History Recap / CommunityS2E23AFistfulOfPaintballs

* GatlingGood: The mysterious storm troopers who invade the campus at the end of the episode bring with them ''a paintball mini-gun''.

* GirlishPigtails: Britta wears these that offset with her masculine Western outfit.
* GreatOffscreenWar: The destruction of Fort Hawthorne happens off screen.

* PaintballEpisode: The episode's plot begins beecause Dean thinks he has learned from past mistakes. Unfortunately, once again everyone takes the paintball assassin game [[SeriousBusiness extremely seriously]] to the point that it becomes a CowboyEpisode.

* PlayingCardMotifs: The members of the Study Group, except Pierce, are all introduced with a playing card. Annie is the Ace of Hearts, while everyone else gets a black card. This not only fits with the episode's Western parody theme, but reflects a vote they took earlier in the day.

** The scene where Annie provokes Pierce into picking up the gun to duel is also a sort of morally inverted example of a common scene in westerns where a bad guy is introduced or shown picking on some innocent bystander to provoke them into pistol-dueling so the bad guy can "justifiably" shoot them down in cold blood, such as Jack Palance's hitman character taunting the farmer in ''Film/{{Shane}}''. It also shares similarity to a famous Creator/BillHicks routine wherein he compares American foreign policy to such a scene in westerns, specifically (and inaccurately) referencing ''Shane'' ("Pick it up.").

* {{Turncoat}}: Chang will change to any side if it means better chances of survival. In the end, he gets RewardedAsATraitorDeserves by a [[GatlingGood gattling gun]].

* MissingTrailerScene: The preview for the season finale features Starburns doing a CrucifiedHeroShot.

* PaintballEpisode: The episode's plot begins beecause Dean thinks he has learned from past mistakes.

* PaintballEpisode: The Dean thinks he has learned from past mistakes.

* TookALevelInDumbass: Chang's considerably less impressive than in the last paintball episode. Perhaps this is because he didn't enter towards the end and couldn't get his special equipment.
** Although considering that he spends most of the episode unarmed and running around blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back without getting shot until a {{Mook}} with ''[[MoreDakka a paintball mini-gun]]'' takes him out, he arguably doesn't do ''too'' badly.

* [[WhyDontYouMarryIt Why Don't You Marry Him?]]: Abed describes the Black Rider, prompting Jeff to use the phrase. "He's really good-looking. Like [[Series/{{Lost}} network-TV]] good-looking. And did you see [[DoubleEntendre how big his guns were]]?"

* DontExplainTheJoke: "Because you're gay."

-->'''Mike:''' There's only one rule Fat Neil. The prize goes to the last man standing.\\

* StealthHiBye: Abed pulls this off on Annie.
** When he's not letting everyone know he's coming by the sound of his distinctive spurs, the Black Rider also seems adept at this; he too pulls one on Annie.

* ThemeNaming / PlayingCardMotifs: All the study group members (except for Pierce) are given nicknames related to playing cards. These turn out to stand for their votes on whether Pierce could stay in the group.

* TrashTheSet

** Chang betrays Jeff for the Math Club, then betrays them for the Cheerleaders, then betrays ''them'' for...we don't hear, as he's about to be ExecutedByFiringSquad. When he narrowly escapes ''that'', he runs around claiming he's really loyal.

* ActionGirl: Who knew sweet little Annie was capable of being such a badass?
* AdrenalineMakeover: Annie even though it's only been a couple of hours.

* AffectionateParody: To TheWestern and SpaghettiWestern of all kinds.
* [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter Always Someone More Handsome]]: Jeff ''really'' develops a complex over how good-looking the Black Rider is. Lampshaded by the Rider himself, referring to Jeff as "Mr. Insecure".

* BadAssBandolier: The Black Rider.

** Chang claiming he's loyal.

* CelebrityParadox: The Black Rider is played by Josh Holloway, better known as Sawyer on ''Series/{{Lost}}'', despite "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" having established that ''Lost'' exists in the show's universe. Perhaps alluded to when Abed refers to the Black Rider as "network TV good-looking."

* TheDragon: The Black Rider to Pistol Patty.

** As each member of the Study Group reappears, they're accompanied by a title card giving them a nickname taken from a playing card. Annie's being the only red card & Pierce not receiving a title card set-up foreshadow the true purpose of the card motif. [[spoiler:The group took a vote on whether to invite Pierce back to the study group next year and Annie was the only holdout.]]

* PlayingCardMotifs: The members of the Study Group, except Pierce, are all introduced with a playing card. This not only fits with the episode's Western parody theme, but reflects a vote they took earlier in the day.

* AsianAndNerdy: Math Club.

* CallBack: The cabinet the group finds the Dean hiding in contains both a dalmatian (running gag about the Dean's apparent fetish) and a bee costume from [[Recap/CommunityS2E13CelebrityPharmacology "Celebrity Pharmacology."]]

* TheHeavy: The Black Rider may have just been hired by Pistol Patty, but he's the one that actually moves the plot forward and poses an actual threat to the group. When Pierce shoots him, Patty takes things into [[spoiler:his]] own hands.

** The Black Rider uses Annie as one against Jeff and Abed. Annie gets free by elbowing him in the gut.

* OminousMusicBoxTune: Played during flashbacks to when the study group appears to play cards without Pierce. It turns out they were actually voting on whether to kick Pierce out of the group.
** This is, of course, a reference to the flashbacks (and music) in ''Film/ForAFewDollarsMore''.

* FiringSquad: The Cheerleaders prepare to shoot a blindfolded Chang this way for betraying them.

* TheCheerleader: Greendale's cheerleading squad are about to sentence Chang to "pretendsies-death" for betraying them until Annie shoots them first. She tried out for the team last year and was rejected.

* FanDisservice: BareYourMidriff + WhoWearsShortShorts = Dean Pelton

* WhoWearsShortShorts: Annie does, which makes her look [[{{Expy}} suspiciously]] like [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]].

* CowboyEpisode: In this episode, everyone acts as though they're in a Western as they fight to win the cash prize and use paintball guns that look like revolvers and shotguns.

* CelebrityParadox: The Black Rider is played by Josh Holloway, better known as Sawyer on ''Series/{{Lost}}'', despite "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" having established that ''Lost'' exists in the show's universe.

* ClothingDamage: Annie's floor length skirt she wears when the paintball game starts is missing by the time she's hiding out alone in the chemistry lab hours later. It could be an off camera ActionDressRip but considering Annie's not too pleased about it and wants pants, it's doubtful it was intentional.

* FlashbackEffects: The first flashback of the announcement of the paintball competition has a soft glow style, later flashbacks to the study room show in desaturated colors.

* BadAssDecay: Chang's changed a lot from the John Woo style badass at paintball he was before. Last season he brought his own equipment and only had to take on two students. This season, he's unarmed and up against the entire school. Plus, managing to survive to the end of the episode despite being blindfolded and tied up for half of it shows he hasn't completely decayed.

* GunsAkimbo: Several characters dual wield. Including Annie, Jeff and the Black Rider.

* MaleGaze: The camera spends plenty of time fixated on [[MsFanservice Annie]].

** The head cheerleader's name is Heather.

-->'''Chang:''' Hello? Anybody? Does anyone have an alliance I can join? I'm really loyal!

--> '''Abed''': Jeff wants to talk to you.\\
'''Annie''': Yeah, and I want pants. We all want a lot of things.

-->'''Jeff''': Who the hell are you?
-->'''The Black Rider''': The guy that's gonna win.

-->'''Annie''': Who wears spurs to paintball?

-->'''Abed''': I thought you were dead.
-->'''Troy''': I thought YOU were dead.

-->'''Jeff''': Black Rider! It's Jeff Winger. I'm sure you've heard of me by now.
-->'''Black Rider''': No.
-->'''Jeff''': He's lying.
* WantedPoster: "Wanted: Gay and Alive".

--> "If you were a dude, you would have my [[GroinAttack fist up your balls]]!"

* AHouseDivided: Dean Speck's evil plan was for Greendale students to turn on each other and destroy the campus.

* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Jeff tabs Annie on the head to avoid awkwardness. She likes it alot.

%% * CattleBaron: Pierce plays this role, except he isn't the BigBad.

* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Once again, Jeff tabs Annie on the head to avoid awkwardness. She likes it alot.

* BadAssDecay: Chang's changed a lot from the John Woo style badass at paintball he was before.
** Last season he brought his own equipment and only had to take on two students. This season, he's unarmed and up against the entire school. Plus, managing to survive to the end of the episode despite being blindfolded and tied up for half of it shows he hasn't completely decayed.
* BadassLongcoat: The Black Rider again.
* BadassPreacher: Shirley fills this role in the game even if she's only '''dressed''' as a priest.
* BatmanColdOpen: Annie versus the bullies.

* BigBad: Pistol Patty.

** Also, let's face it; Troy's attempt to claim that the study group is "''always'' nice" to Pierce is a particularly shameless and hypocritical example.

* CampingACrapper: Fort Hawthorne started with Pierce doing this.
* CattleBaron: Pierce plays this role, except he isn't the BigBad.

* DarkIsEvil: The Black Rider.