The gang must save Greendale from its most nefarious threat yet, a negative ad, on Community season 6, episode 3. Check out our recap and share your thoughts on “Basic Crisis Room Decorum”.
For the second season in a row, Community has gone through a major casting overhaul. And just like in season 5, it’s dealing this in the only way it knows how: a bottle episode. “Basic Crisis Room Decorum” isn’t a bottle episode in the strictest sense. Britta and Elroy do end up in a different room or “bottle” at one point, but it serves the same purpose as a bottle episode. “Basic Crisis” gets all the existing characters together in a room with Frankie and Elroy to solve a crisis and explore new dynamics.
Annie becomes aware of a critical problem late at night and rallies the troops. By “rallying the troops,” we mean she sends out a mass text. Frankie answers the call right away and Dean Pelton just sadly texts with the Japanese boy, named Takashi, who he thinks is Jeff. The problem at hand? City College is planning to release an attack ad against Greendale that morning at 7 a.m.
Annie, Dean Pelton, Jeff, Britta (who is arriving from her shift at the bar, not entirely sober), Chang, Abed, Frankie and later Elroy all gather in the study room to brainstorm solutions. Abed is able to get a copy of the video through his friends in the AV club at City College. AV clubs don’t have any loyalty to organizations – only the technology. Or as Abed and Chang put it: “Could you guys be bigger nerds?” “Naw, most of us have reached our full potential.”
Once they get to watch the attack ad, it’s pretty damning. The ad alleges that Greendale let a dog graduate from it with a four year Bachelor’s Degree. Dean Pelton is neither able to confirm nor deny this news. Annie and Frankie rush to the records office to look for evidence, while Jeff immediately commissions Abed to create a counter attack ad. As for everyone else? Well, Elroy is going to get Britta a cup of coffee since she was running around without pants. Chang is going to film a porno on City College’s campus to create bad press. Sadly, he films it in front of a white background while wearing a Greendale shirt. Suffice it to say, Jeff, Frankie, Annie and Abed are the only ones really interested in helping.
Unfortunately, Annie is able to find Ruffles the dog’s transcript. It reveals that he really was a student at Greendale. Frankie, however, notices a technicality that would let Greendale off the hook. Ruffles had enough credits to graduate but didn’t due to unpaid library fees. This isn’t enough for Annie. The reality that the school she attends is easy enough for a dog to graduate from makes her decide to apply to City College (as a Forensics major, which is really a brilliant choice considering all she’s done at Greendale).
Abed decides to show Annie the attack ad he’s been working on for Jeff. Ultimately, it isn’t an attack ad at all but an admission from Dean Pelton that Ruffles did attend Greendale and that the school “really needs to get its sh*t together.”
Not a bad idea, Dean.