Community: Pillow and Blankets

What Happened, Yo!

-The episode is presented as a documentary airing on Greendale Campus Television. We get recapped on how Troy and Abed's competing pillow and blanket forts and the possibility of a world record led to a major pillow fight in the study room. Jeff is brought in by the Dean to solve the conflict, but Troy and Abed reject the invisible "magic friendship hats" he gives them and Troy gives Abed an "All Tomato", saying he has until midnight to tear down his fort. When Abed refuses, Troy declares war. Lines are drawn and sides are picked. Pierce is Troy's second in command until he gives the position to Shirley, making Pierce jump sides to Abed. Annie provides medical aid to both sides, while Britta tries (poorly) to capture the war in a series of photos. And Jeff gives inspiring speeches to both sides, in an effort to prolong the war and further put off going to class, much to Annie's chagrin. When Pierce begins building a powerful weapon for Abed, Troy brings in Chnag and his preteen security interns as a defensive measure. The interns, nicknamed the Changlorious Basterds, cause lots of havoc, causing Abed to unleash his superweapon: a Pillowman (Pierce covered head-to-toe in pillow armor.).

-As things spread, Troy sees an e-mail Abed sent out outlining all of Troy's weaknesses and insecurities. In anger, Troy sends Abed a text telling him that he will never have another friend, because no one else will have patience with him. News of Troy and Abed hurting each others feelings moves Jeff to try and negotiate peace, but Troy and Abed declare their friendship dead and state that the loser of the war will move out of the apartment. They have an epic battle in the cafeteria, which ends when the Dean announces that the Guiness Record rep who had been coming has been fired and this whole thing has been pointless. Everyone stops except Troy and Abed who keep going because the fight will be the last thing they ever do together. Jeff points out that this proves that they still like each other and want to be friends, but neither of them think they can go back. Jeff suggests that they put on the magical friendship hats from earlier and they agree, but they make him go back to the office to get them. Although Annie thought Jeff had just waited in the hall for a while, we find that Jeff actually went back to the office and mimed getting the caps, even though he didn't have to. With the feud over, Troy and Abed become friends again and the gang leaves the cafeteria. Jeff later writes in a journal (something Annie had suggested) about how he's now realized that he would do anything for his friends.

I Liked This: Man, that was a good episode. Pillows and Blankets had an interesting problem to solve: how do you pull off an episode about a school-wide pillow fight, and make it dramatic, while at the same time, avoid doing a Modern Warfare rehash of sorts? The answer: do it as one of those PBS documentaries, complete with narration (From Keith David of The Cape, which is a great reference to last years running gag about the show in the faux-clip show episode, Paradigm of Human Memory) lots of photos, interviews, and people reading text messages, e-mails and Facebook status updates regarding the war. It's all great and really funny and at the centre of it is a great story about Troy and Abed's biggest fight and off to the sidelines is an equally great story about Jeff realizing just how much he cares about his friends. That all this is filtered through the lens of a documentary makes this all even better, allowing for lots of funny moments (Such as the narrator explaining the very confusing name of North Cafeteria). Troy and Abed's conflict felt very real and believeable, and the scene of the two of them just weakly hitting each other with pillows, because stopping would mean the end of Troy and Abed, and neither of them truly wanted that was great. Jeff revealing that he went back to get the friendship caps was also a very touching moment, and it'll be interesting to see if the revelation he had will pop up again during the rest of the season. And I was happy with how the pillow fight war of the episode actually ends on an anticlimatic note with no real victor. And the way the fight between Troy and Abed ended leaves the door open for future conflict in their relationship, which is probably necessary.. All in all, a season highlight.

But... No problems this week.

The Bottom Line: Pillows and Blankets was a fantastic episode of Community with lots of great moments and a great story at the heart of it.

Grade: 90% (Almost Perfect)

Memorable Moments

-Dean: "Does anyone ever actually go to class?"

-I love how the song Daybreak keeps showing up in this third season. Hopefully this keeps going, because it never gets old. Enjoyed the return of Fat Neil also. Or should I say "Real Neil."

-Narrator: “Unfortunately for Britta and millions of photographers like her, just because something’s in black and white doesn’t mean it’s good.”

-Narrator: "They were later nicknamed the Changlorious Basterds. Like Inglorious Basterds. But with Chang instead of In. I don't get it either".

-Narrator: "Amanda Johnson. Poet by choice. Lesbian by birth."

-Abed: "The Rambo titles never made sense and neither does war." Leonard: "Leonard likes this post." Best use of people reading their text messages/Facebook statuses.

-Narrator: "The North Cafeteria, named after Admiral William North is located in the western portion of East Hall, gateway to the western half of North Hall which is named, not after William North, but for it's position above the South Wall. It is the mosted contested and confusing battlefield on Greendale's campus, next to the English Memorial Spanish Centre, named after English Memorial, a Portaguese sailor, who discovered Greendale, while looking for a fountain that cured syphilis."

-The Troy/Abed pledge drive at the end was a great joke, which seemed like a pretty meta nod to a certain beloved show that had been put on hiatus while this episode was filming.