Episode no. Season 3
Episode 11 Written by Alex Cooley | Directed by Kyle Newacheck Production code 310 | |
Original air date March 22, 2012 (2012-03-22) | ||
"Contemporary Impressionists" is the 11th (aired as 12th) episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on March 22, 2012 on NBC.
Contents
This episode was intended to air as the eleventh episode, before "Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts", but was aired as the twelfth episode because, according to Dan Harmon, "coming out of hiatus they wanted to air an episode that was more accessible to a general audience". It also creates a small continuity error as a small thread of the Troy and Abed story from this episode continues in "Urban Matrimony".
Plot
Jeff (Joel McHale) has started seeing a new therapist and has been prescribed anti-anxiety medication. Britta (Gillian Jacobs) worries that, without anxiety to keep his ego in check, Jeff's narcissism will grow out of control.
Abed (Danny Pudi) has been hiring celebrity impersonators to reenact scenes from his favorite movies. Everyone wonders how he is getting the money to pay for it, but Troy (Donald Glover) chastises them for disloyalty and reminds them that Abed has made all of their lives easier and more fun. In fact, Abed owes $3,000 to the impersonators' agency, and unless Abed's friends appear at a bar mitzvah dressed as famous celebrities, Vinnie (French Stewart), a French Stewart impersonator, will have impersonators of Ving Rhames and Michael Chiklis break Abed's legs.
At the ceremony, many women flirt with Jeff, saying he looks like Ryan Seacrest. Jeff's ego slowly expands through the night until the teenage boy wins an award for "Most Handsome Young Man." Jeff explodes in an Incredible Hulk–like rage and storms out of the party. He later apologizes to Britta, asking if he can be her test subject for psychology class. Britta declines, saying she wants someone more normal, like Abed.
Despite Jeff's outburst, Vinnie cancels Abed's debt, but when Troy gets home, he finds Abed has hired more impersonators. Troy kicks them out, and Abed asks if Troy is mad at him. Troy equivocates, but confesses that he is mad, and insists that Abed trust his judgement in the future. Abed reluctantly agrees, and leaves to play alone in the Dreamatorium, where Evil Abed appears and encourages him to embrace his darker side.
Reception
The episode was watched by 3.87 million American viewers with a 1.7/6 rating/share among adults 18-49, placing third in its timeslot.