Summary: A decent episode that doesn’t completely get all the laughs it ought to, but still tells and effective Community-esque story that lives up to its documentary episode predecessors.
If you have not seen this episode yet and don’t wish to be spoiled, don’t continue reading.
Review
Community‘s first foray into the documentary style in season 2 was probably the pinnacle of what the show could do with the medium. All the best references and parodies of the documentary style were used there, and it told a story that felt totally worthy of the style, even if it shouldn’t have. To mediate this, the show has since been careful to keep each documentary story unique and as its own, with each episode carrying a different tone and focus. Season 2’s “Documentary Filmmaking” was a surprisingly dark character study with Pierce at the center, while season 3’s “Documentary Filmmaking Redux” was a much more comical look at the insanity pulsating from and around Dean Pelton. “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking” continues to trend of spotlighting the less “essential” characters of the main cast, with Chang at the center.
Chang’s been a problem character since the “Mean Asian Spanish Teacher” schtick ran its course back in the first season. Ken Jeong has always handled it to the best of his ability, and his comedic chops and alien mannerisms kept things lively, but it’s clear he fell by the wayside as the show became more character-centric. A strong point of this episode is that Chang’s unevenness isn’t swept under the rug; the characters are aware that he has been all over the place to a ridiculous level, even in the context of this wacky universe. It oddly makes it all-the-more believeable, then, that the characters might welcome him back into their lives when they believed he’s Changed (see what I did there?) Yeah, he tried to murder them, but he’s also been their friend and a little pathetic at different points. He’s changed his persona so much already, so Kevin being so simple and sweet is a pleasant breath of fresh air. They’re not getting rid of him anytime soon, after all. And Jeong gets ample material here, as Kevin’s wide-eyed enthusiasm for the world and random lack of understanding for simple things is absolutely hysterical. That randomness is what really clicks, and allows lines like, “By using a special shiny glass called a mir-ror, I can estimate that I’m 15 years old,” to land. Jeong is a joy to watch this week, and the softened, big-hearted Kevin is funnier than Chang at his evil Changy-est, even if he’s still the old Chang underneath.
But, the fact still stands that Chang did try to kill everyone, so Jeff doesn’t come off as much of a jerk. One of the stronger aspects of this season is that it openly acknowledges and continues to sell how Jeff has changed for the better, even when he briefly reverts to his old ways like he did here. But there’s a nice parallel drawn between Jeff’s gradual change and Chang’s sudden one (albeit one that’s not remotely subtle at all.) There isn’t a whole lot of depth this week, but Jeff’s “I’ve been more Chang than Chang” revelation is a cleverly crafted one that sells the episode. It’s another indication of the show using its ending to justify or redeem the seemingly uneven scenes preceding it (and entice repeat viewings once you understand what the theme is), something every episode this season has done really, really well.
The structure felt different from past documentary episodes, in that the characters referenced Abed’s filmmaking more readily. Britta even got in on the action herself—and, of course, totally Britta’d Shirley’s heartfelt confession while simultaneously bringing the episode to its climax, in what was one of the funnier gags of the episode. But for the most part it was business as usual, with the characters taking on different pseudo-personas within the documentary to keep the story moving.
Another thing this season has done very well thus far is giving all the characters something to do in each episode. Troy’s “pets named Troy” gag was inspired, and probably worked best because of Donald Glover’s always-on-point delivery. It’s also the first time in a while that we’ve seen Troy and Annie play off each other, and Allison Brie and Donald Glover have great comedic chemistry; both have the “young people trying to be taken seriously” concept, but they handle it completely differently. The detective shtick often harkened too much back to “Basic Lupine Urology,” but Troy’s constant negation of everything Annie said was a funny spin on it all.
This season, in retrospect, has not been as overtly laugh-out-loud funny as it was during the Harmon era. Season 3 did a superb job of balancing the heartfelt messages, the cleverness, and the hilarity, while this season seems to teeter from “hilarious but dumb” to “a few chuckles but lots of intelligence.” Lately, it seems as though its focus is more on keeping it smart; as much as I didn’t find “Alternative History of the German Invasion” terribly funny, it was a cleverly-written episode. And while the lack of wall-to-wall gags will certainly turn off some fans—and, well, it is a comedy—I’d rather the show be a little less funny but lots smarter, than see it turn into something with lots of jokes but is ultimately empty. “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking” is a good example of the show keeping a decent balance between the two, even if it isn’t quite the funniest of the season (which thus far have been “Paranormal Parentage” and “History 101.”) There’s a few laughs, and it doesn’t have the sappiness of some of the big-hearted episodes. There’s clearly lots of thought put into crafting a clever story, and the characters are spot-on. Like last week, this wasn’t a big episode that will go down in memory as one of the best, but it’s plenty solid and an entertaining watch.
Odds & Ends
- This looks to be writer Hunter Covington’s first full Community script. He was given a thankless job by writing another documentary episode, but he deserves kudos for selling it and keeping the characters feeling more in-character than episodes written by show veterans. Director Jay Chandrasekhar, on the other hand, has directed some of the show’s better underrated episodes, like “Mixology Certification,” so it’s rather cool that he had a chance to direct one of the uniquely-styled ones.
- So, is Chang working with City College? Last season seems to indicate this, and there really isn’t anyone else he could be working with. Unless the show is throwing us a curveball, it’s a little odd that it’s being secretive. Then again, it also allowed for the great joke where Chang deviously threw his phone in the trash can, only to mutter, “Why did I do that?”—classic Community.
- Anyone else completely forget that Chang was married once (and it was kind of a big plot point at the time?)
- I have to admit, I totally could have bought Britta’s controversial “Chang was Kevin before he was Chang” theory if that had been the real resolution. What a twist!
- Something that bothers me more than it should: the high-pitched piano theme that has been frequently used as the “Changnesia theme” was first used during Britta’s forbidden romance with Subway last season. It’s a fitting theme for the Changesia stuff, and I can’t fault the recycling of such a good little musical motif, but I liked it so much back when it was first used that it’s hard to get past the fact that it is being recycled.
- While this particular joke didn’t land completely, the weird “cheap glitter vs. expensive glitter” bit is an example of the quick, weird little humor the show can pull off that is often overlooked.
- Jeff’s reaction to Abed doing another documentary: “You have got to be f***ing kidding me.” Perfect.
