Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations

Last updated
"Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations"
Community episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 5
Directed by Tristram Shapeero
Written bySteve Basilone and Annie Mebane
Production code405
Original air dateMarch 7, 2013 (2013-03-07)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Alternative History of the German Invasion"
Next 
"Advanced Documentary Filmmaking"
Community season 4
List of episodes

"Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations" is the 5th episode of the fourth season and 76th overall episode 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.

Contents

Plot

Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) invites the study group to her in-laws' Thanksgiving dinner, but the Dean (Jim Rash)—having read Jeff's (Joel McHale) emails—reveals that Jeff will be meeting his father for the first time on Thanksgiving. When Jeff arrives at his father's house, he changes his mind, but he calls Britta (Gillian Jacobs) and learns that she is waiting for him at the house. He is forced to go there and meet his father William (James Brolin) and half-brother Willy Jr. (Adam Devine), the latter of whom is worried that Jeff will replace him. As Britta attempts to console Willy Jr., Jeff and William begin to get along and realize their similarities.

After William suggests that his abandonment of Jeff had a positive influence on his life, Jeff leaves in anger. As he is driving, he is shocked to find Willy Jr. in his backseat, begging for advice on how to get his father to stop hating him. In answering, Jeff realizes that he cannot achieve closure without confronting his father. He tells William that he is not well-adjusted, recounting an incident in seventh grade in which he pretended to have appendicitis to get sympathy. After a classmate asked to see the scar, he self-inflicted a wound with a pair of scissors and he still keeps the cards he received under his bed. William attempts to fake a heart attack and Jeff leaves. He hugs Willy Jr. and thanks Britta for making him confront his father.

Meanwhile, members of the study group arrive for Shirley's dinner and find her in-laws unpleasant. They hide in the garage and plan to escape. Annie (Alison Brie) fakes period pain but the ruse falls through as Shirley's sister-in-law is a gynecologist. The group take it in turns to interact with Shirley's relatives while amusing themselves in the garage. In an attempt to escape, Pierce (Chevy Chase) purposefully trips over a rug and walks into a corner of a table, but the relatives find this hilarious and Pierce is enthused by their positive response.

Troy (Donald Glover), Annie and Abed (Danny Pudi) are about to eat expired bean dip to escape the event when Shirley arrives. She admits that she invited them because she dislikes her in-laws, who act rudely towards her. The group then plan a way to allow Shirley to escape the party, but she rejects the idea because of the value she places on family. The group agree to stay with her. Later, Jeff throws the group a surprise Thanksgiving dinner in the study room.

In the end tag, Shirley discovers a hole Abed made in her garage and plans to use it next Thanksgiving.

Analysis

The storyline with members of the group trapped at Shirley's family Thanksgiving party parodies the 1994 prison drama The Shawshank Redemption . Abed narrates the storyline in a style similar to that of the film's narrator Morgan Freeman. [1] [2]

Reception

Upon its first broadcast in the United States, an estimated 3.29 million viewers watched the episode. [3]

Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+, finding the comedy "basically fine" and approving of the dramatic moments between Jeff and his dad. However, she disliked Willy Jr.'s character. [4] Eric Goldman of IGN rated the episode 7 out of 10, finding it an improvement over preceding episodes. Goldman found the storyline with Jeff and his dad "pretty successful", praising Brolin's acting and finding Britta's presence "good and funny" though "odd", but criticized the prison parody as "half-baked" and "gratuitous". [5] Gabrielle Moss of TV Fanatic rated the episode 3.8 out of 5, praising the acting of McHale and Brolin but finding that Jeff's dad lacked characterization and the episode's message was unclear. [6]

Sean Gandert of Paste found that the episode "did a good job honoring the complexity" of Jeff's relationship to his father, but that the other storyline was a "by-the-numbers lame pop culture parody". [7] Josh Gondelman of Vulture reviewed the episode negatively, believing it to have improperly dealt with serious character revelations, such as Jeff recounting a childhood infliction of self-harm. Gondelman found the prison parody storyline to use "references-as-comedy" and fail to "capitalize on the setup", also criticizing Troy's "unironic anxiety" over Batman's sexuality as homophobic. [2]

Related Research Articles

"Modern Warfare" is the twenty-third episode of the first season of Community and originally premiered on May 6, 2010, on NBC. In the episode, after the Dean announces the prize for a friendly game of paintball, Greendale sinks into a state of all-out paintball war, with every student battling for supremacy. During the chaos, Jeff's study group teams up in order to last longer in the game. Meanwhile, Jeff and Britta confront their unresolved sexual tension.

"The Art of Discourse" is the twenty-second episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on April 29, 2010.

"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.

"Advanced Criminal Law" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on October 15, 2009. The episode follows Jeff attempting to help Britta after she confesses to cheating on a Spanish test, as Pierce helps Annie by composing a school song and Abed attempts to convince Troy that he is an alien. It garnered 5.01 million viewers in its first broadcast and was met with mixed critical reception.

"Football, Feminism and You" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on October 22, 2009. The episode centers on Troy and his career playing football at Greendale Community College, while the B storyline concerns Britta and her difficulty befriending other women. Pierce works with Dean Pelton to create the school's mascot. The episode was watched by 5.18 million viewers upon its premiere and received polarized 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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of Community. The episode originally aired on February 17, 2011 on NBC. In the episode, Pierce pretends to be dying after a drug overdose and takes psychological revenge on the rest of the study group for not taking him seriously. He stages a documentary with Abed and plays on the rest of the study group's sympathies by giving them gifts and promises that torments them with their insecurities.

"Critical Film Studies" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of Community. It was originally aired on March 24, 2011 on NBC.

"Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community, and the 43rd episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on NBC on March 17, 2011. The episode focuses on Shirley's pregnancy, while Abed and Troy make friends with a student from the Balkans.

"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.

"Basic Human Anatomy" is the 11th episode of the fourth season and 82nd overall episode of the NBC sitcom Community, which originally aired on April 25, 2013.

"Geothermal Escapism" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of Community, and the 89th episode overall in the series. It originally aired on January 23, 2014 on NBC; and was written by Tim Saccardo and directed by Joe Russo. This is also the last episode of the series to feature Donald Glover as Troy Barnes, who left the show for other film and music career commitments.

"Paranormal Parentage" is the 2nd episode of the fourth season and 73rd overall episode 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.

"Conventions of Space and Time" is the 3rd episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series Community and the 74th 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.

"Alternative History of the German Invasion" is the 4th episode of the fourth season and 75th overall episode of Community, which originally aired on February 28, 2013 on NBC. The episode was Ben Wexler's first writing credit for the series and it was directed by Steven Tsuchida. It features the study group engaged in conflict with a group of German students who begin to use their study table, as the members all attend a history course. Meanwhile, Chang returns as Kevin, claiming to have memory loss which he describes as "Changnesia".

References

  1. Crow, David (September 17, 2019). "The 68 Movie References in Community". Den of Geek . Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Gondelman, Josh (March 8, 2013). "Community Recap: Shawshank or Bust?". Vulture . Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. Bibel, Sara (March 8, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'Glee' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers . Zap2it. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  4. VanDerWerff, Emily (March 7, 2013). "Community: "Cooperative Escapism In Familial Relations"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  5. Goldman, Eric (March 8, 2013). "Community: "Cooperative Escapism In Familial Relations" Review". IGN . Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  6. Moss, Gabrielle (March 7, 2013). "Community Review: Shawshanksgiving" . Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  7. Gandert, Sean (March 8, 2013). "Community: "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations" (4.5)". Paste . Retrieved August 22, 2020.