History Recap / CommunityS6E04QueerStudiesAndAdvancedWaxing

* FauxGay: Dean Pelton has to pretend to be gay for publicity points for the college. (An odd example; unlike other examples of this, Pelton has to pretend not because he's straight but because he's extremely beyond merely gay.)

--->'''Elroy to Dean:''' I hope your apology comes with a beak and hollow bones, and a magnet in its head that it uses to migrate?

'''Matt:''' ''The Karate Kid'' is about Kesuke Miyagi, an ''immigrant'' who fought against his ''own'' people in World War II, ''while his wife lost a child in an internment camp!'' [[Creator/PatMorita Noriyuki Morita]] was nominated for ''an Academy Award'' for his performance! Creator/RalphMacchio? ''Showed up!'' I cast you because your measurements allow me to use the same wardrobe as last year. I cast Ben because he has the sadness and talent that could make this show great. If I have to physically ''drill into his chest and suck it out with a straw!'' So you can take a flying kick and a rolling donut! You're fired!\\

--->'''Britta:''' Why would a tree be throwing eggs at a snake?
--->'''Elroy:''' WHY WOULD A PLUMBER BE FIGHTING A MONKEY???
--->'''Britta:''' ''(meekly)'' I don't know, I don't know

--->'''Elroy to Dean:''' I hope your apology comes with a beak and hollow bones and a magnet in its head that it uses to migrate
--->'''Britta:''' You forgot wings
--->'''Elroy:''' INSECTS HAVE WINGS!!!
--->'''Britta:''' ''(meekly)'' I'm sorry, I'm sorry

* TheMagazineRule: Taken UpToEleven by the SpinningPaper montage. There sure are a lot of oddly specific publications on the topic of gay administrators.

* InterchangeableAsianCultures: Subverted. Chang, who is Chinese (himself played by a Korean actor), being cast as the Japanese character Mr. Miyagi when he was trying out for the role of Daniel, seems to be a commentary on Hollywood's tendency to cast Asian actors in stereotypical roles even when they don't fit the actor's country of origin. It turns out later that the director viewed Miyagi as a far more demanding character to portray and saw that Chang had something specific to bring to that role.
** It's then further zig-zagged with when Annie quits the play and is replaced in the role of Daniel by Annie Kim (an Asian character initially created as a sort of meta commentary on the original intent to cast an Asian actress as Annie before Alison Brie tried out for the part), who in-universe plays an Italian-American character who has to perform karate moves as part of the role.

'''Matt:''' ''The Karate Kid'' is about Kesuke Miyagi, an ''immigrant'' who fought against his ''own'' people in World War II, ''while his wife lost a child in an internment camp!'' [[Creator/PatMorita Noriyuki Morita]] was nominated for ''an Academy Award'' for his performance! Ralph Macchio? ''Showed up!'' I cast you because your measurements allow me to use the same wardrobe as last year. I cast Ben because he has the sadness and talent that could make this show great. If I have to physically ''drill into his chest and suck it out with a straw!'' So you can take a flying kick and a rolling donut! You're fired!\\

** [[invoked]] The director also justifies his abusive treatment of Chang by explaining that it [[EnforcedMethodActing gets him in touch with the inner sadness]] needed to play Mr. Miyagi.

* EnforcedMethodActing: In-universe, the director abuses Chang constantly during rehearsal, believing that only by being in emotional distress can he access his character's pain.

* InterchangeableAsianCultures: Subverted. Chang, who is Chinese (himself played by a Korean actor), being cast as the Japanese character Mr. Miyagi when he was trying out for the role of Daniel, seems to be a commentary on Hollywood's tendency to cast Asian actors in stereotypical roles even when they don't fit the actor's country of origin. It turns out later that the director viewed Miyagi as a far more demanding role and saw that Chang had something specific to bring to that role.

'''Matt:''' ..."Lead?" You play Danny [=LaRusso=].\\

--->'''Matt:''' ''The Karate Kid'' is about Kesuke Miyagi, an immigrant who fought against his own people in World War II, while his wife lost a child in an internment camp. Noriyuki Morita was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Ralph Macchio? Showed up. I cast you because your measurements allow me to use the same wardrobe as last year. I cast Ben because he has the sadness and talent that could make this show great. If I have to physically drill into his chest and suck it out with a straw! So you can take a flying kick and a rolling donut! You're fired.\\

'''Matt:''' What? No! Really? ''REALLY?!'' Oh my God! You're like doing a terrible Vinnie Barbarino up here. But, like, I know you're not capable of anything better, so, that's why I've been so nice to you. Take care Annie. ''(to Chang)'' Yikes, right? What a diva.

--->'''Matt Lundergard:''' [[Creator/PatMorita Noriyuki Morita]] was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance! Ralph Macchio ''showed up''!

** The director also justifies his abusive treatment of Chang by explaining that it [[EnforcedMethodActing gets him in touch with the inner sadness]] needed to play Mr. Miyagi.
--> '''Matt''': ''The Karate Kid'' is about Kesuke Miyagi, an immigrant who fought against his own people in World War II, while his wife lost a child in an internment camp. Noriyuki Morita was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Ralph Macchio? Showed up. I cast you because your measurements allow me to use the same wardrobe as last year. I cast Ben because he has the sadness and talent that could make this show great. If I have to physically drill into his chest and suck it out with a straw! So you can take a flying kick and a rolling donut! You're fired.\\
'''Annie''': But I'm talented, too, right?\\
'''Matt''': What? No! Really? ''REALLY?!'' Oh my God! You're like doing a terrible Vinnie Barbarino up here. But, like, I know you're not capable of anything better, so, that's why I've been so nice to you. Take care Annie. ''(to Chang)'' Yikes, right? What a diva.

-->'''Richie:''' Those guys get to dress fancy all year! We have one day!

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Regarding whether or not to move the baby birds before they mature in twelve days. The Dean and Jeff point out that, cute and vulnerable or not, they are blocking the WiFi from getting repaired. Abed retorts that he can't deprive children of their mother, the way that he was deprived of his own mother. The Dean ends up winning by using the "gay" card, but regrets it when he realizes he did it at the request of the two board members, and that two of the three birds die. Abed and Elroy are not happy about this.
* CharacterDevelopment: This is the only episode where Chang didn't give into his HairTriggerTemper, although no one would have blamed him in this case.

--> '''Dean''': It's just faster if I get to my office this way. We don't need any pictures of this.

* FreezeFrameBonus: The newspapers and magazines shown in the SpinningNewspaper montage is full of hidden stuff:
** A report on stolen bus benches
** A poll about whether taco or burrito is more preferable in the cafeteria.
* GenderFlip: In-universe. Annie is cast as Daniel in the Karate Kid. Later on, she is replaced by [[Recap/CommunityS3E02GeographyOfGlobalConflict Other Annie]].
* GlassesPull: Elroy does this repeatedly.

* MoodWhiplash: Abed and Elroy try to keep a nest of three baby birds alive within the WiFi box by putting caution tape around the area. The Dean forcibly moves them under public pressure. Abed and Elroy then put the birds in an incubator and feed them regularly; two still die from the stress of the new environment, and Abed buries them with a somber expression in coffins. He and Elroy don't accept the Dean's apology, calling him a "bird killer" because that was a shitty thing to do, even if the Dean was RightForTheWrongReasons.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Briefly, the Dean is regretful about forcibly moving the baby birds to fix the WiFi when he sees Abed and Elroy giving him a simultaneous DeathGlare. They refuse to accept his apology and exclude him from the group going to see ''The Karate Kid''. Later, however, he's invited to see the lone survivor released into the wild after apologizing again mid-show.

** Ultimately justified in that, for all his boasting and jerkassery, he gets a stunning performance out of Chang and cheerfully calls him to the cast party after the show.

** Chang's storyline seems based on the 2014 movie ''Film/{{Whiplash}}'' about a teacher who verbally abuses a student.

* SkewedPriorities: Zigzagged; Abed would rather keep a nest of baby birds alive than restore the university WiFi. Elroy even calls him out for it since they have a job to do. On the other hand, it's a real GutPunch when two of the chicks die.

-->'''Matt Lundergard:''' You are the worst actor I've ever directed, and I've directed both Wahlbergs!

-->'''Matt Lundergard:''' [[Creator/PatMorita Noriyuki Morita]] was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance! Ralph Macchio ''showed up''!

-->[''after Elroy explains why they should remove the bird's nest from the internet router'']\\
'''Abed:''' What are you, a demon? Did Creator/CliveBarker write you?\\
'''Elroy:''' Anyone who finds that nest would come to the same decision. ({{Beat}}) And you don't have to get ''mean''.

* MoodWhiplash: In the middle of the episode, two of the three baby birds die in the incubator that Abed sets up to rear them. He then buries them in coffins.

* RealityEnsues: In a giant MoodWhiplash, Abed and Elroy try to keep a nest of three baby birds alive within the WiFi box by putting caution tape around the area. The Dean forcibly moves them under public pressure. Abed and Elroy then put the birds in an incubator and feed them regularly; two still die from the stress of the new environment, and Abed buries them with a somber expression. He and Elroy don't accept the Dean's apology, calling him a "bird killer" because that was a shitty thing to do, even if the Dean was RightForTheWrongReasons.

'''Matt''': What? No. Oh my God! You're like doing a terrible Vinnie Barbarino up here. But, like, I know you're not capable of anything better, so, that's why I've been so nice to you. Take care Annie. ''(to Chang)'' Yikes, right? What a diva.

** Elroy justifies removing the bird's nest to fix the internet router by saying it's [[TheSocialDarwinist how evolution works]]. Abed is quick to call him evil for that.

** Also attempted by Chang when he auditioned for the part of Daniel and kind of with Annie, who is [[InformedJudaism apparently]] semitic while Daniel is Italian.