October 19th has finally arrived for #Community #SixSeasonsAndAMovie

Article first published as October 19th has finally arrived for #Community #SixSeasonsAndAMovie on TheTVKing.

NBC played a cruel joke on Community fans this year when they removed October 19th from the fall calendar and moved it to between February 6th and 8th. Many long, dark months were spent waiting for the thirteen promised episodes, but now, in the middle of winter, the day has finally arrived for the Human Beings and their fans.

As the premiere, "History 101," begins, after a spot-on gag with some glasses, the study group returns from their summer break as seniors and are ready to sign up for classes. Their first choice? The sole history course on the schedule, which will cover the story of ice-cream. Unfortunately, this is a super popular class, and it has been way overbooked. The Dean (Jim Rash) decides that the only fair way to decide who gets to enroll is to stage the The Hunger Deans, a play off of The Hunger Games, where students will compete to win a desk in the classroom.

The reason for all this madness? It's because Jeff (Joel McHale) only needs one history credit to graduate, and the Dean can't bear the thought of losing his favorite student / crush.

We see a side of Jeff that we don't often see in "History 101." While the rest of the study group is mad at him for taking summer classes behind their backs, bringing him so close to graduation, and don't feel like competing in the games, Jeff tries to earn a spot for each of them. He is committed to taking his final course with his closest friends, even Pierce (Chevy Chase), and is willing to go to great lengths to make sure that it happens. This is a sentimentality unexpected from the program's cynic, and a sure sign that he cares very deeply for the friends he has made at school.

This plot also leads to one of the greatest scenes in Community history when Jeff chooses the Dean as his tango partner. It's a big sacrifice for Jeff to make, knowing that the graceful Dean is in love with him, but Jeff really wants to win, and so, hilariously, he makes it happen.

What this also reveals is that the Dean's feelings for Jeff are real. They are often dismissed as a gag, but to go to such elaborate lengths tells us something about the depth of the emotion, whether it is fully romantic-based or not, is cool. The fact that the Dean gives in and adds another course when Jeff falls one slot short tells us that he cares, even if Jeff rejects him, making him a more sympathetic character.

Of course, that doesn't stop the Dean from buying the condo next to Jeff's, making for a great stalker arc in the coming season.

While Jeff is busy in the games, his classmates have their own challenges to overcome. Chief among them is Abed's (Danny Pudi) realization that this is their last first day of school. Abed has thrived these past three years in a way that the character most likely did not prior to the start of the show, finding a way to fit in with a group of peers. This isn't something that will come easy to someone so anti-social and obsessed with TV and movies, and he doesn't want to lose it.

To cope, Abed goes into a world of his own making within his brain. At first, we see a standard sitcom, complete with laughing studio audience, and the great Fred Willard portraying a kinder, gentler Pierce. Everyone in this world gets along, loves one another, and will never leave Greendale. Then, when that world is threatened, too, Abed retreats further inside, a la Inception, with a Muppet Babies spoof, seeing himself and his friends as young cartoon children in a nursery. Very, very funny.

Even when one is laughing at the lengths that Abed goes to, it's still easy to appreciate the layer of intelligence and creativity that goes into the writing of the show. Everything in Abed's dream worlds mean something, and while there are great gags, such as the pop up ads for other TV shows, there is also a level of depth and understanding of the character that is unparalleled by most shows. Pure brilliance.

The speech that Abed concocts for Jeff at the end is just the right note to end the episode on. It's poignant, and maybe not quite one Jeff is ready to give, but certainly something in line with what his character feels. It's also a message of hope to Community fans that, even should the show be canceled this year, as is likely, their favorite people will live on, and have formed life-long bonds with one another, making these four years mean something.

"History 101" is the beginning of the end for Pierce. Many already know that Chevy Chase quit the show about seventy five percent of the way through this fourth season. But his role has long been a joke, not in a good way, and he is portrayed as even more unlikeable and useless in this episode. If he doesn't have anything better to do in the next nine weeks, as much of a comedy legend as Chevy Chase is, and as painful as it is to write this, he will not be missed. I hope they kill his character off, providing closure, rather than just leaving us hanging.

Because Abed is shut down, he misses an important ritual with his best buddy, Troy (Donald Glover), tossing a coin into a fountain and making a wish. Troy instead does this with his girlfriend, Britta (Gillian Jacobs), who, of course, makes the tradition her own.

Does this mean Abed and Troy are growing apart? Shouldn't Troy be by Abed's side, able to tell that something is seriously wrong, even if Abed claims to be "f-y-n-e" fine?" Is being in a romantic relationship ruining what they have, which is oh-so-special? I hope not, but this should be some good fodder for the upcoming installments.

Annie (Alison Brie) deals with her senior year by wanting to act like a typical senior, having senioritis and pulling pranks. She's not very good at this, of course, as she doesn't quite know how to loosen up, but it's amusing to watch her try.

Annie has a little help from Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown). Shirely is surprisingly creative in her suggestions, since she also seems fairly good and righteous, even with the edge that always lies just under her surface. The payoff, though, comes when the Dean seems to have more of a reaction to Annie's moving of the stapler than Shirley's filling his car with popcorn.

Lastly, Chang (Ken Jeong) appears. It's the end of "History 101," and the tiny Asian villian has not been glimpsed at all (in the real world) during the entire half hour. Then, he arrives naked on a rainy street with a sign stating that his name is Kevin and he is suffering from Changnesia. Is this a scam? Who cares? What it means to Community fans is that Chang is going to still be around, causing trouble, and that's how we like him.

Interestingly, on paper, all of these plots seem perfectly to form with what makes Community the greatest currently running sitcom. Greendale looks the same, and the characters and plots are just as weird as ever.

Yet, there is something just slightly off throughout this installment. Maybe it's just in my head, knowing that creator Dan Harmon is gone. But it's not quite up to that level of magic that I am accustomed to from this series. Hopefully, this nagging doubt will fade away as the rest of the season unfolds, but I really, really hope Community hasn't lost something during the long, troubling break.

Community airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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