Wow, wow, wow on Vince Gilligan. It was known that the Breaking Bad creator would be guest starring on Community this season, but what beautiful lunacy to have him be the star of “Pile of Bullets,” a 1993 VHS-based game that lead to a particularly intense Abed and Annie showdown. Gilligan’s known for his friendly, Southern demeanor and it was incredibly funny to see him in this bizarre role - in a scenario that got increasingly frenetic and hysterical, as the game got more intense, without ever making a lick of sense. Alison Brie and Danny Pudi were terrific showing Annie and Abed lost in this showdown, doing every single thing the game asked of them, regardless of how ridiculous.
I was very glad to see Brie Larson make another appearance, but then it seemed like this might be the end of her storyline. Fortunately, Abed mended fences with Rachel, with a perfectly Abed water bit to convey the apologetic boyfriend standing in the rain in his “third act apology.” After all this time, it’s really sweet to see Abed actually embarking on a romance.The fact that Annie and Abed’s issues really centered around Troy leaving, and the vacuum Annie’s odd brother, Anthony (played by Community crew member Spencer Crittenden), noticed, was a nice inclusion. Dan Harmon is not one to brush something under a rug or to think one big episode is all you need to deal with a character’s absence, and the lingering emotions centered around Troy leaving have been very well handled.
Meanwhile, this episode had a second plotline that while less important, was still plenty inspired. The idea of those books Shirley, Buzz and Jeff found quickly becoming akin to drugs was a pretty direct one, but man, did it get a lot of laughs. This was the epitome of committing to a joke, as Buzz spoke with the knowledge of a cop who’s seen it all, Britta spoke about letting her guy see a sample and Shirley, ever the entrepreneur, got hardcore with the gang . By the end, all the characters in this storyline got their moment (except, to some extent, Jeff), including Chang, who got to be his weird self — even as part of a practiced story — when he talked about hiding all the books in order to, of course, kiss them.In the midst of this fast-paced, we also got the amazing rap performance by the Dean (in a peanut costume, no less) and a wonderful Rust Cohle-like statement from Anthony…
Anthony: What do you think happens after you die?
Rachel: I don’t know.
Anthony: You’re lucky.
