community - renewed for season 5

This image is very appropriate for the past few days

[spoilers ahead]

I'll admit this: I've been very hard on Community this season. Perhaps a bit too hard at times. With the showrunners changing, cast members quitting, the constant back and forth of schedules... the show just felt different.

I still advocate this show. I fought for this show throughout all four seasons, and I love it with every fiber of my being. Like I said yesterday about "The Office", all great shows have a down moment. This show was Dan Harmon's baby, and when he's suddenly thrown out (and how he found out was, to say it bluntly, messed up) and replaced with new showrunners, old writers leaving and new ones coming in... The show, while it still had the same cast and some of the same writers/producers, again, it felt different.

This week's episode, "Advanced Introduction to Finality", was one that could have easily gone wrong. I didn't look up many spoilers for this season, so when I saw the promo for the episode, I was both intrigued and turned off. The Darkest Timeline was becoming real? The Evil Greendale Seven were going to meet The Greendale Seven? When I thought about it last week, I figured the only way this could happen is if this happened in their heads. I was relieved to find out this happened in Jeff's head. Yes, this is a show, but everything that has happened in the show, I believe it was all "real". It all makes sense within the messed up world that is Greendale, Colorado.

I remember hearing some critics were a bit harsh on the season finale, and I understand that. This has been a hard season for Community. (Honestly, the whole series has been hard for Community.) In a way, this reminded me of "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas". Yes, these were two different episodes - one was holiday themed, one really showcased a character's darkest thoughts - but both really showed us the exact thoughts of a character. We hear a lot of the group's thoughts, we've seen some flashbacks, but there have only been a few instances where we've really gotten inside of the heads of these characters. (In my currently tired state, I can only think of Abed-related instances.)

Yes, it was weird to see Jeff thinking of the Darkest Timeline. He's always gotten angry and irate whenever that timeline is mentioned, so for him to be thinking that, upon the rolling of the dice, possibly these people could show up and jeopardize their friendships and futures. This seemed more of something that perhaps Abed would be thinking, but not Jeff. Of course, with Jeff being the "main character" of the show, of course he would be the one to think of a worst-case scenario as to why his graduation would be disrupted.

I'm glad we got a fifth season. (I say "we" because the Community fandom is one big family.) I may not have been overall pleased with this season (it may take some time to truly appreciate this, as it took time for me to like some previous episodes) but I wanted the show to get another season. The first three seasons of this show were perfect, in my opinion. These showrunners and writers were thrown into a critically acclaimed, fan dominating show. I'm sure they were fans, but of course it was going to take some time to really get going, to really achieve, or get as close as they could, to what Dan's vision of the show was.

I know the fans were dominating Twitter Thursday and Friday night, with hashtags live "#LongLiveCommunity", "#CommunityNeverDies", "#PopWHAT", "#sixseasonsandamovie", among others, being very high on the US and Worldwide Trending Topics. With the constant announcements of other NBC shows being canceled or renewed, Community fans were really getting upset at a lack of anything. I'll give it to the official Community Twitter (@nbccommunity), though - either they were being optimistic, or they already knew that the show was going to be renewed. (They kept saying "season finale", as opposed to "series finale".) I know I felt a huge weight off my chest when the season five announcement was made.

What I love about the cast is how humble they are. Community isn't the most popular show, but the fans are dedicated to what they love. I'm proud to be in a community (pun intended) with such dedicated and loving people. The cast, of course, recognizes it. If it weren't for the fans, I do think the show wouldn't still be around. I've also heard stories of the cast being floored, awestruck, and just thankful to the Community fans that have approached them on the streets, conventions, etc. I could not ask for a better cast.

I was going to do a "Best of Season 4" post, but I think I'm going to save that for a later date. Of course I have some favorite moments, but I need to go back and re-watch many episodes. I'll leave you with this video: