8. Series 2 Episode 5: Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples
Written by Tristram Shapeero
FRIENDS Title The One Where Abed becomes Jesus Quote of the Week
Britta: (in Shirleys Christianity-promoting video) Jesus, did you really die for our sins? Thats Dope.
Troy: You think thats dope, check out these beat-a-tudes (raps along to synthesized beats) Blessed be the Peacemakers word to the meek, The Kingdom of Heaven is open all week Outstanding Character Although I can understand why most people would say Abed I'm going for
Shirley. In many shows it would be so easy to make the middle aged mum character just another middle aged mum but Yvette Nicole Brown developed an absurd mixture of the dangerous, sassy black woman and a too-sweet woman obsessed with God. All of the best Shirley moments come from sassy, bad-ass Shirley and this episode shows her at her most hilarious. Why this Episode is so Good Abed and Shirley going head to head over the debate about the rights over artistic free speech and the political correctness rules is shown in this episode in such a brilliant way. Shirley, sick of the disrespect being shown to God in their Anthropology class enlists Abed's help to create a viral video with a christian message. Abed, true to form creates a meta, incomprehensible, Inceptionesque film that more-or-less portrays him as Jesus. It's hard to say whether the absurd meta humor or the outstanding performance of Yvette Nicole Brown are better in this episode but the combination of the two are what makes it so hilarious.