TV Review: COMMUNITY 3.4, "Remedial Chaos Theory"

rating: 4

In perhaps their most appropriately titled episode yet, Community is showing some real promise for the season. After last week's minor hiccup, the show is back on the right track, taking a new direction but still getting back to their roots. This week: an exciting adventure filled with alternate realities and zany scenarios. The episode kicks off with Abed and Troy introducing everybody to their new apartment together. Troy is excited about growing up, and Abed is equally excited about his to scale replica of the boulder scene in Indiana Jones (did you expect anything different?). Either way, the group is part together, outside of Greendale for one of the first times ever. Troy suggests that they break the ice with a game of Yahtzee, but just when they sit down the buzzer rings. The pizza is there, and someone has to go get it. Jeff devises a cunning plan to role the die to decide who goes next. The rest of the episode breaks into seven fragments (yes I know there are six sides to a die, Abed calls Jeff out) with a different person leaving to get the pizza each time. With its usual brand of wackiness, the show revolves around the dynamic relationships that have sprouted up the past couple of seasons. There are some great moments, take Troy taking a candy cigarette out of his cigarette case or a wild commitment to the old adage "a gun in the first act." But the show's gotten just a little bit more clever. They've spent a lot of time taking archetypes and throwing them into awkward scenarios to see what happens. There's a little bit more construction going on in this weeks episode and I think I like it. For one, there has been some ridiculous tension building between Jeff and Annie. A little high school, yes, but oddly cute. This week's episode put them together in a few powder keg type situations and really scrutinized them on what they might do. Okay, maybe the scrutiny wasn't that close, there was really only two options, make out or not, but still. Troy and Brita? Same thing. It was an excellent exercise and I may just be coming around to Harmon's new way of thinking. Be a bit wary here readers, some spoilers lay ahead. Okay, so what about the perfect scenario unfolding when Jeff isn't there? A little foreshadowing maybe, and the group seems to be drifting apart from their Jeff obsession in general. Will everything come around against Jeff? Is he the bad apple (not Pierce)? Am I completely overreacting? Let me know in the comments, I'm dying to here your thoughts.