It doesn’t look like this show has lost a step. I’m starting to think Betty White is getting a little overexposed lately, but she was well used in the show and had (I think) the best line.
“I’ll attack you with this, and you defend yourself with respect.”
Too much Betty White (not on the show particularly, but overall), but still great.
I loved the big fight, and when Pierce suddenly discovered that “Weird Old White Guy” (or whatever) was him.
I thought this episode was extremely, extremely meta.
But not very good.
It tried so hard that you could practically see the strain lines coming out of the screen. I’m hoping that next week they go back to being casually loopy.
I liked parts of it but the episode as a whole seemed to fall flat. LikeExapno said, it seemed they were trying too hard.
Not sure how I feel about Chang joining the study group. He’s funny as he exists right now, but he seems like a character that works better in smaller doses. Although it doesn’t look like he’ll last too long, psychopath that he is.
Tough crowd I guess. I loved this episode. I think the meta humor has become the theme of this show and why it works is they use it to make jokes and not have the meta reference by itself be a joke (I’m looking at you modern "airplane"ripoff movies).
The game of relationship chicken was perfect for this show. The way it pulled the characters apart and then together. Even Betty White, who, as I have posted elsewhere here, I am pretty much sick of worked, especially that great rendition of 'Africa" at the end.
The show fired on all cylinders and has usurped the Office as my favorite current comedy.
This.
Though chopped up into separate scenes, it had a lot of funny. Starburns getting a blow dart smack-dab in the middle of one of his stars was awesome
I thought the game of love chicken was pretty funny. Some of the stuff was a little meta, though (e.g. pulling in the instant wedding ceremony stuff from the hallway).
I loved the game of love chicken. I also liked Betty White. I liked that she played a straight up crazy character, instead of horny old woman saying inappropriate things, like it seems like most of her recent stuff has been. And I want a crossbow that is assembled out of other weapons.
Least sexy kiss ever.
Good episode though. I didn’t mind the meta-jokes so much, but I hope that it’s toned down for the future episodes.
The bedroom sets in the beginning was a nice touch. I chuckled at the Spiderman in-joke. Mmm, half-naked Joel McHale. Female-pandering at its best.
Sorry for my obtuseness, but what is a “meta” joke?
Enjoyed having the gang back. Favorite line, “That’s so Season One.” Loved the rap at the end. Also how Pierce says one of his assinine comments, but the group doesn’t laugh until it’s posted on Twitter.
A meta joke is a joke about how they are on a television series (or in a comic book, or in a stage play, whatever the actual context is).
It is talking directly to the audience, acknowledging that this is only a show (wink, wink). Abed is funny since the other characters call him on making meta comments, although they still act as if it is real life (mostly).
I did like the episode, but I felt they did too much resetting to bring the character interactions back from last season’s finale.
Anyone else think that the “Old White Guy Says” TV show idea – immediately shot down – was a dig at the new Shatner show? That was my first thought.
Oh definitely. And Troy sleeping in Spider-man jammies is a shout-out to Don Glover’s campaign to be chosen to play the character in the next film. (Both jokes were funny on their own, and even funnier with real-world context.)
I thought it was a little too meta as well, but still entertaining. I was *dying *at Chang’s Gollum scene at the end, though…
They had to re-establish the story line from last season, in addition to introducing the characters to new viewers who hadn’t watched last season and who are now jumping on the bandwagon after they’ve heard how good it is. They’ll settle back into awesome soon, and I hear the Halloween episode is going to be epic.
By the way, dibs on Annie now that she’s single.
Good point. It was a very creative way to do a recap of the previous season.
+1
My only beef about the episode is there was too much handheld camera work.
Fantastic episode.
“Sorry I’m late, I was in my car. Loving Britta.”
Did anyone catch the ad for the Season 1 DVD pack? I’m temped just for the KickPuncher Comic.