The gang imagines a season 7 on Community season 6, episode 13. Check out our recap and share your thoughts on “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television.”

Say what you will about Community season 6 (and we have) but it truly ends on a high note. “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television” lives up to its own perfect, weirdly beautiful name and is a perfect finale for an uneven season. And maybe even a perfect finale for the entire show.

“Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television” begins on the last day of school. Frankie recommends changing the name of their group from the “Save Greendale Committee” because Greendale is, for all intents and purposes, saved. Elroy comes up with the undeniably brilliant idea of “Nipple Dippers” but then announces that he will be leaving for California to work for LinkedIn. Will he be back? Maybe. Probably. Maybe.

Something about Elroy’s response doesn’t sit right with Jeff. This group has been part of his life for six years and yet another member appears to be leaving the moment the school year is over. So Jeff meets everybody at Britta’s bar where Frankie appeases Abed and asks the fateful question: “What happens in season 7?” This triggers a series of the gang’s “pitches” for season 7. Each one begins with the Community opening credits we’ve come to know and love.

Abed’s pitch involves the characters sitting around the study table and discussing the conventions of television plots. Shirley, in a surprise guest appearance, says, “I don’t trust ‘A’ stories, never have, never will.”

Dean Pelton’s pitch mostly involves figuring out where three Black characters would sit at the study table and also touching Jeff’s abs. Also: the “F” word makes its first Community appearance!

Chang’s pitch features the characters yet again around the table but only with a talking ice cube head who eats cell phones (voiced by Ricky and Morty’s co-creator Justin Roiland). Chang’s pitch is thankfully cut short by Annie (who intimates she was the ass-crack bandit, by the way) walking in to announce she got an internship with the F.B.I. in D.C.

Jeff goes from finding these season 7 pitches tedious to realizing that they are the best chance to keep his crew together.

Jeff blows right past Frankie and Britta’s pitches (Frankie involves only a Chang fart for humor while Britta’s seems to be about the gang creating their own sovereign nation) to craft one of his own. The first features Leonard, Garrett, Vicki, Todd and Seth Green(?) at the table. Then for the next he pitches the standard group at the table investigating the murder of Britta’s parents. Finally, he settles on a semi-realistic version of the show where everyone is a teacher.

Abed likes Jeff’s ideas but then casually reveals he will be moving to Los Angeles to start work on a TV show of his own. “But…six seasons and a movie,” Jeff says before choking a million Abeds to death in his next pitch.

Jeff leaves the bar to stare at the now vacant study table. Annie meets up with him. Jeff commiserates about feeling too old and Annie commiserates about not having enough life experiences. But Jeff also says he regrets not pursuing Annie harder. “I think you should kiss me goodbye or you’ll regret it forever,” Annie tells Jeff. “What about you?” he responds. “I’ll regret it for a week and then I’ll move on. I’m in my 20s.”

Jeff and Annie share a final kiss before the rest of the gang arrives to interrupt Annie and Jeff’s “unauthorized finale.” They all share a group hug where Chang finally announces he’s gay. “I’m gay…I’m for real gay. I’m legit gay!” Jeff later drives Abed and Annie to the airport where he gives Abed a second hug because no one has taught him more about being a human being than this weird little robot. Jeff then returns to Britta’s bar to prepare for his own personal season 7 with Dean Pelton, Britta, Chang and Frankie.

Dan Harmon gets his final meta word in the credits tag with an ad for a Community board game that may just ruin your own perception of reality.

If that’s all we ever get from Community, the show went out as best it possibly could: weird, meta-textual, sweet, strange and funny.

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