22. Curriculum Unavailable (Season 3, Episode 19)
The Story: When the study group is expelled from Greendale campus by the megalomaniacal Benjamin Chang (Ken Jeong), who has taken the Dean hostage and replaced him with a doppelganger, Abed has a tough time coping. His numerous attempts to infiltrate Greendale lead to a mandatory psychiatric treatment session between the study group and Dr. Heidi (guest star John Hodgeman).
Why It’s Earned Its Place: After season 2’s “Paradigms of Human Memory” became an instant fan favorite (you’ll find it later down on this list), you can’t fault Harmon and company for wanting to see if lightning could strike twice. And while “Curriculum Unavailable” lacks the fresh, innovative feel of that first flashback episode, it also offers some truly hilarious moments, from Abed disavowing Shirley over her admiration of Brett Ratner to the gang going nuts inside a mental ward.
Best Quote: “Troy and Abed in the Morning… Nights!” – The latest opening to an Abed and Troy talk-show.
21. Pillows and Blankets (Season 3, Episode 14)
The Story: Former best friends Troy and Abed are at war. Abed, the leader of the United Forts of Pillowtown, has claimed half of Greendale’s campus, while Troy, in command of the Legit Republic of Blanketsburg, vies to increase his territory. As the pillow war rages throughout campus, Annie sets up a medical ward to treat injured students, Britta attempts to take profound war photographs and Jeff is called upon to bring Troy and Abed back together.
Why It’s Earned Its Place: A spot-on send-up of Ken Burns documentaries (complete with grave narration from Keith David), “Pillows and Blankets” brilliantly blends scathing satire and touching character development to create a very funny and enjoyable episode. Every character gets some great moments, from Troy’s “all-tomato” to Chang’s Changlorious Basterds police force. The episode is also impressively shot. It’s a perfect example of Community having the quality to back up its smart mouth.
Best Quote: “Unfortunately for Britta and millions of photographers like her — Just because it’s in black and white doesn’t mean it’s good.” – Narrator (Keith David), commenting on Britta’s photography failures.
20. Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism (Season 3, Episode 9)
The Story: Determined to beat an obnoxious group of German students, Jeff takes foosball lessons from Shirley, only to discover a terrifying new side to his friend. Meanwhile, Annie stages a burglary in the apartment she shares with Abed and Troy in order to avoid telling Abed that she broke his limited edition copy of The Dark Knight.
Why It’s Earned Its Place: Watching Community experiment with formula and high-concept satire is always a blast, and in “Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism,” the show succeeds in testing out new storytelling methods while simultaneously adhering to two atypically strong plots. In the Jeff-Shirley A-plot, Community deepens both characters in a thoughtful manner while keeping things light. An anime stand-off between the two is a definite episode highlight. Over in the B-plot, Danny Pudi donning the cowl of the Caped Crusader has always been one of Community‘s best recurring gags, and he offers some terrific sound-bites while tracking down the man he believes broke his DVD.
Best Quote: “The night beckons, its black fingers curl and uncurl, going like, ‘Hey, come here.'” – Abed, before using a grappling hook to awkwardly leap from the apartment window.
