Miss me? It's been about a year and a half. I've ignored tumblr and got caught up in life. I was disappointed in the gas year and underwhelmed by the return of Harmon. I don't know, I just never felt the motivation to return to the compulsive posting and dedicated easter-egg hunting that I've been too well known for over the year. To my 2,000+ fans that have remained over the year, through blind devotion or the fact that you've forgotten I've existed, I thank you.
I'll be posting more. i'm not happy to admit I'm turning into an adult with a real job and real responsibilities. But I'll return to posting news and (with any luck) things that continue to make this show so special. Hopefully the last two years won't let me down. Sure I haven't been as crazy loyal to the show as normal. But I'll try in the coming weeks.
My thoughts on season 4 finale (and I guess season 4 in general)..
First of all, yes. I'm alive and still posting. :) I usually have some insight (however irrelevant my thoughts are) about the end of each season. I'll post them here.Â
To sum it up in two words: I'm disappointed.Â
I've been, well, somewhat underwhelmed with this season. I know that we, as fans, have been watching this season under a different light. How could we not? There's been issue after issue in the background of this show. But we can all accept that there's been something different about this season, and I think the finale was as clear an example as we'll see that the show has changed.
So what didn't I like about this episode? From the first episode of season 4, I've felt they've been pushing the "darkest timeline" plot a little too much. I know Remedial Chaos theory was an exceptional episode, but the plot of one episode turned into the storyline for the next two seasons. For me (especially in the case of Advanced Introduction to Finality), it feels like the writers have taken every fresh idea the show has had, and grounded it into a pulp. Multiple timelines? In the finale. Paintball? ...I guess you can call that paintball…yes, into the finale. We, the fans, have made a dramatic impact on the show. But…should we also be at fault for its downfall?
The majority of season 4 has seemed to be one giant nod to the fans. Community has, sadly, left the themes of creating new episodes and instead reverted to retelling old ones. And, for me, I've been waiting this entire time, telling my tv, "Yes. You've made it back on the air. Nobody is happier than me. Now give us some Community." I've felt gipped these 13 episodes. Now don't get me wrong, some parts of the episodes have been great! Jeff's speech at the end was textbook Winger. Troy had some great moments in that episode, like always. But the episodes haven't been…well…grounded. Half the time, I forgot they were in school. This was a show about a study group, remember?
Harmon used to talk about having the study table be the anchor of the show. They've gravitated away from that rather quickly. How much studying actually got done at that table? And, for that matter, what activities related to school did they do at all in this season? I know they wanted to tell a story of a complete Winger transformation, but they lost 9 episodes in the process. I understand they had less time then they thought. But when a television show about community college ends a season where "the alternate dimension where we fought and killed one another turned out to be a dream," it just loses me.Â
I understand, Community. I recognize what you wanted to do, but the fact it…well..you just didn't do it. You tried to be Harmon without Harmon, and it plain didn't work. (Has anyone tried to match Harmon's story circle to the season finale? I mean, what did we learn? What changed? That there's Cougar Town in an alternate dimension?)Â
I hesitantly say that I'm still looking for a season 5, mostly because I don't want a show as good as this to go out like that. But, as I say that, I remember that Megan Ganz and Andy Bobrow, Neil Goldman, and others are out….and I think we're past the point in arguing that 'it's not a bad thing that there's new people!'…and if we are still arguing about that, then I'll say it. It's not the same, and I don't like it.Â
Ok…I swear I'm done. For now, I'll take the sweet moments for what they are, and accept the fact that season 4 disappointed me. It's over. I can't change it.Â
