Film Theory: We Solved Community's Final Mystery! (Community) 

*SIX SEASONS AND A FILM THEORY!*

"Starburns is still locked in his cage being pelted by change." Never realized how insane that sounds outside the context of the episode lol

I like how you eliminated Pierce because he was in a wheelchair in season two, BUT NOT BECAUSE HE WAS DEAD IN THE EPISODE SURROUNDING THE ACB

I literally binged every season of Community over the quarantine, and now there's tons of new content coming out about it. This is the Brightest Timeline.

The dean tryin to get his assistant to "trace the call" is honestly one of my favorite scenes lmfao

Still trying to figure out the question ‘Nicolas Cage: good or bad?’

I personally always loved the idea that the ACB was actually all of them at different times. All cashing in on the mystery to serve a personal agenda and then hanging up the cape for the next person to use.

I miss Leonard’s Food Review. It was Streets Ahead

During the call the pause when the ACB says "I mean, get a room already" tells me it's Abed. Britta says it quicker Jeff says it slurred, a bit nonchalant Annie was never cool, she couldn't pull it off. Abed is the only one that pauses his sentences there.

Imagine never watching the show and just hearing "Peirce dies at the end of the episode and Troy leaves on a boat with Levar Burton"

Could've saved a lot of time of crossing out Britta. She'd Britta the whole thing and get caught in the act 🤣

this theory was streets ahead

Okay but you missed one key thing. In the last episode of the show, right after Jeff brings up the bandit again, it cuts to Britta’s pitch for the next season. In which she says a very specific Dave Matthew’s lyric.

Dan Harmon: **furiously crosses out **_Community_** movie script**

I think the reason Annie acts weird with the mention of the ACB is she knows who it is! She was really close with Abed by the end and they lived together for half the series

In one episode Abed literally helps a pregnant lady and gives BIRTH to her child all in the background. Then later in the episode when asked what he did that day Abed simpler replies “meh not much.”

It was all of them at various points. This has been done TO DEATH in the Community Fandom. The truth is right in the ending montage. Troy and Abed did it for fun. Duncan for sexual gratification. Annie and Jeff to keep having their little flirty adventure. Finally, Britta, because she wanted to bring it back to write about in the school paper.

My theory expands on yours: It was Abed from the beginning, and Annie actually figured it out on her own (hence the binder) but kept her solving it a secret so she could play detective with Jeff, using it both to spend more time with him and as an attempt to DTR. Then, she got carried away and teamed up with Abed to keep Jeff from solving it before she’d accomplished her goal, dragging the mystery along for her own ends.

When the bandit talks through the phone, he suddently accelerates his talking, just like Abed does.

Can you recreate Abed’s theory about how Angela was the boss in whos the boss

Also, for a split second when Jeff + Annie are chasing the bandit after Duncan gets cracked, you can see Abed in sprinting around the corner.

I love this theory and am 100% convinced. I'm glad when Community gets a little love, it's a criminally underrated show. Great theory Matpat.

I remember the first time I watched this episode I had to pause from laughing so hard at the Dean going "Abed you're special...cant you just stand at the crime scene and see what happened?"

The movie might be coming out soon. The actors say they're interested. The Russo brothers say they're in. It's on Netflix now. There's a new podcast with Ken Jeong and Joel McHale, called The Darkest Timeline. I think that it might be made by Netflix.

Plot twist: it wasn’t a slip up or a realization, it was an awkward moment because Annie had said “her” instead of “she”

Jeff in season one: “I gave a quarter to a dirty bum today”

“Pierce can’t move around well in season 2.” Well, that and he’s dead in the ACB episode which would make it pretty difficult to be him.

I just finished Community today and I’m not ready to move on yet. I’m trying to find all the content I can, I’m still fully immersed.

Abed literally never once in the entire course of the show says "I mean, ..." His speech is far too calculated for him to ever need to rely on that phrase like most people. Also, Dan Harmon, who wrote that episode, said himself that he deliberately wrote it so that it could be anyone. This question has no answer.

Annies pretty young, we try not to accuse her.

Plot twist, it’s Leonard taking revenge for all the times people told him to shut up.

I always thought it was Abed as he generally loses touch of reality and becoming the ACB was a way to “move the story along this season” as Abed would put it. Also what ACB says about Annie and Jeff definitely sounds like something Abed would say

The most damning piece of evidence that it is Abed is at the end of the episode when he is going through his DVR. The Episode is actually more of reference/parody/homage to Hannibal and, coincidentally in that scene, the Bridge. Abed is deleting the episodes, thus hiding evidence that this is the current homage he is doing

Annie: maybe the acb's point is that we're letting our values slide Jeff: or maybe he's a frat boy coming from the laundromat Maybe he's the founder of the only fraternity on Greendale campus, the Delta Cubes

Remember what Batman said about Abed. "That guy's pretty ruthless, and that's coming from Batman."

Mat: "2 little humps in one continuous stroke" Me: "Don't all people write m's that way?"

Leonard is actually Purple Guy

I’d literally never heard of this until last week and I binged it all and finished it yesterday. I’m actually scared how even MatPat knows what I’m thinking.

Me, knowing that Abed's handwriting matching is probably just a props person writing both pieces: Wow this is so true...

Still think it’s Britta…😄 I think she was standing on something…also I think Anne found out when they lived together and that’s why she reacted that way, I also think the phone call sounds just like Britta!

If Abed isn't the acb, then it could be that he planted those notes to add drama. It seems like something he would do to make the acb more villainous and interesting.

That actually explains Annie’s reaction! By season 6, she has lived around 3 years with Abed, so it’s natural she could have discovered the true identity of the ACB. They probably talked about it, and Abed probably convinced Annie to not tell anyone. Then, when Jeff mentions the ACB in the last episode, Annie gets nervous about Abed’s secret and behaves weirdly.

Is anyone else slightly stressed that if he'd just left out the MatPat part, "theorizing in the morning" would've had the right number of syllables? Just me, probably, yeah...

We should look at the victims. Ian Duncan who was cracked last, created a experiment in season 1 based around the Duncan Principle. Abed was the last one to leave, and he later said in the episode he was livid. Garrett, was a friend to Abed, so he could have been a mislead. However, he joined Troys during the pillow war, so Abed could cracked him in revenge and Garrett didn’t participate in any of Abed projects throughout the rest of the season. Troy, was definitely a mislead, but I’m not sure about Vicki.

I don't think those mat pats are social distancing. They seem really close to each other.

I just gotta ask, who DOESN'T dot their lowercase i's? That's literally the difference between uppercase and lower case I.

The loss of Donald Glover in Community was more of a tragic event than even The Red Wedding. You can quote me on that.

can we also appreciate that the russo brothers directed those paintball episodes and that’s one of the things that got them hired for marvel

Abed was one of the best characters in sitcom history. Community deserves love, #sixseasonsandamovie

When you finish Community Troy and Abed are in mourning.

I honestly want a Community movie, but it just wouldn't be the same without hearing "shut up Leonard" after one of Leonard's jabs at Jeff.

More community theories please! Attempt their greatest mystery: It's been six seasons, WHERE'S THE MOVIE?

Hey, MatPat, in regards to the motive, let's not forget the Scream rule: just because an alibi exists does not mean innocence. There could have been a partner that was doing the attacks when the other ACB was establishing an alibi.

For me, the “I mean get a room already” line toward Annie and Jeff solidified Abed for me. Despite the voice change, I recognize Abed’s instigative sitcom tone in that comment. I have loved this show for years. Been raving about it for a long time and people never knew what I was talking about. Feels good seeing others enjoy this cult gem now.

one of those cracking "victims" could just be the ACB pretending to get cracked to shake suspicion off of them

It was Abed but both Annie and Troy were in on it. Troy was with him from the beginning because they are best friends, and he sold getting cracked way too much. Annie on the other hand figured it out almost immediately, but she decided she wanted in so she could continue to work with Jeff and cause it was fun. Abed struck a deal with Annie that would have her act like the bandit to throw people off, and be the one to take the blame if it was ever figured out. Change my mind

Community has gone mainstream, initiate protocol omega!

Annie's reaction in the finale (aside from it being tossed into the script, I guess) was probably more of a "trying to hide my frustration" thing. Because she was a forensics student, always one of the most intelligent in classes, and pretty neurotic about losing or not understanding things. The Bandit was probably the one case she could never let go of because they'd bested her.

I just love how he talks about this whole thing like murder when really. It’s just quarters. A lot, a lot of quarters hOw DiD i GeT sO mAnY lIkEs

This series is way too underrated. It's so we'll written and consequently so funny and fun to watch.

I never ever comment, but I need whoever reads these to know that I want more community content somehow

there's something about Abed that I find so incredibly attractive

6:18, pierce can’t be the acb because of the wheelchair, yea he also died in that episode

To back up your case about Abed being the ACB: it is confirmed that Abed himself doesn't like Jeff and Annie's romantic entanglement. In season 4 episode 1, History 101, we get a glimpse into Abed's 'happy place,' which is the idyllic TV show taking place inside his mind. In that 'perfect world,' Jeff and Britta kiss, not Jeff and Annie. Plus, later in season 4, we see a scene from the darkest timeline, where Annie gets released from the psych ward and Jeff says he wishes that him and Annie's age gap was bigger than it already was, which reveals that Abed is disgusted by their age gap. Additionally, in Virtual Systems Analysis in season 3, Abed gets mad at Annie for playing matchmaker with Troy and Britta because that would 'tamper with the fabric of the group' (granted, Abed had other, more personal reasons to be mad at Annie in this episode, but this was part of it.) Hence, Abed bringing up Jeff and Annie's relationship may have been genuine; he wants Jeff and Britta to be together, not Jeff and Annie, because Abed assigned Jeff and Britta the 'mom and dad' role early in the series. So that call was a chance for him to express his disdain for Jeff and Annie's relationship without receiving ridicule for doing so, while directing the blame toward Britta at the same time.

Just an idea: maybe the reason Annie was acting odd in the finale was because she knew it was Abed and was trying to hide it (she may have figured it out or Abed may have confessed to her at some point). She may have been trying to protect him knowing it wasn't malicious in nature

I loved the moment when Magnitude was at the high school party and discovered the catchphrase that would change his life: "Pop...Pop..."

It’s weird seeing community so popular right now. I’m happy to see it has lots of traction, and hope it lasts. We need a movie

What convinced me it was Annie was the map she showed Jeff, the faculty lounge isn't near the attacks...she just knew Jeff wouldn't look

What if it’s none of the main cast members? . . . Leonard’s been real quiet lately

ACB strikes in seasons 2 and 5, and there's 25 cents in a quarter...

I’m so glad this show is finally blowing up.

Maybe this will be how they set up the movie

Why am I just remembering that garret married his cousin

I was always partial to the theory where a couple of them did it. That each crime was committed for their own reasons, but they hid it under the bandit’s name. It would explain why Annie was nervous, because she committed some of the crimes. I also think that Abed wouldn’t crack his best friend. But he would crack people under the bleachers sort of in retaliation against the school. There’s a lot of interesting theories out there, but I like your approach.

After I saw the episode I was 100% convinced that it was a group effort. When Jeff and Annie chased after the bandit they rounded the corner and found Shirley and the prices at her sandwich shop went up after the coin ban. I think it'd be pretty hard to figure out everyone involved, but I still think it was a group effort from several people who all had deep motives.

In a later script, it states that Annie was probably the ACB. I believe one of the producers confirmed

This all makes sense, except Mat Pat doesn't acknowledge that the ACB could be multiple people. Shirly, writing the notes and can't help but mention God; Britta, sees how close Jeff and Annie are getting; Prof. Duncan, providing the quarters and access to the teacher's lounge; Annie, learns about the group working together but keeps it a secret (maybe being blackmailed by someone), therefore looking guilty when the ACB is mentioned again; Hickey, learned about Dave Mathews from Duncan and is therefore able to identify him later on in the show. It could be Abed, or maybe Abed is just pulling the strings on a massive conspiracy that keeps everyone on their toes.

I'd even say that the comment over the phone about Jeff and Annie's team-up was _appropriately_ meta.

'it would be insane for her to be keeping such meticulous notes on a crime spree she herself was committing' Yeah, good thing these characters are all completely sane. All of them.

The attention to detail and hidden secrets in this show is INSANE! In season 6 Buzz Hickey disappeared without an explanation but an email discussing his funeral was briefly shown in the episode where everyone's emails were leaked

So glad everyone watched the same show this week cause of Netflix

His real name is Mathew Patrick, but real fans call him Matpat

Not to mention, who is the most likely character to own a pair of night-vision goggles? (evident in the bleachers' scene when we experience the perspective of the ACB)

What if this is like a scream situation where there’s two bandits? Annie and Abed

Screen writer: Says Annie is the ACB Mat Pat: I don’t think so

Abed also didn't disclose a secret in Intro to Felt when he clearly nodded yes with the group when asked if they had all shared a secret after Shirley's confession

I always thought the montage at the end was supposed to imply that all of them, all of the people shown, did at least one cracking.

I love how Mat doesn’t even mention that Pierce is fucking dead after Season 4

When you’re so early the only comments are bots saying “Don’t lie...”

Is it unique to write m’s like that everyone I know does that

Isn't Annie with Jeff when Duncan gets cracked? She runs to tell Jeff that the ACB is Duncan, and seconds later Duncan gets cracked. Also, Annie is the kind of person who would WANT to solve the case, she wants the gold stars and the A+ so it doesn't make sense that she would do it and never solve it - and Annie wouldn't frame an innocent person (see dog episode where she almost transfers). I buy the Abed theory.

I'm OBSESSED with the amount of time and effort in this analysis of an invented mistery from a tv serie. God I love this kind of things

Someone: So have you heard of Communi- My Brain: *K E V I N H A S C H A N G N E S I A*

"mmmmm this extra long churro tastes good in my real mouth" gets me everytime.

It was Professor Duncan. He went away after season 2 and came back in season 5. He had the means (the box of changes). The handwriting on the letters are similar to the one on the “answer” sheets that he gave to Jeff in the pilot episode. He faked the cracking because he knew Annie was onto him. He knows and loves Dave Matthews, and he’s aware of the chemistry between Jeff and Annie. The only hole in this theory is that the caller didn’t have a British accent.

Nah, it was Annie. We know from their psych evals that Abed is the only non-psychopath. And once he saw how much Troy was hurt by the cracking, he would have fessed up. (Like when he stopped Troy from running into the cartoon tunnel). Annie is clearly a sociopath who often obsesses over perceived sleights (the pen) and takes things too far (breaking the Batman DVD).

rule #1 in a murder mystery: EVERYONE is a suspect. even the victims. especially the victims

I’m surprised you haven’t done one about the Scranton Strangler

the way he holds the coin before cracking garret too, we have seen abed do that motion with his hands before quite often

This excludes a lot of minor characters too. I feel it's much more likely that it's a side character than the main cast. Notably Neil, Magnitude, and Leonard who all appeared by season 2 and could be potential candidates as the ACB. Todd would make a decent candidate too but he was introduced in season 3 and may not have attended Greendale during the ACB's initial spree. Now while Neil was in this episode and notably called out Garrett while on his way to Shirley's Sandwiches opening, he could've looped around and cracked Garrett. We don't see Magnitude during this episode so it's possible he was hiding in the shadows (his backstory is extremely murky; in s2e6 "Intro to Political Science he is shown as being 16 but appears in a flashback when Annie smashes through the glass door at the party Trop "injured" his shoulder which calls into question his actual age, he's actually British but pretends to be American, and is extremely affable which could just be a front). Leonard, while definitely older, was into frisbee, swimming and tai chi so he could be in surprising shape and does not appear in any cracking scenes but does appear in the episode giving more credibility to him being the ACB than Magnitude. This also leaves out other instructors like Sean Garrity who appears in both seasons 2 and 5 (when the ACB is actively referenced). One last teacher of note would be Cory Radison who (allegedly) killed the Glee Club and disappeared when he let that slip so the return of the ACB could be revenge.