COMMUNITY "Features" Character Development

Article first published as TV Review: 'Community' - "Advanced Safety Features" on Blogcritics.

In the latest installment of Yahoo! Screen’s Community, Britta’s ex-boyfriend from season three, Rick (Travis Schuldt), returns. This time, he’s working for Honda and is guerrilla marketing at Greendale. Britta (Gillian Jacobs) can’t help but fall for him all over again, but can they make their relationship work while serving Rick’s Honda overlords? Also, Jeff (Joel McHale) tries to win Elroy (Keith David) over.

“Advanced Safety Features,” the name of this episode, is a terrific look at Britta, highlighting her various sides. It doesn’t really reveal anything new about her; fans already know she is easily influenced, especially by handsome, charming men, and also that she attempts to be a rebel against corporate interests. But by letting these two sides of her go to war in her heart, Community profiles a character in a way that reignites interest in her and gives her much-deserved focus.

I wish Rick were able to give up his salesman instincts for Britta. As Community is likely starting to wind towards a conclusion, now halfway through the sixth season of what could very well end up being #SixSeasonsAndAMovie, she deserves a happy ending. But it wouldn’t be true to either Rick or Britta for them to give up their ideals, and Community has never been the type of show to let any of its leads have a healthy romantic life. Britta would be the exception, and I’m not sure that really works for the show.

Even Britta’s relationship with her parents (Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren), while healing, remains tenuous. When Britta takes Rick to meet them, things seem to be going well, the estrangement ended. But by the conclusion of “Advanced Safety Features,” Britta is frustrated with the pair once more, and they are still clueless as to the why, unable to fix it. All of the players in Community are developmentally arrested, and Britta does not escape that this week.

Speaking of arrested development, Jeff is desperate to have everyone like him. This isn’t news, either, but in Elroy, Jeff finally finds someone who doesn’t fall for his cool aloofness. Jeff goes to extreme measures in order to correct this while trying to make it look like he’s not doing anything, even booking Elroy’s favorite band for the school dance. None of that works, and Elroy remains unmoved.

“Advanced Safety Features” gives Jeff a clue as to how to accomplish his goal early in the hour, but Jeff misses it. After Elroy bonds with Annie (Alison Brie), Abed (Danny Pudi), and Chang (Ken Jeong), they observe that genuine human interaction is something the man responds to. Jeff does eventually show his vulnerable, true side to Elroy, not in a calculated move, but rather through a desperate eruption. Elroy immediately responds.

Jeff has gotten much more open over Community‘s run, sometimes by choice, and sometimes being forced to act real by his friends. One might think that by now Jeff would learn what works and what doesn’t. If he did, then he’d be fixed and able to operate normally in society. This series is about a bunch of misfits, so that won’t fly, at least not until the show comes to an end for good.

“Advanced Safety Features” has great character stuff, but is also charmingly quirky and funny. Jeff tricks Frankie (Paget Brewster) into learning to play steel drums. A song from earlier in the season comes back. A musician keeps complaining that everyone asks where the person in the name of the band is. The Dean (Jim Rash) fills his office with Honda stuff. Billy Zane (Titanic) plays Rick’s boss who ‘magically’ disappears. This is all great stuff that makes the episode feel full and sharp.

I give a ton of credit to Honda for their participation in “Advanced Safety Features.” I don’t know how much involvement they may have had in the production, but surely Community couldn’t release this episode without permission from the brand, and the way the product is portrayed isn’t always 100% favorable. Any company that has a sense of humor has my respect, so if you need good value and lots of leg room, check out the Honda Fit. I assume. I’ve never been in one.

New episodes of Community post every Tuesday on Yahoo! Screen.

COMMUNITY Climbs "Ladders" on Yahoo Screen

Article originally published as TV Review: 'Community' - Season Six Premiere 'Ladders' and "Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care' on Blogcritics.

Community is back! NBC tried to kill it after a mere five seasons, prior to its prophetic fulfillment of the hashtag #sixseasonsandamovie, but Yahoo Screen has revived the odd comedy about the teachers and students at Greendale Community College, and the first two half-hour episodes are live on their website today. The show’s budget seems to have increased a bit, with more exterior shots than I remember seeing in awhile! Plus, the episodes are no longer confined to a strict twenty-two minutes, which gives them room to breathe, and the writers are using those additional moments wisely.

Some significant things have changed when the first episode “Ladders” begins. Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) has moved away to take care of her father (like the real Yvette, who is now starring in the less time-intensive The Odd Couple), and then got herself wrapped up in solving crimes with a man in a wheelchair (unlike the real Yvette, presumably). The idea that Shirley is starring in a spinoff makes sense for the universe as it exists in Abed’s (Danny Pudi) head, and even provides a fun little tag with Steven Weber (Wings, Helix) so fans can see her one last time. But her presence is deeply missed. The group protecting her seat in the library and running her sandwich shop in her absence illustrates that, and makes one hope her absence is temporary. There is, after all, still a movie needed to finish the hashtag, and if she, Troy, and Pierce don’t return, along with the large recurring cast, it will be most regrettable.

Hickey (Jonathan Banks) and Duncan (John Oliver) are nowhere to be seen because Banks is starring in Better Call Saul on AMC and Oliver has Last Week Tonight on HBO, though neither really feel like a part of the main ensemble, anyway.We do see Abed polish Duncan’s nameplate, so presumably he is still around. Still, because they are essential in founding the Save Greendale Committee, and Duncan has been on the show off and on since season one, I miss them.

They are replaced by Frankie Dart (Paget Brewster, Criminal Minds), who is said to be ‘white Shirley’ when the minority members of the group feel their numbers slipping, but is more like ‘grown up Annie,’ an administrator who likes the weird people, and seeks to keep things running smoothly. Frankie is completely unlike any other character on Community, including Brewster’s previous role on the show, in that she likes being boring. This completely shifts the dynamic of the ensemble, since it seems Frankie will be a central player in season six.

The first thing Frankie does is eliminate some of the kooky, wasteful things at Greendale. For instance, there’s a class called “Ladders,” the episode’s namesake, that she feels is a waste of time. In order to push her agenda, she latches onto Abed, who likes the idea of her grounding the school in reality, something he sometimes seeks to do to himself.

Is this the end of Abed as we know him? For five seasons, Abed struggles with the fourth wall, a character seemingly self-aware that he’s on television, even as his friends just see him as weird, which is saying something when he is compared to the other bozos around. While Frankie does try to break him of making montages, though, she does seem to stop short of ruining Abed, so that alone makes me think she’ll be a good addition to Community, rather than a villain.

Jeff (Joel McHale), Annie (Alison Brie), and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) don’t welcome Frankie as easily as Abed does, opening a speak-easy underneath Shirley’s when Frankie bans alcohol on campus. When Frankie eventually breaks them up, though, it’s not because she’s just found out about the project. This is another reason I’m not afraid Frankie will screw up Community, as Jeff and Abed end up wooing her back to campus after she quits. She may seem normal, but is weird in her own ways and is just trying to help. Thankfully that is realized in time to keep her.

There is a small part of “Ladders” that makes me wonder what the series is planning for the rest of the season. Garrett (Erik Charles Nielsen) is glimpsed glaring at Frankie and the group, as if he has some big beef with them. Maybe he’s mad about the Frisbee tidal wave that swept him away after the Save Greendale Committee failed to clear the roof of the plastic toys, their single failure since inception? But Leonard (Richard Erdman) scares him off and offers a thumbs up to the camera. Is Community‘s most frequent recurring player protecting out heroes? I want to know more about this interaction.
The second half hour, “Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care,” does not go back to things as usual, though I’m not sure Community ever really has a definable status quo. Instead, it has two main stories, one of which uncovers a long-secret conspiracy, and introduces viewers to the second major character to join the cast this year, alongside Frankie.

The conspiracy story involves Britta’s parents (Clue‘s Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren), who have been secretly funding Britta’s life through her friends. Apparently, throughout the run of the entire series, anytime Britta has been borrowing money from the rest of the group, she’s really been taking it from mom and dad, whom everyone else is familiar with. They know Britta needs to rebel, but they have found a way to support her anyway. The secret comes out when Britta moves in with Annie and Abed and is presented with a brand-new sleeper sofa.

I love the idea that there’s been something happening all this time on Community that has never been mentioned. I don’t know if anyone could ever go back and pick up any dropped clues that this is going on, but it seems perfectly in keeping with the show’s tenor to find this out now, as well as to have everyone except Britta treat it like it’s no big deal. Plus, “Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care” has great actors playing Britta’s parents, so there’s little reason to complain about the story.

In the second major plot, The Dean (Jim Rash) buys a virtual reality system that the school can’t afford. Jeff and Frankie try to return it, but The Dean won’t come out of his fantasy world. Finally, Jeff tracks down the inventor and seller of the unit, Elroy Patashnik (Keith David, The Cape, Platoon), who not only refunds Greendale, but decides to enroll as a student since he’s not doing anything better with his life.

The Dean is always getting into ridiculous situations, and this is just the latest one. I do think “Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care” wastes an opportunity to show all of the characters in a new format, as they have done with clay-mation and 8-bit-animation, among other styles, in the past, but it’s still a fun little bit that is consistent with Community in general.

I also like Elroy. We haven’t yet seen him in the Save Greendale Committee, which he will surely join, but he already seems quite intriguing. Here, we have someone with world experience and supreme intelligence who has wasted his life, which makes the college seem like the perfect place for him. He’s not mean and rich, like Pierce. Instead, he’s worked hard and just not made it. That’s a story many of the main cast members can relate to, and Elroy comes at it from a fresh angle.

Besides the obvious stuff, Community drops what feels like a hundred little gags and one-liners into “Ladders” and “Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care,” often referencing past events on the show, and just delivering its trademark humor in general (not to mention a great cameo from Nathan Fillion). The series remains darker than it used to be, creator Dan Harmon having returned after being fired for season four with a more somber atmosphere, which he’s translated into the natural aging process for the characters. I think these new installments are close enough to what’s come before them to satisfy fans, while still allowing forward movement to keep the show from growing stagnant. Two episodes into season six, Community feels very alive, if possibly building towards an ending.

The first two episodes of Community are available now on Yahoo Screen, with a new half-hour dropping every Tuesday. Check back on Blogcritics for my weekly coverage of future installments.

Emotional Disconnect From DADS

Article first published as DADS Review on Seat42F.

FOX’s DADS seems to be a recipe for success. Take two very talented young, but experienced, actors, mix them with a couple of screen veterans, toss in some wonderful supporting cast members, and have Seth MacFarlane and a couple of his Family Guy pals turn it into a father-son sitcom. It’s a no brainer, right?

Well, unfortunately, not so much. At least in the “Pilot,” none of the jokes land and the story feels predictable and stale. Familiar situations are milked dry, and performances are wasted on paces that an amateur could walk through. The result is not at all pleasing, and not likely to be long-lived.

The two central characters are Eli (Seth Green, Robot Chicken, Austin Powers) and Warner (Giovanni Ribisi, Ted, Friends), long-time best friends that run a video game company together. This is a young, hip profession that should appeal to the prized young, hip, male demographic, one would think. After all, what’s better than hanging out with your buddy playing games all day? Add to that a hot Asian assistant named Veronica (Brenda Song, The Suite Life, The Social Network), whom the boys get to dress up as a Japanese school girl to impress Chinese investors, and it’s an adolescent’s dream.

First, just to get this out of the way, the controversy over Veronica’s outfit is a non-one. She is presented as a strong, assertive woman who is working to get ahead, and will definitely be rewarded for her devotion to the team, or else. The costume is a visual gag, no more, and does not demean her in any serious fashion.

But, neither is the business environment a solid concept. For one, little time is spent focusing on the work, so their company could produce anything and the premise would be the same. If DADS is going to go to the trouble of creating the fun environment, then they should be using it. Also, Veronica seems to wear the pants in the office, so the guys don’t even appear to be in charge. It’s all a waste.

Warner is currently struggling with his father, Crawford (Martin Mull, Clue, Arrested Development), moving in with him. Warner’s wife, Camilla (Vanessa Lachey), and two children don’t appreciate the inconsiderate intrusion, but Warner can’t bring himself to confront Crawford about anything. Things get worse when Crawford, ever the “entrepreneur, ruins a business deal.

The problem isn’t the avoidance of any type of confrontation, as that is a reasonable, interesting dynamic, but rather that Crawford could possibly be so horrible and still be loved by his son or viewers. Mull is a gifted actor, but struggles to make the character the least bit sympathetic. He hams it up for a laugh, including in a scene with the other dad, who we’ll get to in a minute, but it makes the emotional stuff seem thin. It just doesn’t work.

Also, Camilla is a one-note stereotype and the kids are completely unseen, despite a party scene at Warner’s house. Again, an opportunity to flesh out the world is traded for set dressing.

Single, care-free, man-whore Eli is judgmental about Warner’s situation until his own father, David (Peter Riegert, Damages Animal House), blows into town and ruins Eli’s life. Eli and David have the opposite relationship of Warner and Crawford, frequently yelling and acting out. Again, this is played to the extreme in such a way that it’s hard to care about the pair.

The best work of the entire half hour is done by Green, who does overdo it with the physical pantomiming, but shows a soft side when finding out about David’s bad luck. It’s at least a relatable performance amid the more cartoonish ones. But it just doesn’t cut it in any otherwise boring installment.

The problem is, by and large, than instead of concentrating on what makes these four men tick and how they relate to one another, the writers try to deliver bit after bit. That may work for an animated series like Family Guy, but does not for a live action show, unless it’s the caliber of Childrens Hospital, which this is not. Things that are supposed to be funny, such as a fighting-over-a-check scene and a portrait in Eli’s apartment, are definitely not. Sadly, DADS is not on my list of recommended new series this fall.

I must mention that DADS puts Tonita Castro back to work, as she deserves to be, but sadly, it likely will be a quicker gig than she had on Go On.

DADS premieres Tuesday, September 17^th at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Psych's 100th Clue

Article first published as Psych's 100th Clue on TheTVKing.


USA's Psych presents a special 100th episode tonight. Titled "100 Clues," the installment is a tribute to the cult-1980s comedy film, Clue. In that spirit, the hour has many references to the movie, and guest stars three Clue alumni: Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren.

The premise looks familiar: Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) attend a mysterious dinner party at a spooky mansion. Once there, they learn they have been invited by a rock star named Billy Lipps (Steve Valentine, I'm in the Band), whom they helped put away for murder, and whom has recently been released from prison. Their fellow diners include others who testified against Billy: his manager (Mull), a groupie (Warren), and a biographer (Lloyd). Billy doesn't seem to be holding a grudge, but soon bodies begin piling up.

As a huge fan of Clue, there are plenty of fun references. We get a singing telegram girl, running back and forth as a theory is unspooled, a funny bit about adding numbers, a secret room, and more. It's nice to see some of the actors return, even if they are in entirely different roles, and the house has the right look to pull off a tribute. Plus, it's a dark and stormy night, of course.

But it's not a full-on Clue remake. In fact, the tone feels more like classic Psych than the movie. Shawn is still center stage, Shawn and Gus have their familiar banter, and when Juliet (Maggie Lawson) and Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) arrive to investigate a missing person, it becomes yet another crime the team must solve. For those who have never seen the movie, they will not be at all lost.

Which is a bit of a shame. I was really hoping for more Clue stuff. Obviously, the entire cast couldn't return. Madeline Kahn, my favorite of the troupe, sadly passed away in 1999. Michael McKean is still recovering from an injury last spring. There hasn't been any mention I could find about why Eileen Brennan isn't present, though she doesn't have many credits as of late. And while the original plan was to build "100 Clues" around Tim Curry's previous Psych guest character, the actor was ultimately unavailable when it was time to film. Twice. But a bit more of the dialogue style and camera shots would have made for a more faithful tribute.

"100 Clues" also fails to deliver as an awesome Psych episode. Part of this is a structural necessity. "100 Clues," like Clue, has filmed three alternate endings. Fans will vote during the East and West cost airings tonight, and two separate finales will likely air. (The third, unfortunately, is reportedly being held for the DVD release.) Because of this, the story must play out so that any one of the five main suspects could be culpable right up until the end, making for a twisty, impossible-to-predict criminal.

I really like the conceit of the film because "Who done it?" is not the point of the tale; it's a series of comedy sketches with zany characters that works incredibly well. With a less talented cast (I'm sorry, but it's true) and a cohesive murder investigation part of the Psych formula, it doesn't quite come together as it should.

Also, although "100 Clues" opens with a case from five years ago, during the time the series was on the air, the opening bits don't relate to any previous Psych episodes, which would have made for a better way to celebrate 100 episodes of the show. Should we blame Curry for this, too?

That being said, I did greatly enjoy Mull, Lloyd, Warren, Saturday Night Live alum Garrett Morris as the butler. They all have some terrific one-liners and some interesting character choices. Morris, in particular, has some witty repartee with Gus involving stereotypes. Of the four, Lloyd is the least used, but a couple of Back to the Future references should satisfy his fans, too.

Besides the structure, the second reason "100 Clues" doesn't quite do it for me is because of the lack of a real emotional stake. I dig the Shawn-torn-between-Gus-and-Jules conceit, which is a recurring theme, but other than that, there isn't much to grab onto. Last season, Psych deepened its characters, committing Shawn to being in a real romantic relationship, depressing Gus, expanding Lassie, and putting Henry's life at risk. This year, much effort has been made to return to the light-hearted, frothy procedural, which feels a little hollow now that we've seen that the actors can dig deeper. I know it keeps the series delivering what some fans want, but for those who see the potential for something greater, it's a disappointment.

Even the opening credits of the episode, which have new graphics that are a throwback to the Clue board game, aren't Psych's most original, keeping the regular, short version of the theme song.

Will I continue to watch Psych through to the end, likely after next season? Of course. I've enjoyed it this long, and will probably continue to do so, on some level. But it's not as good as it can be, nor the best show on USA, and so even "100 Clues," what should be a major triumph, is only middling in terms of quality.

At least we still have the upcoming musical episode to hold out hope for.

Psych airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on USA.

FRANKLIN & BASH Season 2 Premiere Review

Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Breckin Meyer and Garcelle Beauvais : Photo : Trae Patton/TNT

TNT's FRANKLIN & BASH returns tonight with the season two premiere, "Strange Brew." Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell) would like to make Jared Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Peter Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselar) full partners at his law firm, where they have been working. To do so, the duo must earn the votes of two thirds of the existing senior partners. Infeld sends them to meet with a beverage company head (Kevin Nealon, Weeds), who, if they woo as a client, will help their chances. Unfortunately for them, keeping the client happy may mean abandoning their values.

FRANKLIN & BASH is about two lawyers who care about more than just the law, or their careers. They care about people. Their bold, outlandish stunts are part of their draw, but the real reason Infeld is so in awe of the boys is because they bring something to the firm that it's lacking. Infeld is ingrained in his ways, though, and so he doesn't always give them a leash of unlimited length. "Strange Brew" tests the resolve of all three, as Infeld insist they keep the client happy, and Franklin and Bash think about how much they might want a spot at the big table.

The series is pretty light-hearted. As such, while FRANKLIN & BASH may flirt with heavy drama, it stops short of committing to it altogether. Things work out in the end because the core fan base doesn't want the story to end on a downer. The characters can face tough situations and question themselves, but at the end of the day, the good guy must win, and justice has to prevail. It's not a new formula, but it's certainly one that regular viewers of this particular show count on. In this, "Strange Brew" may take the path of least resistance, but that's what the people are looking for them to do.

This does not make FRANKLIN & BASH a bad show. While it will never sweep the Emmys or any other awards ceremony, it is still very entertaining. That is why, even when the ending might seem a little too neat, it is still a good episode.

Besides, Franklin and Bash are not the only ones affected by their promotion. They have friends to consider, too. Their new position allows them to hire Carmen (Dana Davis) and Pindar (Kumail Nanjiani) full-time. This is good, because as a subplot of the episode reveals, Pindar is in need of the mental health care that will come with being a permanent employee. Some of his social problems can now be traced back to his ex-roommate's girlfriend, whom Pindar clearly had an attraction towards. Though, how Pindar deals with the woman speaks to a previously existing condition.

Becoming senior partners is not without risk. Hannah (Garcelle Beauvais) tells Damien (Reed Diamond) she supports the change because of a moral clause that might help them get Franklin and Bash fired for good. Is Infeld aware of this clause, and does he already have a plan to get around it, like he negated the five year waiting period that would have delayed partnership for some time to come? Or is he just not considering the implications, as he sometimes doesn't. Franklin and Bash's behavior will not change, and to keep the show going, they will not be fired, no matter how much Hannah and Damien scheme against them. So where is this plot going? Perhaps it's just a new source of ongoing, low-stakes conflict for the coming season.

Another great thing about "Strange Brew" it the wealth of guest stars. Besides, Nealon, Martin Mull (Clue, Sabrina The Teenage Witch) and Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters, Oz) both play judges for various trials that Franklin and Bash bring to court. Kat Foster ('Til Death) is an attractive cop that Bash hits on while fighting a case against. Eddie Jemison (Hung) is an old friend of Franklin and Bash's, who was arrested by the hot cop. Is this a sign that good comedy actors are now lining up to appear on FRANKLIN & BASH?

Basically, "Strange Brew" is a return to same zany-hijinks-in-a-legal-setting recipe that attracted viewers last year. The quality of the stories and acting remains about the same. In short, it's mindless summer fun. FRANKLIN & BASH airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

Article originally published at Seat42F.com