External links
- "Epidemiology" at NBC.com
- "Epidemiology" at IMDb
| "Epidemiology" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Anthony Hemingway |
| Written by | Karey Dornetto |
| Featured music |
|
| Production code | 206 |
| Original air date | October 28, 2010 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Epidemiology" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community , and the 31st episode of the series overall. It originally premiered in the United States on NBC on October 28, 2010 as a special Halloween-themed episode. [1] In the episode, the Dean throws a Halloween themed party on campus. During the party, a few of the partygoers become sick from eating a hazardous substance that the Dean mistook for taco meat bought at an army surplus store. The sickness causes those affected to turn into a violent, zombie-like state that can be passed on through bites. As the study group try to escape, the Dean (under orders from U.S. Army Special Operations) locks the doors, trapping them inside with the infected.
The episode was written by Karey Dornetto and directed by Anthony Hemingway, and also features the voice of George Takei. The episode's plot is an homage to various zombie and horror movies, with the infected students mimicking stereotypical zombies and various tropes of the genre. The episode received overwhelmingly positive reviews and was watched by 5.6 million viewers on its original airing.
Outside the Greendale Community College library, Jeff (Joel McHale), dressed as David Beckham, greets Pierce (Chevy Chase), who is dressed as Star Trek's Captain Kirk for the annual Greendale Halloween party. The pair walk inside, where all the songs being played are by the 1970's pop group ABBA and Pelton's voice notes to himself (given that they are using his iPod for the music). When Pierce asks Dean Pelton (Jim Rash), who is dressed as Lady Gaga, where he got the food, Jeff reveals it is old military rations bought at a surplus store. Pierce becomes ill, beginning to sweat and becoming disoriented. Annie (Alison Brie) finds a doctor, they discover that Pierce is running a temperature of 102°F. While Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) attempt to court women with their Aliens -inspired costumes, other partygoers begin contracting the mysterious sickness. Although the student Rich (Greg Cromer), who is a medical doctor, initially assumes it is food poisoning from the rations, Pierce bites Star-Burns (Dino Stamatopoulos) in the arm.
The main characters (except Pierce) continue to enjoy the party, despite noticing that many of those attending the event appeared to be "high on drugs". Troy, who has by this time changed out of his science-fiction style costume and opted to dress as a “sexy Dracula”, calls Abed a nerd, hurting his feelings. Meanwhile, at his office, Dean Pelton telephones the surplus store to complain. When he reads a code on a biohazard-labeled package he mistook for taco meat, Pelton is transferred to an army special operations officer, who orders the Dean to quarantine those inside the library and wait for the army to arrive in six hours.
At the party, Leonard (Richard Erdman) savagely bites a woman, and Troy and Abed realize that they are in the midst of a zombie attack. As the unaffected partygoers try to escape through the library's front door, the Dean locks it from the outside and seals them in with the zombies. The remaining survivors barricade themselves in the group study room.
Rich explains that the zombies are suffering from a rabies-like illness and will suffer brain damage and death within six hours. Annie and Rich suggest lowering the building temperature to lower the zombies' fever and kill the virus. However, the thermostat is outside with the zombies. Rich emphasizes that everyone disclose whether they were bitten, but he and Britta cover up their bites and begin exhibiting symptoms. Chang (Ken Jeong) throws an ice skate at the pair in an attempt to knock them out, but ends up breaking a window and allowing the zombies to surge in and grab Annie.
The group flees the study room and splits up. Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) and Chang escape to a nearby bathroom, where they share a passionate moment and have sex. Jeff, Troy and Abed get to the library's basement, where they spot a window. However Jeff, not wanting his expensive suit to get dirty by going through the window, opens a door instead, letting in the zombies from the other side. Jeff is overpowered by the horde. Abed encourages Troy to "be the first black man to make it to the end" and sacrifices himself, allowing Troy to escape through the window.
Once outside, Troy forcibly takes the keys from Dean Pelton and reenters the building to get to the thermostat. Abed, Britta and Shirley bite Troy, but he is able to reach the thermostat before being affected. After the air conditioning comes on, everyone is healed. The army arrives to "disinfect" the building (as well as ensure that the Dean is the "only witness"). Upon discovering those inside are uninfected, they opt to erase everyone's memories. In the aftermath, the party-goers assume the drinks were roofied. George Takei ends the episode with a voice over, and recording a voicemail greeting for someone named Kevin.
In an ending tag scene, Troy listens to a voicemail message from Chang sent moments before his becoming infected, bragging that he and Shirley "totally did it". Troy wonders aloud why Chang called him.
The episode was written by producer Karey Dornetto, her third writing credit on the series. It was directed by Anthony Hemingway, his first directing credit for a half-hour comedy series. He has previously directed episodes for The Wire , Battlestar Galactica , CSI: NY , and True Blood .
The following songs by the Swedish pop music group ABBA are featured throughout the episode: "Waterloo", "SOS", "Dancing Queen", "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", "Mamma Mia", and "Fernando".
This episode featured a special Halloween-themed opening credit sequence, unique to this episode. [1] Series creator Dan Harmon later stated on his Twitter account that he paid for the changed opening credits himself, as it wasn't in the network's budget. [2]
In its original American broadcast, "Epidemiology" reached approximately 5.635 million households with a 2.4 rating/7% share in the 18–49 demographic. It was the least-watched non-reality component of NBC's Comedy Night Done Right for that evening (only The Apprentice , a reality show, scored lower). [3]
Alyssa Rosenberg from The Atlantic praised the episode, saying, "Community's on a roll with episodes torn straight from the reels of classic movies this season, and last night's Halloween episode lifted the show to new heights: this may have been the best half-hour of Community since "Contemporary American Poultry" and "Modern Warfare." [4] Sean Gandert of Paste Magazine also found the episode to be one of the series' best, writing, "Community gets things so, so right. This is one of those special episodes that really pushed the boundaries of the show, and honestly, I even preferred it to 'Modern Warfare'—this may be the best episode of the show so far." [5]
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Contemporary American Poultry" is the twenty-first episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on April 22, 2010. In the episode, Jeff convinces the rest of the study group to help him skim chicken fingers from the cafeteria, but with Abed's help, the plan quickly spirals into a much larger operation. The episode is styled similarly to mafia movies, particularly the 1990 film Goodfellas.
"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.
"Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" is the twenty-second episode of the second season of Community. It originally aired on April 28, 2011, on NBC.
"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.
"Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" is the eighth episode of the third season of the U.S. television series Community. It was originally broadcast on November 17, 2011 on NBC.
"Regional Holiday Music" is the tenth episode and mid-season finale of the third season of the American television series Community, and 59th overall episode of the series. It was originally broadcast on December 8, 2011 on NBC and is the final episode before the show went on hiatus during the 2011–12 midseason. The Christmas-themed episode is a musical featuring original songs performed by cast members. After Greendale's glee club members become incapacitated, the study group is asked to join. Despite their dislike of the club, each of them is lured into joining after their vulnerabilities are exploited.
"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.
"Contemporary Impressionists" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on March 22, 2012 on NBC.
"Pillows and Blankets" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on April 5, 2012, 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.
"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.
"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.
