Geek Syndicate

The study group finds their biology project sabotaged and take a leaf our of Law and Order’s book while investigating the crime. The problem is, they are not real cops and the Dean has a weakness for a man in uniform.

Community is a show that constantly changes and reinvents itself. It has proven in the past that it can take almost any aspect of popular culture and adapt it to the college setting; we have already seen the war documentary, Doctor Who and My Dinner with Andre receive the Community treatment. This time, Law and Order – and pretty much every cop show ever – provides the inspiration for the episode.

The group’s biology project is sabotaged; Abed and Troy take on the good cop/bad cop personas, Shirley is their chief, Jeff and Annie play lawyer and Britta gets to be the research nerd. Troy and Abed are always playing some sort of game throughout Community, so it fits that they would involve themselves completely in their characters. Shirley is the stern mom who frowns on any wrongdoing, Jeff gets to play at being lawyer again and Annie is the voice of his conscience. Britta manages to ‘Britta’ her investigation and the Dean is swayed by any strong argument. There is nothing new here then, but what is new is the tone and feel of the episode.

Each of the smaller members of the cast is investigated; Todd’s military background is explored further as the group puts him on ‘trial’ and Starburns is revealed as a Meth cooking backpack thief. The episode works on any number of levels, the best being that the characters take their storylines so seriously anyway that the procedural crime drama is not too much of a stretch.

The sad news is that one of the cast of the show does die by the end of the episode. Given the fact that Starburns is cooking meth in the back of his car, any fan of Breaking Bad will not be surprised to hear that he meets a sticky end. It’s a shame to see him go, however, as his constant struggle for recognition aside from his sideburns was a constant source of amusement in the show.

In all, this was a strong episode of Community that reminds audiences that the show really can turn its hand to anything and succeed. We know that in the future the study group is expelled from Greendale, and with this storyline, it seems that sad day is drawing ever closer.

GS Reviewer: Brogen Hayes