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Recap / Community S3 E02: Geography of Global Conflict

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Annie is initially pleased when she meets Annie Kim, a fellow student in her political science class and if anything an even more determined overachiever. She's less happy when Other Annie takes her idea of a Greendale Model United Nations and makes it official. Annie responds by forming her own model UN with the biology study group. Their teacher (guest star Martin Starr) approves the idea of a model UN face-off.

Not participating, at least not inside the hall, is Britta. Jealous of an old classmate who's being held as a political prisoner in Syria, she haphazardly sets out to get back in touch with her rabble-rousing roots. Her wish to be a notorious troublemaker dovetails with Chang's desire to be a brutal cop.


The Community episode "Geography of Global Conflict" provides examples of:

  • Aborted Arc: This episode seems to set up Annie Kim as a major antagonist to Annie Edison, but the former only appears two more times in the show, briefly.
  • Actor Allusion: Troy representing Georgia and speaking with a Deep South accent might be an example of this, since Donald Glover was raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
  • Aesop Amnesia: Britta apparently hasn't learned from way back in "Spanish 101" that her particular brand of 'activism' is basically just a flashy means of feeling good about herself.
  • Almost Kiss: Jeff and Annie, during the Held Gaze mentioned below.
  • Alternate Universe: Discussed when Abed decides that there should be a second Earth to go with a second UN and Cligoris runs with it.
  • Asian and Nerdy: Annie Kim.
  • Big "NO!": Annie starts her tantrum by letting out a veritable shriek of one of these.
  • Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head: Annie's rant gets unintelligible pretty quickly, but she seems to be calling Annie Kim something along these lines.
    Annie: And you...you suck! You're a stupid, ugly, poop-face and I'm better than you!
  • Bridal Carry: Chang carries Britta in his arms after tasing her.
  • Broken-Window Warning: Britta sends a message with a brick through the window of the campus security office.
  • Buffy Speak: A long example when the other security guard has trouble explaining to Chang (paraphrased) "that thing that comes down and keeps cars out of the parking lot".note 
  • Captain Obvious
    Britta: This is what the UN is doing to your freedom! I'm your freedom! And I'm in a cage! With the world! Because of them!
  • Chewing the Scenery:
    • Britta's speech, complete with hand gestures.
    • Annie's Big "NO!" and following tantrum.
  • Comically Missing the Point: Britta, with Shirley.
    Britta: Yep, I'm gettin' serious! I got a backpack, I got a new notebook, I got one of those see-through yellow pens so I can do that thing where you color in the words...
    Shirley: Highlight?
    Britta: Probably the backpack.
    • Also Pierce, who appears to view Somalia as a libertarian paradise.
    • Played straight and averted with Troy, who uses an accent from the U.S. State of Georgia, but is apparently aware that it's the different country of Georgia, and appears to know the necessary facts about the country.
  • Cue Card Pause: Chang, while reading the note Britta left on a brick she threw through his window, has to pause and rotate the brick to read the far right side of every line.
  • Digging Yourself Deeper: After chastising Annie that she was "acting like a little schoolgirl but not in the hot way" during her Freak Out, Jeff appears to make an attempt to explain himself to everyone who heard him but just decided to go Screw This, I'm Outta Here
  • Discriminate and Switch: Pierce, though it doesn't help the situation. He switches from racism to sexism, then back.
    Pierce: They are ruthless.
    Everybody else: What?
    Pierce: What? Not Asians ... women.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: Britta and Chang act like they're about to be married but she backs out at the last minute. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
  • Don't Explain the Symbolism: Britta explains every point of the weird visual "cage" metaphor to anyone who will listen.
  • Don't Look At Me: Annie after her tantrum.
  • Doomed Moral Victor: Annie claims that even if Annie Kim takes the practical victory, the former's committee extending an olive branch to the latter's automatically earns the former this status.
  • Evil Twin: More "Jerkass twin" than "evil twin," but Annie Kim still counts. She shares Annie's overachiever nature and obsession with winning, but without any of her humanizing or endearing qualities. Lampshaded, of course, by Jeff.
    Jeff: Wow, Annie, how progressive of you to have a multicultural evil twin.
    Pierce [admiring]: An Asian Annie. Obama's America.
  • Floating Advice Reminder: Garrett's head spouting with "Crisis Alert!"
  • Foe Romance Subtext: Between Chang and Britta throughout the episode. It doesn't help that Lionel Richie's "Hello" keeps playing every time they clash, and their final scene has Chang doing a Bridal Carry to Britta.
  • Foreshadowing: Chang letting slip that he plans to turn on the Dean and take over the school eventually seems like just another one-off gag ... until he does just that in "Course Listing Unavailable."
  • Freak Out: When it appears Annie's team might lose to Annie Kim's in the last round, her stress boils over and she starts screaming and thrashing on the table.
  • Freeze-Frame Bonus: The flyer for Annie Kim's Model UN club is (appropriately) decorated with the flags of various countries. But if you pay close attention, you'll notice that most of the flags are for non-sovereign states (e.g. Hong Kong, Greenland, and the British Indian Ocean Territory), which aren't actually UN members—suggesting that Annie Kim isn't as knowledgeable about global politics as she pretends to be.
  • Friendly Enemy: Annie and Annie, at least at first.
  • Funny Background Event: While Britta is wildly gesticulating during one of her self-righteous rants, Abed starts to follow her hand movements with his eyes and gets an increasingly dizzier look on his face.
  • Growing Up Sucks: Annie is concerned that growing up would ruin the close friendship she and Jeff have.
  • Held Gaze: Between Jeff and Annie during the couch scene where Jeff explains why he is so protective of her, they both realize that they need to grow up because their interest in each other no longer fits the barriers they built for it.
  • Hypocritical Humor:
    Prof. Cligoris: Ready, set, peace! [Shoots gun]
    • The only rational way Prof. Cligoris could solve which is the better model UN was with a UN Battle Royale.
  • I Am Spartacus: Parodied in the "I farted" conclusion, where Jeff was trying to say he actually was the one who farted, only for everyone to do the "Spartacus thing".
  • I Just Want to Be Special: Both Britta and Chang. Chang fancies himself a cop, and Britta learns an old friend has been arrested for protesting and wants some limelight too. Her extra aggressive "protesting", however, is just weird and harmless antics that no one except Chang cares about.
  • Last-Second Word Swap:
    Jeff: My Annie gave this other Annie the idea and this diabolical little b—usybody stabbed her in the back.
  • Let Me Get This Straight...: The security officer recapping Britta's trespassing.
    "So let me get this straight. You're bringing her in here for 'making a mess'."
  • Mistaken for Pedophile: Jeff chastises Annie during her Freak Out by telling her "she's acting like a little schoolgirl, and not in a hot way". Cue collective Gasp! from everyone.
  • Mundane Made Awesome: Professor Cligoris really likes Model UN.
  • Music Video Syndrome: Whenever Britta and Chang butt heads.
  • Nerd Glasses: Annie Kim wears a classic set. YMMV on whether they're flattering or not, but the fact her character wears them pushes the "bookworm" aspect of Annie further.
  • N-Word Privileges: Britta actually calls the study group "My N-words!" instead of using the word. It's subverted when Troy and Shirley display offense anyway, prompting a hasty apology.
  • Offhand Backhand: Britta gets one in against Chang.
  • One-Steve Limit: Averted with two Annies.
  • Papa Wolf: Jeff towards Annie, so much. Overlaps with the Ship Tease near the end of the episode, he admits to thinking that playing this role is the only safe way he can express his affection for her.
  • Ragtag Bunch of Cut-ups
  • Rule-Abiding Rebel: Britta is called out In-Universe on being one of these by the head of campus security.
  • Rule of Fun: Why Troy speaks with a Southern accent.
  • Serious Business: Model UN, natch.
  • She Is Not My Girlfriend: Jeff spends a long moment denying that Annie and he are in a relationship to Annie Kim.
  • Ship Tease:
    • Jeff/Annie, but they both realize it's way too creepy considering the whole "Annie is still a kid, but she's growing up" discussion that led up to it.
    • The Foe Romance Subtext entry above between Britta and Chang.
  • Shout-Out:
  • Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Annie Kim to Annie; the rest of the study group peg it immediately, despite Annie's protests to the contrary.
  • Spiteful Spit: Britta spits Chang in the face out of contempt.
  • Static Stun Gun: Chang uses a taser to take down Britta when she disrupts the UN competition.
  • Stepford Smiler: Played for laughs; after Annie Kim steals her Model UN idea, Annie's desperate attempts to put on a cheery front and pretend that she's totally cool with this and not absolutely seething with rage prompt her to rant hysterically while insistently maintaining an upbeat tone and generally come across like she's having a nervous breakdown.
  • Take That!:
    • Cligoris deals a pretty harsh hit to the usefulness of the United Nations.
      Cligoris: A logical, effective, common-sense move, Annie Kim. One which flies in the very face of the United Nations itself—a fundamentally symbolic organization founded on the principles of high-minded rhetoric and empty gestures.
    • Jeff makes a similar criticism.
      Jeff: I think the real lesson here is that a model UN, much like the real UN, quickly falls apart when faced with actual — [Annie interrupts by freaking out]
    • Britta pouring paint on the globe looks like the Sherwin-Williams "Cover the Earth" logo.
  • That Came Out Wrong: When Jeff tries to halt Annie's tantrum.
    Jeff: Annie, stop! You're acting like a little schoolgirl! And not in a hot way!
    (the audience gasps)
    Jeff: Okay... That made me sound creepy.
  • This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!: Subverted, and not with the word "bitch," but the same principle applies. When Britta is ranting about wanting to get back down to her activist roots, she discovers that she does not have N-Word Privileges.
    Britta: Maybe my path is a war path that leads to the Terrordome, n-words! [Looks over to Shirley and Troy, who are clearly offended.] Okay, maybe I went too far. Maybe I don’t want to offend my African-American friends. But the larger point is, maybe I’m not done raging against the machine!
  • Throwing Off the Disability: When we first see Prof. Cligoris.
  • Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Abed attempts to invoke this with his plan to win the UN competition. The trope is lampshaded by Jeff, and then immediately played arrow-straight.
    Jeff: Abed, what did I tell you? You can't just mumble nonsense, no one's cutting away.
    Abed: Okay, fine. Here's my actual plan:
    [Scene cuts away]

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