History Recap / CommunityS5E07BondageAndBetaMaleSexuality

* JerkassHasAPoint: When Britta calls her friends out on selling out, their retorts are rather snide but they do nevertheless raise valid points. They own the theatre that is hosting the benefit, and are thus doing some tangible good to help the causes they believe in, whereas for all her fine talk and self-righteousness Britta's "activism" never really benefits anyone but herself. Furthermore, her proposed "real activist" activities basically amount to petty vandalism, which won't really help anyone in the long run. They also point out that Britta can engage in more confrontational and risky actions because, unlike them, she has no responsibilities and hasn't accomplished anything meaningful that she would suffer from losing, so would probably be a lot less eager to act out if she had done more with her life like they have.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: The hero in Abed's script is named Police Justice.

** Humorously, the very next episode put a lot of focus on Shirley.

'''Abed:''' Oh! You have feelings, huh? Have you considered putting them into your work? Your cartoons are monuments to joylessness, nervously assembled jokes based on nothing from your life or anyone's life! You're furious at me for being creative because you want to be able to create. You have all this rage and shame and loneliness, which I don't even know how to feel much less understand, and you decide to put what on paper? A duck. Jim the Duck. You think I'm crazy. You think there's something wrong with me. Jim the Duck?

* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Britta's old friend Michael's name is pronounced "Mike-hale".

** Hickey and Abed realise they're NotSoDifferent, and bond over their limitations as writers.

* NotSoDifferent: Abed and Hickey realize this is true of themselves when it comes to their writing - Abed understands tropes and cliches but isn't able to find the human element in his characters, while the opposite is true of Hickey.

* CompletelyMissingThePoint: Abed mentions that Troy thought his script was a comedy when he read it.

* JerkassHasAPoint: When Britta calls her friends out on selling out, their retorts are rather snide but they do nevertheless raise valid points. They own the theatre that is hosting the benefit, and are thus doing some tangible good to help the causes they believe in, whereas for all her fine talk Britta's "activism" never really benefits anyone but herself. Furthermore, her proposed "real activist" activities basically amount to petty vandalism, which won't really help anyone in the long run. They also point out that Britta can engage in more confrontational and risky actions because, unlike them, she has no responsibilities and hasn't accomplished anything meaningful that she would suffer from losing, so would probably be a lot less eager to act out if she had done more with her life like they have.

** In the next scene, Jeff and Duncan walk into the study room and Jeff tells Duncan that he left his handkerchief at his place the night before. Annie responds with a surprised gasp, while Shirley gives them a disapproving look. Jeff has to clarify that it was just a "boys night".

* TraumaButton: PlayedForLaughs in the tag. A miscommunication between Duncan and Dean Pelton leads to an increasingly awkward exchange between them. When the Dean tries to explain himself by saying that he 'just doesn't like being left behind', Duncan starts bawling his eyes out because it reminds him of his DisappearedDad. The Dean freaks out, claims he experienced the same thing and they hug it out.

** In the next scene, Jeff and Duncan walk into the study room and Jeff tells Duncan that he left his handkerchief at his place the night before. Annie responds with a surprised gasp, while Shirley gives them a disapproving look. Jeff has to clarify that it was just a "boys night", with stereotypically masculine activities like drinking alcohol, arguing about sports cars, and trying to prove to each other that they can whittle.

* TraumaButton: PlayedForLaughs in the tag. A miscommunication between Duncan and Dean Pelton leads to an increasingly awkward exchange between them. When the Dean tries to explain himself by saying that he 'just doesn't like being left behind', Duncan starts bawling his eyes out because it reminds him of his DisappearedDad. The Dean claims he experienced the same thing and they hug it out.

* TraumaButton: PlayedForLaughs in the tag. During lunchtime, Duncan asks Dean Pelton about a restaurant he once suggested, which Pelton misinterprets as an invitation to go with him. This results in an increasingly awkward and uncomfortable exchange between them, escalating when Pelton says that he just doesn't like being left behind. As he’s saying this, Duncan responds with a RapidFireNo before [[InelegantBlubbering completely breaking down]], screaming that his father would abandon him to go out and get drunk. It turns out Pelton experienced the same thing and they end up bonding over it as they hug it out.

--->'''Duncan:''' Hey, handsome, this stool taken?\\

** Duncan realizes he doesn't really have that many friends, and that despite having known Jeff for longer than any of the Study Group, they [[WithFriendsLikeThese don't really act like friends]] - they subsequently wind up bonding over some scotch.
--->'''Duncan''': You're a good friend, and I don't say that often enough.

--->'''Duncan''': Hey handsome, this stool taken?
--->'''Jeff''': Struck out, huh?
--->'''Duncan''': If that makes you feel better. Or maybe, I just realised I was spending the whole night getting to third base with the wrong person. ''[Beat. Jeff looks confused]'' You're a good friend, and I don't say that often enough.
--->'''Jeff''': That's really nice... but you can’t have sex with me.
--->'''Duncan''': How about we have these drinks and then ''not'' have sex, with anyone, together.
--->'''Jeff''': Sounds good.
** In the next scene, Jeff and Duncan walk into the study room and Jeff tells Duncan that he left his handkerchief at his place the night before. Annie responds with a surprised gasp, while Shirley gives them a disapproving look. Jeff has to clarify that it was just a “boys night”, with stereotypically masculine activities like drinking alcohol, arguing about sports cars, and trying to prove to each other that they can whittle.

-->'''Shirley:''' I almost feel left out.
-->'''Annie:''' Well, we've had our share of focus lately.
-->'''Shirley:''' (''under her breath'') Speak for yourself.

-->'''Abed:''' You're a bad person and a bad cartoonist.
-->'''Hickey:''' You go ahead, hurt my feelings.
-->'''Abed:''' Oh! You have feelings, huh? Have you considered putting them into your work? Your cartoons are monuments to joylessness, nervously assembled jokes based on nothing from your life or anyone's life! You're furious at me for being creative because you want to be able to create. You have all this rage and shame and loneliness, which I don't even know how to feel much less understand, and you decide to put what on paper? A duck. Jim the Duck. You think I'm crazy. You think there's something wrong with me. Jim the Duck?

* WithFriendsLikeThese: Duncan ends up feeling guilty that his relationship with Jeff amounts to this, when Britta points out that they don't really act like friends. And she's right, since most of their onscreen interactions involve them sniping at or trying to manipulate each other.

** In the next scene, Jeff and Duncan walk into the study room and Jeff tells Duncan that he left his handkerchief at his place the night before. Annie responds with a surprised gasp, while Shirley gives them a disapproving look. Jeff has to clarify that it was just a “boys night”.

* BerserkButton: Hickey seems to have one when others don't recognize his cartooning as a duck. He growls at Abed for asking if he's drawing chickens and [[RecapCommunityS5E02IntroductionToTeaching previously did the same when Jeff mistook his sketches for a peanut]].

--->'''Duncan''': If that makes you feel better. Or maybe, I just realised I was spending the whole night getting to third base with the wrong person. ''[beat, Jeff looks confused]'' You're a good friend, and I don't say that often enough.
--->'''Jeff''': That's really nice, but you can’t have sex with me.

--->'''Duncan''': How about we have these drinks and then not have sex, with anyone, together.

--->'''Duncan''': If that makes you feel better. [[DoubleEntendre Or maybe, I just realised I was spending the whole night getting to third base with the wrong person.]] ''[beat, Jeff looks confused]'' You're a good friend, and I don't say that often enough.

* SeparatedByACommonLanguage: When Duncan is driving Britta home, he decides to put on a British comedy radio show. As he's trying to explain the cultural background of the jokes, Britta simply responds with: "Are they speaking English?"

* InelegantBlubbering: Duncan in TheTag when it comes up that both he and Dean Pelton had neglectful alcoholic fathers while growing up.

* InelegantBlubbering: Duncan in TheTag when it comes up that both he and Dean Pelton had neglectful alcoholic fathers.