| "The First Chang Dynasty" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 21 |
| Directed by | Jay Chandrasekhar |
| Written by | Matt Fusfeld Alex Cuthbertson |
| Production code | 320 |
| Original air date | May 17, 2012 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The First Chang Dynasty" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Community . It aired in the United States on NBC on May 17, 2012. In the episode, the group must pull off an Ocean's Eleven -style heist in order to free Dean Pelton and reveal Chang's plan. It received mostly positive reviews.
Officer Cackowski (Craig Cackowski) dismisses the group's story that Chang (Ken Jeong) has replaced Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) with an impostor (J. P. Manoux). He warns the former students that they will be arrested if they approach the campus.
As Greendale's new leader, Chang plans a lavish birthday celebration for himself. After struggling to gather reconnaissance, Troy (Donald Glover) turns to Murray (Dan Bakkedahl) from the air conditioning repair school. Murray reveals that Dean Pelton is locked in the cafeteria basement and explains Chang's new security measures. He offers additional help from the A/C school in exchange for Troy joining their program. The other group members, particularly Britta (Gillian Jacobs), oppose losing Troy and reject the offer. Instead, they plan their own operation.
During Chang's party, Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), disguised as a chef, deliberately clogs a toilet, while Annie (Alison Brie) pretends to be a security guard. Troy and Abed (Danny Pudi) arrive as plumbers to fix the toilet; they break through the bathroom wall to access security codes in Chang's office. Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta, masquerading as magicians, steal Chang's keys during their performance. Suddenly, Pierce (Chevy Chase) enters in a swami outfit. Chang recognizes Pierce, seemingly ruining the operation, but the team intentionally structured the plan to look like it was failing. Chang ends up chasing the fake Dean while the group frees the real Dean. However, Chang wises up and stops the group before they can escape.
The entire group is locked in the basement. Before leaving, Chang reveals his plan to use a firework show to burn the records room and cover up his misdeeds, ignoring the group's warnings that doing so would burn down the entire school and kill everyone inside. As the group tries to escape, Troy nods to an A/C maintenance camera, causing a large fan blocking an exit to stop. The group celebrates, although Britta realizes what Troy has sacrificed. Using a distraction, they take out Chang's army of kids and prevent the fireworks from exploding. Chang arrives and confronts the group, but two school board members (Jeremy Scott Johnson and Brady Novak) find the fake Dean and realize what happened, forcing Chang to flee. The board members worry about keeping the scandal quiet, but Dean Pelton promises to keep it under wraps.
Later, Troy honors his arrangement and prepares to move into the A/C school. The group shares parting words with him. He leaves with Murray for the school, where Vice Dean Laybourne (John Goodman) welcomes him.
The episode was written by Matt Fusfeld and Alex Cuthbertson and directed by Jay Chandrasekhar. It incorporates several references to heist films, particularly the film Ocean's Eleven . [1]
The week before the episode's airing, the show was renewed for a 13-episode fourth season by NBC. [1] [2]
The imagery of Chang's propaganda posters evokes that of Soviet and North Korean propaganda, as well as some parodying the "Change We Can Believe In" posters with "Chang We Can Believe In". [3]
The scene when Chang catches up to the group in the records room is a reference to the climactic lightsaber duel between the Jedi and Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace , with Jeff wielding a blue stun baton and Chang wielding a double-ended red one. However, Chang runs away before the two can fight.
Chang's costume references Napoleon Bonaparte.
When Chang begins his keytar solo, he plays the first few bars of Axel F.
In its original broadcast, "The First Chang Dynasty" was seen by approximately 2.61 million Americans and achieved a 1.3/4 in the 18-49 demographic. It ranked fourth in its time slot behind the season finales of Grey's Anatomy and Person of Interest and an episode of Touch . [4] The episode was the second of three episodes of Community aired that night, with an episode of 30 Rock placed between "Digital Estate Planning" and this episode and "Introduction to Finality" following it. [1]
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. In a joint review of the final three episodes, Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A−, praising its use of the tropes of heist movies and the emotional climax of Troy's departure. [5] Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode 9 out of 10, denoting an "amazing" episode; he appreciated that the show provided closure for several storylines and enjoyed seeing Chang's regime and the study group's caper. [3] Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx praised the episode as the best of the three final episodes in terms of humor and appreciated the show's handle of the tropes and style of caper films, though he thought Chang's arc was still weak. [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.
"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.
"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.
"Accounting for Lawyers" is the second episode of the second season of Community. It originally aired on September 30, 2010 on NBC. In the episode, Jeff meets up with an old friend and colleague from his law firm, Alan, a spineless unprincipled character. He temporarily abandons the group to join Alan and other former colleagues at an office party, which he is invited to by Alan who wants to use him to get promoted. The study group suspects that Alan was the one who got Jeff disbarred, and set out to find the truth at the party.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Basic Lupine Urology" is the seventeenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Community and the sixty-sixth episode overall. It was written by Megan Ganz and directed by Rob Schrab. It originally aired in the United States on April 26, 2012, on NBC. In the episode, the study group must figure out who killed the yam they were growing for a biology class project. Troy and Abed lead the investigation and track down suspects, while Jeff and Annie work to build a case against whoever did it. As they dig deeper, the group encounters several challenges that threaten to derail their case.
"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.
"Curriculum Unavailable" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Community and the sixty-eighth episode overall. It was written by Adam Countee and directed by Adam Davidson. It originally aired in the United States on May 10, 2012 on NBC.
"Economics of Marine Biology" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom Community, which originally aired on March 21, 2013.
"Advanced Introduction to Finality" is the thirteenth and final episode of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom Community. It originally aired on May 9, 2013.
"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.
