Community: Troy and Abed on Vaaaalentine’s Day

Community‘s Valentine’s Day episode wasn’t my favorite, if only because the gang was split up for most of the day and the ending was a little sappy. But that didn’t stop it from having some fantastic moments.

I can’t choose what I liked more – Britta trying to prove how cool she is by hanging out with a girl she thinks is a lesbian, or Troy and Abed’s refreshing approach to hitting on the same girl. I’m giving the edge to Troy and Abed, just because I love them, but it was damn close.

I’ve said before that I don’t particularly care for Britta, and this episode was a perfect example of that. It was also, though, an example of how I think she’s funny even though I think she’s annoying. I laugh at Britta, never with her. Her friendship with a girl she thought was a lesbian (probably because she dressed like Samantha Ronson) was funny enough to begin with. The way she spoke down to Annie and accused her of being a homophobe just for asking a few questions was classic pretentious Britta. But the joke was taken to a new level when Annie discovered that Britta’s lesbian friend was in fact straight, and was only hanging out with Britta because she thought Britta was a lesbian. Comedy ensued.

Britta and her friend Paige both kept trying to prove how cool they could be, until they ended up making out on the dancefloor. I only wish that Annie had gloated a little more when the truth was revealed. She deserved to.

As funny as that storyline was, Troy and Abed’s mutual pursuing of a hot librarian was even funnier. They didn’t want the girl to come between their friendship, so they just laid everything out for her and let her choose. The librarian chose Troy, but he ended up taking Abed’s rejection much harder than Abed did. I love these guys, and I think they have one of the best male friendships on TV right now.

For me, the weak link in the episode was Jeff’s storyline with Dr. Duncan and Chang. Jeff’s fight with the gang over Barenaked Ladies, of all things, was funny, but after that they lost me. The ending, too, felt just a little too sappy – even for Valentine’s Day.

What did you think of “Early 21st Century Romanticism”? What were your favorite moments? Here are a few of mine:

• “Is she a friend of Ellen?” – Annie, asking if Britta’s friend Paige is gay
• “Maybe we all need some space, to pull the knife out of the back of the most celebrated Canadian alt-rock band of the 90s you selfish, jaded ass!” – Britta
• “I’m a stylish American, professor. I’ve been forcing myself to be into soccer since 2004.” – Jeff
• “We need to get something straight first – this is the cutest thing that’s ever happened to me. But I don’t know either of you.” – The librarian when Troy and Abed ask her out
• “What is it about me that make broken people flock to me? Is it my height? Do huddled masses mistake me for the statue of liberty?” – Jeff