The group learns the history of Greendale's first Dean, Russell Borchert. Once Shirley and Hickey locate the school's blueprints, Annie and Abed lead the search for Borchert's old computer lab. Subway returns to Greendale with plans to take over the campus and they enlist Chang to keep tabs on the study group. Meanwhile, Jeff and Britta make a grown-up decision about their futures.
Community heads into its fifth season finale like it does with its most of its finales - unsure of whether or not this will be the final episode or if the show will get yet another 13 episode order from NBC. I'm not gonna lie, ratings have not been that great this season. Dan Harmon's return has allowed the show to have a creative resurgence this year. Not every episode worked. But the heart of the show returned which made a lot of it feel much more satisfyingly earnest. And yet, I'm still gonna predict that the show returns for another batch of 13 episodes. Comedy is still a major issue at NBC and the network truly does need a veteran performer like this to come in as scheduling filler around midseason to replace whatever fails in the fall. Much like its title states, this finale really is basic. It doesn't exactly reach for some wild and wacky thing to happen in order to end the season - and perhaps the series - in some colorfully odd way. Yes, the hunt for the buried treasure of the school's founder is pretty out there and weird. But it's also grounded in the characters. The season began with the study group reuniting and Jeff returning to Greendale as a law professor to try and save the school. The finale wraps up that season-long arc with a nice little bow - with the group rousing together with Jeff leading the charge thanks to a newly discovered legal contract. That's how the season should end. And it feels so satisfying.
Series finales are designed as the end point of the story and of the characters. That the portion of time spent watching them was the most interesting period of time during those characters lives. "Basic Sandwich" ends with the study group saving Greendale and sitting around the table proud of what they've accomplished. They will live on to stay in this school and have fun journeys together as friends. That's ultimately what this show is about - a group of characters who unexpectedly bond because of their shared environment.
Friendship is what the show was about. Romance was something that just had to be tacked on because when you have a show of attractive people of roughly the same age, the sexual dynamic is just inherently present. However, I do feel like the show's view of the Jeff-Britta relationships alters between last week's episode and the finale. In "Basic Story," it was about the two of them needing to find some kind of meaning out of the time at Greendale. Here it's a plot device played for laughs. They are toxic together and if they were together in the end game they would destroy each other. That's not exactly a pleasant note to end on. So, "Basic Sandwich" largely swerves away from that. It takes on the friendship angle which ultimately is much more satisfying.
The emotional beats of the finale's story come from Annie who also is searching for a meaning to what all is happening. She and Abed have a really fun and playful back-and-forth. It keeps the plot moving forward but it's also a great moment of pathos. Season 5 of Community has been a transitive year. Chevy Chase and Donald Glover both departed from the cast and it was nice to feel some character mention just how much things have changed this year. I don't know what the future holds but this was a really solid ending to a pretty strong season.
#SixSeasonsAndAMovie!
Some more thoughts:
- "Basic Sandwich" was written by Ryan Ridley and directed by Rob Schrab.
- Abed: "Because the debate topic is 'Who is hotter Elliott Gould or Donald Sutherland?'" Jeff & Dean Pelton: "Donald Sutherland."
- Annie: "Abed, stop developing."
- Abed: "We'll definitely be back next year. If not, it's because an asteroid has destroyed all human civilization. And that's canon."
- Depends on what fails. Loved that tag sequence. You can tell this finale was approached with the option of it being the final episode but the show is also pretty confident that it should come back.
- A sixth season is also needed so the show can say it was able to produce 100 episodes. It would just be so cruel to get so close to that milestone - this episode is number 97 - and not get the opportunity to hit it.
- But I'm also certain we won't hear about a renewal or cancellation until the eleventh hour.
- I also thought it was odd that we didn't get an update on Troy in this finale. His departure was a big moment in the first half of the season and we truly don't know what has happened to him out at sea.
