History Recap / CommunityS3E04RemedialChaosTheory

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In the canon storyline, when everyone is calling Jeff out on his manipulation for not getting the pizza in the other storylines, according to the closed captions, someone in the group called him an "asshole".

** In the tag, Regular!Troy and Abed are watching JustForFun/InspectorSpacetime, introduced in [[Recap/CommunityS3E01Biology101 the season premiere]].

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: In the tag, Regular!Troy and Abed are watching JustForFun/InspectorSpacetime, introduced in [[Recap/CommunityS3E01Biology101 the season premiere]].

* ShipTease: Troy and Britta have a heart-to-heart in the bathroom in Timeline 3, Jeff and Annie have moments in almost all of the timelines and even make out in Timeline 6, Abed/Annie slightly gets this in the prime timeline when he invites her to move in with him instantly, and Jeff/Annie, Jeff/Britta, Britta/Troy and Troy/Abed share googly eyes in Timeline 2. And of course, everything to do with Troy and Abed's apartment is awash with {{HoYay}}.

* [[TakeAThirdOption Take Another Option]]: In the ''true'' timeline, Abed grabs the die before it hits the table, noting that A: too much of their lives is run by fate already and B: Jeff is a [[MagnificentBastard conniving son of a bitch]] for using a method that ensures he'll never have to get the pizza.

** Literally, Annie's gun which is shown off in one time line (first act) only to go off in another (third act).

* CriticalFailure: Abed calls attention to that fact that the darkest timeline came about because Jeff rolled a 1.

* FreudianExcuse: In Timeline 6, Shirley eventually admits to Britta that the only reason she bakes excessively is because she feels excluded by the rest of the study group, and baking is her way of feeling needed and included. Unfortunately, this means that Jeff's plan to confront her excessive baking by colluding with everyone to refuse to eat what she cooks unwittingly works to validate her fears of being left out.

* GRatedDrug: Shirley's baking problem is treated by Jeff the same way as a drug addiction.

* InSpiteOfANail: See "OutOfOrder" on [[Recap/CommunityS3E03CompetitiveEcology "Competitive Ecology"]]. Despite neither event taking place in this episode's true timeline, in seems that at some point Pierce tells his Eartha Kitt story and Shirley catches Britta getting high.

* TheUnsmile: Abed pulls an [[http://i.imgur.com/pzVo5.jpg absolutely terrifying one]] when he and Troy open the door for Annie and Britta.

* NotImportantToThisEpisodeCamp: This episode features only the study group, and thus neither Ben Chang, nor the recently [[PromotionToOpeningTitles promoted to the opening titles]] Craig Pelton appear.

* KilledOffForReal: Pierce in Timeline 5 after being shot in the leg.

** We get to see Jeff hit his head on the ceiling fan multiple times.

* BrickJoke: Several, given the "alternate timelines" nature of the storylines:
** In the first few timelines, everyone who goes to the door to get the pizzas makes a point of noting what a creepy weirdo the pizza delivery guy was. So of course, when it's Britta's turn, she falls madly in love with him at first sight and they get engaged.
** Annie literally finds a brick at the very beginning of the episode, which becomes the catalyst of the different timelines (since the pizza guy can't come straight to the door).

* ForWantOfANail: All based on a dice roll.

* ChekhovsGun: Literally, Annie's gun which is shown off in one time line (first act) only to go off in another (third act).

* KickTheDog: Pierce terrorizing Troy with the troll doll in Timeline 4, with him then following that up by [[HypocriticalHumor calling Abed crazy]] ''to his face.''

* SuperReflexes: Abed catching the die in midair is much more impressive when you consider that he did it after coming to the conclusion that the group shouldn't fight against the chaos of the universe, and that Jeff was manipulating them so he wouldn't have to get the pizza. Furthermore, he had roughly '''3''' seconds to come to these revelations.

* {{Squick}}: InUniverse, Annie comparing Jeff's protective nature concerning her to her dad after they just made out in Timeline 6.

* SchrodingersGun: In a literal interpretation of the trope, the gun only goes off in Timeline 5.

* OnlyAFleshWound: Averted big time in Timeline 5 when Pierce only gets shot in the leg and '''dies''', with [[HighPressureBlood the pressure at which the blood is coming out]] (high enough to hit a standing Shirley in the face) indicating he was likely hit in the femoral artery and bled out almost instantly.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** A downplayed example. Annie removes the brick propping open the apartment door because she reasons that it might allow undesirables to enter the building. Abed points out that it was also what was allowing their guests to enter the building without someone constantly going up and down to the door to let them in. Furthermore, the fact that the brick isn't there to let the pizza man come up kicks off the die roll that creates the seven different timelines.
** Also downplayed: Jeff colludes with the other members of the group to secretly refuse to eat the food that Shirley bakes in order to get her to confront her excessive baking. In the timeline where this is revealed, Shirley storms out angrily. In another timeline, Shirley reveals that the only reason she bakes so much is that she fears that the other members exclude her and baking is her way of feeling included. Jeff's plan unwittingly validated Shirley's insecurities.
** Jeff stopping Britta from singing along to "Roxanne" turns out to be a mood killer for the party.

* WordOfGod: The theory that “Competitive Ecology” was aired out of order on purpose because it was actually “from the timeline in which Abed gets the pizza in Remedial Chaos Theory isn't correct according to [[https://danharmon.tumblr.com/post/11469117959/fine-were-geniuses-but-not-evil-geniuses Dan Harmon]].

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: In the third timeline, when Troy catches Britta smoking a joint in the bathroom.
--> '''Britta:''' Uh, I'm washing my hands!
--> '''Troy:''' Good, then I can come in.

* CerebusSyndrome: Timeline 5 as it gets incredibly dark by the end. But this is still successfully PlayedForLaughs by it having RefugeInAudacity turned UpToEleven for its events. Also, since it's an alternate timeline, as far as we can know it never happened.

* ShipTease: Troy and Britta have a heart-to-heart in the bathroom in Timeline 3, Jeff and Annie have moments in almost all of the timelines and even make out in Timeline 6, and Jeff/Annie, Jeff/Britta, Britta/Troy and Troy/Abed share googly eyes in Timeline 2. And of course, everything to do with Troy and Abed's apartment is awash with {{HoYay}}.

* TimeyWimeyBall / AnachronicOrder: [[http://totalmachismo.tumblr.com/post/11456096409/community-304-remedial-chaos-theory-big-spoiler This particular theory]].
** WordOfGod [[http://twitter.com/#!/danharmon/status/124993322119999488 says]] [[http://danharmon.tumblr.com/post/11469117959/fine-were-geniuses-but-not-evil-geniuses no,]] but it's a neat idea nonetheless.
*** Note this comment:
-->'''Dan Harmon: ''' "Is timeline 1 real? Is Evil Abed out there? Those are really, really good questions that I think only a really, really good show would answer. Enjoy."
*** [[VoodooShark But that just raises FURTHER]] [[SelfDeprecation questions!]]

* OnlyAFleshWound: Averted big time in Timeline 5 when Pierce only gets shot in the leg and '''dies'''.
** It probably didn't help that at the time, the apartment was on fire, and he was obviously the one who'd be least likely to escape it. Crosses into FridgeHorror over how exactly he died.
** Alternate possibility: Pierce appears to be bleeding from his upper leg, so the bullet may have hit his femoral artery which would cause him to bleed out very quickly.
*** [[HighPressureBlood The pressure at which the blood is coming out]] (high enough to hit a standing Shirley in the face) pretty much cements this as what occurred.

* JerkassRealization: In Timeline 6, after Troy [[FriendshipMoment sincerely thanks him for having let him stay in his mansion last season]], Pierce clearly feels awful about his troll doll "gift" and tries to stop Troy from opening it, with him instead trying to offer waterskis and other ''actual'' presents to make up for it while the two are wrestling over the "present."

* DevelopmentGag: Abed and Troy's apartment is number 303, the production number of the episode. The episode was difficult to make, and as such, it ended up being the fourth episode aired. The first lines of the episode, dubbed in at the last minutes, are Britta and Annie confirming that the apartment number is 303, not 304.

* OutOfOrder: With the previously aired episode "[[Recap/CommunityS3E03CompetitiveEcology Competitive Ecology]]", which was [[http://danharmon.tumblr.com/post/11469117959/fine-were-geniuses-but-not-evil-geniuses ordered by Harmon]] due to fears that this episode wouldn't be complete in time.
** The first line of the episode and the apartment number was LeaningOnTheFourthWall / LampshadeHanging about this episode being switched with the previous one.

* WatchingTroyBurn: Troy in the darkest timeline, followed by a BigNo.

* AmusingInjuries: The darkest timeline version of Troy destroyed his vocal cord trying to eat the troll doll and now has to speak with an electrolarynx, but its okay since this isn't the "real" timeline.

--> '''Evil Troy:''' ''Clearly,'' you don't understand anything about defeating trolls.

* AlmostKiss: Jeff and Annie in Timeline 3.