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"Advanced Introduction to Finality" is the thirteenth episode and the season finale of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom Community. It originally aired on May 9, 2013.
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In this episode, Jeff is set to graduate and expects things to go quietly. But when the darkest timeline breaks through, the evil counterparts try and make things messy.
Synopsis
The study group reveals they made a feast in Jeff's honor because he has graduated. When he suggests to play roll-the-die, he accidentally recreates the darkest timeline, and Evil Jeff appears in the Dean's office. He escapes and tries to ruin the fiesta, attempting to sabotage Jeff's relations with the rest of the study group. Jeff mistakes Evil Annie for the real one and is surprised to find nobody at his graduation ceremony until the Dean (disguised in damsel drag) shows up in order to tell him he is a bad guy. Meanwhile, Abed himself gets sent to the darkest timeline, where he meets Abed (who is no longer Evil) who gives him some paintball guns in order to shoot the doubles (the paintballs these guns fire have the ability to transport an individual between timelines). When Jeff arrives at Troy's and Abed's apartment, he tries to explain his behavior, but nobody believes him until Abed shows up and convinces the others that Jeff is actually telling the truth. Meanwhile, the Evil Study Group (minus Evil Abed) arrive in the prime timeline and meet Evil Pierce who apparently faked his death, though he now has a metal leg and crutches. They discuss their plans for the study group until Evil Britta accidentally shoots herself and gets sent back to the darkest timeline. The real study group then shows up and proceeds to eliminate their evil doppelgangers one by one. With only Evil Jeff left, Abed explains to Jeff that he was stressed about graduation because he thought that Greendale didn't change him; However, thanks to Abed, Jeff realizes that he now has friends and that made his life better. He manages to defeat Evil Jeff and sends him back to his own reality. The scene then reverts to the moment that Jeff decided to throw the die (revealing that the events of the episode took place in his own mind), and he instead decides against tossing it. His graduation ceremony then takes place in the study room with the study group (sans Pierce), Magnitude, Quendra, Leonard, Garrett, Fat Neil, and Vicky. Jeff gives a most heartfelt speech about his time at Greendale and the love he has for his friends. During the ceremony, Pierce breaks in, announcing his intention to graduate as well, and a meal follows the reception.
The end tag shows Evil Troy and Evil Abed, who introduce us to a parallel universe (timeline 5, where Pierce was chosen to get the pizza) and shows us Britta and Troy having a non-human baby. Evil Jeff appears, saying that the show Evil Troy and Evil Abed host is not watched by anybody and does not exist anymore (an obvious meta-reference to the actual show Community's own likely end), to which Evil Troy and Evil Abed shrug in agreement.
Continuity
- Jeff talks to his former work colleague about not trying cases other than "yams and sandwiches." This is a reference to both "Basic Lupine Urology" (episode 17 of season 3) where Jeff is in a mock trial over who destroyed the group's yam experiment, and "Introduction to Finality" where Jeff spoke for Shirley against Pierce in an another mock trial ran by the dean over who own's Shirley's sandwich shop.
- The study group's evil doppelgangers cross over and return from the Darkest Timeline. The timeline plot point was introduced in "Remedial Chaos Theory", episode 4 of the third season after the roll of a die to decide who would collect the delivered pizza. Both this episode and "Remedial Chaos Theory" was written by Megan Ganz.
- A continuity error is present in this episode. Greendale is listed in the closing scene right after Jeff's graduation as being "Est. 1974" yet episode 11 of season 4 "Basic Human Anatomy" had a student named Leonard who had been at Greendale since 1968.
Production
The season finale aired as the thirteenth episode, but was the eleventh episode produced.[1]
This is the second "Introduction to Finality" episode of the series, following season three's finale, "Introduction to Finality".
During Jeff's graduation ceremony, "SIX SEASONS AND A MOVIE" is seen written on the chalkboard as the first words of several sentences. The show's production code of #411 is seen in the upper right corner.
Reception
The episode was met with mixed reviews.
Gabrielle Moss of TV Fanatic was positive, saying, "this episode was an excellent tribute to the slow-burn character development of Jeff Winger."[2]
Alan Sepinwall of HitFix was less favourable, stating, "The actual non-dream graduation ceremony was sweet, but nearly everything leading up to it was a mess."[3]
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club rated the episode a D, saying it was, "no longer a show that's capable of much beyond repeating elements it thinks the audience will like over and over again."[4]
References
- ^ Ganz, Megan (November 12, 2012). "Day one of shooting the finale". Twitter. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ^ Moss, Gabrielle (May 9, 2013). "Community Review: Not Without My Study Group". TV Fanatic. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (May 9, 2013). "Season finale review: 'Community' - 'Advanced Introduction to Finality': The folly of evil". HitFix. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Todd (May 9, 2013). ""Advanced Introduction to Finality" S4 / E13". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 9, 2013.