Recap / Community S 6 E 03 Basic Crisis Room Decorum

Ruffles, a Greendale student.

Annie receives word that rival school City College made an attack ad aimed towards Greendale, claiming that it gave a degree to a dog. The Save Greendale Committee then enters crisis mode as they try to figure out whether or not those claims are true. Meanwhile, a drunk Britta soils her pants.

The Community episode Basic Crisis Room Decorum provides examples of:

• Attack of the Political Ad: City College made one towards Greendale, claiming that a dog graduated a four-year program there. In response, Abed made one attacking the dog.
• The Big Board: A transparent one is used when the library is turned into a situation room.
• Both Sides Have a Point: Jeff asserts that since Ruffles didn't receive a degree due to a technicality (library fines) that City College's ad (which claims that Ruffles did graduate) is fallacious and borderline libel. It says something that Frankie agrees with him on this one. Annie argues that this is just that, a technicality, and Greendale still did allow a dog to enroll and receive credit for "work" (RE: attendance) which cheapens the name of Greendale.
• Cassandra Truth: One of the Japanese teenagers who has been pranking the Dean by sending him loving texts while pretending to be Jeff attempts to come clean at the end. The Dean doesn't believe him and thinks it's just "Jeff" flirting with him again. Even when he literally says "I am Takashi, a teenage boy from Tokyo", the Dean just brushes it off as Jeff having some kind of identity crisis and says "I think we all are sometimes".
• Crying Wolf: The Japanese teen has spent so long pretending to be Jeff to mock the Dean that when he really wants to open up to the Dean and have a genuine conversation with him, the Dean doesn't believe that he's not Jeff.
• Didn't Think This Through: Takashi texts a guy in the United States for hours on end. His dad in The Stinger confronts him for racking up thousands of fees in data usage, telling him off for being a bully.
• Disappointed in You: Frankie isn't even surprised that the Dean allowed a dog to enroll in classes. She just rolls her eyes and tries to find an angle for a counterattack.
• The Cynic: Frankie says she doesn't hope for anything. She's been in the business of management for too long.
  • Jeff, as is typical, insists that the truth doesn't matter, he only cares about what each side can convince the public of.
• Drunken Song: Britta's rendition of "Pillar of Garbage" by Natalie Is Freezing.
• Fake Band: "Natalie Is Freezing".
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • Annie, Frankie and Dean Pelton's contact lists are full of hidden jokes and Continuity Nods. One viewer took the time to actually transcribe said contacts:
    • Annie's: "Dean Pelton", "Dog Lady", "Fancy Cheese", "Frankie Dart", "Geno Sponsor", "Guy with the Abs", "Hair Xpressions", "Hank Hickey", "Jeff", "Kevin", "Mom 1", "Mom 2", "Neil, Fat", "Professor Duncan", "Professor Guterman", "Rhonda", "Rich", "Samantha Power", "Shirley Bennett", "Shirley’s Nanny", "Slappy Peterson", "STAPLES", "Stranger", "Todd", "Tony", "Troy WhatsApp", "Uncle Happy".
    • Frankie's: "Angela Merkel", "Annie Edison", "Bob Waite", "Britta Perry", "Britta’s Parents", "Bruiser Shortridge", "Budget Airlines", "Clown Liquor", "Condoleezza Rice", "Curbo", "Dean Craig Pelton", "Discount Blinds", "Dr Pemboris", "Elroy Patashnik", "Eric or Derrick".
    • Dean Pelton's: "Andres", "Aisha Imani", "Annie Edison", "Ben Chang", "Ben Chang", "Boback", "Britta (ugh)", "Build a Bear Workshop", "Domingo", "eBay Pam", "Fidelio", "Firefighter Frank", "Freckles", "Gobi Nadir", "Ian Duncan", "Richie or Carl", "Lucio’s Imaginarium", "Luis Guzman", "Freckles", "Albino?", "Huggy Guy", "Jeffrey Winger", "Nurse Jackie", "Pierce – Deceased :(", "Preston Koogler", "Professor Garrity".
  • The application for City College Annie starts filling gives ‘looking’ as a possible answer for ‘marital status’.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: One of the Japanese teenagers who has been sending the Dean prank texts gets a very effective "The Reason You Suck" Speech from his dad about how even though he feels small and insignificant in his home, it's nothing compared to how small and insignificant he will feel out in the real world. Needing a friend to talk to, he messages the Dean, confessing that he's not really Jeff, but the Dean doesn't believe him, which makes the kid feel even worse. We then hear the voiceover of an older Japanese man as ominous music plays and the scene goes Deliberately Monochrome.
  Voiceover: I often think about that night. Such a small event, but ultimately the moment that would lead me to becoming Oyabun, highest leader of the Yakuza.
• Genius Ditz: Chang somehow manages to shoot a porn film well made enough for Abed to wonder out loud whether he's a genius and disgusting enough for everyone else to turn away, starring only himself.
• I Have to Go Iron My Dog: Jeff tries to get out of the emergency meeting by claiming that Britta crapped in his pants too.
• Lampshade Hanging/Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Dave notes to Vicky that "they" are calling him up to do more stuff now, before Vicky tells him not to get too excited as he won't get three words in before getting interrupted. Dave's dialogue can easily apply to both the actor and character.
  Dave: They've been calling me in to do more stuff lately. It's pretty exciting.
  Vicky: Oh, trust me, we'll be lucky if we get in three words before—
  Frankie: The first step is to pool our facts. The most important one being...
• New Media Are Evil: Elroy was tasked with finding more info about Ruffles, but ended up finding that and how certain people use the internet.
  Elroy: I found the dog. I also found a lot of people's Social Security numbers. Y'know, this Internet has gone too far.
• Pizza Boy Special Delivery: Chang's porn film features him playing a plumber... and nobody else.
• Pop-Up Texting: Used frequently in this episode.
• Potty Failure: Britta soils her pants in a drunken attempt to prove she's not drunk.
• Race Against the Clock: The gang only has a few hours to figure out how to respond to City College's attack ad before it airs.
• Riddle for the Ages: Who enrolled Ruffles in the first place? No one bothers to answer that question.
• Serious Business: Annie threatening to transfer to City College if Greendale is really prepared to stoop to their level. Also, that they let a dog earn course credits by attendence, and only missed being granted a degree because of library fines, so what's all her hard-work been for? The group suitably take one of their core people leaving very hard, while newcomer Elroy doesn't cling to the impact right away.
  Jeff: Elroy, Annie just left, so, we're all kinda bummed right now.
  Elroy: Oh... were you close?
• Ship Tease: This episode is a huge shiptease for Jeff and Annie. Annie scolds Jeff and he gives her one of his "Annie Smiles", the tussle over the folder, and of course the implication it was mostly Jeff behind the new ad about Ruffles as an apology to Annie.
  • Annie and Abed share a tender moment watching a video in her bedroom.
• Shoot the Dog: Or rather, make a smear campaign against the dog. The study group agrees not to go through with it for Annie's sake.
• Shout-Out: The name of the band Natalie is Freezing is possibly a shout out to real band Alexisonfire.
• Start of Darkness: The scolding Takashi gets for his prank-texting the Dean and Pelton's subsequent inability to recognize what he means when he comes clean ultimately led Takashi on the path to taking over the Yakuza.
• Villain of Another Story: Takashi apparently became head of the Yakuza after the events of the episode, but we don't see him again. That is, if Oyabun is really narrating from the future, and Takashi isn't merely projecting a revenge fantasy.
• When I Was Your Age...: Elroy muses on the phrase "That and an X will get you a candy bar", saying that it used to be 50c rather than $1.78.
  Elroy: It was easier to be unimpressed back then. I mean, it was literally cheaper!
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: When Jeff and Annie have a tug-of-war over the dog's transcript, Annie uses this with a dash of Double Standard for good measure.
  Annie: I am a female student being physically overpowered by a male teacher!
  Jeff: (hastily lets go of the folder) Dammit!