Review: Community ‘Basic Human Anatomy’ – Doable and Passable

Although ‘Basic Human Anatomy’ should be a terrible episode (given this season’s track record) – high-concept “body switch” comedy, a focus on the weakest element of the  season in Troy and Britta – it’s actually the best we’ve had in the fourth season of Community. Unfortunately, this is probably as good as it gets – it helps having someone with an Oscar write the script – but for 22 minutes, I laughed and felt emotional watching Community for the first time in awhile.

What I love about the ‘high concept’ of the episode is how it completely avoids being about the high concept – Abed and Troy’s body-switching adventure comes out of a very real emotional place for Troy. Most of the time, it’s Abed constructing these pop culture homages for his own entertainment – in ‘Basic Human Anatomy’, he does it because he knows his friend is struggling, and needs his help. It’s really one of the more touching moments in their legendary friendship, showing the compassionate side of Abed we haven’t seen very often, especially in this tumultuous fourth season.

More importantly, it brings close to one of the weakest arcs the show’s ever had: the Troy and Britta relationship, which Dan Harmon spent a season and a half building, only to find the actual relationship part of it in the hands of a different creative team. Did the bungle the shit out of it? Undoubtedly:  when we find out that it’s their one-year anniversary, it’s a shock to us more than it’s a shock to Troy and Britta, who both forgot. We’ve barely seen them together as a couple throughout the season, and when we do, 90% of the time they’re in bed or leaving it.

I commend Jim Rash (who wrote the episode) and the rest of the staff for bringing it to a meaningful close, reinforcing how meaningful their friendship is – and how Abed’s able to recognize that, totally loyal to helping Troy work out his feelings. Am I a little frustrated with the reasons given? A little: Troy’s maturity came to the forefront back in season two’s ‘Mixology Certification’, and hasn’t really come up much since. Him feeling like he’s not mature enough for a relationship is a bit of a cop out plot-wise, but it works, mostly because of Gillian Jacob’s measured performance as she digests information she’d been trying to ignore herself. Smartly, they don’t end things on an ugly note, with a touching visual of them sharing a final moment together in the study room to close the episode.

Best of all, ‘Basic Human Anatomy’ is funny – easily the funniest episode of the season, especially once the Dean “switched” with Jeff, causing Annie to develop an unexpected attraction to him. Troy’s Abed was spot on (though I think Abed’s Troy was quite a bit weaker in its parody), and there are enough callbacks to previous episodes (Senor Kevin and his hatred of Die Hard, the bumblee costume in the Lost and Found room) without overloading everything, and making it feel like a reference to a reference of a self-reference (which has been a little overdone at points in the season).

Is ‘Basic Human Anatomy’ logical? Not really. Does it spend a lot of time on the weakest element of the fourth season? Sure does. But it’s funny and utilizes its high-concept premise in a very Harmon-esque way, avoiding simple parody and using it to reveal something under the surface of its characters. Not a perfect episode – but easily my favorite of the season.

Grade: B+

Other thoughts/observations:

– the one beat that felt false: Troy talking about how hard they’ve worked on their relationship. Did I miss something?

– Jeff’s speech to Abed is the BEST we’ve heard from him this season: Troy’s relationship didn’t work out, but the most important part is that he put himself out there, and opened himself to another person.

– Troy and Abed dick-checking was a litttttle weird.

– the janitors have Murder Mystery Night… during the day.

– I couldn’t stop laughing through the Dean’s “Jeffrey inside of me” speech. It’s easy, low-brow humor, but Rash’s delivery (and Jeff’s reactions) were classic.

– Fun fact: 18 Again! actually came out 21 years before 17 Again, for those who thought it was a sequel. One’s got George Burns, the other has Zac Efron (and Matthew Perry).

– Leonard is valedictorian because he got an A in 1968, and has taken pass-fail classes ever since. In other words, he’s been earning his degree 1 credit at a time.

– why is Cornwallis phoning it in? End of the year laziness? Not quite sure what the joke is there.