Isn't the whole joke in this scene that the argument serves as a completely artificial conflict that exists solely to drive the episode's plot? It doesn't revolve around anything except a meta joke about the structure of TV episodes. Hence Jeff's contrived line "This is a fight. We are fighting." - which is there to drive home the point that the writers couldn't (or chose not to) come up with a new and plausible reason for the group to fight with Jeff?
It's because Barenaked Ladies did the theme song for Big Bang Theory (BBT) which was the number one comedy at the time, so they're subtly taking shots at that show.
@@jamesstobie8968 I think it goes back to a potshot at the Barenaked Ladies that Joel McHale (Jeff's actor) made as host of The Soup. Bet he got a lot of hate mail, he mentioned it offhand to the writers, they saw the humor in that and wrote it into the script
The best part is how they seem to be more pissed at Jeff’s hatred of the Barenaked Ladies than they are of the idea that their friend is addicted to painkillers.
harmon: "Somewhere along the line it became, 'Well, this is a story about Jeff’s relationship with the group.' I decided that it’s halfway through season two. We will never go backward from this. Jeff will be in love with the group now. After this, you’ll barely be able to tell the difference, but he’ll never again have the relationship with the group on the table for negotiation. It will only be prices having to be paid for committing to that relationship, whether he likes it or not. So this must be the episode where he says he loves them. So I guess that means, as in a typical rom-com, it’s preceded with him experimenting with not loving them, and cheating on them, in fact."
I like how this insane fight, one where everyone but Jeff is united upon and takes umbrage to when insulted, is the *only* time BNL are ever brought up in the series, and it's beautiful
I am not exaggerating when i say that to me, this is one of the best-written scenes in all of television. This is everything that makes Community great in just over a minute. It takes a standard trope of "the main cast gets in a fight" using a serious topic (drug addiction) and an over-the-top pop culture reference paired together to make a ridiculous, yet believable scenario that you can identify with the conflict of and also laugh at. Side note, this also works so well out of context. You could show this clip to someone unfamiliar with the show and you could instantly identify each character's relationship with one another and their personalities based on the dialogue here.
One thing I learned in life is that Awards are a popularity contest, not a testament to who is the best. I love Donald Glover, don't get me wrong, but still.
How would The Big Bang Theory (not abbreviating it) handle a joke about the Barenaked Ladies? Probably something along the lines of: Leonard: "Hey Sheldon, what are you listening to?" Sheldon: "Oh, just the Barenaked Ladies". Laugh track: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I love when shows tell me when to laugh. Sometimes I'm just not sure when something's funny but then I hear a laugh track and I know. It's not condescending, it's just so much easier not to process things on my own you know?
“It might not shock you guys to find out the real reason we had a fight today. It wasn’t about the Barenaked Ladies, although I do have some unresolved issues there. It was because, caring about a person can be scary, and caring about six people can be a horrifying, embarrassing nightmare, at least for me. But if I can’t say it today, when can I say it? I love you guys. Oh, and Pierce, take it from an expert. These knuckleheads are right outside your heart. Let em in, before it’s too late. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
I love this scene because it shows how brilliant this show is. I think this is one of the biggest "fights" that the group has ever had and it's over the Bare Naked Ladies. How funny is that? Out of everything, THAT is what they argue about.
Edit: kinda saddens me that every day that goes by I agree more and more with Jeff. Maybe One Week *is* the only good song made by The Barenaked Ladies.
Mid 90's? Maybe in the states. In Canada we got five years of them before they exploded worldwide, we get one of their tracks on the radio every hour, songs so deftly balancing humour and the struggles of young adult life, you would shit your pants.
Yes but BBT gets most of its jokes by paying out geek culture. Compare the D&D eps of Big Bang Theory and Community. In Community they treat it with respect as you really get the feel of how people love that game (me one of them). Big Bang Theory on the other hand uses most of its jokes as basiclly going "Look their nerds playin D&D. Laugh. Look theyre actually taking this stupid fictional thing seriously. What geeks. Laugh at them"
Also Community's D&D episode has one of the series' strongest emotional cores holding the episode together as well as some of Chevy Chase's finest acting moments
@@natman6905 THIS IS A FIGHT. WE..ARE FIGHTING... When it's Ed and Kevin doing Yoko Ono, Brian Wilson, Million Dollars, Good Boy, or anything before Rock Spectacle, Steven's voice is just so unique
I was watching Community and I paused right after the shortened theme song to watch the full theme song then in the related videos I see this, and this is the continuation of the episode I was watching lmao
Community is one of those awesome epic shows that deserve every chance to stay, but they don't get to, because people watch other stuff and totally disregard this. Remember Chuck? Same story. Kudos for NBC for sticking with it even with so few people watching it. I really hope it won't get cancelled. GO COMMUNITY!
I saw the Bare Naked Ladies in 1989 before they were BNL. Just the two front guys playing the Ontario university circuit, with two guitars, lots of jokes, and good tunes. More of a comedy act than a band. Great stuff. Three years later they were on the way to stardom.
I had this girl in junior high who used to tell me that her uncle was in BNL I never believed her… until one day they came to our town for a concert and she brought a few of us to the concert, then backstage then on to the tour bus! Kelly you’re the best love u girl!
As a Canadian, my blood started to boil at "the most celebrated alt rock band of the mid 90's" outside of Canada? Maybe? In Canada? I'd have to give that Honor to The Tragically Hip
Also a Canuck who enjoyed the 90's in my 20's here. The Hip are in the top of the Canadian pantheon of bands no doubt - but remember this is an American TV show and the Hip were resolutely Canadian in their music throughout their run - songs like Bobcaygeon and Wheat Kings made references to places that many Americans couldn't find on a map. No shade towards BNL here but their main appeal to the south was audiences in the US starting as a poppy nerdy fun listen on US college radio and spread from there as a more generic accessible band for US radio / audiences. I like both bands but the Hip was our own thing - BNL was more of a band that left home and make it big in the 'big city'. Nothing wrong with either of those situations and proud of both bands. Cool aside? One of my favorite memories of travelling in the 90's was in 1999 when a buddy and I had tried to hit every Irish bar in Antwerp, Belgium on one glorious drunken night. We only made it through 6/12 bars before 6am came and the bartender closed up for the night and offered to make us crepes for breakfast at his place overlooking the gorgeous Antwerp Central Train Station. As we sat there drinking coffee looking out over the Station in the morning mist - suddenly I hear "Bobcaygeon" on his stereo. Turns out this Belgian bartender was a HUGE Hip fan and had all their albums and bootlegs despite never setting foot in Canada. Such an amazing moment.
Nice thing she really qualified that "Canadian alt-rock band of the mid 90's" Everyone knows that when Canadian, Rock and band are used in the same superlative sentence, RUSH is at the top of the heap. Every time.
What really bugs me about TBBT is that the actor that plays the guy with autism has 2 major acting awards and Donald Glover has zero. I don't care what show you like or what your preference is or whatever, that's bullshit.
+musicaltheatergeek79 The masses love TBBT, and most people would use the short-hand of The Big Bang Theory than actually saying it's full name. And Jeff represents the Community fans and it's confusion as to why the 'TBBT', in this case the 'BNL', is loved by the masses a.k.a. the rest of the study group.
+musicaltheatergeek79 oh and I forgot to mention the fan war between the two fanbase. In which the rest of the group defend the 'band' with awards much like how fans of TBBT defends the show by telling community fans how their show has zero awards while TBBT has multiple.
'cause one is critical of its own genre, introspective, rather progressive, & even slightly innovative, while the other is all sorts of -phobic (transphobic being the most heavily featured), vulgar, and features conservative adults disguised as youngsters *laughter rises, audience cheers enthusiastically*
The worst is when people think they are smart for liking that dumb show. There is nothing funny in it. One of my favorite lines about that show was comparing it to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, that the former is a dumb show about smart people, but the latter is a smart show about dumb people.
BBT is frasier but with nerds. You don't have to understand the jokes they just sound nerdy, like in Frasier you don't have to understand the art, classical music or wine references, they just sound upper class. Thats why both shows have the 'average' person character (Penny, Frasier's Dad, Daphne) to counter against it to make it 'relatable'
