Community: "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" and the Documentary Sitcom

Community is one of my favourite comedies currently on the air, and this episode is no exception.  I found it to be one of the best of the season in terms of pure, laugh out loud comedy, between moments such as the "Jeff Winger's dumb gay dad" conversation, and of course, this:

Of specific interest, however, is the use of the faux documentary style in this episode.  As with the other times in Community, its use as a "meta" storytelling device is not a point of its own, but rather, a tool to tell the story the writers want to tell, while still having fun.  Some see this episode as a not-so-subtle dig at shows which use the documentary style such as The Office, Parks and Recreation or Modern Family.  While some jokes are had in pointing out  some of the ways this style can suggest a "profound thematic connection" or easily portray emotions using "talking heads," I don't believe the episode is a straightforward condemnation of these techniques.  


While the episode may point out these techniques in Community's "meta" way, it is still using them itself in a very conscious way.  As Abed himself points out, it's easier to tell a complex story when you can cut to people explaining things to the camera.  This episode in particular is telling quite a complex story, and definitely one more complex than Community often tackles.  Jeff's insecurities with his father, and how he transfers his aggression (somewhat justifiably) onto Pierce is a story that deals with a lot of pent up emotions that, from a writing perspective, are incredibly difficult to get across to the viewer.  It is through the documentary style that we are able to appreciate the subtleties of Jeff's anger and why Pierce would lash out at his friends.  While it is debatable whether their reconciliation at the end of the episode is earned or not, it is clear that the documentary style was chosen very specifically in the writing of this episode to tell this story.


While "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" joyfully points out how using this format of sitcom makes it easier to tell a story, even Abed points out, "It works."