External links
- "Early 21st Century Romanticism" on NBC.com
- "Early 21st Century Romanticism" at IMDb
- "Early 21st Century Romanticism" on TV.com
| "Early 21st Century Romanticism" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 15 |
| Directed by | Steven Sprung |
| Written by | Karey Dornetto |
| Production code | 213 |
| Original air date | February 10, 2011 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"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.
The study group is concerned over Pierce's (Chevy Chase) reckless pill usage, and Annie (Alison Brie) suggests they stage an intervention. However, Jeff (Joel McHale) disagrees, leading to a fight between Jeff and the study group. Taking advantage of the situation, Dr. Duncan (John Oliver) gets Jeff to blow off the Valentine's Day dance and let him watch the Liverpool F.C. game at Jeff's apartment. Overhearing their plans, Chang (Ken Jeong) shows up uninvited. Duncan lets him in, and Chang secretly invites more people, to Jeff's dismay. Jeff finds that Chang had an ulterior motive for starting a party at Jeff's house—to move in indefinitely. He is ready to kick Chang out, but Duncan encourages Jeff to open up and appreciate those around him. Jeff reluctantly agrees to let Chang stay for a while.
Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) both fall for a librarian named Mariah (Maite Schwartz). They ask her to choose one of them to escort her to the dance. Because she doesn't know either of them very well, she agrees to go to the dance with both of them and decide which one of them to date. Once at the dance, Mariah is amicable with both of them but ultimately chooses Troy. When Troy asks her why she didn't choose Abed, he becomes upset to hear her call Abed "weird." He breaks it off with Mariah and returns to make up with Abed.
Britta (Gillian Jacobs) is flaunting the fact that she is friends with Page (Brit Marling), a supposed lesbian, to prove she is open-minded about the topic. However, Annie hears from Page's friend (Cyrina Fiallo) that Page only likes Britta because she thinks Britta's a lesbian. Page and Britta both "don't care about people's preferences" so much that they never confront each other about it, resulting in an awkward kiss at the dance. When they realize that they are both straight girls who thought the other was a lesbian, they stop being friends with each other.
Jeff sends a text to the group, apologizing to them for his earlier argument and saying he loves them all. He also encourages Pierce to let others into his life. In the final shot, Pierce is passed out on a bench after overdosing on his medication.
In its original broadcast, "Early 21st Century Romanticism" was seen by approximately 3.81 million American viewers, achieving a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic. [1]
The episode mostly received positive reviews from critics. Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave it an A− grade, remarking that it felt more like an episode from the show's first season in that it mostly took place on campus and was fairly grounded. She found most of the plotlines amusing and appreciated the episode as a breather amid the season's more ambitious episodes. [2] Joshua Kurp of Vulture appreciated its focus on relationships, particularly Troy and Abed's, and called it one of the show's "most emotionally affecting installments." [3] Emma Matthews of Den of Geek also enjoyed Troy and Abed's story, adding that the show was able to be "sweet, funny and dark all at once". [4] However, Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx was more ambivalent. He appreciated most of the storylines, but he also found Pierce's hallucinations from overdosing to be problematic and thought that element was weird in an otherwise low-key episode. [5] Sean Gandert of Paste gave the episode a 7.8/10 rating, noting that while the episode was funny, the inclusion of four separate plots meant that each one was fairly small. [6]
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Mixology Certification" is the tenth episode of the second season of Community. It was originally broadcast on December 2, 2010 on NBC.
"Critical Film Studies" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of Community. It was originally aired on March 24, 2011 on NBC.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Course Listing Unavailable" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Community and the sixty-seventh episode overall. It was written by Tim Saccardo and directed by Tristram Shapeero. It originally aired in the United States on May 3, 2012, on NBC.
"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.
"Celebrity Pharmacology" 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.
