10 Things You Learn Rewatching Community
4. Shirley Has By Far The Darkest Past
It's clear that Shirley has more than a few reasons for turning to Jesus than she lets on.
It takes us a while to get to the backstories of every member of the study group, but they're all a perfect mixture of absolutely wacky and totally believable for the people these characters are now. And while we don't get every inch of Shirley's backstory, we know enough to know that it's still ridiculous but in a much darker way than the rest.
Oh sure, Pierce's comes in as a close second, but he doesn't seem to GET how dark his family and upbringing was in the same way that Shirley does with hers. For one thing, she's apparently so chaotic a drunk that a bar the characters go to for Troy's 21st birthday hung her picture up and the bouncers actively fear her anger.
In season 3, she and Jeff suddenly remember that she bullied him excessively when they were kids. Sure, Jeff being Jeff probably had it coming more than he lets on, but still. This combined with other smaller details throughout the show, hint that Shirley's obsession with the man upstairs has more than a little bit of personal stake in it.