External links
- "Conventions of Space and Time" on NBC.com
- "Conventions of Space and Time" at IMDb
- "Conventions of Space and Time" on TV.com
| "Conventions of Space and Time" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Michael Patrick Jann |
| Written by | Maggie Bandur |
| Production code | 404 |
| Original air date | February 21, 2013 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Conventions of Space and Time" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series Community and the seventy-fourth episode overall. It was written by Maggie Bandur and directed by Michael Patrick Jann. It originally aired in the United States on NBC on February 21, 2013.
In the episode, the study group attends a fan convention for the fictional show Inspector Spacetime . At the convention, Abed meets another fan, leaving Troy and Britta behind. Meanwhile, Annie and Jeff allow themselves to get caught up in different personas, while Pierce and Shirley are selected to provide input for an American version of the show. The episode was seen by 3.08 million viewers and received mixed to negative reviews.
Abed (Danny Pudi) and Troy (Donald Glover) attend InSpecTiCon, an Inspector Spacetime convention. Britta (Gillian Jacobs) joins them, though Abed seems to disapprove of her attendance and her relationship with Troy. Jeff (Joel McHale) and Annie (Alison Brie) join the trip to go skiing. However, when the ski slopes close unexpectedly, Jeff wants to leave. Annie resists and returns to her hotel room, which was reserved under Jeff's name. Abed meets Toby (Matt Lucas), a fan he met online, and the two attend a panel without Troy and Britta. Pierce (Chevy Chase) and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), who were not invited by the group, arrive at the convention and are selected for a focus group for an American adaptation of Inspector Spacetime.
When Annie orders room service, the staff address her as "Mrs. Winger". She decides to pretend to be Jeff's wife. In the lobby, an Inspector Spacetime fan, Lauren (Tricia Helfer), mistakes Jeff for an actor from the show; Jeff plays along and flirts with her. Britta realizes Toby is trying to steal Abed away from Troy. After viewing the American adaptation, Pierce criticizes it for being too complicated, while Shirley defends it.
Troy joins Abed and Toby but quickly becomes upset and leaves. Toby, noting that his own friend acted weird after getting married, invites Abed to a convention in London. Meanwhile, a hotel bellman (Chris Tallman) tells Annie about Jeff's flirting in the lobby, assuming that Jeff is cheating on her. To maintain the charade, Annie confronts Jeff, causing Lauren to leave. Angry and confused, Jeff also leaves.
Abed realizes Toby lied about his friend. Toby argues "neurotypicals" hold back people like himself and Abed, but Abed reasons that Troy keeps him emotionally grounded. In response, Toby locks Abed in a prop telephone booth. Troy tries to take a photo with Britta, but he realizes he cannot go through with it; Britta understands and tells him to find Abed. Troy locates Toby and frees Abed. Toby leaves, and Abed and Troy reconcile. Later, Jeff returns to the lobby, where Annie confesses to her play-acting and explains she was upset Jeff tried to leave. The two apologize for their respective actions. The seven group members find each other and decide to stay.
In the end tag, the group watches the American Inspector Spacetime. Afterwards, Abed tells Pierce he hates the changes.
"Conventions of Space and Time" was written by Maggie Bandur, her second writing credit for the series, and was directed by Michael Patrick Jann, his only directing credit for the series.
The Inspector Spacetime show seen in the episode is a parody of Doctor Who that first appeared in season 3's "Biology 101". [1] [2]
The episode features guest appearances by Matt Lucas and Tricia Helfer. [3] [4] Matt Lucas would later go on to star in Doctor Who as Nardole. It also features Luke Perry and Jennie Garth, who starred together on Beverly Hills, 90210 , as the stars of the American version of Inspector Spacetime. [5]
In its original broadcast, "Conventions of Space and Time" was seen by 3.08 million American viewers, placing fourth in its time slot behind The Big Bang Theory , American Idol , and Zero Hour , and achieved a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49. [6]
Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a 6 out of 10, denoting an "okay" episode, and summarized it as "an unfortunate dud". He noted that it lacked energy and humor and that the show focused more heavily on "couple stories" than it had during Dan Harmon's three seasons, though he appreciated several moments in the episode, such as Shirley standing up to network executives (which he attributed to "perhaps a bit of writers room rebellion"). [7] Josh Gondelman of Vulture gave it 2 out of 5 stars, praising the episode's premise but criticizing it for failing to fulfill its potential. He was particularly critical of its depiction of women, especially in regard to Britta, and of the relationship between Jeff and Annie; he also noted that the episode forced him to consider if Harmon would have handled the premise better. [8]
Erik Adams of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C− grade, remarking that it "may be the least smart Community's ever been." He praised its focus on the relationship between Troy and Abed but critiqued the characterizations of Annie and Britta, though he hesitated to declare that the show had lost its magic given its history of weak starts to seasons. [9] Cory Barker of TV.com remarked in his review that the inclusion of four separate plots made the episode feel scattered and underdeveloped. He criticized Annie's actions as "a regressive moment" for her character and opined that Pierce and Shirley's role felt pointless, but he enjoyed the emotional moments between Troy and Abed and found Britta and Troy's relationship more convincing than it had been in the past. [10] Barker would later rank it as Community's second-worst episode (ahead of only "Advanced Introduction to Finality"), calling it "everything you loved about Community, only broken apart into a million pieces, and reconstructed without a soul". [11]
"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.
"Asian Population Studies" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community, and the 37th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on NBC on January 20, 2011.
"Social Psychology" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on October 8, 2009. The episode shows Jeff bonding with Shirley through mockery of Britta's new romantic interest, Vaughn. Annie gets Abed to participate in a psychology experiment organized by Dr Ian Duncan. It received 4.87 million viewers in the United States and mixed critical reviews.
"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.
"Communication Studies" is the sixteenth episode of the first season of the U.S. television sitcom Community. It originally aired on February 11, 2010, on NBC.
"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.
"Mixology Certification" is the tenth episode of the second season of Community. It was originally broadcast on December 2, 2010 on NBC.
"Competitive Ecology" is the third episode of the third season of the American television series Community and the 52nd episode of the series overall. It was originally broadcast on October 6, 2011, on NBC.
"Remedial Chaos Theory" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American television series Community. The episode was written by Chris McKenna and directed by Jeff Melman. It originally aired on October 13, 2011 on NBC. It follows a community college study group at a housewarming party for members Troy and Abed. When Jeff throws a die to determine who will go to collect the pizza delivery from downstairs, seven different timelines unfold, showing each member of the group leaving to collect it depending on the outcome of the die—including the canonical timeline, in which Abed catches it before it lands. The episode was intended to be the third episode of the season, but was delayed by a week due to filming, editing and visual effects overrunning. As a result, "Competitive Ecology", due to be fourth, was aired third.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of Community, which originally aired on March 7, 2013 on NBC. Set at Thanksgiving, the episode shows Jeff meeting his father for the first time while other members of the group attend Shirley's Thanksgiving dinner with her family, in a parody of The Shawshank Redemption. The former storyline received mixed critical reception, whilst the latter was mostly criticized. The episode was watched by an estimated 3.29 million viewers upon its premiere.
"Heroic Origins" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom Community, which originally aired on May 2, 2013.
"Paranormal Parentage" is the second episode of the fourth season of Community. The episode was written by Megan Ganz and directed by Tristram Shapeero. Though a Halloween-themed episode—the fourth for the series—it premiered on February 14, 2013 on NBC. It shows the group searching Pierce's mansion for the code to his panic room, after he locks himself in there. It makes homage to Scooby-Doo. The episode was watched by 2.76 million viewers on its premiere and met with mixed critical reception.
