Community, Ep 18: "Basic Genealogy"

That passing resemblance Community guest stars usually have to cardboard isn't really a mark against the show. After all the main cast is pretty well-developed and it kind of fits with the image of the shows Community is always mocking. But when that resemblance is more of a weird, Zooey Deschanel-Katy Perry¹ doppelganger situation,  it's  a problem. One week after I praised the guest casting, the deep premise of seeing our heroes' roots was ruined by some seriously thin execution. To be fair, enough jokes landed to make this episode more enjoyable than not, but I'd be lying if I said I don't expect more from Community at this point.


Actually "Basic Genealogy"'s best trait is probably that it makes my token weekly effort to recap events pretty easy. The simple set-up sees immediate family members of Shirley, Abed, Troy, and Pierce swing by Greendale so that they can catch up (and put on puppet shows of familial discontent). There's Shirley's two sons, the return of Abed's father from "Introduction to Film" and blablablah... Katherine McPhee is on! ²


The former Star Search runner-up's role is pretty clear from the start, but I struggled to figure out whether she was really part of a Pierce or Jeff plot (at least until the end). McPhee plays one of Pierce's stepdaughters, an all grown-up conwoman looking to bilk Pierce out of his millions. Also she has     But her relationship to Jeff is just much stronger than it is to Daddy Warbucks. Unfortunately she slips into Community go-to-plot #1 of  1: she's Jeff without a conscience... how will Jeff ever defeat her?? Oh, also in play is the fact that as a newly single guy³, Jeff is very much digging himself (er, McPhee).


The **lesser word than "tragedy"** of this choice is that the opportunity of cards-on-the-table Pierce is mostly wasted. The script points in the direction of a more emotionally mature Pierce (example: "What a gay guess, Jeff"), but the editor or Chevy Chase or both seem strangely uninterested. Thank God most of the sitcom shenanigans that ensue are pretty funny. The comedic centerpiece is a cautionary illustration of the word "windmill" in Pictionary;  McPhee holds her own throughout without ever really getting a big laugh.


So far my raging displeasure⁴ with this episode must seem unfounded. After all, it's a little late to be complaining about 20 minute episodes in which Jeff loses and then finds a profound belief in the bonds of friendship at this point in the season. "Basic Genealogy"s problem is the prominence of the other guest stars.


While most people don't notice, Shirley is one of the best-defined characters on Community. Her line early in the episode ("I'll give Jeff a shoulder to cry on, you boys go put a dead bird in that bitch's car") pretty much sums it up: she's passionate and somewhat judgmental, but  also the emotional leader of the group. Also she has awesome, easily styled hair. There's a lot to like there. That's why a story about her insecurity with her own mothering skills rings false. More importantly her interactions with Abed's father (also there to question her parenting ability) are just tame. Disappointing-burka-joke tame⁵.


As for Troy's grandmother... the old black woman with a cane (that's less what I'm calling her and more exactly the way Community treats her)  is unfunny schtick here. I felt like I was watching the unironic embodiment of Buddy (Jack Black) from "Investigative Journalism". The story just sat in the middle of the room and was unfunny. Presumably the writers thought that they would get some laughs from punishing Britta for her liberalism/idealism, but I ended up feeeling bad for her. Abed literally watches TV as much as he can⁶ and he's not naive or idealistic enough to stick around and let a crazy geriatric whip him with a switch.


Really, "Basic Genealogy"s ending gets points for not being Troy's grandma, even though it's one of the most mediocre expression of the show's mission statement yet (friends=family). Overall the episode has me down about Community's potential. Am I asking too much for the show to be hilarious and bring some emotion in the same episode? So far it's delivered on the first in these episodes- 1, 2, 3 (among others)- and the second in this one- 4. Tonight it was clearly neither. To paraphrase something Troy said, I want to believe you can be funny and heartwarming, Community, "but you never quite are, are you?"


Episode Grade: B-
Standout Character: Annie
Standout Moment: (sobbing heavily) "I hate Glee! I don't understand the appeal at all!" - Jeff

Footnotes
1.http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1608317/20090401/deschanel__zooey.jhtml
2. Also she has Kate Gosselin's haircut. So that's exciting.
3. I was a little surprised how fast Professor Slater was tossed aside- in approx. 45 seconds. I kind of agree that it's what the coupling deserved and Comm. had mostly kept it light... but why was the audience put through 3+ episodes of this relationship again??
4. It 's more like raging indifference. But that doesn't make much sense, does it?
5. On the other hand, "She looks like a girl... in fabric", was one of my favorite lines.
6. Pfft. What a loser.