Community

Another holiday, another missed opportunity for successful jokes. The creators somehow managed to mess up Thanksgiving, and it's clear that the fourth season is taking a downward turn. While I enjoyed the references to Shawshank, that was the only amusing aspect for me. Otherwise, it was a tiresome and annoying affair full of family and moral values that left me bored. / Lesson learned: I've never been a fan of family get-togethers. (11/19/2022)

Yay, another documentary! It's frustrating; it seems like the creators have run out of original ideas, resorting to recycling their own material. Instead of the usual fun and humor, I'm served with boredom and frustration. To top it off, the entire sixth episode was centered around Chang, a character I found dull from the first season. / Lesson learned: If you haven't experienced déjà vu yet, try watching Community. (11/19/2022)

I can't figure out if the episodes of the fourth season are genuinely this bad or if I'm just so done with the series that I can't find joy in it anymore. The seventh episode certainly didn't win me over; the concept of hunting a whale had potential, but its execution fell flat. There might have been some decent humor, but once again, the creators smothered it all with a pile of moral lessons. It's a real letdown. / Are you hunting a whale? Become Ahab. (11/20/2022)

This episode was part of the ongoing misery, but against my usual rating in Season 4, I threw in an extra star because Abed's vibrant musical stint managed to entertain me a tad. I leaned on Abed a bit to break the streak of bad ratings. There were already way too many lone stars there :-) / Lesson learned: So many moral lessons; makes me think Dan Harmon might be related to Adam Sandler. (11/20/2022)

Let me break it down; pixels, yes; playdough and puppets, no. When the creators throw in a musical, I've got to draw the line. In the ninth episode of the fourth season, they went for it, but it flew off the handle. And I'm not talking about the balloon. To me, it was a totally pointless episode that annoyed the hell out of me. / Lesson learned: Don't eat the forest berries if you don't know what they are. (11/20/2022)

Well, go figure. One episode sucks, and the one that immediately follows makes up for it, earning my top rating for the fourth season. The group gathering with Malcolm McDowell was surprisingly entertaining. It did the job, but the tenth episode didn't quite hit the same level of jokes for me to give it a higher rating. And, predictably, the ending had to dive back into melodrama.. / Lesson learned: Kidnapping might be the secret to better grades. (11/21/2022)

Seriously now; this episode had the potential to be hilarious, only someone else would have to write it. The body swap idea could have made the eleventh episode the highlight of the fourth season, but unexpectedly everything went awry. Well, unexpectedly... Instead of having a good time, I received another dose of pseudo-deep musings, and this time it truly disappointed me. / Lesson learned: Oh well. When you start to get too excited, you'll end up disappointed. (11/21/2022)

I wasn't holding my breath for a decent episode in the fourth season, and out of the blue, the twelfth episode dropped. I consider it to be the best of the entire season. I'm not betting the finale will top it. I especially dug those fateful encounters, and deep contemplation was kept to the necessary minimum. / Lesson learned: Caution! As you're reading this, something is influencing you. (11/21/2022)

Connecting the original and darkest timeline could've been a brilliant move, but the creators would have to infuse more dynamic plot elements into the episode. Instead, they halted the action and buried all humor by delving into lengthy speeches for three-quarters of the runtime, which were probably supposed to jerk tears out of me. Well, given that I didn't shed a tear even during a war movie like We Were Soldiers (2002), this approach was bound to fall flat. / Lesson learned: Living in your own fantasy world isn't such a bad idea after all. (11/22/2022)

The impossible has happened. I wouldn't have anticipated that the series could still captivate me after some lackluster episodes in previous seasons. To my surprise, I had a great time, particularly in the first half of the fifth season. Although it started to decline later on, overall, it didn't end up being a letdown for the entire series. / Lesson learned: Expect the unexpected. (11/25/2022)

So, let me break down what I just witnessed. The first episode of the fifth season was, to put it plainly, mind-numbingly dull and devoid of humor, while simultaneously managing to be incredibly stupid. I couldn't endure sitting through this debacle as the creators concocted a story so outlandish it bordered on the absurd. Although... this creative team might just surprise me and expand my horizons, which genuinely terrifies me. / Lesson learned: Jumping into something that's essentially over is always a tricky business. (11/23/2022)

Following the disastrous first episode, the second one was a pleasant surprise. I didn't anticipate learning anything new from this series, but today was an exception. I discovered that Nicolas Cage is an utterly incomprehensible personality and that a prison riot can unfold within a college. Plus, I learned that if someone struggles with Excel, their diet may be limited to meatballs. / Lesson learned: The moment you start enjoying your work, you find yourself on a slippery slope. 3*+ (11/23/2022)

The creators tapped into my soft spot. I absolutely love these crime-themed episodes, and Alison Brie's performance in them is top-notch, elevating the experience even more. The third episode left a lasting impression on me; I had a fantastic time, burst out laughing multiple times, and was engaged from start to finish. Troy's role as a crime victim completely blew me away, and I must confess, I never anticipated such an entertaining episode after the initial horror. / Lesson learned: If coins were banned, profits would soar. (11/23/2022)

I'm baffled. Is it just me, or did the creators finally grasp in the fifth season that the main ingredient of any sitcom should be humor? Whatever made this happen, I thoroughly enjoyed the fourth episode and had a blast with it. The creators handled Chevy Chase's departure from the series in a way that surely left Pierce's vapors brimming with joy. / Lesson learned: Frozen sperm is the perfect gift for regifting. (11/23/2022)

I enjoyed this episode because I love all the paintball episodes and the fifth one was actually a variation on the same theme. I'm starting to have the unshakable impression that the creators excel in episodes where characters are saying goodbye. If this keeps up, they might soon run out of characters to say goodbye to. I can't believe that things are finally looking up in the fifth season. / Lesson learned: Steer clear of fights to the death, or be ruthless. (11/23/2022)

This episode did not reach the perfection of the previous three and I hesitated between three and four stars. In the end. I ended up giving four because I really enjoyed Annie's fight with windmills and her transition to the dark side of the force. I reluctantly admit that Chang the bear tamer was also hilarious. / Lesson learned: Do not let the system grind you down. 4*- (11/24/2022)

In this case, I didn't find a reason to give a higher rating because I didn't particularly enjoy the episode. It had its bright moments, but most of the time I had an undeniable feeling that the creators were trying to teach me about the true values of life (from their perspective), while forgetting about creating humor, thus returning to the standard of the fourth season. / Lesson learned: No matter what happens, try to control yourself. (11/24/2022)

I believe this episode had the potential to be much funnier. However, to its credit, the fact that my opinion aligned with its message worked in its favor. It's just a shame that those viewers to whom the depicted problem applies don't glean anything substantial from that. They operate a bit differently, you see. They're like a warning system made of wires and cans that makes a loud noise whenever someone or something trips over the wire. However, these folks have forgotten to hang the cans on the wires, and that's the whole problem. / Lesson learned: See the review. (11/24/2022)

This time around, I wasn't too thrilled by the episode. The theme of traffickers and an interactive video game failed to generate a compelling atmosphere, and I can't help feeling that the creators played it too safe again. Honestly, I was a little bored throughout, and I only bumped it up to a second star for the scene with Gina Gershon and Vince Gilligan, which genuinely made me laugh. / Lesson learned: A big life decision can also result in heavy disappointment. (11/24/2022)

I've seen a better rendition of Dungeons and Dragons in this show, but I still had a lot of fun. However, Abed's ongoing struggle to come up with decent character names for the story didn't show any signs of improvement. In the end, I wasn't let down, and I quite enjoyed it. / Lesson learned: Always familiarize yourself with your character before diving into battle. 4*- (11/24/2022)