Modern Espionage
| "Modern Espionage" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 6 Episode 11 |
| Directed by | Rob Schrab |
| Written by | Mark Stegemann |
| Production code | 611 |
| Original air date | May 19, 2015 |
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
| Episode chronology | |
"Modern Espionage" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the television sitcom Community. It was written by Mark Stegemann, and directed by Rob Schrab. It is the 108th episode overall and was first released on Yahoo! Screen in the United States on May 19, 2015. The episode is the third "paintball episode" of the series after "Modern Warfare" (season one) and the two-part "A Fistful of Paintballs" / "For a Few Paintballs More" (season two).
Plot
Frankie's "Cleaner Greendale" initiative drives the school's paintball game underground as the group tries to discover the identity of a mysterious assassin.
Cultural references
"Modern Espionage" features spy-movie homages and tropes, in contrast to "Modern Warfare"'s action movie setting, "A Fistful of Paintballs"' western setting, and "For a Few Paintballs More"'s Star Wars setting. The group's codenames are references to actors who have portrayed Batman in film, television, and animation. Jeff mentions Robert Downey Jr. and Iron Man. Lapari mispronounces M. Night Shyamalan's name and gets corrected by Abed. Garrett mentions comedian Andy Kaufman. Koogler references Fight Club. Frankie quotes Joseph Campbell. The scene where Dean Pelton is attacked in the elevator is a nod to a similar scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a movie directed by Community producers/directors Joe and Anthony Russo.[1]
Production
On March 15, 2015, it was announced that the series began filming a third "paintball assassin" episode following the season one episode "Modern Warfare" and season two's two-part episode "A Fistful of Paintballs"/"For a Few Paintballs More".[2]
Critical reception
Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" rating, calling it "fun and sharp", adding that "despite the revamped cast, [it] feels remarkably like old-school Community.[3] Eric Goldman of IGN rated the episode a 9.5 of 10, stating "this quickly stands out as the best installment yet this year and a reminder of just how wonderful this show is. Overcoming the difficulties in doing yet another sequel episode to one of the most popular ideas the series has ever offered, "Modern Espionage" once again showed that paintball brings out the best in this series".[4] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix claimed that the episode "made up in execution what it lacked in originality. It found an actual emotional story – the campus' reaction to all the changes Frankie has implemented, and all the responsibility she's taken away from the Dean – to wrap the paintball game around, and the various spy thriller tropes gave it a specificity in the same way that season 2's Spaghetti Western version had."[5]
References
- ↑ http://io9.com/community-parodies-captain-america-the-winter-soldiers-1706075163
- ↑ "Community – You want a new paintball episode? BECAUSE...". Facebook. March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ↑ Alston, Joshua (May 19, 2015). "Community: "Modern Espionage"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ↑ Goldman (May 20, 2015). "Community: "Modern Espionage" Review". Eric. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (May 19, 2015). "Review: 'Community' – 'Modern Espionage': Paintball spies like us". HitFix. Retrieved June 5, 2015.