Nice try, Dan Harmon.
I see what you’re trying to do here. You’re making fun of the legions of Jeff/Annie shippers who interpret every glance, every quick look, every interaction between the two of them as evidence that they secretly dig each other. You’re making fun of the fan-made Jeff/Annie video set to Sara Bareilles’ “Gravity,” by showing that any two characters can be seen to secretly dig each other if you set their interactions to slow motion and play a romantic song over it.
And I won’t lie; the Pierce/Abed sequence set to “Gravity” was the funniest thing your show has done in months. I’d even put it up there with Troy freaking out over LeVar Burton.
But the kiss at the end of this clip?:
We didn’t imagine that, dude. (On another note, I’m very irritated that I can’t find a clip of just the kiss and instead had to wade through tons of fan-made music videos.)
Oh, you can tryto deny it: the music video parody, the revelation that Jeff and Britta have been hooking up secretly all season, Annie not minding about Jeff/Britta by the end of the episode, and Jeff shouting, “It’s called chemistry! I have it with everybody!” But Jeff/Britta immediately losing interest in sexing each other up once the gang gave their approval only confirmed my deepest suspicion. Jeff/Annie is going to happen. I appreciate your efforts at misdirection to mislead viewers more gullible than I, but please.
I do have more to say to you, though, about Britta and Annie. Last year, Gillian Jacobs was put in the unfortunate position of playing the straight woman to a cast of eccentrics, and Britta came off as flat and annoying compared to the other characters. She seemed completely wrong for the role of the desirable romantic interest, despite being pretty. Meanwhile, Alison Brie lit up the screen, proving herself to be not only a great comic actress, but bright and funny and adorable. She seemed like she was made for the rom-com.
This year, their situations have reversed. Britta is no longer Jeff’s love interest, but a character in her own right. You’ve wisely shifted their focus from Britta’s “desirable” qualities to her less attractive ones, and she’s three times as funny for it. Annie, however, used to be both adorable and hilarious. Lately, she’s just been adorable. The Dungeons & Dragons episode was the last time she had something truly funny to do. I’m glad you’re giving great comic material to Britta, but Alison Brie is too gifted of a comedian to only be cute and sunny all of the time. Spread the wealth a little.
Also, thank you for giving me the gift of the twenty-second Glee parody. Annie and Troy’s Rachel and Finn impersonation, complete with Shirley doing her best Mercedes wailing on the last note, made my life.
I was not a fan of last week’s episode, but all in all, I think season two is as strong as season one, if not better in some ways.
Articles
Blog Posts
Interviews
Novels, Fiction & Silliness
Sing-a-linga, Sing-a-linga, Sing-a-linga ding dong!
>>But Jeff/Britta immediately losing interest in sexing each other up once the gang gave their approval only confirmed my deepest suspicion. Jeff/Annie is going to happen. I appreciate your efforts at misdirection to mislead viewers more gullible than I, but please.<<
Ha, true fax!
I did love Jeff/Britta leaning back and proving their innocence. Hee.
I loved Britta stealing Annie’s lipstick, then throwing it back without bothering to make sure it went back in her bag, even more. Brilliantly played by both Jacobs and Brie.
Disagree. I think Jeff/Annie is a TERRIBLE ship. Mind, I am the only person in the world who remembers the Troy/Annie thing they were pushing for one episode back in season one and still thinks that’s a good idea, so maybe I’m in the minority among Community fans; but I really think Jeff’s douchiness makes him way better suited for equally douchey Britta than for sweet little Annie
who clearly belongs with me.Troy/Annie would never work. He’s not nearly smart enough for her and she would always come second to Abed.
Jeff/Britta’s “will they won’t they” dynamic in season 1 was TORTUROUS to watch, but their having casual sex out of boredom and laziness is pretty funny. If they ever sold them as a legit romantic couple, though, I’d hate that.
I love Jeff/Annie because he’s shown to have a soft spot for her and is eager for her approval, and she may be sweet but she’s NOT innocent. She can be as devious and manipulative as Jeff (see debate episode and conspiracy theory episode). But honestly, I just think Joel McHale and Alison Brie have a ridiculous amount of incredibly sparkly chemistry together. He’s also very funny in the episodes where he’s clearly into Annie but fighting it because he thinks she’s too young. Of all the pairings I think they have the best comic potential.
I don’t think Troy/Annie is a long-term prospect, but if they had a fling it could make for a really fun mini-arc. And I agree that a lot of the Jeff/Britta stuff has been (and could continue to be) mishandled, but I love the way they argue. I don’t see the Jeff/Annie chemistry at all – all I see is him being a tool and her being distracted by his looks. Something in their dynamic – perhaps the age difference, perhaps the contrast between her optimism and his cynicism – makes me uncomfortable at the thought of them together.
I don’t see the age difference mainly because I just never accepted Alison Brie as 18, because well, Mad Men. Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, the original conception for her character was considerably different than how it ended up: ” For the role of Annie, Harmon wanted someone who would resemble Tracy Flick, Reese Witherspoon’s character from the 1999 movie Election. Originally the producers were looking for a Latina or Asian Tracy Flick, for greater diversity, but could not find any. Instead they ended up casting Alison Brie.”
For wat it’s worth, Harmon tweeted something along the lines that just because he was making fun of the Jeff/Annie shippers didn’t mean that they weren’t right. I have no particular stake in one romantic outcome or another, but I think if they dated, her teenage romanticism would drive him nuts very fast. Which of course, could also be hilarious. Alan Sepinwall at some point speculated that if they’d known Allison Brie would have so much sexual chemistry with everybody (remember the Abed/Don Draper scene?), they wouldn’t have made her character so young.
They haven’t done enough with her recently, but on the other hand, they have an absurdly talented cast, so somebody’s going to be shoved to the side no matter what. There has been too much Chevy Chase, although he has been awake and giving it his all rather than just glide by on the reality subtext as he did on Law & Order and Chuck.
I think if they dated, her teenage romanticism would drive him nuts very fast. Which of course, could also be hilarious.
It WOULD be hilarious. I think McHale is so, so funny when he’s playing Jeff as attracted to Annie but fighting the attraction because she’s too young.
That news about Harmon’s tweet is comforting!