| "Celebrity Pharmacology" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Fred Goss |
| Written by | Hilary Winston |
| Production code | 212 |
| Original air date | January 27, 2011 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Celebrity Pharmacology" [note 1] is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community , and the 38th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on NBC on January 27, 2011. In the episode, the group stages a play to discourage drug use, but Pierce's attempts to give himself a larger role derail the performance.
The study group is putting on an anti-drug play for a group of middle school students at Annie's (Alison Brie) behest. The other group members complain about their parts, particularly Pierce (Chevy Chase), who is dressed as marijuana and playing the role of "Drugs". After their rehearsal, Chang (Ken Jeong) tries talking to Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) about her pregnancy and the possibility he could be the baby's father, but she pointedly ignores him. Britta (Gillian Jacobs) receives multiple texts from someone named Marcus; when she leaves, Jeff (Joel McHale) uses her phone to text Marcus flirtatiously.
Pierce notices Annie collecting cans for recycling and follows her to her apartment. There, she explains she's trying to make money after being cut off by her parents in response to her past problems with drugs. Pierce writes Annie a check to help her pay rent, which she reluctantly accepts. Annie then agrees to let Pierce use a line he improvised for the play. In private, Pierce watches old Hawthorne Wipes commercials, where his father Cornelius replaced him with a new actor to be his "son".
The next day, Pierce arrives with new scripts; when Annie resists, he hints at the check he wrote, and she allows the changes. Britta tells Jeff that Marcus is her nephew who will be attending the play. Jeff tries to talk Marcus down via texts, but Marcus responds with more flirting. When the play starts, Pierce's improvisation greatly amuses the children. Despite Annie's worries that the play's message is getting lost, Pierce returns to the stage after having been "flushed", to the audience's delight. In response, Annie fires Pierce. Pierce lets slip that he wrote Annie a check, and the rest of the group are angry with her for selling out on her own play.
Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) tells the group the students are restless and want to see "Drugs" again. Jeff convinces the group to salvage the play, and Chang volunteers to be "Drugs". He delivers a performance intended to terrify the students; they respond by angrily pelting him with baseballs. Dean Pelton compliments Annie for her play, and Shirley apologizes to Chang for her earlier behavior. Jeff talks to Marcus (Justin Marco) in person and explains the situation; Marcus agrees to not tell Britta what happened "for a price" (implied to be Jeff stealing Britta's bra). Annie tells Pierce she won't take his money, as she does not want to be dependent on others; she assures him they are still friends.
This episode received 4.585 million viewers and a 2.2/6 rating in the 18-49 demographic. [3]
The episode received mixed to positive reviews. Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B, noting that the episode felt "sort of cliché" with many ideas that were "undercooked and over-obvious." However, she liked the character dynamics in the episode, particularly Pierce and his struggle for attention, and complemented the two subplots in the episode. [1] Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx remarked that the episode "felt very meta", with Pierce behaving similarly to Chevy Chase and his attempts to get attention in real life. He also commented that the revelations about Annie were "a nice way to push her character into adulthood" and that while "Pierce wasn’t really redeemed, his behavior gave the writers an opportunity to redeem Chang a bit". [2]
In his review, Joshua Kurp of Vulture likened Pierce to Michael Scott, with both characters wanting to be loved and willing to "do just about anything to be cheered on". He called Jeff's subplot "a little too convenient" but enjoyed the scene where he asks Abed (Danny Pudi) for advice while Abed stares back silently. [4] Emma Matthews of Den of Geek praised the episode for being "beautifully written" and "a pitch perfect recreation of hundreds of after school specials, but with sincerity and more than a little heart". She drew attention to Ken Jeong's performance and called the insight into Pierce's backstory "incredibly telling." [5]
"Spanish 101" is the second episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on September 24, 2009. The episode features Jeff and Pierce working on a Spanish project as Annie and Shirley organize a protest. Receiving 5.39 million viewers upon its premiere, the episode was met with mostly positive critical reception. The end tag—the first of the series—shows Troy and Abed performing a nonsense rap in Spanish, an early interaction between the pair which was praised by reviewers.
"Home Economics" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on November 5, 2009. The episode revolves around Jeff's living situation now that he no longer has the money he earned as a big-shot lawyer and the emotional aftermath of Britta and Vaughn's breakup. It garnered 5.45 million viewers on its premiere and received positive critical reception.
"Debate 109" is the ninth episode of the first season of Community. It originally aired in the United States on NBC on November 12, 2009. In the episode, Jeff teams up with Annie to take on City College in a debate, while Pierce tries to help Britta quit smoking using hypnotherapy. Meanwhile, the study group attempts to figure out if Abed's student films are predicting their futures. The episode received mostly positive reviews, with many critics singling out Abed's subplot for praise.
"The Politics of Human Sexuality" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It originally aired in the United States on NBC on December 3, 2009.
"Romantic Expressionism" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of the U.S. television series Community. It was originally aired on February 4, 2010, on NBC.
"English as a Second Language" is the twenty-fourth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on May 13, 2010. In the episode, a revelation from Señor Chang threatens the study group's Spanish credit, and Troy discovers his skill at plumbing. It received generally positive reviews.
"Pascal's Triangle Revisited" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the first season of Community. It originally aired in the United States on NBC on May 20, 2010. In the episode, the group gets ready to say goodbye for the summer at the end-of-year dance. Britta and Professor Slater compete over their affections for Jeff, while Annie considers leaving Greendale and Troy looks for a new place to live. The episode received generally positive reviews, with critics both praising and criticizing the final twist.
"The Psychology of Letting Go" is the third episode of the second season of Community. It was originally broadcast on October 7, 2010 on NBC.
"Early 21st Century Romanticism" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community and the fortieth episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on NBC on February 10, 2011. The episode revolves around the study group's various Valentine's Day plans: Abed and Troy ask the same girl to the dance, Britta goes on a date with a lesbian, and Jeff is tricked into hosting a party.
"Competitive Wine Tasting" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on April 14, 2011.
"Biology 101" is the third season premiere of Community and the 50th episode of the series overall. The episode originally aired on September 22, 2011 on NBC. The episode was written by Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan and directed by Anthony Russo.
"Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps" is the fifth episode of the third season of the U.S. television series Community. It first aired on October 27, 2011 on NBC and is the series' 2011 Halloween episode.
"Studies in Modern Movement" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American sitcom Community. It was originally broadcast on November 10, 2011, on NBC.
"Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on March 15, 2012 on NBC, with the series returning after a three-month hiatus. In the episode, Shirley's ex-husband Andre whom she has reconciled with proposes to her again. While planning her wedding, she also considers a business proposition from Pierce. The rest of the study group help Shirley plan the wedding, while Troy and Abed attempt to suppress their weirdness and act normal at the rehearsal to no avail.
"Digital Exploration of Interior Design" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on March 29, 2012, on NBC. The episode was written by Chris McKenna and directed by Dan Eckman.
"Origins of Vampire Mythology" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on April 12, 2012, on NBC. In the episode, Britta must resist the temptation to meet up with her ex-boyfriend Blade, and Jeff tries to figure out how Blade is able to attract women.
"Virtual Systems Analysis" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on April 19, 2012, on NBC. In the episode, Annie and Abed spend time in their apartment's "Dreamatorium" simulating adventures together, but Abed turns it into a personal exploration of the group's dynamics.
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"Introduction to Statistics" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community, airing on NBC on October 29, 2009. Annie hosts a Dia de los Muertos party, the success of which depends on Jeff attending. At the party, Pierce gets high, causing trouble for the other characters. Jeff pursues their statistics professor, Professor Michelle Slater. Finally, Shirley is distressed due to her ex-husband's behavior.
"Economics of Marine Biology" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom Community, which originally aired on March 21, 2013.
