The 2nd step of Dan Harmon's story circle specifies the protagonist's need as being the crucial drive behind the eventual plot of the story. The study group's needs aren't always the most pure hearted of all - when they NEED more chicken fingers they execute a brutal take over of the entire system which in turn leads to other benefits. It's a bit ironic then that Jeff's needless jealously of the grifting professor manifests into their own grift in order to beat him at his own game. I've already stated this in other reviews but it's not really any different from the Jeff that takes pottery too seriously or the Jeff who's ego balloons until he explodes in a fit of Hulk rage. It's just that as you progressively work your way through the show you'd expect the main character to change and these fits that Jeff is prone to have somehow got to adapt or even change with his personality. For all the talk of Jeff being laid back and giving slack off classes and generally being more chill this outburst is out of place.
What's worse is the 5 or so minute segment in which Jeff pathetically tries to attempt to out grift the master grifter. Matt Berry's character responds with disdain at Jeff's pettiness and lack of actual plan or preparation. It's a very useless part of the episode that seems to be there solely to reach the 30 minute mark. Instead of the usually conniving Jeff it's actually Britta who concocts and executes the main part of the grift. It's a very different and dynamic role that Gillian Jacobs has been called on to play this season which has elevated Britta to new sorts of up and downs. For once her advice seems to be sticking somewhat as shown by her various bartender scenes, so why the need to throw out a very overused gag in telling her to pay her rent? After all she and Jeff seem to be the only ones actually working.
It's not always easy to tell where the character of Britta will go but it did seem pretty obvious when she kissed Professor DeSalvo full on the lips with the earnest and over-exaggerated enthusiasm that most Community characters seems to hold. Something that outlandish, even from Britta, had to be part of a secret grifting plot. What was awkward was the need to overcomplicate the whole thing by bringing in Britta's secret fake betrayal in it even when we've already previously established that Jeff now sucks at making plans. When done right it can be humorous and effective like the shootout at the end of Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design but this episode lacks the absurdity and charm of that Greendale. While that episode had the Troy and Abed sideplot Grifting 101 seems to struggle to provide any sort of relevance for Annie, Abed and Elroy for what is supposed to be a group grift (aren't Annie and Elroy supposed to be able to recognise an obvious grift anyway?). The most effected is Chang who is literally not even let in on the plan which just signals the waning importance an relevance of his character to Community. I've spoken of the difficult task of giving him an actual role in Greendale and this episode did no favours.
The whole she-bang is wrapped up in a timid outline of the various parts of the classic grifter movie over an Old Timey piano riff which serves little purpose in bringing about any sense of theme or direction. It even messes with the dynamic of the cold open. The music is playful but completely destroys any sort of suspense that the plot may offer. Each new 'step' of the story overlaid with a watercolour painting still of the scene (no idea why they thought they needed to add that) brings about little change or direction. They might as well not be there. I guess the only bit I found remotely funny was the flashback which featured a very unexpected clanking and banging in the act of swapping the real money for newspaper. Instead of the usual non-diegetic heist music we get Abed very noisily doing the deed. Which I suppose makes sense. This is Greendale Community College after all.
What's worse is the 5 or so minute segment in which Jeff pathetically tries to attempt to out grift the master grifter. Matt Berry's character responds with disdain at Jeff's pettiness and lack of actual plan or preparation. It's a very useless part of the episode that seems to be there solely to reach the 30 minute mark. Instead of the usually conniving Jeff it's actually Britta who concocts and executes the main part of the grift. It's a very different and dynamic role that Gillian Jacobs has been called on to play this season which has elevated Britta to new sorts of up and downs. For once her advice seems to be sticking somewhat as shown by her various bartender scenes, so why the need to throw out a very overused gag in telling her to pay her rent? After all she and Jeff seem to be the only ones actually working.
It's not always easy to tell where the character of Britta will go but it did seem pretty obvious when she kissed Professor DeSalvo full on the lips with the earnest and over-exaggerated enthusiasm that most Community characters seems to hold. Something that outlandish, even from Britta, had to be part of a secret grifting plot. What was awkward was the need to overcomplicate the whole thing by bringing in Britta's secret fake betrayal in it even when we've already previously established that Jeff now sucks at making plans. When done right it can be humorous and effective like the shootout at the end of Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design but this episode lacks the absurdity and charm of that Greendale. While that episode had the Troy and Abed sideplot Grifting 101 seems to struggle to provide any sort of relevance for Annie, Abed and Elroy for what is supposed to be a group grift (aren't Annie and Elroy supposed to be able to recognise an obvious grift anyway?). The most effected is Chang who is literally not even let in on the plan which just signals the waning importance an relevance of his character to Community. I've spoken of the difficult task of giving him an actual role in Greendale and this episode did no favours.
The whole she-bang is wrapped up in a timid outline of the various parts of the classic grifter movie over an Old Timey piano riff which serves little purpose in bringing about any sense of theme or direction. It even messes with the dynamic of the cold open. The music is playful but completely destroys any sort of suspense that the plot may offer. Each new 'step' of the story overlaid with a watercolour painting still of the scene (no idea why they thought they needed to add that) brings about little change or direction. They might as well not be there. I guess the only bit I found remotely funny was the flashback which featured a very unexpected clanking and banging in the act of swapping the real money for newspaper. Instead of the usual non-diegetic heist music we get Abed very noisily doing the deed. Which I suppose makes sense. This is Greendale Community College after all.