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Episode Reviews

Regional Holiday Music

For 2011, Community treats us to another odd parody of a Christmas special, though this time the target of their mockery is non other than a certain popular musical based show on Fox.

To be honest, “Regional Holiday Music” isn’t as deep as last year’s trip down Abed’s dark internal conflict in claymation. Instead, this year’s episode is a pure parody and mockery of everything people hate about that other show. The episode as a whole is inane and completely non-sensical, which they fully realize and play upon. It’s so pure that it even uses similar but much darker musical cues to end various scenes like the other show.

In fact, the whole idea of getting involved with the vocal group is literally an act of mind control, a few steps removed from cult status. Some of the best moments in the episode revolve around the various group members trapping each other and converting them over to the cause. Never one to take itself seriously, the show even throws a lot of good fodder towards the “ratings gimmick” with Annie’s…interesting homage to “Santa Baby”, and Jeff’s final reaction “eventually you hit a point of diminishing returns on the sexiness.”

The best thing about the episode though, is it highlights everything I hate about that other show and throws no soft punches at it or itself.

Other Observations

  • Annie & Troy: “I’ll be at the movies with my boobie.” / “You’re not taking both of them?” / “Well one’s dead.” / “What?”
  • “Attempts to make the holidays brighter, tends to give them a certain darkness” – Refers to last year’s claymation episode.
  • Mr. Rad wears a sweater vest, which they mention explicitly
  • The dark version of the “end scene” music cue was hilarious.
  • Jeff ends up in a sweater after he is converted.
  • I swear, I think they got the actual pianist from..that other show.
  • Donald Glover (Troy) has an actual rap group under the name Childish Gambino
  • “Whaaaaaat?” – What indeed, Jeff…what indeed.

By Kien Tran

Based in Dallas, Texas, Kien Tran is an avid television enthusiast. After spending hundreds of hours wasting away on a couch, he decided to actually do something creative with his hobby and created this very blog.

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