History Recap / CommunityS3E05HorrorFictionInSevenSpookySteps

* GenreBlindness[=/=]GenreSavvy: Parodied and deconstructed; Abed objects to the GenreBlindness displayed by the characters in Britta's story, explaining that character's making decisions the audience never would makes us lose sympathy for them. His innate Genre Savviness leads him to construct a perfectly logical horror story where the protagonists [[AvertedTrope avoid every single cliché, mistake and convention]] present in the genre ... even the [[NecessaryWeasel ones necessary for telling a story]] (up to and including not even bothering to show the killer). This almost completely robs his story of suspense, tension and horror and just serves to bore and irritate his audience.

* NecessaryWeasel: Not so much used as played with to demonstrate why they are necessary. Abed tells a horror story that is consumed with being realistic and avoid clichés or implausible actions, and removes any trope which might result in this ... which results in his story being a boring description of two people standing in the middle of a room on full alert conspicuously not being murdered by a serial killer.

* RationalFic: DeconstructedTrope with Abed's story; as it turns out, defying any and all tropes that would make a story exciting because of the author's desire to be logical instead makes the audience bored and disappointed. There is a reason why the NecessaryWeasel exists, after all.

* WereStillRelevantDammit: What Pierce desperately wants to believe in his story.[[invoked]]
-->'''Gangsta-Troy:''' [''As Magnum is punching him''] YOU ... ARE ... STILL ... RELEVANT!

* {{Deconstruction}}: GenreSavvy and RationalFiction as the characters in-verse point out how Abed's story is just boring and lacks suspense in this regard.

* RationalFic: DeconstructedTrope with Abed's story: Defying any and all Tropes that would make a story exciting because of the author's desire to follow rationality instead makes the audience bored and ''even disgusted''. There is a reason why the NecessaryWeasel exists, after all.

* HerCodenameWasMarySue: All of the stories play with this to some degree, but Pierce (irresistible sex-stud with a full head of hair capable of beating up gangbangers with his GagPenis) and Shirley ([[MessianicArchetype angelic messiah-figure who nobly forgives her friends their sins]] [[CaughtUpInTheRapture before being raptured into Heaven]]) really go to town with it. Shirley's contains a particularly lame attempt to pretend this isn't the case:

** Abed's story is overly logical and lacks emotional resonance, more concerned with filling plot-holes and avoiding clichés, tropes, unrealistic actions, GenreBlindness and {{Contrived Coincidence}}s than actually telling an engaging story;

** Pierce's story is sexist, racist, filled with TotallyRadical attempts to remain relevant and [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue portrays himself as an overpowered sex-god]], and also completely misses the point of what a scary Halloween story is supposed to be in the first place;

%%** Jeff's story. He also doesn't bother to construct a narrative and just skips to the end.

** Abed's story is overly logical and lacks emotional resonance, more concerned with filling plot-holes and avoiding clichés, tropes, unrealistic actions, GenreBlindness and {{Contrived Coincidence}}s than actually telling the story;

** Subverted with Britta's final attempt at a story, which -- from what we see -- is actually good ... a little ''too'' good, since the fact that Britta is capable of effectively creating a violent, murderous narrative on the spot utterly freaks out her friends and makes them suspect that ''she'' might be the potential serial killer.

* PersonAsVerb: Becomes a RunningGag that's taken UpToEleven at the end.

** Jeff's story TastesLikeDiabetes.[[invoked]] He also doesn't bother to construct a narrative and just skips to the end.

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: {{Invoked|Trope}}, {{parodied|Trope}} and {{subverted|Trope}}: Jeff is clearly trying to invoke one of these through his story in his usual style, and clearly expects everyone to react as if it was one, but they instead consider it, in the words of Pierce, "[[TastesLikeDiabetes the gayest crap I've ever heard in my life.]]"

** Britta's has her and Jeff's FriendsWithBenefits relationship from the previous season as a subtext, as well as her StrawFeminist tendencies, with her being "smart" and staying in the car and Jeff getting out and dying (after Britta badgered him), all while she screams that "she told him so".

* RevengeViaStorytelling: Many of the stories had jabs directed towards other members of the group. Britta's story portrays Jeff as a BastardBoyfriend. Annie's story outright calls Britta (her romantic rival) a {{slut|Shaming}}. Pierce believes Troy's story about a MadScientist who kidnaps two fighter pilots is about him. In response, he tells a story where heavily stereotyped versions of Troy and Abed try to rob him and get handily defeated. Shirley's story has the rest of the gang getting left behind during the end of days in retaliation for them making fun of her Christian beliefs.

* GagPenis: Pierce has one in his story.

* EightDeadlyWords: InUniverse, Abed's feelings towards the characters in Britta's story, and all TooDumbToLive characters in general. Shot back at Abed when Annie's reaction at his story being a strictly logical defiance of all horror tropes (and absolutely nothing else) is clear disgust and asking Abed whether or not he's actually planning to kill his characters.

* HalloweenEpisode: With all of the standards, including disguises, special titles, and SomethingCompletelyDifferent.

** Pierce's story is sexist, racist, filled with TotallyRadical attempts to remain relevant and [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue portraying himself as an overpowered sex-god]], and also completely misses the point of what a scary Halloween story is supposed to be in the first place;

** Pierce's story is sexist, racist, filled with TotallyRadical attempts to remain relevant and turns Pierce into a [[invoked]]MartyStu sex-god, and also completely misses the point of what a Halloween scary story is supposed to be in the first place;
** Shirley's story is a poorly researched [[TheMoralSubstitute bad Christian P.S.A. version]] of a horror story which turns Shirley herself into a self-righteous [[invoked]]MarySue {{Messia|nicArchetype}}h figure who saves the day with a DeusExMachina before delivering a poorly-disguised sermon to her friends.

One hour later, Britta has redone all the tests...and all of them except one reveal that the test taker is mentally disturbed. The group decides not to know which one is the sane one so they can all think it is them and leave for the party. Afterwards, it's revealed the sane test belonged to Abed.

* BigNO: In Troy's story.

* BrickJoke: Combined with FunnyBackgroundEvent and ShoutOut. As Annie complains that there's nothing on Britta's playlist but Spooky Party, the ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' soundtrack, and Creator/{{NPR}} podcasts, a student dressed as Beetlejuice walks by the window. This is the third time someone has said "Beetlejuice" in the course of the entire ''series.''

* BrownBagMask: The sack-masked killer in Britta's and Jeff's story.

** Abed and (maybe) Jeff are likely the only two sane people in the group, as noted in [[Recap/CommunityS1E20TheScienceOfIllusion The Science of Illusion.]]
** [[Recap/CommunityS3E03CompetitiveEcology Competitive Ecology]] ends with the group filling in psych profile tests for Britta. This episode focusses on the aftermath of Britta getting the results for those tests back.

* CoincidentalBroadcast: Played straight in Britta's story, lampshaded in Abed's story -- much to the annoyance of everyone except Troy (who bops along with the muzak Abed has playing until the broadcast proper).

** Britta misunderstands the meaning of "[[PersonAsVerb britta-ing]]" (it's something along the lines of 'fucking up') as "making a tiny and ''understandable'' mistake."

** Pierce is not-so-subtly lashing out at Troy and Abed over the previous story, complete with 70's style [[JiveTurkey racial stereotypes.]] This is coupled with his [[DirtyOldMan leching over the female members of the group]].
** Shirley is basically a polemic of her religious beliefs coupled with a bit of insecurity / vengeance over what she sees as the ways the other members of the group exclude her.

** InUniverse; Shirley seems to think that you can snort marijuana. Also, that NPR is a music station that partying kids would be listening to Death Metal on. Also, Britta seems to think that ''Literature/WarAndPeace'' is actually called Warren Piece.
* DeathBySex: [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in Abed's story. Britta's attempt to kindle romance is quickly shushed to avoid dropping their guard.
* {{Deconstruction}} of GenreSavvy and RationalFiction as the characters in-verse point out how Abed's story is just boring and lack suspense in this regard.

* DumbassHasAPoint: When Britta is revealing her motives for the Halloween stories Pierce points out that if one of them was a murderous psychopath, in over two years of friendship and hanging out they'd have probably picked up on something before now.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Deconstructed with Abed's story. From what he says afterwards, he seems to think that "earning" it would be the characters following a number of logical steps to not get killed by the book. Annie fires back disgust at not seeing the characters actually having any ''obstacles'' to fight off to go along with the logical decisions.

-->"You ruined a Britta party. That's like letting poop spoil."

* EvilTwin: Britta is the killer in her own story. TheReveal didn't happen until after she killed a glasses wearing Britta.
* AFateWorseThanDeath: In Shirley's story, the cool hedonists are chainsawed into pieces by Devil-Dean, only for him to put them back together and chainsaw them into pieces again, ''forever''.

** Annie's story involves her trying to change Jeff for the better (with the [[ShipTease subtext]] of him becoming a more suitable romantic partner for her), only for it all to go south when he reverts to his old ways. [[spoiler:In "Virtual Systems Analysis" later in the season, she ends up admitting to herself and Abed that she keeps trying to push Jeff into fitting various roles he's possibly not suited for because she's "in love with the idea of being loved" and afraid of being lonely.]]
** The murderer in Jeff's story is played by Chang. [[spoiler: "The First Chang Dynasty" has Chang trying to murder the study group.]]

* FreezeFrameBonus: If you look at the tests at the end you'll see that Pierces' test has all but two answers that indicate he's a psychopath. This is in keeping with him being the most villainous member of the group.
* FryingPanOfDoom: In Troy's story, he and Abed use one to whack Pierce via telekinesis.

* GenreBlindness / GenreSavvy: Parodied and deconstructed; Abed objects to the GenreBlindness displayed by the characters in Britta's story, explaining that character's making decisions the audience never would makes us lose sympathy for them. His innate Genre Savviness leads him to construct a perfectly logical horror story where the protagonists [[AvertedTrope avoid every single cliche, mistake and convention]] present in the genre... even the [[NecessaryWeasel ones necessary for telling a story]] (up to and including not even bothering to show the killer). This almost completely robs his story of suspense, tension and horror, and just serves to bore and irritate his audience.

'''Abed:''' ''[`Spooky` voice]'' Eventually... once it had been... '''''earrrrrrrrned!!'''''

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: {{Invoked}}, parodied and subverted: Jeff is clearly trying to invoke one of these through his story in his usual style, and clearly expects everyone to react as if it was one, but they instead consider it, in the words of Pierce, "[[TastesLikeDiabetes the gayest crap I've ever heard in my life.]]"
* HeldGaze: The vampire and the schoolteacher is Annie's horror story when he enters carrying her and they're both staring at each other, referencing the "googly eyes" phenonomen between Jeff and Annie in real life.

-->'''Britta:''' Thank you for saving us Shirley! I mean, your name's not Shirley, this is a story about strangers!
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Pierce in Troy's story. His MadScientist self sews Troy and Abed together, but ends up being experimented on himself.
* HollywoodPsych: While sociopathy is certainly not a condition to take lightly, it doesn't automatically mean that one is predisposed to homicidal behavior, as there are multiple factors that affect one's propensity for violence. Then again, it ''is'' [[KnowNothingKnowItAll Britta]] interpreting the results, which, as it turns out, she didn't process correctly in the first place.
* HookHand: The killer in Britta and Jeff's stories features one.

** During the stand-off at the end, Annie can be heard yelling "Stay back, psychos, or I'll slit your throats and bathe in your blood!"
** Jeff doesn't know which of ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' guys he's dressed as because "I don't watch that shallow crap. [[ImmediateSelfContradiction I just pick a costume girls'll like]]."

** Abed called Britta out for the lack of realism and logic in her story, but Abed's ended up being even worse in that regard.

* IdiotBall: Abed's story is devoted to completely defy this.
* ImprovisedWeapon: Despite being in a college library, most of the study group is able to come up with a weapon at a moments notice. Shirley wields a [[GrievousBottleyHarm broken bottle]], Pierce a fire extinguisher, Annie a [[ShearMenace pair of scissors]], Troy uses pens for WolverineClaws and Abed becomes the ChairmanOfTheBrawl. Averted by Britta, who wields a SinisterSwitchblade.

* JawDrop: Britta response to Pierce's story is slack-jawed horrified astonishment.
-->'''Jeff:''' [[PunctuatedForEmphasis What... in the hell... was that.]]

* MessianicArchetype: Parodied by Shirley's story, in which Shirley -- "I mean, your name's not Shirley, this is a story about strangers." -- shows up in a heavenly cloud to defeat Satan!Dean Pelton with a single breath before nobly forgiving her friends for "making fun of her Christianity." And then she gets raptured... conveniently leaving her friends there to get tortured by Satan.
* MindOverMatter: In Troy's story, getting sewn together gives you this power.

* MsFanservice: The female characters all provided {{Fanservice}} this episode. In Pierce's story they're all in a LingerieScene, while in Annie's own story both she and Britta are wearing [[OfCorsetsSexy corsets]] with Annie also sporting an ImpossiblyLowNeckline.

* NecessaryWeasel: Not so much used as played with in order to demonstrate why they are necessary. Abed tells a horror story that is consumed with being realistic and avoid cliches or implausible actions, and removes any trope which might result in this... which results in his story being a boring description of two people standing in the middle of a room on full alert conspicuously not being murdered by a serial killer.
* NightmareFetishist. Annie is ''quite'' happy in describing her gory ending, to the entire group's shock. Annie having the most psychopathic tendencies of anyone actually tracks with the rest of the series, if you consider that she's likely the Ass-crack bandit.
* NoodleIncident: Judging from Jeff's reaction when Britta comes to him with her problem, apparently Britta dropped her psych tests in a puddle at one point, and presumably called on Jeff to help her fix them up.
* NothingIsScarier: Abed tries to invoke this in his story, which ends with himself and Britta standing back-to-back in the middle of a room with knives, waiting for either a serial killer or the cops. Instead, everyone is disappointed, with Annie asking of the serial killer ever actually appears.

* PaperThinDisguise: Of a sort; Britta is trying to secretly psychoanalyze her friends to determine which one of them may be a psychopath, but almost everything she says on the subject sounds like she's quoting it verbatim from a psychology textbook chapter on how to secretly analyse your friends. Probably the only reason they don't suspect what's up is that she tends to over-analyse them anyway.

** "You Britta'd"

''[[{{Beat}} long pause]]''\\

** "To Pierce" (to not get it)

** "To Shirley" (to protest/ to lecture at)
--->After the gang leaves the study room, Jeff and Shirley start arguing. Most of it is hard to hear, but Jeff distinctly says "Well, now you're Shirleying" at the end.

* RevengeViaStorytelling: Many of the stories had jabs directed towards other members of the group. Britta's story portrays Jeff as a BastardBoyfriend. Annie's story outright calls Britta (her romantic rival) a [[SlutShaming slut]]. Pierce believes Troy's story about a MadScientist who kidnaps two fighter pilots is about him. In response, he tells a story where heavily stereotyped versions of Troy and Abed try to rob him and get handily defeated. Shirley's story has the rest of the gang getting left behind during the end of days in retaliation for them making fun of her Christian beliefs.

** When the group turns on each other after the lights go out, Troy has {{Wolverine}} claws made out of pencils.
** In Shirley's story Annie is dressed like Velma from WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo.
* SpecialEditionTitle: The Halloween version used [[Recap/CommunityS2E06Epidemiology last season]] is back, this time adding in Jim Rash (Dean Pelton) with a drawing of a man in an electric chair.

** Abed's story is overly logical and lacks emotional resonance, more concerned with filling plot-holes and avoiding cliches, tropes, unrealistic actions, GenreBlindness and {{Contrived Coincidence}}s than actually telling the story;

** Shirley's story is a poorly researched [[TheMoralSubstitute bad Christian P.S.A version]] of a horror story which turns Shirley herself into a self-righteous [[invoked]]MarySue [[MessianicArchetype Messiah]] figure who saves the day with a DeusExMachina before delivering a poorly-disguised sermon to her friends.

** Subverted with Britta's final attempt at a story, which -- from what we see -- is actually good... a little ''too'' good, since the fact that Britta is capable of effectively creating a violent, murderous narrative on the spot utterly freaks out her friends and makes them suspect that ''she'' might be the potential serial killer.
* SuperSexOrgans: In Pierce's story, his penis is capable of giving people uppercuts.

* WereStillRelevantDammit: What Pierce desperately wants to believe in his story. [[invoked]]
-->'''Gangsta-Troy:''' *Being punched by Magnum* YOU... ARE... STILL... RELEVANT!

** Parodied; in her story, Britta's AuthorAvatar feels the need to point out that she was right about the situation to Jeff while he's ''being stabbed to death by a psycho with a hook for a hand.''
** Subverted in the final confrontation; as noted in MurderIsTheBestSolution, the boys all pick weapons which are defensive, less-than-lethal and clearly the first things at hand (while Jeff himself tries to talk the situation down), whereas the girls are all either already heavily armed to begin with or pick weapons that are clearly lethal in intent, suggesting they're ready to go straight to lethal force.

** To be fair, it's ''technically'' possible that Jeff is also sane - he states that he filled in his evaluation randomly, so the results of it are presumably inaccurate. The rest of the series as a whole, however, would seem to suggest that even with this taken into account he's still probably not as sane as he would like to think...

* HollywoodPsych: While sociopathy is certainly not a condition to take lightly, it doesn't automatically mean that one is predisposed to homicidal behavior, as there are multiple factors that affect one's propensity for violence. Then again, it ''is'' [[KnowNothingKnowItAll Britta]] interpreting the results, which, as it turns, she didn't process correctly in the first place.

This recap has a [[YMMV/CommunityS3E05HorrorFictionInSevenSpookySteps YMMV page]]

-->'''Devil-Dean:''' *Swings around a chainsaw* GAY MARRIAGE!!

* AlwaysABiggerFish[=/=]FoodChainOfEvil: Annie's story ends with Vampire!Jeff being eaten alive by Werewolf!Annie.

* HerCodenameWasMarySue: All of the stories play with this to some degree, but Pierce (irresistible sex-stud with a full head of hair capable of beating up Gangbangers!Troy and Abed with his GagPenis) and Shirley ([[MessianicArchetype angelic messiah-figure who nobly forgives her friends their sins]] [[CaughtUpInTheRapture before being raptured into Heaven]]) really go to town with it. Shirley's contains a particularly lame attempt to pretend this isn't the case:

** Pierce's story is sexist, racist, filled with TotallyRadical attempts to remain relevant and turns Pierce into a MartyStu sex-god, and also completely misses the point of what a Halloween scary story is supposed to be in the first place;
** Shirley's story is a poorly researched [[TheMoralSubstitute bad Christian P.S.A version]] of a horror story which turns Shirley herself into a self-righteous MarySue [[MessianicArchetype Messiah]] figure who saves the day with a DeusExMachina before delivering a poorly-disguised sermon to her friends.

** After Pierce tells his story, Annie worries that the stories were getting personal. However, she used her to vent her frustrations about her relationship with Jeff and even includes a jab at Britta.