TVSquad

(S01E9) Do you think the fact that this was the ninth episode of the first season had anything to do with that number in the episode title? I'm sure there could be a Debate 109 class in college, but I don't believe in coincidences that big. I do, however, believe that I really enjoyed this outing. It was nice to see Jeff buckling down and doing some work.

It's odd that he wouldn't have done that in the legal profession. Or maybe he was just used to his Legal Assistant doing all the research for him and just hitting him up with the highlights. Either way, I can't believe that he thought singing in a debate would work. Come on, Jeff.

The rest of the episode featured the return of Abed's student films. Only this time, there's something a little eerie about them, and it's freaking everybody out. And it's not just that he found people in the school who look incredibly similar to every member of the study group.

I almost forgot to mention the adventures of Britta and Pierce. With Britta trying to quit smoking, Pierce offers her his "expertise" as a hypnotherapist. The whole thing was a bit silly, though it was good to see that an older Chevy Chase is still not above the occasional pratfall or two. Into a drum set no less, now that's classic!

Back to Abed's films, though. These weren't nearly as surreal as the one he made to express himself to his father and Jeff a few weeks back. They're really nothing more than the weekly shenanigans of the Community gang we've come to know and love. The freaky part is that they're supposedly foreshadowing what the gang really does.

The part I really wanted to see, though, we didn't get to see. How was Shirley going to be chased by a werewolf? I kept expecting to see Abed run through something that makes him look like he was covered in hair when he took off after Shirley at the end, right after Britta declared Pierce a genius for putting the image of her in a three-way with him in her head whenever she tries to smoke. Yes, things were as interconnected and complicated on the episode as they were in that sentence, but that's a sign of a show that's really coming together.

Abed said he wasn't a prophet. He was just a student of behavior, and he'd come to understand his fellow study group attendees. It's an indication that we've reached that point in the show as well. We understand who these people are, and for the most part where they come from and what motivates them.

I was glad to see John Michael Higgins back as Professor Whitman. I thought he brought a great dynamic to the show when he first cropped up, and I think he's a great character to bring back from time to time. Fleshing out some more of the faculty, staff and students of Community helps it to feel more like a real place that we're visiting.

As for the debate, I'm glad it was just a TV show because I think in real life we would have all felt obligated to feel bad that Jeff just dumped that kid on the ground to kiss Annie. Only I was so glad to see it; smugness bugs me and that kid was crawling with it. The irony being that it was Jeff (smugness personified) who cast him aside.

[Watch Community episodes on SlashControl.]