Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking


"Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of Community. The episode originally aired on February 17, 2011 on NBC. In the episode, Pierce pretends to be dying after a drug overdose and takes psychological revenge on the rest of the study group for not taking him seriously. He stages a documentary with Abed and plays on the rest of the study group's sympathies by giving them gifts and promises that torments them with their insecurities.
The episode was written by Megan Ganz and directed by Joe Russo. It parodies mockumentary sitcoms such as The Office, Parks and Recreation and Modern Family.

Plot

Pierce is found unconscious on a park bench after nearly overdosing on his painkiller medication and is admitted to a hospital. The study group rush to the hospital to be with him. He pretends he is dying and asks Abed to film a documentary on the "final" moments of his life. Unbeknownst to them, the documentary is in fact revenge – in the form of psychological torture – on the rest of the group for not taking him seriously, with varying results.
Pierce summons each member of the group to his room one-by-one for his "bequeathals":
During Jeff's confrontation with Pierce outside the hospital, the group gathers round to stop Jeff. Pierce has an outburst where he chastises the group for not taking him seriously and neglecting him throughout the year, though Jeff points out that the whole episode has made the group's relationship with him worse.
Abed wraps up the documentary by pointing out that it was not as easy to make as he imagined it to be but finishes it off saying that the documentary format of storytelling works.

Continuity

The episode was written by Megan Ganz, her second writing credit of the show. It was directed by executive producer Joe Russo, his 12th directing credit of the series.
The idea for a mockumentary spoof was conceived by show creator Dan Harmon. It was the show's latest attempt at pushing more generic and stylistic boundaries, having already done action/shooting, zombie Halloween, space, stop-motion animation and Dungeons & Dragons. Executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo also wanted a redemptive episode for Pierce, who has been increasingly "evil" throughout the season, for the audience to understand what's going on emotionally with the character.
LeVar Burton guest starred as himself.

Cultural references

The episode pays homage to and mocks the mockumentary-style filmmaking of other comedies such as The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family. Character Abed Nadir described the style as ":wikt:like shooting fish in a barrel|fish in a barrel", suggesting that its methods – such as talking head interviews – are a lazy way to divulge a complex plot:
He goes on to mock the technique of using voiceovers over random shots at the end of episodes:
Craig Sanger of The Washington Times said "the main conceit was so spot on, that it really spotlighted what the satirical showcase does best."
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is referenced by Jeff in a heated exchange between him and Pierce in the hospital. This reference is further extended later in the episode with Pierce imitating Jeff's father in a similar way that Cameron imitates Sloane's father in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Furthermore, the bath robe that Pierce is wearing in the car is very similar to the robe worn by Ferris Bueller in the post credit scene of that film.

Reception

Ratings

In its original American broadcast on February 17, 2011, the episode was viewed by an estimated 4.12 million viewers with a Nielsen rating of 1.8 in the 18–49 demographic.

Reviews

"Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" was one of the best reviewed episodes of the series' second season.
Jeffrey Kirkpatrick called the episode "pitch perfect" and gave it a 5/5 rating, the highest of the season for the show on TV Fanatic. He praised the episode's use of the mockumentary concept, remarking "s always, Community shines best when it's skewering pop culture." He added "Everything I love about the show was powering on full thrusters, from the impeccable characterization to some of the funniest, wit-laced dialogue in its history..." and that the dialogue was "off the wall amazing."
Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club called it "pretty stellar" and a "great, great episode of television in a great, great season." She praised Donald Glover's performance as Emmy Award-worthy. Despite her concern about Pierce's character arc, VanDerWerff still describes the episode as "an immensely well crafted piece of catharsis that brings a number of things that have been building all season to a head... It gives every member of the ensemble something wonderful to do, and it gives Glover a plot that tops all of the other amazing stuff he's done on the show."
Kelsea Stahler of Hollywood.com gave the episode "a resounding 'Yes'" and singled out Glover for praise, calling him a "comedy god". She said that the show's creators "are proving that they love television just as much than the rest of us; so much so that they can take the tropes, styles and techniques of other shows, adopt them into their own amorphous world and still make it work."
Alan Sepinwall of HitFix called the episode "pretty fantastic" and one of his favorite ever. He called both Glover and Joel McHale's performances Emmy-worthy although he did wonder "how the hell dig their way out of the Pierce hole after this", because Pierce's actions on the show undercut the episode's plan to provide his character with some redemption.

Quotes

While the episode was noted for its witty dialogue throughout, one exchange between Jeff and Britta was highlighted by many critics:

Britta: Hi, hey, hi, I'm Jeff's dad. Hi.
Jeff: Hi Jeff's dad, I'm Britta's dad.
Britta: What? Why?
Jeff: I dunno, got drunk, didn't have a condom, and her mom gets freaky when she hears Oingo Boingo.
Britta: Oh god, I wish I could relate, but much like my son I'm a closet homosexual.
Jeff: Don't apologize for that. You're talkin to the guy that banged Britta's mom. I have no standards.
Britta: Well, what do you say we take a tumble? I'll put on a wig.
Jeff: That's it, you're under arrest. I'm an undercover cop.
Britta: It's not illegal to be gay.
Jeff: It is here in Iran.
Britta: Not when we're in the Green Zone!
Jeff: That's Iraq, stupid.
Britta: Well what do I know? I'm Jeff Winger's dumb gay dad!