| "Virtual Systems Analysis" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 16 |
| Directed by | Tristram Shapeero |
| Written by | Matt Murray |
| Production code | 316 |
| Original air date | April 19, 2012 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"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.
When the study group takes a break, Annie (Alison Brie) encourages Troy (Donald Glover) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) to have lunch together while she joins Abed (Danny Pudi) in his "Dreamatorium", a room where he and Troy simulate imaginary adventures. Abed and Annie recreate Inspector Spacetime , but Abed quickly becomes irritated. Annie realizes he's angry that she set up Troy and Britta, and Abed insists she is messing with the group. To prove his point, he simulates Troy and Britta's date going poorly.
When Annie finds the demonstration silly, Abed shows her the Dreamatorium's "engine", a cardboard contraption which he claims creates objective simulations. Frustrated, Annie rearranges the engine to consider other people's thoughts. Abed panics and passes out; when he awakens, he pretends to be Jeff (Joel McHale) and simulates a hospital environment that Annie requested earlier. Annie eventually plays along, demanding to know where Abed is. After encountering several simulated group members as hospital staff, Annie learns Abed is a patient. Seeking to find Abed, she tells "Jeff" to take her where she wants to go; "Jeff" instead takes her to the scene where they kissed. He insists she pushed Abed aside and paired Troy and Britta together so she could be with him. Annie claims Abed is okay, but "Jeff" reads Abed's "file" and quotes her calling Abed a control freak without empathy. Disgusted, Annie storms off but runs into a wall, breaking the simulation.
Upset, Annie asks to be alone, so Abed creates a new simulation and pretends to be her. "Annie" insists they love Jeff, but Annie explains she simply wants to be loved and repeatedly runs through scenarios with Jeff to get him to love her. "Annie" remarks that her scenarios sound like Abed's simulations, inspiring Annie to pretend to be Abed. "Chang" (Ken Jeong) arrives and places "Abed" in a locker with the real Abed. There, Abed expresses concerns that the group will eventually push him away. Annie, as herself, explains that his simulations are impressive but inaccurate; they simply manifest his anxieties. She acknowledges that they both need to work on not trying to script life. Satisfied, the two return to the Inspector Spacetime simulation.
When the group returns from their break, Troy reveals that he and Britta enjoyed lunch together and apologizes to Abed for leaving him. Abed tells Troy it's okay and compliments Annie's work in the Dreamatorium.
The episode was written by producer Matt Murray, his second writing credit for the show after "Advanced Gay". It was directed by Tristram Shapeero, his fifth credit for the season and ninth overall.
The episode features heavy usage of special effects to create the interior of the Dreamatorium. In a PaleyFest panel, several cast and crew members explained that the challenges of filming the episode led to concerns during production about the end result. [1]
In its original broadcast, the episode was seen by 2.77 million American viewers and achieved a 1.3/5 in the 18-49 demographics. The show placed fourth in its time slot behind American Idol , a repeat of The Big Bang Theory , and Missing . [2]
The episode received mostly positive reviews. Robert Canning of IGN gave it 9 out of 10, denoting an "amazing" episode. He appreciated that the show embraced its own way of telling stories with the characters, writing that it "might turn off the casual viewer, but it's exactly the kind of episode fans love to see." [3] Emma Matthews of Den of Geek agreed that the episode would not earn the show any new fans but enjoyed both the exploration into Abed's mindset and many of the episode's smaller jokes. [4] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode an A, likening it to another serious, character-driven episode, season 2's "Critical Film Studies". She appreciated the connection between Annie and Abed and enjoyed Annie's characterization, which she felt had been weakening since season 2. [5] Bill Wyman of Slate described the episode as " Tron meets Shutter Island meets Inception meets … Gray's Anatomy [ sic ]" and liked the episode's commentary on relationships and the complexities of sitcoms. [6]
Some critics were more ambivalent about the episode. Sean Gandert of Paste gave the episode a rating of 8.0 and found the format to be well-executed but criticized the show for making Abed self-centered, which seemed contradictory to his actions during the previous three seasons. [7] Joshua Kurp of Vulture respected and admired the show's efforts, but he found the lack of a centerpiece scene or a strong emotional climax to be problematic. [8] Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx found it to be "a strange episode, and not an especially funny one", but he did enjoy what the episode had to say about Abed and Annie. [1]
"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 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.
"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.
"Paradigms of Human Memory" is the twenty-first episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community and the forty-sixth episode overall. It was originally broadcast on April 21, 2011, on NBC. It was written by Chris McKenna and directed by Tristram Shapeero. In the episode, the study group reflects on events from the past school year; many of these memories lead to arguments as they recall and recognize their faults, both as individuals and as a group.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Conventions of Space and Time" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series Community and the seventy-fourth 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.
