Line #27 Recap/CommunityS4E05CooperativeEscapismInFamilialRelations


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jeff_Winger_and_his_dad_7019.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:There is a lot of emotional stuff going on right now.]]
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4	->'''William Winger:''' So, er, how about we make a couple of ground rules.
5	->'''Jeff:''' Okay, that sounds good. No hugs.
6	->'''William:''' Wouldn't want one. No apologies.
7	->'''Jeff:''' Wouldn't accept one. No calling you dad.
8	->'''William:''' No expectations.
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10	No one in the study group is looking forward to Thanksgiving much. Jeff has finally gotten in contact with his father William (James Brolin) and has consequently agreed to spend that day with William and his half-brother, William Jr ([[{{Series/Workaholics}} Adam DeVine]]). What is an emotionally complex and difficult situation by itself is not made easier by Britta taking it upon herself to crash the get-together in order to provide psychological support for Jeff.
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12	Meanwhile, the rest of the study group -- otherwise facing a series of miserable, tense and lonely holidays either by themselves or with disapproving family -- eagerly accept Shirley's invitation to spend the holiday with her extended family, only to discover that Shirley's in-laws are completely insufferable people. As they attempt to find a way of extracting themselves from the party without hurting Shirley's feelings, Abed decides that the best way to do this would be through an extended homage to ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption''.
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14	Has a [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/CommunityS4E05CooperativeEscapismInFamilialRelations YMMV page]]
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16	----
17	!! The ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations" provides examples of:
18	* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Britta is apparently under the belief that Jeff wishes to sleep with his dad. Which is not even correct in Freudian theory. In actuality, the phallic stage of psychosexual development is believed to deal with a sexual fixation for the parent of the ''opposite'' sex (i.e. the Oedipus/Electra Complex).
19	** Britta may be referring to UsefulNotes/GeneticSexualAttraction, an anecdotally reported phenomenon in relatives who have not met until later in life, after the UsefulNotes/WestermarckEffect (which causes one to not be attracted to those with whom one was raised) would normally have set in.
20	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Jeff's half-brother spends a large part of the day comparing himself to Jeff, and another large part beating himself up over said comparisons.
21	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: This exchange, although it's more like "arson, jaywalking, and murder".
22	-->'''Britta:''' Psychology tells us there are no accidents.\
23	'''Jeff:''' Oh, yeah? What about car accidents, Creator/TaraReid, and ''UsefulNotes/TheHindenburg''?
24	* AttentionWhore: PlayedForDrama. Jeff reveals how in seventh grade he faked appendicitis so that someone will worry about him. He even faked a scar with scissors and [[TearJerker he still keeps the cards he received under his bed to prove that someone, at some point, cared about him.]]
25	* BigBrotherInstinct: Despite his half-brother being insecure and jealous, Jeff finds himself angry at his father on realizing that they've both been abused. He tells off William Winger for thinking that abandoning his children is a good idea. Willy begs to run away and live with Jeff, who instead says that they should both stand up to William Sr.
26	* {{Blackface}}: Pierce does is this as part of his entertainment.
27	* BookSafe: Abed passes Annie a stick of gum in one.
28	* BrickJoke: Shirley discovers Abed's tunnel behind the poster.
29	* BrokenAce: How Jeff describes himself.
30	* CallBack:
31	** Britta has an [[Recap/CommunityS4E04AlternativeHistoryOfTheGermanInvasion Occupy Greendale]] sticker on her boombox.
32	** Shirley dons the "He Is Risen" apron she wore to [[Recap/CommunityS3E04RemedialChaosTheory Troy and Abed's housewarming party]].
33	** Britta's attraction towards damaged guys comes back this episode.
34	** The Siete Layer Dip is branded from Señor Kevin's restaurant.
35	** Britta asks Jeff if their conversation about his father on [[Recap/CommunityS4E02ParanormalParentage Halloween]] caused him to make contact.
36	** Jeff reveals whom he is constantly texting: nobody.
37	** Shirley hums "Daybreak" in TheTag.
38	** The Dean is wearing Jeff's cowboy outfit from [[Recap/CommunityS1E07IntroductionToStatistics Season 1's Halloween episode]] and [[Recap/CommunityS2E23AFistfulOfPaintballs Season 2's]] [[Recap/CommunityS2E24ForAFewPaintballsMore paintball episode.]] Jeff notices.
39	--->'''Dean:''' [[Creator/JohnWayne How-Dean, pilgrims!]]
40	--->'''Jeff:''' (pointing at the outfit) Is that--
41	--->'''Dean:''' John Wayne? Why, yes!
42	** And...
43	--->'''Britta:''' [[Recap/CommunityS3E18CourseListingUnavailable When I say 'Thera-' you say '-pist']] Thera!
44	--->'''Troy and Abed:''' -Pist!
45	--->'''Britta:''' Thera!
46	--->'''Jeff turns off the boombox.'''
47	* CallingTheOldManOut: After years without closure, Jeff finally gets to do this to his father at the end of the episode.
48	* CaptivityHarmonica: Pierce plays one.
49	* CerebusCallback: Jeff's texting throughout the show? ''There's been no-one else on the other end the whole time''. He's just pretenting there is so that he feels less alone and won't have to look real people in the eye, revealing to them just how broken he is.
50	* ChekhovsGag: The Dean reading Jeff's email comes into play. Britta asks him for William Winger's address, so that she can help Jeff find closure.
51	* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Jeff explains to Troy that a Thanksgiving marshmallow casserole has yams underneath it so he's not missing out on much.
52	* CordonBleughChef: Troy's mistaken idea of a marshmallow casserole. Compare to his casserole in [[Recap/CommunityS3E19CurriculumUnavailable "Curriculum Unavailable"]].
53	* CrazyPrepared: When Jeff reveals that he'll be spending Thanksgiving with his father, Britta takes this as a win and pulls out a boombox prepared to rap about her psychology skills.
54	-->'''Jeff:''' You had that teed up?
55	* DramaQueen: Ironically played for drama; Willy Winger Jr. is a LargeHam about the idea that his father may be replacing him with Jeff. Then his father casually reveals he'd sleep better if Willy Jr. ran away and has been emotionally abusing him. ''Ouch.''
56	* DumbassHasAPoint: Jeff is forced to acknowledge that Britta made the right call in ensuring he met his father. While it wasn't a happy reunion, it gave him the opportunity for closure and to realize that he was pining after a man who wasn't worth it.
57	* EveryoneHasStandards: Jeff and Britta are horrified when his father insults Willy Jr. and saying he'd sleep better if his other son ran away that night. Britta goes to comfort Willy Jr. and help him "role-play" with his feelings.
58	* FakeTexting: Jeff admits he ''pretends'' to be texting, presumably to look busy, popular and aloof. Mentioned in his epic rant to his father.
59	-->'''Jeff:''' So let me tell you how I turned out just so you're crystal clear on your impact. I am not well-adjusted. More often than not, I am barely keeping it together. I'm constantly texting, and there's no one at the other end. I'm just a grown man who can't even look his own friends in the eye for too long because I'm afraid that they'll see that I am broken.
60	* FalseCause: Jeff is quick to accuse Britta of making a "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" error when she credits their Halloween conversation with inspiring him to contact his father. Of course, he is almost certainly lying.
61	* FreezeFrameBonus:
62	** "Thanks again for watching" is written on the whiteboard behind Annie and Shirley.
63	** The back of the Dean's Thanks-living potluck dinner shirt reads, "Add to the spread, not the dead!"
64	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Watch when Abed comes back from interacting with Shirley's family and Troy is lifting a one-pound weight. When Troy is pulled away Abed takes his place at the bench, but can't lift up the weight. So he sits with it between his knees.
65	* GlorifiedSpermDonor: A twist. Jeff's dad puts ''himself'' on this pedestal and credits Jeff's success and self-reliance to himself for leaving. Jeff tells him to go to hell.
66	* HardTruthAesop: For the past few episodes, Jeff keeps saying he doesn't need his father, but finally looks him up. it turns out that getting closure with someone who hurt you doesn't mean having to forgive them; Jeff gets closure by telling William Winger all the things he's wanted to save for several years, including that he missed him and he was miserable. William Winger can go to hell, and Jeff is fine with that.
67	* HiddenDepths: Jeff has always mixed a need to seem cool and aloof with a desire for attention and applause. In this episode, he admits that both tendencies come from a desperation to have someone care about him, mixed with a fear of being rejected and abandoned again. To the extent that, in the seventh grade, he cut up his own stomach with scissors to fake an appendectomy just so people would worry about him, and still keeps the "get well" cards under his bed 20 years later.
68	* InformedFlaw: We are told that Shirley's in-laws are a bunch of opinionated, obnoxious jerks but all we are shown is her father-in-law farting when introduced to the study group, and some offscreen accusations of Batman and Robin being gay.
69	* IronicEcho: Jeff feeds Britta's line about feeling a strong urge, and it being normal, back to her.
70	* KickTheDog: When Willy Jr. threatens to run away, his father says that he'll sleep better at night if it happens. Willy Jr. runs upstairs in tears.
71	* MunchausenSyndrome: PlayedForDrama. As a kid, Jeff once lied that he had appendicitis to get attention from his classmates. When a girl was suspicious, Jeff cut himself with scissors to create a scar. He still keeps the get-well cards because it's the only time someone cared about him.
72	* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, including you, Dean."
73	* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted when Annie tries to fake hers as an excuse to leave. Unfortunately for her, Andre's sister is a gynecologist.
74	* ObnoxiousInLaws: Shirley's in-laws are this to her and her friends. She has a plastered smile on her face as they engage in their shenanigans while looking on the verge of breaking while guilting the study group about hiding in the garage.
75	* OffscreenCrash: Acts as a OffscreenMomentOfAwesome for Pierce, since his physical comedy goes over well with Shirley's in-laws.
76	* PersonAsVerb: "[[Recap/CommunityS3E05HorrorFictionInSevenSpookySteps Brittaing]]" is referenced when Jeff says to Britta, "You really you-ed this one up."
77	* PhysicalScarsPsychologicalScars: Jeff's dad abandoning his family really did a number on him. He ''cut himself with scissors'' to fake an appendectomy. And he still keeps the get-well cards.
78	* PlayingSick: Annie's and Pierce's escape attempts (menstrual cramps and breaking a hip, respectively). Both failed (One of Shirley's in-laws is a gynecologist who can examine Annie, and everyone just finds Pierce's stumbling funny).
79	* PrematurelyBald: Jeff is reassured by his father's full head of hair.
80	* PrisonEpisode
81	* PrisonsAreGymnasiums: Troy worries that jail will make him get into pushups.
82	* RacistGrandma: Pierce, of course. Black Friday versus "Jew Friday", "Let's carve that jive turkey!", and asking a woman if she is Creator/TylerPerry [[Film/DiaryOfAMadBlackWoman in drag]].
83	* RageBreakingPoint: Jeff is determined that his reunion with his father remain light and emotionless, until his father implies that abandoning him was actually a ''good'' thing. Jeff immediately tell him to go to hell. Then he leaves, then comes back to angrily explain how badly being abandoned messed him up.
84	* RakeTake: Pierce is looking to do one.
85	* RebuiltPedestal: Subverted. Jeff's interactions with his father seem to be heading this way until William says that maybe him abandoning Jeff has made Jeff into the man he is today. Then Jeff tells his father to go to Hell.
86	* RunningGag: Shirley's in-laws' ideas about [[{{HoYay/Batman}} Batman and Robin]].
87	* SelfHarm: Jeff, as mentioned.
88	* ShoutOut:
89	** Pierce falling all over the place and it being funny is a reference to part of Creator/ChevyChase's act on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''.
90	** John Wayne: "How-Dean, pilgrims!"
91	** Tyler Perry [[Film/DiaryOfAMadBlackWoman in drag]].
92	** ''Film/Twins1988'': William Jr. calls Jeff "[[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger Schwarzenegger]]" and himself "[[Creator/DannyDeVito DeVito]]".
93	** ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'', including CaptivityHarmonica and BookSafe.
94	** ''Showtime at the Apollo''
95	** ''Series/PrisonBreak''
96	** "[[Music/HarryChapin Cats in the Cradle]]" (a song about a boy who turned out like his distant father).
97	** In TheStinger, Abed hopes they do ''Film/DieHard'' for Christmas.
98	* TakeOurWordForIt: Troy narrates Pierce's attempt at faking a broken hip.
99	* SpringtimeForHitler: Pierce tries to fake a fall so they will have an excuse to leave. He ends up entertaining Andre's family instead, so he decides to play up the comedy act.
100	* TakeThat:
101	** "...car accidents, Tara Reid, or the ''Hindenburg''"
102	** ''Jock Jams''
103	* ThanksgivingEpisode
104	* VanityLicensePlate: William Winger has a "WINGINIT" plate on his classic Mercedes.
105	* "WithAllDueRespect: which is none, go to hell." -- Jeff to his father.
106	* WrongGenreSavvy: Abed is so focused on making the experience fit the framework of a Prison Movie that he fails to realize that it's just a basic ThanksgivingEpisode.

Context Recap / CommunityS4E05CooperativeEscapismInFamilialRelations