External links
- "Physical Education" at NBC.com
- "Physical Education" at IMDb
| "Physical Education" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 17 |
| Directed by | Anthony Russo |
| Written by | Jessie Miller |
| Production code | 118 |
| Original air date | March 4, 2010 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Physical Education" is the seventeenth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community . It aired in the United States on NBC on March 4, 2010. It was written by Jessie Miller and directed by Anthony Russo. In the episode, Jeff faces off with the coach of the billiards class over wearing gym shorts, while the rest of the group encourages Abed to pursue a girl they think has a crush on him. It received positive reviews from critics.
Troy (Donald Glover) finds a hand-drawn portrait with hearts around it resembling Abed (Danny Pudi) in his used Spanish book. The group concludes that the book's previous owner, Jenny Adams (Carrie Wiita), likes Abed. However, Abed seems uninterested in meeting her.
Jeff (Joel McHale) joins a billiards class and impresses Coach Bogner (Blake Clark) with his technique. However, Bogner tells the class they must wear gym shorts because pool is a physical education class, frustrating Jeff, who has dressed stylishly for the sport. Meanwhile, the group encourages Abed to talk to Jenny in the cafeteria. After some urging, he heads over, although he acts in an off-putting way as he does so. The group stops him and decides to teach Abed how to attract women.
Jeff enters class in the shorts, visibly uncomfortable. After failing to look cool, he changes his clothes and confronts Bogner, who notes to the rest of the class that Jeff cares too much about his appearance. Jeff challenges him to a game of pool, but Bogner only offers to play Jeff in shorts; Jeff refuses and leaves the class.
The other group members teach Abed how to act differently for Jenny; Abed embodies Don Draper and seduces Annie in a practice situation, showing the group his ability to impersonate. Jeff enters and chastises them for trying to change Abed. Abed then imitates Jeff, which impresses the group; they encourage him to act like that when he approaches Jenny. Abed meets Jenny and begins seducing her until her boyfriend (Pudi), a White student with a face identical to Abed's, appears and threatens him.
Later, the group worries Abed will be upset over what happened. However, when he arrives, he seems unfazed. He explains that he went after Jenny because he knew it was important to the group that he learn to act normally and that they feel as though they can help him, citing his mother's abandonment and bullying as the usual outcomes when others become frustrated with him. He also explains that he was able to change his personality for the group because he was satisfied enough with his own personality, which inspires Jeff to overcome his ego.
Jeff enters the common room in shorts and challenges Bogner to play him; a crowd gathers to watch their intense match. In between shots, Bogner argues Jeff has not actually changed. Jeff strips down to his underwear, claiming he does not care how he looks, and Bogner follows suit. Bogner gets to the last ball, still taunting Jeff. To try to show each other up, both men rip off their underwear. Bogner misses his shot, allowing Jeff to win and earn Bogner's respect; while Bogner tells Jeff he can wear whatever he likes to class, Jeff chooses the gym clothes. Afterwards, one of Jeff's classmates (Jill Latiano) asks Jeff to introduce her to Abed; Jeff suggests introducing herself instead.
This episode was director Anthony Russo's sixth episode and writer Jessie Miller's first of the series.
The climactic pool scene features the song "Werewolves of London", which was used in a similar scene in the film The Color of Money . [1] [2] Joel McHale later remarked that he wore a dance belt for the portions in which Jeff is naked but added that it "required a lot of bravery on [his] part", as he had never acted in a scene like that before. [3]
In its original American broadcast on March 4, 2010, the episode was viewed by 5.06 million viewers and achieved a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49, placing third in its timeslot behind American Idol and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains . [4]
The episode received positive reviews from critics. Jonah Krakow of IGN rated it an 8.5/10, denoting a "great" episode, and called it "another solid episode with yet another uproarious finale". [5] Sean Gandert of Paste also gave it an 8.5/10, noting that the show's cast had become very balanced and that both plotlines were strong. [6] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave it an A− grade, arguing that the show takes its strength from a strong ensemble and that it has a "philosophical bent" that made its conflicts much more compelling than other sitcoms. [2] John Young of Entertainment Weekly noted that the episode was what the show needed as it faced renewal or cancellation and called it "the episode [he'd] choose when introducing the show to the uninitiated." [7]
In a retrospective ranking of the show's 110 episodes, Cory Barker of TV.com placed the episode thirty-seventh, noting that it (along with "Communication Studies" and "Beginner Pottery") helped to mark the show's shift from "community college hijinks" to "conceptual and parodic nods". [8] Dustin Rowles of Uproxx later ranked the episode eleventh overall in his list of the show's top fifteen episodes. [9]
"Introduction to Film" is the third episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on October 1, 2009. The episode sees Jeff attempt to "seize the day" to pass a class, while Britta pays for Abed to take a filmmaking class, to his dad's annoyance. It received mixed critical reviews and garnered 5.86 million viewers upon its premiere.
"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.
"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 Science of Illusion" is the twentieth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Community. It aired in the United States on NBC on March 25, 2010.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Critical Film Studies" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of Community. It was originally aired on March 24, 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.
"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.
"Economics of Marine Biology" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom Community, which originally aired on March 21, 2013.
"Alternative History of the German Invasion" is the fourth episode of the fourth season 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".
