Frankie is Not What She Seems: A Community Theory 

hey guys - this is just fun speculation. I am not seriously trying to convince you that Frankie is a Hell-Beast from the Netherworld. Didn’t think I’d have to point that out, but this is weirdly hitting the algorithm about 1 year after release, and I’m getting a few comments which aren’t seeming to get this. If you want to see *serious* analysis - great! I’ve got a bunch of other videos on this show, with another coming sometime this week. Here’s a link: ru-vid.com/group/PLsf-M5Ux6kmWF4ge9iKpGamF41oSMPncN

"Or maybe a genie, I'm not prepared to rule out genie" sounds like a line from community

Theory for why Demon Frankie came to Greendale: same reason as everyone else, she had nowhere else to go

Also, don't forget they summoned Beetlejuice after saying his name 3 times. Definitely lends some credit to the idea of Greendale being supernatural in some way.

How about how canonically, in Basic Crisis Room Decorum opening scene, she reveals she doesn't sleep but just rests half her brain at a time?

Adding to the theory, in Wedding Videography Frankie mentioned being at a sleepover that turned into her getting rocks thrown at her and one of her first adjective to describe it is ‘biblical’ Sure it’s just part of the joke but with this added layer it adds to it.

Now this is a man that knows how to make a community video!

I don't think Frankie is a demon. Quite the opposite. She is an angel sent to save Greendale and help everyone move on.

How did she learn steel drums so dang fast? Demon!

Frankie is one of my favorites. she feels like she's from a different genre. like, a lawyer procedural stuck in a comedy which makes her hilarious

Dude! It goes further! Don’t forget the EXORCISM in the gymnasium! S5 E12 the first is “According to the demonologist, the gymnasium is clean” and then they cut to the stars where it says “exorcise gymnasium demons” Adding to your theory that demon moved into the IT ladies body because she would cut through the gym to get to her office quicker because of the parking spot she didn’t get!

I'll be honest, I thought Frankie kept making religious references because it's the only creative media she consumes - kind of like a "that's how boring she is lmao" type thing.

I'm a big fan of the idea that Greendale is a focus of supernatural activity, specially since that's exactly what Archie's city named Greendale is. Which is a funny coincidence.

Alright hear me out here, it's Frankie AND Elroy. Keith David is not only in The Cape, which is commented on in the show with a wink and a nod, but he also provided the voice for the pillow/blanket war episode. He was also presented as a God figure in his first appearance, as The Architect. Both highly meta casting choices for this show, both I think have potential for supernatural shenanigannery. Elroy as a failed God, Frankie as a humble outsider who is just getting a handle on things.

Epidemiology is my personal favorite episode. Not only am i a sucker for Abba's entire discography, but i think it perfectly encapsulates the other-worldly nature of Greendale. A zombie outbreak with everyone in costume, we see more of Rich's ted bundy behavior, troy confesses his love as abed sacrifices himself, and last but not least Chang & Shirley hook up? all for everyone to not remember a thing?? if that doesn't prove greendale is a purgatory where few can leave, i dont know what does.

the hangglider bit was the funniest thing community did for me. maybe its just good acting but it sold me on the school board dudes as part of the world of community more than anything else, and felt like it was justified within the established world. would've jumped the shark in any other show

I would have included Abed’s videos where he predicts the future as evidence of the supernatural. I know they have explanation that he was simply able to read his friends very well, but they still hinted at it being a supernatural ability and left the plot thread slightly open-ended

just started rewatching season six and right before frankie shows up chang says he's been reliving the same day for a thousand years

"The Metaphysical Status Of Frankie Dart" would make a wonderful video essay title in itself.

Don't forget in s6 e1 Frankie's list of completed tasks includes "debunked" "resanctified" and "exhumed". Sounds to me like while looking into a potential haunting/possession that Frankie came across something quite interesting. Maybe it shouldn't have been debunked so quickly. Add to that she was able to suddenly complete a binder's worth of Annie work. Seems like something only a demon could pull off.

I think of Frankie as someone who fits in with the crazy people of Greendale more than she thinks, she imagines herself as the stable, responsible, boring one but in her introduction she has that line about hierarchy and her belief in it which she later repeats at a job interview where it's called out as pompous and super weird. She is only normal when compared to the insanity of GCC and so she realizes that she belongs there. Greendale is a haven for weird people of all kinds, and not everyone is fun quirky weird. Starburns is funny/creepy weird. Garrett is nerdy/lame weird. The original main cast were all crazy in their own ways, and the Dean is a nut case. So to me Frankie represents someone who learned about responsibility and leadership from mythology and books, making her speak and act in an antiquated, austere and bizarre way when compared to typical social norms. As a former NJCL nerd I definitely relate.

I have my own supernatural theory about Frankie, but it's less villainous than this: Frankie tells us that she has two sisters. One of whom is dead, and the other is insane. She moved to Greendale to take care of the crazy one. I think the Season 5 IT lady was Frankie's sister who died. Something supernatural happened to the two sisters who were already living in Greendale. This is possibly tied to Frankie's parents who she wanted to consider monsters, but were just people who made mistakes. It's possible the parents were dabbling with the dark arts, and their daughters paid the price. The IT lady's soul got pulled into another realm, and witnessing it drove the other sister insane. The IT lady's soul is trapped over there, like in "Poltergeist" or "White Noise" (2005 horror starring Michel Keaton). In both of those movies, technology can be used to communicate with the trapped spirits. This ties into Frankie NOT wanting to own a television for fear of being sucked into that realm herself. It explains why she hears those ghostly sounds when she tries calling the IT lady. And it works with her "journaling device" of sending emails to her dead sister. I think those emails are how she's communicating with the IT lady sister trapped on the other side, and she's simultaneously taking care of the crazy sister while trying to figure out how to save the other's soul.

Frankie isn't a demon - if anything, she seems like an angel, maybe one that Shirley prayed would arrive during her absence. Her presence at Greendale helped make sure everyone got to where they needed to go in their lives, including some much needed confrontations especially led by Britta (also Elroy confronting Natal- I mean, Julie). Had she not arrived, things would've remained stagnant, but Frankie encouraged the group to fight against their natural temptations and instincts.

More (possibly) paranormal activity in greendale: 1) beetlejuice is summoned the 3rd time his name is said 2) pierce's hologram that only jeff saw 3) pierce's 'buddhist' church references metaphysical topics often

Also, in season 6 (I think it's the Garrett wedding episode) Frankie mentions being literally stoned (like with rocks) at a slumber party

This is good I never thought of this one. My theory was always that Frankie's sister was the it woman and she died. Hence the references to her sister multiple times. And Frankie being brilliant but slightly insane went to the school on a mission to fix it to make up for her sister's death.

It's crazy how they show he actually goes into hickey's mind

Frankie makes a joke near the end of the season about how she came in and nailed it. I couldn't agree more. I think she's my favorite of the new additions in the later seasons.

"Why is an Ancient magical entity infiltrating Greendale?" Easy because its a place for second chances 😊

I definitely immediately clutched onto the fact that a voice was speaking Aramaic, and then to Abed asking Elroy if he was a demon. Thought it was interesting, but I didn’t give it much thought beyond that 😂

So, while I don't actually think that we have a spiritual being incarnating into Greendale as a overly serious and professional lady... Frankie might as well be one. Her being so much of a straight man is as alien as a demon to that school. She is unironically one of the best plays the series ever did. With the escalation of the setting and series humour, grounding it back to the perspective of such a character while still making her be part of the Greendale absurdism and humpur is a great writing result. I really really like Frankie as well. She is that serious and professional punch that the Greendale college needed, yet she isn't free from her weird angle and her own absurdity. You feel that she is at risk of being pulled too deep in it just like it happened to Jeff. That being said, I am still mad she was only in season 6. Season 5 would have been enhanced by her character as well. But I guess that the short episode count also supports her unique role in the series history. Hope to see more of her in the film!

Did everyone forget that in the episodes where Chang took over the school, the psychologist called Greendale purgatory. Maybe it wasnt exactly a lie. *Good Place spoiler* Greendale has a quasi supernatural element to its bringing in of people that need some help to end up as good people. Like what heaven became in the GP, but still on Earth.

I really like this channel having both thematic analysis and lore theories like this.

I’d also argue that something out of the ordinary is happening with the timelines. It feels like too much of a coincidence that Jeff would imagine the exact scenario of what the darkest timeline would look like, how would he know that evil Shirley was an alcoholic, evil Annie was insane, evil Troy had the voice thing, etc. You could argue that Jeff imagined the entirety of the dark timeline, but Abed interacted with the same dark timeline’s evil Abed.

The reason why Abed fails to notice it is because Frankie has the ability to deflect detection, and even though Abed fired that shot of accusation, it hit the wrong character. Abed CAN identify demonic activities, but even he is prone to demonic influences (to a lesser degree as compared to everyone else)

This is just the kind of far fetched conjecture I live for

she was wearing blue as the IT lady , and Black Red as the demon lady... She was an actor on Criminal Minds were she hunted and caught "demonic people". Community has a grasp on shows and worlds outside its own (Cougar Town ~)

Please make more I’m a community super fan and unfortunately I couldn’t find many videos of theories on RU-vid which was quite surprising considering the amount of material we’ve got to work with

About Abed mentioning that demon thing - since everything Abed has assumed what would happen in each of the episodes DID come true, it would also make sense for the demon thing to be true, but only that he suspected the wrong person. It always was the shows running gag that Abed made such accurate and scary storyline guesses.

The reason she is there is Troy being The One. He comes back for the movie to save the world through a portal that was protected by the AC Repair School and its weird cult like behavior.

And Beetlejuice exists, don't forget that one

On Pierces house theres is a "ghost" thing going on too.

Don't forget the fact that Frankie was once stoned by a group of girls at a sleepover. Stoning, of course, being a common method for executing heretics in Biblical times.

also let's not forget that episode where everyone literally turned into zombies

U forgot to mention when the school became infected by a zombie virus

This video is streets ahead

Season six is so good in a weird, dark kinda way. It has the heart but it definitely isn't wholesome

Let’s go deeper she’s been possessed by the ghost of pierce

Congratulations! 'Frankie is Coach Feratu' is the most out-there _Community_ theory I've ever heard.

About the "if this video gets any response whatsoever"... My response is: I should definitely rewatch Community, I'm planning on doing so for quite some time but somehow never did. So, you video might have pushed me to go back to watch the show.

It was also revealed in the Pillows & Blankets that Greendale was founded by English Memorial who was looking for a magical fountain.

That's the kind of theory video I like, very outlandish and probably non canon yet kind of compelling.

I will never be able to not think about this now while watching season six

I love the idea that Frankie is a demon or some kinda supernatural person. Though as an autistic woman, I do also see the boring likelihood that she sounds weird to people because she is an autistic woman, and it sounds like something she's extremely interested in is religious stuff like ancient lore, which comes up often because it's part of how she processes life, in a similar way to how Abed uses media. I wish I could have watched those 2 bond for more seasons. Really liked that character.

This is hilarious. Don’t forget that Brewster voices the incomparable Sadie Doyle, the married medium who constantly faces off with gods, vampires, and devils.

Hey great video! Super fun theory but I just wanted point out a joke that it seems like you might have missed, the high pitch noise that Frankie is referring to is what you hear when you call a fax machine. The IT lady doesn't want people to actually call her so she said her number is a fax machine 😊

PLEASE MORE COMMUNITY STUFF

“Abed is a shaman.” Jeff Winger, Episode 1.

Frankies character fits as a homeschooled female counterpart to Abed. She probably focused on religious instead of pop culture content growing up, so she falls back to that when trying to make sense or connect.

Ah love a good community video, also love an insane theory nicely done

This theory might of just jumped the shark. Love this channel. I have watched community around 300 times. And have studied it. Thank you for your videos covering community!

As someone who has binged the entire series more times than it's probably healthy for me. It is interesting if you decide watch it with a supernatural/mystical lense. As a fun exercise try and make every fan theory out there fit with the story. even the ones that contradict each other

I honestly missed buzz saying he was thinking of a hang glider, so I didn’t pay that but any mind.

Tysm for making this video Community is my fav show but I haven't thought of a new theory in so long

Abed opened tunnel to hell in the hot lava episode and it's canon that there is a demon at Greendale named Mazmerath iirc. "By the vapors of Mazmerath..."

There are a lot of layers to this. It's almost too conceptual to follow, but...I love it.

I love the community content. Please keep it up.

No crazy, speculative conjecture videos?! Who got to you! Love the Community essays, keep it up!

Great video man

On the supernatural front, don't forget the Pierce ghost/hologramme from the start of S5

Frankie is one of my favorite additions to the show so I'm very concerned and interested in this one

This was awesome!

Look this is a world where a REAL zombie outbreak broke out and simultaneously fixed itself. I can get behind most things supernatural.

Perhaps Frankie, the demon/genie who nailed it, was summoned by Hickey in S5E3 Basic Intergluteal Numismatics as he's investigating the scene of Troy's cracking: "Frankie, somebody get me a bag." What's Frankie carrying in her very first scene of S6?

Good work as usual

This was a great video for me to stumble upon at 2 AM on Halloween.

Not to mention the parallel universes/dark timeline, as well as the hypnotism episode where predictions come true

I think you made a video about greendale being the show always jumping the shark, this would be an excellent way to actually jump the shark for a movie, make demons be real and have the group need to defeat Frankie and the tech guy

Please dig into that Abed scene with the Teachers Lounge camera gag, when first watching I thought Abed was about to break the code or something similar. XD

Obviously, Britta is possessed. That explains why her character changes so much for no apparent reason.

The algorithm brought me here. Just subscribed 💯💯💪🏼👍 keep it up, love you’re analysis. And yeah, I’m also a Community fan 🤗

That Keith David being a demon might be a roundabout Spawn reference. Maybe her fitting in so well works because she's Abed with her references being less pop-culture and more myth. I wont discount your demon theory though cause im not 100% convinced Greendale isnt an elaborate mental hospital(also that psychic stuff)

So Greendale is a neighborhood from The Good Place? Fascinating

I'm surprised you forgot to mention the actual greendale zombies as a proof of supernaturality(?). Literal, flesh biting zombies. On the campus. Infecting people.

that was a fun theory to explore. maybe this video will inspire her story if her character makes it into the movie!

Love me some community content! Keep it up!

More community content? Yes, please!

I completely agree with your analysis. Well done.

11 months later, this finally shows up on my recommends.

You totally left out the Dean getting taco meat from a military corp thing for Halloween and all the students of greendale turning into zombies.

Jesus that shot from Aladdin was SHOCKING

New sub! Good shit pal!

I can't remember what it was but I read a long time ago that the high pitch ringing is supposed to be a reference to something.

MOAR! Please.

Are you also the dude that came up with the Tyrion is a Time-Traveling Fetus theory? Still, this was fun!

More community content Mr PoG please and thank you

I'm pretty sure that in one of the Season 5 episodes there was mention of a demonologist and a pentagram. I can't remember the episode though.

How'd she fill the role so well? Cause Paget Brewster is a goddess!!

What is the song used in the beginning of this video?

How did you record the audio narration for this? Was it an Apple iPhone? Just curious.