Community is back! The fifth season of the low-rated but cult-followed sitcom debuts Thursday at 8:00pm. For those looking to join the fun, here are 13 of the show’s best and most fitting episodes to watch before diving into the new season.
"Debate 109": Season 1, Episode 9
Sure, you can watch the pilot episode, and the first eight episodes of Season 1 have some unforgettable moments, but "Debate 109" is the first episode of the show that really feels like Community. Annie's debate partner drops out, and Jeff is talked into serving as a replacement in exchange for the Dean giving him a prime parking space. Meanwhile, Abed is able to create videos recreating events from the study group that manage to predict future events that occur. The story lines meet at the climax, where Jeff and Annie are forced to improvise and beat City College in debate. The show makes use of some of it's best characters, and sets up dynamics that will play throughout the show's run.
"Investigative Journalism": Season 1, Episode 13
Season 1 returned from winter break with a new episode where one of their classmates Buddy (special guest star Jack Black) is trying to force his way into the study group. This conflicts with Jeff's new, more relaxed personality, which Abed suggests makes him Hawkeye from M*A*S*H. One of the best episodes of season 1 that explores the group dynamic and showcases Community's understanding of pop culture, and its ability to do so on more than just a surface level.
"Contemporary American Poultry": Season 1, Episode 21
On the surface, "Contemporary American Poultry" is one of the show's first showcase parody episodes, where they pick a particular pop culture icon (in this case "Goodfellas") and put their own spin on it. The show works well as a "Goodfellas" parody, including a fantastic montage that both pays tribute to and undermines the original sequence. But what sets "Contemporary American Poultry" apart is that it allows again shows the importance of the group dynamic and manages to add in just the right level of sweetness to close on.
"Modern Warfare": Season 1, Episode 23
Not just one of the best episodes of Community, but of all television in 2010, this episode is the original paintball episode, the episode the defined Community as not just a good, funny sitcom, but a program capable of transcendent greatness into the upper echelon's of television. The plot is pretty much a straightforward parody of action movies, replacing the guns with paintball guns. The episode features some of the series' best pop culture parodies, and features the best use of Ken Jeong ever (including The Hangover). The episode was directed by Justin Lin of the Fast and Furious movies and may be Community's finest half hour.
