Please Change Disks to Continue...: Intro to Reviewing: Community Episode Modern Espionage

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Class is in session Community fans! Welcome back to Intro to Reviewing, and what a fantastic day for it. Community is back with its newest episode, and well, it's good. Like, Mad Max: Fury Road good. Yes, that's my go to comparison for greatness right now, and I don't really care because that movie ruled and you should see it. Ditto for "Modern Espionage" the latest in the wonderful canon of Community's paintball episodes. But hey, we're wasting time here. ON WITH THE SHOW!

Intro to Reviewing: Modern Espionage

Plot

Paintball is back at Greendale! Well, sort of. Despite Frankie's best efforts to get rid of the game once and for all, a double secret paintball extravaganza is underway, with the usual big prize awaiting the winner (cash money as those in the hip hop game would say). The problem; it appears the game has been started by someone from City College in order to once again tear down Greendale from within. The study group unites to find the culprit (called Silver Ballz because the paintballs he uses are silver) before he can ruin a gala event honoring Lapari (Kumail Nanjiani, who appeared in Season Five's "Analysis of Cork Based Networking"), the poor janitor who historically has cleaned up the mess after every paintball game. The Dean channeling John McClane, Jeff Winger doing reluctant Jeff Winger things and THE RETURN OF STARBURNS ensues.

Long live the king!

Best Line

"Occasionally, our campus erupts into a flawless, post modern homage to action adventure mythology, mischaracterized by the ignorant as parody." Abed, describing to Elroy Greendale's paintball tradition in the most meta way possible. Great stuff, and just barely beating out Elroy's mythical closing line "I have a stinky." On second thought, that might be the line. Dammit, let's just split the difference and go with a tie.

Best Moment

Jim Rash has been killing it as the Dean here recently, and "Modern Espionage" may have been his best work of the season. Any other episode, and his scene where he bemoans his loss of power to Frankie's by the book ways, followed by him trying to give the study group a cool spy name ("Dean Force...One!") would've taken this. And then the elevator scene happened. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see an action hero reluctantly and even accidentally take out an entire elevator of thugs? It's as wonderful as you ever imagined. Bravo Dean, bravo! Now go see what size suit Jeff wears; you've earned it.

MVP

Starburns! He's finally come back, and what a sight for sore eyes that wonderful meth addict was. He may not have gotten a ton of time, but man, just to see those unfortunate sideburns again was the best. And hey, not some bad work as a theater critic/paintball shooter from Starburns either. If not for Silver Ballz, I think he would've had that competition in the bag. At least he can always find work reviewing terrible Vickie plays. Is it too much to ask that Starburns get his own end segment where he reviews stuff like Leonard used to do? Where is Leonard anyway? Everyone in this episode was back except for him! Did he finally clock out and join Pierce and Nigel Hawthorne in the most racist afterlife ever?

All hail!

This Week's Former Study Group Member I Missed the Most

Troy Barnes is taking this award for the second straight week. Hey, it's not my fault they once again suggested he could be coming back. I couldn't have been the only one who thought he was going to be Silver Ballz. For starters, it kind of sounded like him in that opening scene, not to mention that Troy returning as a semi-villain would've called for many a funny moment (and a heartfelt one when Abed turned him good). Alas, it wasn't meant to be. It has to be coming though right? I mean, they brought Shirley back in the opening episode as Steve Webber's...something, and you can bet Pierce will return the moment some weird Inception themed episode is conceived. Let's bring back Troy! Come on Donald Glover, take some time from making rap albums and campaigning (unsuccessfully sadly) to be Spider-Man. The people want Troy and Abed in the Morning. The people NEED Troy and Abed in the Morning.

Grade

The second half surge continues for Community sixth season, with a fantastic return to paintball that got everyone involved. Seriously, this episode was so strong that I'm just now mentioning Vickie and Garrett's awesome two person show that bookended the episode, and Todd returning as an even crazier version of himself. Great stuff, an episode deserving of an A+. Even with that, it's still the fourth best paintball episode in the Community canon, which just goes to show you how strong those other three offerings were.

That's it kids, class is dismissed. I'll be back with another Lists 101 sometime this week for you Community fans, and I'll be back even sooner than that with some other, non Community columns. Till then, go outside and play some paintball, don't have a stinky, and remember that DUCHOVNY is always watching. A little creepy, I know.