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god-is-a-dyke · 1 year

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Epidemiology Is The Best Episode Of Community And Here Is Why

I should have posted this around Halloween, but let’s be honest Epidemiology transcends time of year. It is and always will be the most episode of all time.

Yes, I recognize this is a bold statement considering some other pretty amazing episodes (Remedial Chaos Theory being the most obvious contender here). I will say I’m biased in a few different ways. However, i have 9 pages of notes about this episode and goddamnit if I’m not going to share them.

(i’ll put this under a cut because it will get long and i’m not sorry but i do respect people’s scrolling pleasure)

As someone growing up in the early 2000s/2010s, I was not immune to the craze of zombie entertainment. I watched The Walking Dead, Zombieland, and 28 Days Later. I played Left4Dead and the Telltale Walking Dead games. I read zombie apocalypse survival guides for fun.

However, let’s take a second to understand the risk Community undertook here. This is a sitcom that follows the day to day life of these characters we know and love. To drop them into an apocalyptic world requires finesse. There have to be real stakes, but we don’t want to lose too much. The writers have crafted this story that doesn’t rely on “it was a dream” or other tacky fake outs. So, let’s see how they do this.

1. THE LORE

pt 1 Infection

- “A rabies related pathogen causing hyperaggression”

A logical explanation for an illogical occurrence. With this one phrase, Rich grounds us in a reality where a disease like this could actually occur. All it would take is the right mutation of a certain virus strain.

A systemic infection must be transferred to a host and then spread throughout the body. A zombie bite does this by infecting the tissue and bloodstream. But, viruses can also spread through things such as our gastrointestinal tract. The bite is going to spread to the bloodstream much faster, hence the shorter incubation time; the early cases are due to the consumption of the tainted “army rations”.

Now what makes this infection so special? The other key to making this work in universe is maintaining a sliver of humanity in our zombies. They are who they were -- Annie studying, Jeff texting no body, Chang trying to kiss Shirley, and even Leonard turning away from Shirley after she intimidates him. The important thing is there’s still something to come back to. These aren’t rotting bodies of the undead, they’re still our favorite characters who hold their personalities, but now they’re just uninhibited (and crave human flesh).

pt 2 The Army

The events at Greendale on Halloween night are kept contained, by no accident. But it’s the extent to which it’s contained is unsettling to say the least.

- The Army Knew About The Taco Meat

This whole thing was supposed to be contained from the beginning, hence the warning label. But it begs the question, why was it available at the Army Surplus Store? How was the Dean able to to buy it in the first place?

- “The army’s gonna be here in 6 hours”

So here’s where it get’s fucked up. Rich says because of the fevers caused by the virus within 3 hours the infected will suffer brain damage and in another 3 they’ll be dead. Add it up and what do you get?

The army intends for everyone to infect each other and die off, and to simply come in clean up the remains of Greendale Community College. The Dean locks everyone in the school. They restrict the phone lines so nobody can call local emergency responders. At 6 hours on the dot, the army arrives and -- if you watch very carefully before they discover uninfected -- the man behind the leader of the response starts to pull a gun on the Dean: “The Only Witness”.

Once the uninfected are discovered they move to “Plan B” which is staging a mass roofie and wiping everyone’s memories of that night. Their initial plan is to just let everyone die. And I think most of us who have lived the past couple years in America will agree that this is..... quite on brand for the American Government.

All of this grounds the episode in our established world. A world of chaos, yet grounded in reality. This makes the episode possible. It changes the game of the zombie apocalypse media, perfect for a one off episode in a sitcom.

But I’m only getting started.

2. Character Progression/Dynamics

Despite the Special Episode vibes, this episode still moves the story along and stays true to the characters.

- Pierce and Starburns

Yeah uh... duh. There’s no other way a zombie apocalypse would start.

- Jeff and Britta

It’s later revealed that they’re secretly hooking up at this point, so their banter at the beginning of the episode establishes a flashback point. It’s also a point of stasis. We’re used to seeing Jeff and Britta poke around at each other, so we have this sense of familiarity to begin before the world literally falls apart.

- Rich and Britta

If there’s anyone in the group deluded enough to think they’d be the exception to getting the virus, it’s these two.

Rich is the most knowledgeable on the virus, without him they would all fail. Therefore, he thinks this knowledge makes him immune. He’s already served his purpose, however, so he no longer gets this immunity.

Britta... This doesn’t need much explaining. She puts up a façade. She thinks she can do more than she can. She thinks she is doing more than she is. But deep down, she’s lost and scared. She’s going to lose herself if she continues this hubris. This is just another example of this.

- Shirley and Chang

This could only happen during the end of days.

They find their common ground in the face of death. This sets up the arc for the rest of the season. Another roadblock for Shirley and Andre, conflict between Troy and Pierce, and more of Chang’s story.

- Annie

Listen man, Annie does the best she can to help, and is taken out through no fault of her own. But hey at least she gets the best shot in the episode. That window shot gets me every time.

Her nursing furthers her whole crush on Rich thing, and also is a smaller version of the healthcare role she plays again during the Pillows and Blankets war.

- Jeff

He tries to take up the leadership position in the basement, but ultimately that falls to Troy. Jeff claims to be so successful in life because he suppresses himself and focuses on outwards appearance. His obsession with his appearance leads to his demise. He opens the door because he doesn’t want to dirty his suit. He complains about Banana Rich stretching out his suit jacket as he’s dying. He refuses to engage in the “nerdy” end of the world antics. He’s still living in reality, but the apocalypse requires some degree of accepting the insanity and leaning into it.

Again, we have to remember these are the characters we know and love. We have to know they’ll be safe, but still worry about them. The show has to continue from here; even though their memories get wiped, this had to mean something.

But, wait. Someone is missing...

3. The Troy And Abed Of It All

Okay, so let’s just acknowledge right off the bat that these two are in love. Cool? Now we can move on.

Without Troy and Abed, this episode doesn’t work.

- This Is The Culmination Of Troy’s Early Character Development

This is Troy finally letting go of his jock persona, finally not worrying about how others view him. This parallel’s Jeff’s journey in this episode, which is why there’s such an emphasis on Jeff’s $600 suit and his texting. Troy has to see that in the face of death none of that is going to matter or save him. After this, Troy stops worrying as much: we get the blanket fort, the trampoline, his 21st birthday. He goes from a nerd to a jock and back to a nerd again.

He uses his jock persona as a safety blanket. He has come a long way since the pilot, but his anxieties and insecurities are so deeply rooted that they come out kicking sometimes.

- Trying To Ground Abed In Reality

Abed is the exact opposite of Jeff, Troy stands between them.

Abed is focused on the idea of saving the world by lowering the thermostat. He relinquishes power, and lets Jeff convince him that it won’t work. And hey, maybe if they had tried it then it wouldn’t have. Ultimately, he was right and the unreality was key, but the next 5 minutes are pivotal to Jeff and Troy’s story.

- Troy’s Voice After Leaving Abed

Look, I know we already set aside their love for each other but we can’t just fucking ignore this. It breaks me. He’s so broken. He just left behind his best friend. They just had a fight and then Abed sacrificed himself for Troy. Because no matter what he’s never going to not believe in Troy.

- Abed Is The Only One Who Can Get Troy To Be A Nerd Once And For All

When Abed gives up the illusion of the fantasy and focuses on escaping, Troy takes up that torch. He follows through with Abed’s plan, but Abed’s plan only works if you don’t bind yourself to the laws of reality.

- If Abed Was With Him, Troy Wouldn’t Have Gone Back In

This might be a stretch. Maybe they would have come up with another plan. Or found out the army’s plan.

But seeing Abed sacrifice himself for Troy after everything, Troy has nothing more to lose. That’s his other half, and he has to at least try to save him (and everyone else)

- Confronting The Zombies

The costume does help slow the zombies down to some extent, but it’s impractical and eventually given up. Troy has to give into the fantasy, but he can’t stray too far from reality. He needs both to survive.

Troy punches every single one of his friends. Except Abed. The only person who could get him there was the only person who could stand in the way of his success.

He still pushes through. Acknowledging Jeff once more. Both Abed and Jeff pulling him to their extremes in one way or another. But combined, they give him the push to complete his journey. Troy truly has the Heart of a Hero.

- Aftermath

There’s so much in the way they look at each other after being bandaged up. Troy and Abed know something is different. They might not know exactly what happened, but they know it was big. Something has changed. They have changed. But what’s important is they’re together. They survive when they work together.

This is Troy finally letting go and being the person he truly is inside. Thanks to Abed.

CONCLUSION

Maybe I’m biased. Maybe I’ve rambled on for hours. Maybe no one will ever read this.

Maybe I just prefer episodes that focus on Troy and Abed.

Maybe I just had an intense love for zombie stories as a kid and it’s bleeding into adulthood.

BUT

This episode is just so special to me for so many reasons. I really do think it’s one other the best episodes of Community and honestly of a lot of tv shows I’ve ever watched.

It’s an action filled episode with an ABBA Soundtrack. What more could you want?!

And most important of all........ the cat in the basement.

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