Last Night on Community: Team Annie

There was something oddly sincere about the cliche-packed season finale of Community, and maybe that was the ultimate joke. Whereas the recent spoof episodes were overflowing with meta references and acknowledgments to what was happening, "Pascal's Triangle Revisited" played things mostly straight. Or as straight as a show can be while literally explaining the origins of "jump the shark." The end of the year Transfer Dance -- rechristened "Tranny Dance" by the furry-loving dean -- wound up being the Waterloo for Jeff, Brita and Jeff's "Hey, remember me" ex-girlfriend, Slater, because that's what end of the year dances are there for: Big emotional speeches where true feelings are revealed. And, oh yeah, surprise endings.

So, Annie and Jeff totally made out. Again. Kudos to Community creator Dan Harmon for this twist, if only because it didn't seem like he had the guts to pull it off. The chemistry between Joel McHale and Alison Brie has been beyond palpable since they first hooked up in the season's ninth episode. But because of the age difference -- on the show, not in real life -- and the preordained sexual pairing of Jeff and Brita, it seemed like a Jeff-Annie relationship (Jennie?) would only live in fan-made videos. And maybe it still will. But for now: Team Annie, FTW!

Unfortunately the rest of the episode wasn't as thrilling, beyond the usual array of pop culture references (courtesy of Abed) and casual racism (courtesy of Pierce). However it must be said that if Community has room in the budget next season to add John Oliver on a full-time basis, they should do so immediately. The man is a riot. Drop a beat...

[Hulu]