A few episodes ago during anthropology class, the teacher refers to a student as “Fat Niel”. He responds by saying something to the effect, “I’m just Neil”. Originally I thought this was an extension of the Star-Burns gag. “Hey Star-Burns” “My name’s Alex!” Those wily writers at Community were actually seeding continuity and preparing us for “Advanced Dungeon’s & Dragons” and an epic showdown between the forces of good and Pierce!
There was very little about this episode I didn’t like. It combined the ridiculous parody which Community does so well, with their great humor centered around characterization. I don’t think I enjoyed an episode this much since “Cooperative Calligraphy“. Hilariously introduced with narration in the style of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, Jeff realizes that Fat Niel is horribly depressed. Fearing that he might be suicidal, Jeff rallies the group and they decide to cheer Niel up by playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons with him. They leave out Pierce because he’s insensitive and the last person you’d want around someone depressed. Of course Pierce finds outs and decides to “win” Dungeons & Dragons, ruining everyone’s fun. When Community does it’s parody episodes like the paint ball, zombie, or Christmas special episodes, it completely transforms its environment to match that genre. When I saw the LOTR opening I worried this would be the same. Instead the drama centers around people sitting around a desk. What makes the comedy work so well is that, although there is relatively little action, the character’s quirks come to the surface. Instead of showing the parallel world they’re fantasizing about, we’re left to imagine what their doing, just as a person who plays D&D would have to. It allows us to focus on the characters and in return we get some fantastically fun character moments. Britta worries about the human rights of non human species. Annie, ever innocent in her sexuality plays as a male character whose title is “the well endowed.” This was a great subversion of a guy who play as the hot babe in fantasy games. She has to describe in detail seducing an elf maiden, while the rest of the group listens… intently. Chang, to get in the mood of the game, dresses as a Drow (a dark elf). His entire body was painted jet black while he sported a white wig. He refuses to wear the rest of the costume because he’s not a loser.
How can you not love this psyco
I was told when I was 14 for every game of Dungeons and Dragons you play, you delay loosing your virginity by a week. For someone as into comic books, science fiction, and fantasy as I am, I didn’t think I could afford that risk. The closest thing to D&D I’ve ever come was briefly trying out the WOW beta test. For the most part I was in the same boat as Jeff and the gang. I was completely bewildered by the games oddity. This episode gave me a new appreciation for D&D and even writing this article a day later I’m still laughing at Chang dressed as a drow.
On a scale of 1 to Epic, (Epic= 10) I’d give it a 8.8