Top 10 Details You Never Noticed in Community

“Community” is known for its witty dialogue and meta references, but the show isn’t above a good old-fashioned pun from time to time. In the season three opener, “Biology 101,” the Dean tells the gang it’s time to clean up Greendale, starting with airing out the monkey living in the vents. As Jeff chases Chang through the school, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cutaway shows the security guards about to blow a knockout gas into the vents. The name of the gas, as written on the canister, is “Chimpan-ZZZs.” It’s an easy gag to miss, but one that shows no detail is wasted on “Community.”

“Community’s” season six episode “Modern Espionage” features an obvious reference to a scene from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” This time it involves Dean Pelton, armed only with paintballs, trapped inside an elevator full of enemies. The parody itself is not so subtle – but as always with “Community,” there’s parodies within the parody. The scene is a nod to the Russo brothers, who directed “The Winter Soldier,” with Joe Russo cutting his teeth on some of “Community’s” early paintball episodes. Though the brothers didn’t direct this episoded, the last thug taken out by the Dean might look familiar to MCU fans, as the very same stuntman appears in both elevators.

“Community” is so committed to its own continuity that even the most trivial lines of dialogue can have meaning down the line. In the ninth episode of season two, Troy and Abed make one of their infamous blanket forts. In the very next episode, Troy comments that his uncle recently passed away. Nothing to see here, right? An entire season later, in “Studies in Modern Movement,” Troy notes that blanket forts “aren’t just for when uncles die.” The obvious implication here is that Troy built a blanket fort as a way to cope with his uncle’s death – an easily-missed payoff we never knew we needed.

“Remedial Chaos Theory” is one of the show’s most memorable episodes, but there’s meaning to be found in its least memorable moments. Troy and Abed’s apartment number, “303,” is a direct reference to the episode number, which was supposed to be the third in season three. The episode was pushed back in editing, becoming the season’s fourth episode, but the door number remained. When they arrive at the apartment, Annie and Britta debate whether they should go to “304” instead. The lines were added later, sounding like simple dialogue to those just watching – but getting a guaranteed laugh out of anyone who followed the production drama.

In the season four episode “Herstory of Dance,” Brie Larson’s Rachel tells Abed this is the most she’s had at work since she ran the frozen yogurt machine – “until that old guy broke it.” A season earlier, an end credits scene shows Pierce struggling over a soft serve machine. Believe it or not though, Rachel could also be referring to another frozen goods machine broken by Pierce. In a future season four episode, we learn that the group crossed paths before attending Greendale, and that their fates are connected by a frozen yogurt place. The gang later implies that they saw an old man break this machine too – and then fake a heart attack. Sound like anyone we know?

Most of us know that saying the name Beetlejuice three times in a row summons the bio-exorcist. It’s less clear how the supernatural Tim Burton villain has anything to do with an NBC sitcom. The origin of “Community’s” Beetlejuice gag traces back to season one, when Professor Slater tries to remember Britta’s name. In season two, Britta says the name when describing Jeff’s underwear. Another season later, Annie describes Britta’s Halloween playlist as little but the Beetlejuice soundtrack, and wouldn’t you know it – an actor dressed as Beetlejuice walks by in the background. It’s one of “Community’s” longest set ups for one of its shortest payoffs, but absolutely worth it as far as we’re concerned.

Ahead of the final season, Paget Brewster was cast as part of the new look study group, but the actress had already appeared in the show as a different character. Brewster made a season five cameo as IT support worker Debra, assisting Annie’s “Save Greendale” campaign. In season six, Brewster – now as Frankie – is frustrated that she can’t find the “IT lady.” She adds that her emails are bouncing back, and when she tries to call, she hears a high-pitched whistle that gives her a nosebleed. In the season two episode “Paradigms of Human Memory,” Jeff attributes Troy’s nosebleed to Abed being “too meta.”

In the season two episode “Critical Film Studies,” Abed tells Jeff that he appeared as an extra on “Cougar Town” and got so nervous he – let’s just say – filled his pants. The story is absurd enough to stand on its own, but creator Dan Harmon took it a step further. Harmon, pals with “Cougar Town” showrunner Bill Lawrence, actually arranged for actor Danny Pudi to appear in the ABC sitcom’s season two finale. Clearly in character, Pudi does all but stare into the lens, and eventually runs away for … obvious reasons. Actors Busy Phillips and Dan Byrd went the other way, briefly appearing in “Community’s” own season finale – leading to one of the most elaborate sitcom crossovers, with confused fans on both sides.

The season five premiere, “Repilot,” attempts to get “Community” back on track after a divisive fourth season. Typically meta, Abed comments on the repiloting of the show, rounding off his misgivings by noting that Zach Braff left the ninth season of “Scrubs” after only six episodes. Troy, played by Donald Glover, has a meta reply of his own (b-roll). Although we didn’t know it yet, writer Dan Harmon would have been all too aware that Glover was leaving the show himself. Troy even goes one better than “Scrubs’” JD, sailing away after just five episodes of the new season.

When Shirley goes into labor at the end of season two, Abed explains he delivered a baby earlier the same year, while everyone else was “off in the background.” True to form, “Community” had already paid off this joke. In the season’s third episode, Abed has an entire subplot play out in the background, meeting a pregnant woman, getting into a scrap with the child’s father, and helping deliver the baby in the back of her truck. But this background couple’s storyline goes back even further. In a season one episode, exactly nine months earlier, Abed warns the students not to use the school’s branded condoms, and the very same couple are seen throwing away their own condom wrapper.