We've been through the ringer regarding Community this year. Make no bones about it, Community is the internet's TV show- spawning more memes, GIFs and petitions than I dare to count. To me the show perfectly symbolizes our relationship with TV and pop culture; we become massive fans, connect over it, share its joys and pains. Sure, that may be a little dramatic, but have you seen the Community fan base? Rabid doesn't even begin to describe it.
This year has brought a lot drama regarding the show. Last year, we were worried that NBC would cancel the show, we rejoiced when it came back, and scratched our heads when we found out that it was moving to Fridays in the next fall season. We've heard all about the heated feud between aging star Chevy Chase and notoriously intense showrunner Dan Harmon. Then we were worried again when the rumor hit that Harmon wasn't coming back to the show at all- confusing since we all consider Community to be his baby.
As far as this season's content goes, you can check out our recaps. Overall, I'd say the second half of the season (despite getting better ratings) wasn't up to par with some of its past episodes. This isn't to say that there weren't some amazing episodes in the last few weeks, but as a whole, the show seemed to be getting just a little too referential, a little too self aware. What was once the thing that we loved about Community started to take over in strange, almost uncomfortable ways.
But last night's three episode extravaganza was exactly what we needed to make us miss the show during our summer. Let's just do a quick run down of each episode and what made it great.

"Digital Estate Planning"- First of all, we had an amazing guest star. Giancarlo Esposito showed up as Pierce's half brother and contender for the Hawthorne fortune. I was nervous at first that the 8-bit episode would be overwhelming and turn quickly into a joke. Somehow the theme stayed true without smothering the story, even the characters in pixelated form were realistic and a true testament to the amazing cast. I will say that Pierce giving up his fortune seemed a little false to his character, but nobody knows what to think about his role on the show anymore. Anyway, it was a great so-called "bottle episode" that shows how wonderful the show is when getting into specially themed moments.
Grade: A

"The First Change Dynasty"- An Oceans Eleven themed episode with the tacked on plot continuation of saving the Dean and getting the Greendale Six back at the school. This episode reminded us that despite his media saturation, Ken Jeong is f*cking hilarious. The episode also did a pretty fine job of still bringing up the fact that Troy is apparently the ultimate air-conditioning repair man. This plot line was something I was never really sure about, but I'm glad that it's conclusion was introduced in this episode. Plus, the ending, when Troy said goodbye to Abed, made me cry.
Grade: A/+

"Introduction To Finality"- This one was perhaps my least favorite of the night, but I think it wrapped up the season really nicely. We've officially reached the point when the study group can acknowledge their intense friendship and understand that there isn't anything they would do without each other. Plus, the ending really introduced us to some interesting plot lines that will be coming up in the next season: Starburns isn't dead, City College is still planning a revenge, Jeff is looking for his father and the dreamatorium has been dismantled (is Britta moving in or Troy and Abed just taking the room back?). All in all, it wrapped up in a really poetic way, making your heart warm and your worries rested.
Grade: A-
All in all, last night receives a solid A. What did you think of last night and the season as a whole? Talk about Community here (you can post GIFs too!)
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