(This is the sixteenth part in an ongoing series, in which I am writing brief reviews of each and every episode of Dan Harmon's beloved cult- comedy "Community." Originally conceived as a response to NBC's cancellation of the series before it was revived for its final season on Yahoo.)
"Community" does Valentine's Day that way only it can in this hilarious and often touching episode. One of my personal favorites of the first season, "Communication Studies" is a tour-de-force of both heart and humor, filled to burst with hilarious gags, a witty and quickly- paced plot and excellent development of the interpersonal relationships of the characters... particularly the often-argumentative and rocky dynamic of Jeff and Britta, who are both afforded beautiful growth in this episode.
I've always been a fan of Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs), and if I was to shameless "ship" any of the characters, it would be them. Their personalities just mesh very well in my opinion, and I always found them to be a complete joy when they work together. It's like watching two sides of the same coin, as both have strong wills to a fault, a bit of an ego problem... but also good hearts beneath it all. A large part of the episode is focused on Britta's embarrassment over leaving Jeff a drunk voicemail, which throws off their in-school dynamic and their friendship, especially as Jeff is actively involved with Professor Slater (Lauren Stamile) at this time. And so, in the amusing A-storyline, Jeff resolves to make things right by getting black-out drunk with Abed (Danny Pudi) in an attempt to leave Britta a drunk voicemail to make her feel less uncomfortable.
At the same time, Pierce (Chevy Chase) and Troy (Donald Glover) are at the center of a laugh-out-loud B-story where they inadvertently incur the wrath of the deliciously zany Professor Ben Chang. (Ken Jeong) When the two students have Valentine's gifts shipped to themselves in Spanish class in order to create the facade that they are "cool" and have girlfriends, Chang sees through this ruse and humiliates them. And subsequently, when it appears the two attempt to prank Chang with a fake letter from Princeton, the crazed professor is quick to call them out, forcing them to make a humiliating move at the upcoming Valentine's Dance, or else they will be failed. While it's more diversion than anything, it's a very charming subplot and supplies plenty of great belly-laughs to help even out the more emotionally turbulent focus that is the center of Jeff and Britta's plot line.
The episode excels thanks to the wonderful charm of the cast and the pitch-perfect writing of Chris McKenna- his first writing credit in the series. McKenna went on to become an invaluable resource to the series as an executive producer, and has continued to develop his craft with a number of high-profile projects in the works. The cast is also at the top of their game here, delivering widely varied but equally compelling performances that cover a variety of emotional impact.
"Communication Studies" easily earns its 10 out of 10 from me. It is easily and without doubt amongst the finest of the beloved first season of "Community."
