Not that Jeff's development is completely put aside, as seen in the second episode where he's tempted by a chance to return to his old life. The fact that he doesn't isn't surprising, but the episode works because it confirms that the first season worked its magic, and with that out of the way, the fun can really begin, and the show can get properly experimental. That said, there's still the occasional check-in with him to see how far he's come, like the utterly wonderful My Dinner With Andre parody (which I'll talk about more in-depth in a bit), which makes up for the general lack of Jeff/Abed content this season with a really satisfying dive into their relationship. I also really like the third episode, which really delves into Jeff's insecurities about his mortality and ties that into his relationship with Pierce. It's unexpectedly sweet, and allows his character to develop in a way that isn't just the first season's formula of "Jeff mocks a member of the group, helps them for his own gain, realises he was a dick and starts to become a better person". This season moves away from the idea of Jeff as the main character surrounded by zany misfits, and starts to develop into a show that is firmly about an ensemble, of which he is another part of. That said, his development still feels real, and is deeply satisfying, because it does feel like he's moving forward in a meaningful way
Speaking of moving forward, I love what the second season does with Troy. It completely drops the idea of the meatheaded football star and starts to bring him in a different, much more interesting direction. The second season sees Troy becoming his own person, growing up while also embracing his immaturity. He gets so many satisfying character moments this season, from his moment of nerdy heroism in Epidemiology to his explanation of the pen-stealing-ghost in Cooperative Calligraphy, and it really feels like the writers found the right direction to bring his character in. He's growing up and facing adulthood, and gradually discovering that everyone's as clueless as he is. Mixology Certification is an episode that gets heavy praise and rightfully so, because it tackles Troy's realisation of what the "real world" is, ultimately showing his refusal to compromise who he is, and seeing him grow on his own terms instead of trying to emulate Jeff and Britta. It's an arc that's wonderfully played by Donald Glover, who absolutely aces it, nailing both the quiet characters moments as well as the big moments of comedy.
It's also the season where Troy and Abed's friendship really comes to the fore. If you're reading this, chances are you know how many great jokes the show gets out of this duo, but what's even better is how genuinely sweet their bond is. I love this friendship so much, and it's the perfect example of two characters who are great individually but even better together. They both feel like much stronger characters this season, and their relationship becomes such an integral part of making the show what it is. Spliced into this is their respective arcs, and if Troy becomes stronger through a change in direction, then Abed is further developed by doubling down on what makes him who he is.
The show gets so much more meta this season, especially when Abed's the focus. Check out the bottle episode that knows it's a bottle episode, or the stop-motion animated joy that is Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas (and my post going in-depth on it). It would have been easy for this kind of self-awareness to become annoying, but Abed is absolutely the heart and soul of the group, and the amount of sincerity that these episodes are done with make them genuinely charming as well as incredibly clever. They're driven by something integral to his character, and I think that's best exemplified by Critical Film Studies, an episode that openly discusses Abed's relatively slow and somewhat unconventional character development. It goes to prove that the best Abed episodes, while not always the best episodes of the show overall, demonstrate that the best things about him are the best things about Community: a sincerity and cleverness that comes from a slightly unusual place, hiding its most poignant moments in a masterfully executed homage. He may not grow and change this season as much as say, Annie or Troy, but by reinforcing what was already great about his character, Community found a way to make Abed's already incredibly strong character so much stronger
The character work is so strong this season that it'd be so easy to just devote a paragraph like that to each of them. Of course, for your sake and mine, I'll try not to do that, but it just goes to show how much of a handle on its characterisation the show has at this point in its run. I love how we get more of an insight into Annie this season, and her eternal attempts to be taken seriously, especially in spite of characters like Jeff and Pierce. Her character feels much stronger this time around, and with the exception of Troy, she's the one who gets the most progression and growth. I also love how we see more of the Dean this time around, with the show finding some more concrete running gags to paint him with. He is consistently one of the funniest characters in the show, and his expansion just goes to demonstrate the show's focus on broadening out its unique comedic language. It finds its groove, humour-wise, experimenting with recurring background characters (pop pop!) and specifically deployed pop-culture references. This is where Community really develops its trademark sense of humour, and it hits the perfect balance of zaniness and groundedness that later seasons were never really able to replicate
And because there are too many to count, I really do just have to rattle off some of the highlights here, episode-wise. The bottle episode is an absolutely perfect piece of writing, and the Dungeons and Dragons episode is too, both proving that a good idea and a strong cast of characters is really all you need for an ace episode of television, as well as both being fantastic markers for the progress of this group. It's also a much more experimental run, not only with Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas, but also in the surprising genius of the documentary episode, proof that switching up the format allows for the ability to access sides of these characters that the basic premise of the show couldn't really reach on its own. The two-part paintball finale is also worthy of mention here, especially when it's (whisper it quietly) the best installment of paintball the show has seen. Season two also features my favourite episode of Community, the mighty Paradigms of Human Memory, a genius piece of self-awareness that functions as an exercise in nailing character interactions. There are so many more perfect episodes this time around, with no duds and no filler. Hell, even the weakest episode (Asian Population Studies) is rock solid, and features one of the funniest Winger speeches in the show
The second season also has two of the most solid overarching plots I've ever seen in a sitcom. The first is about Shirley potentially pregnant with Chang's baby. I really, really love this story. Community is so good at being wacky and meta that it's easy to forget how much it nails its human moments, but this plot is full of them. The not-really-final-episode-but-kind-of-the-conclusion-to-most-of-the-season's-recurring-plots-before-paintball-gives-the-season-a-proper-ending is an awesome, entirely classroom set chapter that slows down the action and lets the show breathe. This story is a particularly interesting study of Shirley as a character, and I love how much of her we get to see this season. Even before this storyline begins, there's a great episode about her and Abed's relationship that is also a delightful satire about pretentious art films, but when her plot kicks off proper, it is done to absolute perfection, and is a fantastic reminder of how much you've genuinely come to care about these characters. It also sees Community show a little more compassion towards Chang, who although he pretty much becomes a full on cartoon character this season (in a good way though), is still given some really poignant moments, especially when the baby's born. It's a very kind plot overall, and it gives the show so much weight under all of the pop culture references. It's genuinely lovely stuff
This season takes also sees Pierce become the villain of the show, becoming gradually more awful as it progresses. I guess in some ways it was an unexpected direction for his character to go in but man does it work, always feeling like an organic path for the show to take. From Celebrity Pharmacology onward, he's utterly despicable, but having that natural source of antagonism is great for both comedy and character. The Dungeons and Dragons episode is utter, utter perfection, showing the cruelty that Pierce is capable of, but also indicative of why the show chose to do this with him; everyone is negotiating their place in the group this season, and Pierce is no different. It becomes clear that he's terrified of the group leaving him behind, and lashes out because of that. It's funny to watch him slowly devolve into a truly awful person, but every one of these plots comes from a part of his character that is fascinatingly explored within the comedy. This comes full circle in the very last moments of the season, where it turns out that the arc you thought you were watching was something completely different. Pierce's speech to the group comes out of nowhere.... until you realise it doesn't. It has been telegraphed through the whole season, where reality ensues and it turns out that, crazy as he is, all Pierce ever wanted was to belong somewhere
The endings these arcs get show how much stronger Community's second season is at wrapping up its overarching plots. If season one's love triangle was a little on the weak side, season two's one-two-punch of childbirth and paintball makes for a trio of concluding episodes that are beautifully written and utterly explosive. The actual ending of this season is darker and more ambiguous, a note of uncertainty that really does nail the feel of a dramatic middle chapter, which is incredibly fitting for the Star Wars spoof. I couldn't think of a better way to end this season than an event that brings the group closer together immediately followed by a reminder that maybe their bond isn't as strong as they think it is, or as healthy. Community doesn't just stick the landing: it puts a perfect cap on its golden run and establishes itself as the benchmark for modern comedy. Community's second season is a masterpiece and an essential text in the pop-culture pantheon. But would it be able to keep up its run of gems in its third outing? Tune in next time and find out....
I give Community's second season a 10/10
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