Community documents again

Review first published as Community documents again on TheTVKing.com

The latest installment of NBC's Community is "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking." As in previous "Documentary" episodes, Abed (Danny Pudi) sets about to film something for Greendale, but ends up taking it in a totally different direction than originally intended, or what others might like him to do. This year's subject: Changnesia, as Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) tries to get the school a grant to help Kevin (Ken Jeong) battle his crippling "illness."

The fly in the ointment, so to speak, is Jeff (Joel McHale). While everyone else buys Chang's changed behavior as "Kevin," Jeff is convinced it is all a scam, and that his friends are incredibly naive. He offers to help Abed, much to everyone's delight, but secretly plots to expose what Chang is really up to. In the end, he causes a scene, but Kevin is shown to be legitimate, Jeff looks dumb, and Greendale gets the grant.

Right from the beginning of the Changnesia story, it's obvious that Chang is faking. I say this not because of anything Chang does in particular, but from a familiarity with the character over the past three and a half seasons. It's understandable that the study group is convinced by Chang's act because he really sells Kevin, and they are "do-gooders" who want to do the right thing, putting that ahead of their ability to think logically. It shows foolish judgment, and will come back to bite them in the butt, but it's kind of sweet, in a twisted way.

Which is not exactly a complaint. After all, if Chang didn't fool everyone, he wouldn't be able to carry out whatever fiendish plot he is cooking up, apparently at the behest of someone else, as "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking" exposes to the viewer, but not the characters, in the final scene. And we want to see what Chang can do, because his threat provides an entertaining element of the series. Who would Chang possible be working for? Who wants to hurt the study group (that list is a long one)? And what ramifications will Chang's deception have by the end of the season? Could they be worse than in previous schemes?

Jeff tries to expose Chang by pointing out that he dials his ex-wife's (Andrea de Oliveira, reprising her role from season one) phone number. But what he, and others, miss is that Chang says he got the phone number from the vents. Why would Kevin be crawling through the vents, as Chang used to do? This seems to me to be an important clue that is lost in the chaos of Jeff's failed play. It also may or may not be a clue as to who Chang's boss is.

Once more, like the Thanksgiving installment, this is a strong Jeff episode. We see him confront something about himself, that he's so much more jaded than the rest of his friends, and try to work to change it. He doesn't at first, of course, dismissing their faith in Kevin. But that's what it finally comes around to, as we get to see more of Jeff's journey as a person, stumbling when he resorts to his old ways, and doing better when he follows his friends' lead. Will he be a changed man in the end, or will they need him to go back to who he was to save them all from Chang, thus legitimizing Jeff's personality of the first three seasons, and making him feel better about who he is.

The scene where Chang is the only one who will sit with Jeff at lunch is an interesting one. Does Chang really like Jeff? Is he just trying to sell his cover? Does Chang feel sorry for Jeff? Will Jeff see Chang as a friend in this situation? There are so many things to ponder about the small bit, a testament to the two performers at the center of the episode.

There are a number of amusing bits in this episode, from Shirley's (Yvette Nicole Brown) brilliant, sometimes thrown away, lines, to Britta's (Gillian Jacobs) inability to use a camera, to Chang repeating an entire conversation, to Annie (Alison Brie) missing an obvious reference of something smelling fishy, to Troy's (Donald Glover) view of what a detective partner should be, to Chang "remembering" that he is Chinese. Each of the main players gets a moment to shine, and the writing stays strong for the central cast.

Also funny were Greendale's scientist's way or shooting down Britta's theory for a cure, the payoff of Abed's request for an expensive song for his film, and a guest turn by Mike Hagerty (Wayne's World) as Sully, the fish farmer who uses Chang as slave labor for three months. Is Sully part of the plan? Or does he just provide a convenient place for Chang to hide out for awhile?

I don't know if I'd rank "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking" super high on my list, despite these good qualities. It certainly isn't a bad episode, but there's nothing in it that really makes it special, either. It's a typical Community filler, allowing some character development and fun techniques, but not really going to deep across the board, save a couple of choice moments. It ranks smack in the middle of the pack of this season's episodes so far.

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