Community “First Chang Dynasty”

Finally, the episode I’ve been waiting weeks for, “First Chang Dynasty.”  I could tell this was going to be an awesome episode from the thumbnail of Chang in a Napoleon outfit, come on everyone chuckles at that.  “First Chang Dynasty” is the penultimate episode in Chang’s takeover of Greendale.  The gang has to infiltrate the school in order to free Dean Pelton.  The Dean is the gang’s one chance to get re-enrolled in Greendale after Chang had them expelled.

I’ve said before that Community excels at satire and this episode proves my point.  Their deconstruction of the heist genre is inspired and they pull off the story effortlessly as the gang crashes Chang’s birthday bash. 

The plan starts with Shirley disguised as a chef wheeling in the cake for the party.  Annie hides under the cart and hides amongst the child-army until Britta seduces the head of security through a fake facebook account.  The gang’s plan grows more complex as Britta and Jeff arrive as a famous magician and his assistant.  They pretend to perform a magic trick as a ruse to retrieve an essential key to freeing Dean Pelton.  When Pierce shows up acting like an Indian (not an American Indian, an Indian Indian), the plan seems to fall apart, but it was all part of the plan to distract Chang as they sneak the dean out.  When Chang actually catches them he reveals a plan to destroy the records with fireworks, setting off the final act of the show where Troy has to sell himself to the AC school in order to escape from the dungeon so the gang can stop Chang’s evil plan.

I liked the AC school coming back into the show for this episode.  One, because I’m a huge John Goodman fan, and two, because I think the idea of an AC school that is so successful they over-ride the authority of the school they are a part of.  Genius.  Now a new story arc is set up where Troy has to cut himself off from the group due to his enrollment in AC school so I’m sure the group will be hatching a plan to get him out.

I really hope that Community can bounce back from a third season that had quite a few lackluster episodes.  The first two seasons were great and I know they can tell more interesting stories they just need to get back on track.