"Hot. Hot hot hot."

I know it seems like this has become a Community blog, but I promise that isn't the case.  I'm watching just as much television as ever, and will be talking about HIMYM, Up All Night, and Awake in the coming week.  I wasn't planning on recapping "Contemporary Impressionists", but then I watched it and holy hell!  What an amazing half-hour of television!  Like, comedically, of course, but also artistically...they just blew me away.

So the group is back from a very long winter break, and we learn that Abed has been hiring celebrity impersonators for fun.  We also learn that Jeff has a new shrink who has put him on anti-anxiety meds, which our budding psychologist Britta believes will only increase his pathological narcissism to a dangerously high level.  I love what they've done with Britta being a psych major - everyone knows the psych majors are all the craziest (no offense intended...I was almost a psych major).  This is one of my favorite Jeff moments EVER:



"Hello." makes me giggle EVERY TIME.

And then there's this.



If Jim Rash didn't already have an Oscar, that would have just won him the Oscar of my heart.  Like...what??? Amazing.  And we are not even a quarter of the way through this episode.

So Abed's apparently innocent predilection for hiring celebrity impersonators has landed him in the hole to French Stewart, but French Stewart (who is fantastically talented but somehow got pigeonholed after 3rd Rock From The Sun and never had the career he should've had) sees celebrity impersonating-promise in the study group so offers to erase Abed's debt in exchange for them working a party.  Annie starts to question their supporting this behavior, but then Troy gives a lovely and impassioned speech about how Abed is magical and just the greatest and says "For shame!" and it is GREAT.  So yay, we're all impersonating!  EXCEPT then Troy learns that if they mess up the gig, Abed is in serious physical danger.  UH-OH!

Britta as White Jacko is spot-on perfection.  Abed as Brown Jamie Lee Curtis is a REVELATION.

So, Howie Schwartz's Star Mitzvah is going great, except Abed refuses to work because he loves all the impersonators so much and Troy has to keep covering for him.  Jeff's ego reaches the tipping point and, feeding off of compliments from Jewish mothers, he transforms into Vain Hulk, ripping his clothes off, running to the stage, shouting "LOOK AT ME!!!!!!", and giving the newlywed Shirley a pretty serious kiss.  It is an incredible moment.  All of the actors are doing great work in this episode, from Shirley's Oprah impression to Pierce's quiet Burt Reynolds/Fat Brando struggle, but Joel McHale really nails it on the performance front.

Not-Moby!!!  I know he's billed here as "Faux-by" (ahaha), but we all know and love him as good ol' Not-Moby from the NYE episode of How I Met Your Mother.  That actor is great in everything, but especially playing a guy who looks like Moby.  Do people still know who Moby is?  Remember when he was a thing, and then everyone was like, shut up, stop being such a vegan asshole?  Good times.

So Jeff almost ruins everything, but luckily Howie Schwartz loves the Hulk so hooray!  Abed's debt is repaid.  Jeff deflates and finds some shame, Pierce gets recognized as "Fat Burt Reynolds", and everything is happy.  Or is it?  Troy arrives home to find Abed with a cast on his leg.  We think at first that fake Ving Rames and fake Michael Chiklis beat him up, but quickly realize that Abed has simply hired a Robin Williams impersonator and is playing Patch Adams.  What follows is one of the saddest and most compelling moments this show has ever had.

Abed asks if Troy is mad.  Troy says no.  But then he calls him back to tell him that he IS mad.  I loved the call-back here to one of the very first episodes, the one where Troy and Abed are pranking each other, but by the end agree that lying to each other doesn't make for good friendships.  It really shows how their relationship has built from that moment.  And this scene demonstrates the ways in which Troy is maturing.  He sees and experiences the consequences of their actions, and while he might love for Abed to keep doing whatever he wants to be doing, he knows that, in this case, it is neither smart nor safe.  So he does what he has to do and tells Abed the truth.  Tells Abed that sometimes, he'll have to trust him to know what's best.  Abed agrees to compromise, and says, "Still best friends?"...but then he goes to the Dreamatorium alone.  Watching Troy standing there waiting to complete their handshake made me want to cry.

In the Dreamatorium, Abed finds himself on what can only be described as a space submarine, co-piloted by Evil Abed.  Who knows where this will lead, but I can already tell you it will be somewhere awesome.  Yes, the fact that there is a sitcom on network television where an adult man plays in his imagination room and encounters evil versions of himself is weird, and possibly inaccessible for some.  But it is also wonderful, and inspiring, and promises many more episodes as great as this one in the future.

You know, people are always differentiating between "high concept" and "normal" episodes of Community, but I never really think of it that way.  There are no normal episodes.  There are only episodes that challenge our idea of what television can be; that present strange, endearing, hilarious and believable characters having real interactions and relationships; that make you laugh uncontrollably and unexpectedly.  Whether it's the sexy spectacle of "Modern Warfare" or the simple humanity of "Mixology Certification", every episode of this show is an astoundingly unique work of art.  And THAT, my friends, is hot.  Hot hot hot.

Notes & Quotes

"I explained that really well!"

"I'm an exceptional narcissist"

"Abed was the volleyball?"

"All you're making me feel right now is hatred of Renee Zellweger"

Loved Chang's abstract interpretation of "Zip Zop Zoooy"

"Final boarding call, Beefcake Airways"

"Abed is a magical, elf-like man who makes us all magical just by being around us!"

"If you have anything else to say, say it in a high-pitched voice while walking backwards."

"I was so sad to hear of your passing."
"Me too."

Saw a hint of Chang Tongue during those thought bubbles.

I love Jeff's Hulk run.

I REALLY love Troy's happy MJ dance!

"We love you, Seacrest Hulk!"

Chang's preteen army!  I. Can't. Wait.

Images via Videogum