The Paintball Episode of "Community" is Still Classic Comedy

I've been rewatching "Community" in my down time lately. The show holds up. It is just as funny as the first time I saw it. The writing is top notch. The acting is great. The people this show introduced me to are pretty wonderful. I knew of, barely, Donald Glover. He is now one of my favorite pop culture icons. I also knew of Joel McHale. He really shines in this show. This was the perfect way to use his talents. Chevy Chase is Chevy Chase, but he too has his moments here. The show gave me my intro to Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown and Danny Pudi. They are all excellent in their own way, and they have all gone on to do some pretty great things. Oh, and please don't let me forget Ken Jeong. He is a revelation here.

Anyway, the other day while watching the initial paintball episode came on. I remembered this episode fondly. But I thought maybe it was just a different time in the world and maybe the more cynical side of me was going to rear its ugly head. I am here to say, this episode absolutely, 100 percent holds up. I found myself just as engrossed as I was the first time. Certain things would happen and it would flood back as a great memory. The episode works so well and it comes on so sudden.

The ep starts out like most "Community" episodes, but it delves into something so much different and amazing. When Jeff, McHale, goes to his car to nap, and then it says "1 hour later", it becomes something completely different. The show has the feel of a post-apocalyptic half hour. The camera changes. It looks dimmer and darker. When Jeff is walking around campus we all see people splattered with paint. He speaks to a student and the student fills him in on what has happened in the past hour. It is an amazing monologue from a bit actor on the show. From here on out it follows post-apocalyptic cliches, but does it so much better than most shows that are actually in that genre. Troy and Abed find him and take him in. They have a great talk off about what they should do. They also act like they are going to turn on one another, but never do. It is classic, but it is also hilarious. Troy and Abed are an excellent duo and they riff off one another so well. This episode is one of the best examples of their chemistry. When they meet up with the ladies in the bathroom it just gets better from there. From Troy trying to team up with Shirley, to Abed living his life through TV, to them using Pierce to get away from some intruders, to Britta and Jeff vying to help Shirley and then hooking up. It is all there and it all works to perfection. Even in the end, when everyone is out of the game except for Jeff, he doesn't have some epic speech about winning, he goes to the dean's office and demands to know why he did what he did and kind of goes nuts. It is too perfect. I also enjoyed the hell out of the way he got the dean with a paintball to the head and the dean didn't even flinch. When they see everyone cleaning up the day after the paintball game the camera goes back to normal and everything seems all normal again, except for the tension between Britta and Jeff.

This episode is so wonderful and so perfect and hits all the right notes. I actually feel like it is kind of underrated now. When it first came out it was this instant internet classic. People kept it in the consciousness for a bit, but I haven't heard much about it anymore. I'm here to try and change that the best way I can. Go watch this episode. In fact, go watch the entire series, well maybe up until Donald Glover leaves, and remind yourself how dope this show was. "Community" is a classic and it should be revered as such. And this paintball episode is perfect.

Ty

 Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches the Final Season of "Love"

Ty Watches Season 1

Ty Watches Season 2

I just finished the last season of "Love", and I have to say, what a way to go out. This was a great, great TV show. Everyone involved, be it acting, writing, directing, producing, it was all so very well done. It also had a very pleasing, and proper ending. I'm going to try to limit the spoilers, but I do have to say, the ending, spot on. It was so enjoyable and perfect for what this show was supposed to be.

I've been on this show from day one. When I heard that Paul Rust and his wife had made a show, and Rust would be starring in it opposite Gillian Jacobs, who I adore, I was so on board. I've been a fan of Rust since I started listening to podcasts, mainly his appearances on "Comedy Bang! Bang!", and Jacobs won me over with her performance on "Community". I devoured the first 2 seasons of the show within days of them being released. I have written about my love for the first 2 seasons as well. The third season took me a little longer to finish, I now have 2 kids and longer days and shorter nights. It took me a little over a week to finish, but I was kind of glad I took my time. I'd watch an episode or 2, take a few days to really think about what I saw, then watch a few more. It was almost like the way we used to all watch TV, minus the commercials. It was nice to see the show that way. And the performances were just magical this final season.

Rust and Jacobs are the stars, and it shows. They command the screen every time they are on. There is a wonderful episode where both Gus and Mickey get sick, and it is a perfect microcosm of how a couple acts the first time they are sick around one another. The ending of that episode was spectacular as well. When they went back to Gus' hometown, another gem. It was great to see Mickey interact with Gus' family and the difference between Gus' family, and when Gus met Mickey's dad in season 2. They were both wonderful at all times.

The people around the main stars did just as well. There was an entire episode that they weren't even on. This was the time for the co stars to shine, and boy did they ever. Claudia O'Dougherty was tremendous in her expanded role. She did some things that weren't very nice to Randy, and she played that role so well. Mike Mitchell, who plays Randy, played the unlovable boyfriend/so to be ex boyfriend of O'Dougherty, and he nailed his role. He is so dumb and takes Bertie for granted, and in the long run, he loses her, as he should. Iris Apatow was a gem as Arya. She was so good as the young star of a crummy TV show who is going through some tough times. She is a very, very good actress. Even actors in smaller roles, who have appeared in earlier seasons, really shined through. Mike Hanford, another actor/comedian that I really like, was great in his kind of bigger role. He is one of Gus' buddies who help him with his movie, and also play in his band. Same for Neil Campbell. I believe he was only in one scene, but it was a great scene. Armein Weitzman was so good in his expanded role. We saw his ups and downs, him being high and him getting mad at Gus, butt hen forgiving him. It was great. Keri Kenney was great as Mickey's older friend who is helping her stay sober. The bowling alley scene with her, Jacobs, Rust and Horatio Sanz was really, really good. She is an awesome and underrated actress. Even the guest stars were great. Rich Fulcher as a former bad guy in movies was heartbreaking and hilarious. Ed Begley Jr as Gus' dad, hilarious. Bret Gelman, who was on previous seasons, was so good, even though his character had a big time downfall. Even someone like David Spade, in his one episode, did a wonderful job.

"Love" is/was a very, very good television show. It is one of the better comedies about young romance that I have ever seen. It is true, it was believable, it was funny, it was touching, it had everything. I'm going to miss the show, but it ended so perfectly, it won't leave a sour taste in my mouth. "Love" came and went like a blink of an eye, but man was it totally worth it. "Love" is great, and now you can binge all 34 episodes right now on Netflix if you want to watch it. I highly recommend you so.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to write about that one show his parents used to watch that is back on tv, but he has better things to do that swim in the nostalgia swamp of the baby boomers.

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Ty Watches "Love" Season 2

ed note: Ty Watched season 1. Read about it here.

Recently I finished season 2 of "Love" on Netflix, and I really enjoyed myself while watching it. I really liked that it picked right up where season one ended. I will do little to no spoilers today, so anyone who hasn't seen it yet should be fine reading this.

Where we left Gus(Paul Rust) and Mickey(Gillian Jacobs) were outside a gas station where Gus was buying snacks. Mickey lays it all out for him and tells him all of her secrets. She says that she wants to take a year off from dating and get her life together. Gus proceeds to kiss her, and that is where season 2 starts.

I really like this show. A lot of people will say "Master of None" is the better romantic comedy show on Netflix, and while I really like it, I think "Love" is much better. "Love" doesn't take itself as serious as "Master of None" seems to. I also prefer the leads in "Love" to the leads in "Master of None". I love Aziz Ansari's stand up, and his phenomenal role in "Parks and Rec", but for a sitcom type show lead, I, for some reason, prefer Paul Rust. He is way goofier and way less self serious. As far as the female leads, I will take Gillian Jacobs any day over Noel Wells. She's a much better actress and way, way funnier than Wells. She is just more fun to watch act. People are trying to compare these shows, I chose not to. These are 2 different style shows. "Love" is much more of a straight forward comedy and "Master of None" borders on the dramedy line. I like both shows a lot, but, as previously stated, I prefer my comedy as goofy and straight up, therefore I prefer "Love". That is where the comparison stops for me.

Anyway, season 2 of "Love" follows a couple of months between Gus and Mickey. Mickey doesn't want to date anyone, but her addiction to love gives in. Not only is she an alcoholic and drug addict, but she is also a sex and love addict. She really, truly seems to very much like Gus. Gus is different from any guy that she has dated before. Gus is polite. Gus is nice and complimentary to her. Gus tries hard because he feels that he doesn't deserve someone like her. Gus, at least on the surface, seems to be a great guy. But, he is a little overbearing. He can be complimentary, but also condescending. He waits until the last minute to explode on Mickey when he is upset with her. Mickey, to her credit is trying to get her life together. As I said, she is involved in all the addiction programs. She actually takes her job seriously this time around. She wants to better herself. She doesn't want to give in to Gus, but she likes him so much that she gives it a try. But, she too has her flaws. She flakes out a lot on friends and family. She rants and raves about Gus a lot. She feels that she can give relationship advice, even though she clearly doesn't know what she is doing in that aspect of her life. That is what I like about the 2 main characters, they have flaws. Neither is right or wrong with their decisions. There is some great back and forth this whole season between Gus and Mickey. The creators and writers, including Paul Rust and his wife Lesley Arfin, really did an excellent job portraying relationships in your early thirties during this season.

While Rust and Jacobs are the clear stars of the show, the supporting actors were used excellently, and frequently, this season. Claudia O'Dougherty, who plays Mickey's roommate, was great this season. She is funny, quirky and plays her role as fish out of water so great. She is the best supporting actor in the whole show by far. Mike Mitchell, of "Doughboys" and "Birthday Boys" fame, was used a lot more this season, and he had a creepy and weird story arc, but it was perfect for him. Judd Apatow's daughter Maude, who plays the actress that Gus teaches, had a much bigger role and she can really act. The people who work on the show "Wichita", the show where Gus works, weren't used as much, but when they were, they were really funny. Brett Gelman is awesome in his few and far between scenes that he gets this season. Bobby Lee is really funny in his minimal role. Gus' friends, the guys and girls that make up theme songs for movies that don't have theme songs, where really good as well. Everyone in the show is great.

I cannot say enough nice things about "Love". I think it is the best Netflix show, and I am way into a lot of Netflix shows. Paul Rust has found a perfect place for him to shine as a writer and actor. Lesley Arfin is a tremendous comedy writer. Gillian Jacobs crushes her role on the show. All the supporting actors I mentioned are fantastic. Watch this show. I know you will love it as much as I do. I saw that they are filming a season 3 and I cannot wait until it comes back on. "Love" is great, and it is one of the best comedies on any type of television right now. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If Ty watches a bunch of Netflix shows, where is his review for Voltron: Legendary Defender? That show rules. 

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Ty has Very Strong Committed Feelings for "Love"

It is nice when the show title reflects how I feel

Yesterday I finished the new Netflix show "Love" and it was totally awesome. I literally loved everything about this show. It was the perfect comedy/love story show. It was, in my opinion, so much better than another similar Netflix show, "Master of None", and I really enjoyed "Master of None".

One of the things that I enjoyed more on "Love" than "Master of None" was the female lead. Gillian Jacobs was so much better than Noel Wells. Noel Wells was very good, but she was your typical, I need a guy in my life, but when things get too serious, I'm jumping ship and moving on. Aziz Ansari is a great writer and created a great show, but Noel Wells character was pretty one dimensional and I didn't watch that show for her, I watched it for Ansari, who is awesome. Gillian Jacobs was absolutely phenomenal on "Love". In the first episode when we meet her, we immediately see that she is a troubled person, that doesn't realize it yet. She always thinks that she is right and that she is the cool one and that she has no problem, but all of those things couldn't be further from the truth. She is, for the most part, wrong 9 times out of 10. She is not cool, she is a mess that relies on other people way too much. And she has a ton of problems. She is an addict. She is addicted to drugs and alcohol and sex and love. Gillian Jacobs, her character's name is Mickey, is an absolute mess as a person. She plays this role to perfection. I believe every single moment of struggle and awkwardness and anger that she so excellently portrays. This is a real star making role for her. She is absolutely phenomenal on "Love". This is also a completely different role for her. She is not the same character she was on "Community" or "Girls" or any movie role she has had. She usually has her head on her shoulders or realizes that she is a screw up, but not on "Love". It takes her a real long time before she even considers that she may have a problem.

"Love" much like "Master of None", I know I'm comparing the two shows but they are basically the same thing released only months apart from each other so it's an easy comparison, Paul Rust co created this show and stars in it much like Ansari does for his show. Paul Rust is terrific. This is a great vehicle for his brand of comedy and his style of acting. When he is on screen, which is most of the series, you cannot take your eyes off of him. He commands the attention of the audience. Rust plays Gus, your typical nice guy that tries to hard to impress the girl. He's a hard worker, but he has a nothing job. He is a tutor on the set of a fake witch show. Pretty familiar premise for a leading man, but what Rust does with the character Gus is excellent. At first, he is a pushover. He will do whatever his girlfriend wants him to do. When they break up, he constantly blames himself although he was not in the wrong at all. When he meets Mickey, he is putty in her hands and Mickey knows this. She uses him and his kindness to her advantage and Gus is just happy that a pretty girl is talking to him. When he starts to gain confidence, after telling Mickey how he feels, his character becomes more confident, and once again, I completely believe his transformation. He is still a dork, but he is a confident dork. The growth of his character is so believable, I swear I have friends that have gone through the same transformation as we have grown up. Much like Gillian Jacobs, this is also a star making turn for Paul Rust. The two of them have been steady actors, but never been the lead in anything, save for Rust in the not as bad as I thought it was "I Love You Beth Cooper", but "Love" is the perfect platform for them to truly shine.

Jacobs and Rust  may control and demand the audiences attention, but the supporting characters are just as good. Comedic actors like Mike Mitchell, Armen Weitzman, Neil Campbell, Seth Morris and Brett Gelman are great. So are Claudia O'Dougherty, who is really, really great on this show, Charlyne Yi, Bobby Lee, Kerri Kenney and Traci Thoms. Iris Apatow is wonderful as the lead actress on the show that Rust works as a tutor for. She is a very good actress with a very bright future. There are many other supporting actors that I didn't mention that are equally as good.

"Love" is a very good show. I'd call it a great show to be honest with you. I really enjoyed "Master of None", but it felt a little long to binge, at least for my taste. "Love", on the other hand, had the same amount of episodes running the same amount of time, but I breezed through it in three days. It was such an enjoyable watch and I cannot recommend it enough. I don't want to spoil anything because I want everyone to go out and watch this show. It is very, very good and Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs are tremendous.

I cannot wait for season two.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He loves to binge watch old Michigan football games. Do you have twitter? So does Ty, go follow him @tykulik.

The Greatest Television Ever: NBC Thursday Night Comedy

In the coming weeks and months, we at SeedSing will be doing our favorite TV shows. It will be a lot like our greatest American band debate, each week picking a show or a season or just particular moments from TV shows that we enjoy.

I'm going to kick it off today by talking about one of my favorite two hour blocks of TV on NBC. There was a time that the Thursday night line up on NBC had four of the best sitcoms that I've ever seen. It was epic, must watch TV for me and any other fan of comedic television. The four shows they trotted out were "30 Rock", "The Office", "Community" and "Parks and Recreation". Talk about a murderers row of great, great TV. These four sitcoms are all in my personal top ten of TV shows. I love these shows and I love them all for different reasons.

First we'd get "30 Rock". This show is one of the all time greats. Tina Fey is a genius. Her writing and acting are beyond genius. She's on a whole different level from any other sitcom writer I've ever seen. She is a legend. But, it wasn't just Tina Fey that made that show great. We got Tracy Morgan, Jane Krawkowski, Jack McBrayer and, of course, Alec Baldwin. Tina Fey basically revived both Morgan's and Baldwin's career with their roles on this show. And they were both fantastic. Any episode that revolved around Morgan's character, Tracy Jordan, was so hilarious and so well written. Anytime he interacted with McBrayer, or Grizz and Dot Com or with Liz Lemon or Jack Donaghy was great. Morgan's first appearance on the show, naked, except for underwear, freaking out on the highway, waving around a fake light saber, was a perfect introduction to his character. And when he tries to get the EGOT, that was a great run of episodes. Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy was the perfect representation of the arrogant, yet idiotic studio head that has no clue how to run a network. He was so great on this show. Two of my favorite lines spoken on a sitcom were said by him. The first, Liz asks him why he's dressed so nicely and he says, "it's after six, what am I, a farmer?", loved it. The only line I like better is when Donaghy is talking about his hard working father and he says, "he worked the day shift at the graveyard and the graveyard shift at the Days Inn", that is exquisite writing. I love "30 Rock" and I could go on forever about it, but I need to talk about the other three shows.

After "30 Rock", we got "The Office". This is my second favorite show of all time, behind only "The Simpsons". When this show was great, it was the best thing on TV. Seasons 1-4 of "The Office" is some of the best TV that's ever been aired. We got three phenomenal episodes in those first four seasons. In season one they had the episode where the sales team challenged the warehouse workers to a game of basketball. It was so good. Michael Scott(Steve Carrell) warming up and then playing basketball is so god damn funny. I love that episode. Season two gave us "The Dundies". That was the award show that they had for the employees of Dunder Mifflin. It was cringe worthy comedy, with Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute(Rainn Wilson), emceeing this train wreck. It was so funny and it was the first time that Jim(John Krasinski) and Pam(Jenna Fischer) kissed. This episode is great. The best episode of "The Office" came in season four. The episode titled, "Dinner Party", is the most uncomfortable 44 minutes of brilliant comedy ever written. Michael and Jan(Melora Hardin) constantly fighting while they have four employees over to their condo is so good, yet so uncomfortable. I still love this episode to this day. It is excellent comedy. I adore "The Office" and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the second greatest show of all time, in my personal opinion.

Then, we got the weird, off the wall, bizarre comedy, "Community". At first glance, I didn't think Id really like this show, but the more I watched it, the more I grew to love it and look forward to it every week. Joel McHale finally got his chance to be the lead role on a show and he did it so well. He is criminally underrated for his work on that show. But the other actors were just as good. Danny Pudi. Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong were great. Alison Brie and Yvette Nicole Brown were also really good. The only person I didn't really care for was Chevy Chase, but he's an asshole. I loved the off beat humor that Dan Harmon brought to major network TV with "Community". The show was an almost perfect representation of community college life. I could relate to the people because I ran into the exact same people in my almost two years of community college. There were athletes, nerds, regular joes, old people and good looking ladies that never got into a four year school, so they had to go to community college. Sure, "Community" is a glorified version of community college, but they made it relatable, especially when Dan Harmon was the main writer and show runner. They had ups and downs, but there were way more ups than downs when it comes to "Community". And yes, the paintball episodes are as good as the fans say they are. Go back and watch those and be amazed at how well "Community" was done. It's an underrated cult classic show.

NBC would close the night with probably my third all time favorite show, "Parks and Recreation". This show is a classic that only got better and better the more seasons it got. I loved the first season, but each season that followed was better than the last. This show was the exact representation of what it's like to work for a parks and recreation department. My sister in law, that works for Columbia's parks and rec department, even confirmed this. Ron Swanson(Nick Offerman) and Tom Haverford(Aziz Ansari) are real representations of people that take government jobs in parks and rec and just sail from there. They don't take their jobs seriously at all because it's not a serious job. They plan parties and races and community gatherings, not that tough of a job. Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope was the perfect post "SNL" role for her. She was so, so good on that show. She excelled. When shows bring new people on, it's usually a bad sign, but the additions of Rob Lowe, whom I've written about before, and Adam Scott made this show that much better. Rob Lowe, as the always upbeat and exercising Chris Traeger, was the perfect foil for Ron Swanson. and Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, failed mayor and Leslie's love interest, was perfect. When these two showed up, "Parks and Rec" went to a whole new level. Chris Pratt, Retta, Aubrey Plaza and later on, Jon Glaser and Billy Eichner were also excellent on the show. I love every episode of "Parks and Rec", there isn't a bad one. If you haven't seen it and you're looking for a starting point, start at the end of season two, when Rob Lowe and Adam Scott show up, that's when the show went from good to great.

So, there you have the first entry in our greatest TV choices on SeedSing. I figured I'd come out of the gates strong, and this Thursday night lineup is a slam dunk. Come back for more TV later. I already am writing "The Simpsons" blog in my head now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He desperately wanted to add "Andy Barker P.I." to his list, but then realized the show was no "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.