they’ve shown ppl like them

[@XanDerSon88]

I love that Anthropology 101 opening scene was the inspiration for Miles Morales

[@koalasquare2145]

Just finished rewatching it again, perfect timing

[@codyallen43]

Wtf, I literally just watched this episode last night 😂

[@julianxamo7835]

Season 1's finale always felt to soapy imo, but we get this great premiere as a result

[@qsmith2514]

This episode is so special. An incredible change

[@Scitywad1218]

This was excellent, thank you

[@poltergeistx]

That is my favorite episode of the whole series 🤩

[@justnone9809]

do a lil video about the Dean please any way you can he’s my favorite character that’s my idea

[@fujifilm5127]

community's such a good show, they skipped a season.

[@plootyluvsturtle9843]

was the footage missing of advance dnd a joke about how it isn’t included on most streaming sights

[@PillarofGarbage]

indeed

[@mwmheps]

I love this season

[@seanreed2379]

+10 for OSRS ads within your screen recordings... I'm way too familiar with those damn Jagex cookies!

[@PillarofGarbage]

Eventually those ads will get me back…

[@seanreed2379]

@@PillarofGarbage I sympathize with that statement so much. Btw, excellent video! Really loved your analysis of one of my favorite shows ever. Can't wait for more!

[@JjrShabadoo]

Advanced D&D is by far one of the best episodes. Ridiculous that it was pulled from Netflix.

[@shahanahsan05]

It is definitely the most important & one of the best episodes of the show

[@PramkLuna]

This was the first episode I watched and what got it into community

[@roberthammond5924]

I think the season 2 directors and writers did it on purpose to liberate the audience from a natural season 2 nbc network show and break it immediately to show us we don’t follow the rules and you don’t know what is coming

[@ubernugget3925]

(Footage missing) *I understood that reference*

[@saeedrazavi4428]

I love community videos. Algo boost!

[@backpackerraden6268]

Donde... esta... la biblioteca

[@davidsykes6584]

Community is still one of my favourite comedies. Heck it is might be my top choice post 2000's.

[@Silverfang447]

Thumbs up and an additional comment to beat the algorithm. Thanks for the video! 👍🔥👍

[@waywardnoodle2487]

Well done!

[@dw1419]

Down a double shot every time he says “double down”

[@GeneralLeia]

I’m really looking forward to the movie but the show wasn’t the same without Chevy. Great video!

[@PaulusTheCart]

Very cool!

[@zacharykam5161]

I am interacting with this video in order to demonstrate support in the eyes of the algorithm gods

[@B-019]

En... GAGEMENT!!! But yeah, I love this episode. Hell, I love all of Community, even some brief spots of season 4. But Anthropology 101 gave us this perfect blend of engaging with sitcom tropes in a way that felt both aware and real. Streets ahead.

[@Dimas5]

A chang to be sure. But a welcomed one

[@anecdotalist.]

@3:37 OSRS ad. Is Pillar of Garbage one of us?

[@PillarofGarbage]

👀

[@xxaharaxx]

Always had a problem with Changs character development.. hear me out, I didn’t have a problem with him as a character, more so how he went from a funny a$$hole teacher to everything else 🥴

[@odalicio]

Now that's a sexy rate of subscribers to watches

[@PillarofGarbage]

P.S. - Patreon supporters can now view a short endnote for this video! Sign up here: www.patreon.com/pillarofgarbage

[@Tirannie]

At the end of the video as you're talking about the sophomore year being when the show was transitioning and figuring out what it wanted to become, my brain went "that's just like when you go off to school. In year one, you're kind of sampling stuff and just trying to get a handle on things (something like 80% of undergrads change their major at least once), and year two is when you really start figuring it all out" Considering Harmon's work, I'd be surprised if it weren't at least somewhat intentional.

[@RylanStorm]

The first season was great. Somewhere in Season 2 or 3, I can't work out where, it just becomes ridiculous.

[@BlueBlazeKing]

It’s was when Duncan took over for anthropology, with the main class of the season no longer being an actual class, we saw more non class related adventures

[@TrumbullComic]

This guy seems really smart because he's British.

[@evag.352]

streets ahead!!

[@henrybelman7424]

I find your lack of mentioning of Betty White disturbing

[@PillarofGarbage]

fair actually

[@shahanahsan05]

Community is one of the best shows ever made

[@cacneafool72722]

Streets ahead

[@MrTomservo85]

I farted during the 4th one. Inside joke.

[@djmasey420]

No no no. The show was always an evolving show. The first six episodes introduce you to the characters threw Jeff. Jeff is paired with each of the six in the first arc. After that the show is about tv episodes. The show does lean into the meta after the first season because they had to compete with 30 rock, the office and parks.

[@justnone9809]

another banger video

[@greencreekranch]

Don't get me wrong, i like all the seasons (i honestly struggle a lot with season 6 to be honest), but had season 1 been as over the top as lets say season 3, i would've quit after two episodes. Community somehow managed to stay enjoyable, but many (comedy) shows end up being a parody of themselves. SPOILERS AHEAD On my block is a great example of that. While the first season had its over the top funny moments, it really was a kinda dark show about how fucked up it is for children to grow up in neighborhoods with lots of gang violence, the last season had it flipped, it was mostly over the top humor, with only occasional seriousness. Sometimes it's just specific characters that become reduced down to one of their traits, to the point that they stop being a character and turn into a caricature. Britta turned from a completely normal person you meet at literally every higher education facility in the world (idealistic, pretentious, annoyingly convinced of her moral high ground, yet likeable) to... Well, the worst. Pierce was a pretty believable character in the beginning. Old, ignorant, privileged, but at the core, just an okay person. Like many real people. Later on, I'll be honest, i understand chevy chase didn't get a long with the writers. Being a blatantly racist, sexist villain, a character that the main group tried to get rid of for the most part, wasn't the character he signed up for Another prime example is b99. Watch episode 1 again, try to forget what you know from later seasons. You'll notice, Holt is not a robot. He's mature. Thats all there is. He cares about rules (like pretty much every boss), he does show a completely normal range of emotions for an adult at work, he's cultivated, like you'd expect a slightly older man, in a leading position, married to an academic to be. Season one Holt reads Charles pizza blog, since other blogs don't talk about mouthfeel. Later season holt wants to eat a tasteless, textureless gray paste, containing all necessary nutrients. It doesn't just happen to comedy shows aswell. First episode of yellowstone. A dispute over cattle escalates and a couple people are killed. It's a huge deal. Casey shoots his brother in law and is worried it may be discovered that the last shots weren't in self defense. Later in the show, they just randomly hang people out in the forest, open fire on busy roads and... Nothing happens. There's no suspense anymore. A great example of the opposite by the way is the ranch, which sets the scene with dick jokes and laigh track, conflicts are family disputes and financial issues, but at some point an important character kills someone in self defense. But heres the deal... The family disputes and finance issues don't stop. It's a lot closer to real life, there's no "oh that's a season problem, those are not important anymore". And it's gripping, you don't know what is going to happen, you actually care and worry about the characters. Just like that a show that wants to be a silly little thing you watch while folding the laundry gives a much more immersive experience than many shows that want to be dark and grim and realistic.