7. Debate 109 (Season 1, Episode 8)
The Story: Jeff is persuaded to be Annie’s debate partner in a match against City College, while Abed’s ability to predict the future through student films unnerves the other group members and Pierce’s attempts to help Britta through hypnotherapy backfire spectacularly.
Why It’s Earned Its Place: One of the best ‘normal’ episodes of Community, “Debate 109” features three, strong, concurrent plot lines and some of the funniest moments of season 1. No single character gets sidelined, and the episode manages to make an interesting philosophical point about the morality of mankind and the laws of attraction without ever feeling preachy or exposition-heavy. “Debate 109” also marks the first occurrence of the strong, underlying sexual tension between Annie and Jeff that builds throughout the rest of Community.
Best Quote: “This is wrinkling my brain!” – Troy, becoming increasingly perturbed by Abed’s impossibly accurate portrayal of him in a student film.
6. Cooperative Calligraphy (Season 2, Episode 8)
The Story: Annie sends the study group into lockdown when one too many of her prized purple pens goes missing during a study session. Tensions threaten to tear the group apart as Abed wearily resigns himself to a ‘bottle episode’ and the rest of the study group frantically searches for the pen in hopes of being able to attend a puppy parade outside.
Why It’s Earned Its Place: Only Community could create a genuinely terrific bottle episode (that’s an inexpensive-to-make episode taking place entirely in one small setting) while simultaneously belittling the format. “Cooperative Calligraphy” is an unexpectedly dark episode, as Annie’s determination to find her pen forces out other revelations from group members, but it’s also incredibly funny, with terrific exchanges between almost every match-up of characters you could make from the main cast. It’s less showy than other concept episodes but just as impressive.
Best Quote: “Accidents don’t just happen over and over and over again, okay? This isn’t budget daycare.” – Annie, angrily insisting that someone in the group has been purposefully stealing her pens.
5. A Fistful of Paintballs/ For a Few Paintballs More (Season 2, Episodes 23-24)
The Story: The annual paintball tournament at Greendale is hijacked by City College, which takes the opportunity to mount a full-scale take-over of the school. The study group and other students join together to form a rebel alliance, determined to win the tournament and take Greendale back before City College’s better-equipped forces knock all of Greendale’s students out of the game.
Why It’s Earned Its Place: How to top “Modern Warfare”? This was the unenviable question that Dan Harmon was left with whilst planning this epic return to the paintball shenanigans that made that season 1 episode such a hit. Unfortunately, “A Fistful of Paintballs” and “For A Few Paintballs More” can’t match the innovative mastery of “Modern Warfare,” but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t terrific episodes. On the contrary, their pitch-perfect spoofing, from Wild West cowboy films to Star Wars-style battles, makes them a blast to watch. Countless great lines and some inspired twists (including a great guest turn from Lost‘s Josh Holloway) make both episodes (which I consider a mini-movie) completely worthy of their high placement on this list.
Best Quote: “You think you’re good-looking, but you’re not. You’re average. You’re just an average-looking guy with a big chin.” – Jeff, to the mysterious Black Rider (Josh Holloway).