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This week proved to be a slight dry spell in the world of television, as many shows were on breaks or a mini spring-hiatus.
With only a few contending for the spotlight, Community easily takes the cake with its side-splitting mockumentary-style capture of the epic battle between New Fluffytown and Blanketsberg in “Blankets vs. Pillows.”
The episode begins with Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) dealing with the cataclysmic fallout following the destruction of the blanket fort in last week’s episode. The two quirky best friends find themselves pitted against one another when the possibility of a Guinness world record comes into play, and soon the whole study group finds itself splitting up and taking sides.
The structure and content of the episode satirizes the overblown, soap-operatic documentaries one might see on the History Channel. The director embellishes the already dramatic Civil War-era score with sound effects, voice-overs and technological touches like text message conversations, cell phone camera footage and poorly taken pictures.
The finished product illustrates how the monumental war changes the lives of students at Greendale Community College.
In classic Community style, each of the characters takes on a new role in this civil war-Britta (Gillian Jacobs) is the photojournalist, Annie (Alison Brie) the nurse, Jeff (Joel McHale) the motivational speaker, Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) the protective maternal figure and Pierce (Chevy Chase) the secret weapon.
Funny, smart and endearing, the study group from Greendale Community College makes the audience fall in love with them all over again while providing a clever throwback to the days of educational documentaries and pillow fights.