Image copyright Sony Television
The term meta is not difficult to understand. It’s the idea of a painter painting a picture that focuses on a painter painting a picture. It’s a narrator addressing the reader both intentionally and unintentionally in the written language, and in the cinematic medium it’s a character talking through the lens and directly to the audience: whether they (the audience) are at home, or are in the theater.
In Season 1 Episode 3 of Community, “Introduction to Film” Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) doesn’t paint a picture of a subject who’s painting a picture, per se. Nor does she address the viewers in any way, shape, or form. However, she does interfere with the fictional life of Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) and it’s what causes him to dive deeper into the meta, bringing its essence to the forefront of the show’s theme and viewer outreach. This (in my simple, humble opinion) is the reason for the show’s razing: the over use of the meta that stems from a single episode.
Even though the episode starts with Jeffrey Winger (Joel McHale) finding the perfect blow-off class for the semester, the focus should be on Abed. He tells Jeff, “Not a fan. In every movie, there’s an authority figure who always gets mad at him for making people laugh,” in response to Shirley admitting she loves Robin Williams. This bit of information exposes Abed’s love for craft, especially with character. He knows there is no story without one, and, if there’s no story, what is going on?
When Jeff corrects Abed and inquires about the class he wants the group to take, Abed replies with, “Oh, I can’t. My dad will only pay for classes that will help me run my family restaurant. It’s been struggling since 2001. 9/11 was pretty much the 9/11 of the falafel business,” opening the eyes of both the group, and the audience, to his lifestyle. It’s controlled by too many aspects of reality, the modern side of segregation: boycotting establishments because of skin color, hair color, and eye color. It’s why Britta immediately asks, “So, your dad has your whole life planned out for you? Are you even interested in the falafel business?” But, when it comes from the self-proclaimed anarchist of the group, this is a typical response. She’s made it clear she opposes any sort of government oppression in Season 1 Episode 2 (“Spanish 101”) so, it’s obvious what she’s going to do next., When Abed says, “I’m interested in making movies. But, my Dad says, all media is Western Propaganda that negatively stereotypes Arabs,” Britta makes the decision to write Abed a check for the film class.
Before getting too far ahead, let these sentences reinforce the idea of how Abed understands craft writing, and how this scene allows the viewers (the audience) to see the exact moment Community has the rug pulled out from under its feet. Even though Abed relates to the meta in Season 1 Episode 1 (“Pilot”) telling Jeff, “Hey, this is kind of like The Breakfast Club,” , and then saying, “You know, I thought you were like Bill Murray in any one of his movies, but you’re more like Michael Douglas in any one of his.” Abed would’ve never got into the visual medium of storytelling, further developing his ideas of the meta, had it not been for Britta giving him enough money to take a film studies class.
It’s questionable to say that Britta gave Abed this money because she believes she’s doing the right thing. Just after having her first conflict with Abed’s Dad, she says, “You know, I had a father like you. And the day I finally cut myself loose, is the day I finally started being happy,” holding back tears. This divulging of information shows how Britta’s struggling with her own family and the only real reason she gave Abed money is to prove a point: once children detach themselves from their families, they’ll find freedom in ultimate happiness. She solidifies this idea when she says, “Abed may not be the greatest filmmaker but that doesn’t mean that he wants to make falafel. You need to let him make his own decisions,” sticking to her belief that separating total authority and parental guidance is a necessary step in human development.
To a point, she’s accurate with her conclusion. Children, at a certain age, need to separate themselves from their parents. It’s what helps them become individuals of their own, learning of their own moral codes and intrinsic virtues: their own belief systems, and definitions of right and wrong. But, this essay isn’t about teaching moral values to fictional characters. It’s about exposing the single episode that destroyed Community. Right? Well, that Episode (with zero doubt in mind) is Season 1, Episode 3 It’s the official gateway to all the infinite possibilities (when it comes to implementing the meta for Abed) and, in Season 1, there are multiple episodes that develop this idea.
Season 1 Episode 21 (“Contemporary American Poultry”) is the perfect example for how the meta is used. It’s an homage to Goodfellas, and is the perfect platform for Abed to directly address the audience,all without directly interacting with the audience. Sure, it’s towards the end of the season, but that doesn’t mean Abed hasn’t been sneaking in the idea of how the group members’ lives on the TV show is more like a TV show.
In Season 1, Episode 6 (“Football, Feminism, and You”) Abed says, “Will they or won’t they, sexual tension,” reading the subtle hints in Jeff and Britta’s witty banter. This prompts Jeff to say, “Abed, it makes the group uncomfortable when you talk about us like we’re characters in a show you’re watching,” trying to convey the idea of how normal humans live within reality. Without hesitation, Abed responds with, “Well, I did lean on that pretty hard last week. I guess I can lay low for an episode,” displaying his meta knowledge of how his fictional life in the TV show is being bent to mold the perimeters of an actual TV show.
And, in Season 1 Episode 13 (“Investigative Journalism”), Abed calls out different scene beats throughout the episode. The most memorable one comes when k Abed says, “This character reboot is really gelling for you, Jeff. That was all classic Hawkeye. Sending Soldiers out for Liquor. Slyly sidestepping the problematic scrutiny of Annie, ‘hot-lips’, Edison. Mm? I should build you still for making classic Hawkeye martinis,” forcing the idea of making his life in the TV show, much more like a TV show, while the rest of the characters know that Abed is just trying to be meta with his pop-culture references.
The ratings for Community are nothing more than factual evidence for the show’s decline throughout the years. It’s the measure of household TVs tuned to that given channel, at the given air-time, and (according to the numbers) there were roughly 7 million people who watched the pilot while there were only 4 million people who watched its finale. From there, the numbers prove how each season (starting from the second) slowly declines in viewer ratings, and it’s all thanks to ” Introduction to Film”. It’s the singular culprit behind the razing of Community.
The scary part, though, is that, without it, the meta would’ve never been developed throughout all six seasons, Abed would’ve gone down more of a businesslike path, rather than creating complex storylines the group can adventure, and, because of that, the meta would’ve never been used in Season 6, Episode 13 (“Emotional Consequences of Broadcasting Television”), , allowing the current characters a sampled time to outline their own version of Season 7. There’s even a point when Jeff asks, ‘Six Seasons and a Movie?’, hinting at the idea of how he’s accepted that they (the group) are in a TV show, and that they have achieved their six seasons. Now, all they need is a movie to complete their idea of the meta. “It [may have] been a struggle to get this far,” but it’s all thanks to the meta. It’s all thanks to Abed taking a film studies class that allowed him to develop the meta throughout Community and its entirety.
Gregory Gonzalez is a graduate from Sierra Nevada University, where he earned both a BFA and an MFA in Creative Writing. He studied under Brian Turner, Patricia Smith, Sunil Yapa, and many other wonderful artists. His works can be seen in the San Joaquin Review Online, the Hive Avenue Literary Journal, and the Dillydoun Review.