COMMUNITY: Advanced Introduction to Finality

So here we are, at the finale of Community, still with it’s fate for next year undetermined.

But, before we think about the future, let’s get through the present and find out why exactly the two timelines are even being discussed after such a long time with very little thought to them.

Spending an episode with two timelines, it’s going to be necessary to differentiate between them. As any good fangirl, it seems easier to adopt the ! to help explain which timeline I mean. So darkest!Jeff is evil Jeff and Jeff is the one we’ve seen grow and develop over four years.

We open with Jeff back around his old life, with his old partner, and in old routines. They have nicknames (Tango and Cash), and then Jeff’s old partner is offering a partnership, six-figures and a new-old life.

The Study Group, once Annie realizes that Jeff passed History, has a banner and party favors to celebrate. Troy suggests that the Study Group help Jeff turn in his paperwork to finally graduate, just as they want to leave Pierce behind.

Dean Pelton, dressed in a short graduation gown, signs Jeff’s diploma and then Annie and Dean Pelton work up a graduation celebration in a day that also has the feel of a wedding. Because why not if Annie’s got a book for planning a wedding? It sounds like Dean Pelton has one, too. That speaks volumes about both Annie’s and Dean Pelton’s relationships with Jeff, if nothing else.

Over drinks, Britta and Jeff talk about this party, but Jeff also realizes that Abed hasn’t mentioned the darkest timeline in ages, even though it was a scary time for Abed. Britta offers up her theory about why (the good work she’s been doing with him). However the next day, Jeff, brings a dye to roll for who’ll bring the soda for the party later, and it doesn’t land on a number. Abed freaks out, and while the Dean cuts out pictures of Jeff for a poster for the party, darkest!Jeff arrives wearing only his boxers.

This can’t end well at all. There are plenty of dark times ahead, I fear. But I equally have faith in our study group and their ability to survive, even at the hands of their evil!selves.

darkest!Jeff is now roaming the halls of Greendale, and trying to hide his darkest side in convenient ways. He’s so lucky that the locker was open for him to hide his lack of arm in! darkest!Annie arrives later with his prosthetic arm, and that relationship is even more creepy when they make out in the hallway than previously seen in that tag a few weeks ago. Impressive of the show to try (maybe) to turn fans off one ‘ship, but maybe it’s just funny to play against the tension after so long.

darkest!Jeff confesses his love for our Annie, and she starts to fall for it, just before darkest!Jeff hits her with the hard truths that Jeff’s leaving with stunt her. In the cafeteria, Annie yells at our Jeff about not attending his graduation party.

Abed is quick to figure out darkest!Jeff is around Greendale, but then is sent into the darkest timeline, with the Chang dynasty in full swing.

darkest!Jeff is spreading seeds of evil all around Greendale, just as Abed and not-so-evil!Abed talk about how to solve Abed’s problem.

Dean Pelton walks into the wedding/graduation in a wedding dress and yells at Jeff for something that happened off screen – another victim of darkest!Jeff- but then evil!Annie is back still trying to seduce Jeff with a short and revealing red dress. darkest!Jeff isn’t content with Jeff’s good nature and says as much, to the surprise of no one watching at this point. darkest!Jeff is about to send Jeff into the darkest timeline but Kevin took the timeline bullet. After that, darkest!Britta, darkest!Troy and darkest!Shirley appear – each of them intent on being the victor against their other selves.

Without Abed, will anyone be able to tell the good from the bad? If it were me, I’d have already guessed about darkest!Jeff just because his voice sounds like he’s been smoking a pack a week.

The good Study Group is sitting in Troy’s place, and Jeff tries to explain, but fails. Only when Abed comes back with trans-dimensional paintball guns and now it’s a battle royale in the cafeteria between the two groups.

darkest!Annie tries to get Annie to use sleeping with Jeff as a reason for Annie to love that timeline, and despite my love for Jeff/Annie, I’m glad that Annie doesn’t want to sleep with Jeff.

darkest!Jeff is now the only one left and Abed pep talks Jeff into killing darkest!Jeff, without logic, and just as darkest!Jeff’s bullet misses Jeff, the bullet turns back into the dye and for maybe one last time, Jeff has a speech that explains his feelings.

He has love for the Study Group in ways he didn’t know possible until now. Jeff’s not going to consider working for his old firm, and instead wants to help the little guy in small firms.

My heart’s growing three sizes bitter at that, because even though the premise of the show was for Jeff to get back to his old life, after all this time, he doesn’t want it. He wants to little people and check on his friends when he can.

For the final tag(?), evil!Abed and evil!Troy are having their own show and they’re checking in on the other timelines. Troy and Britta are married with a baby Chewbacca in timeline five, and that’s only moderately creepy.

That’s it for the season, but hopefully not for the show. There’s still plenty of story left to tell if Jeff actually does go work for a small law firm and help the little guy.

Or maybe Jeff actually has to get his BA and his JD before he should practice again. Did someone think of that?