Season one of Community got off to something of a slow start. However, once it found its groove and figured out exactly the kind of series it could be, it took off. The ratings weren’t huge but the show was beginning to carve out a niche audience that was passionate.
Community avoided the sophomore slump with what is arguably their finest stretch of episodes. Season two brought in some fantastic guest stars and tried things that had never been before on television. Using the ratings of IMDb users, we’re ranking the best and worst from Community season two.
Worst: Applied Anthropology And Culinary Arts (8.0)
You know we’re off to a good start when an 8/10 rating is on the “worst” side. “Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts” is the twenty-second episode and is appropriately titles. For the latter half, Greendale hosted a food festival in the parking lot that turned into a race kerfuffle.
The first half of the title was related to the class having their Anthropology final interrupted by Shirley going into early labor. Everyone bands together to help her. It’s also a big moment as we find out if the baby ’s father is Chang or Shirley’s ex-husband. It worked to wrap up storylines before the epic two-part finale.
Best: Epidemiology (9.3)
Once again, Community delivered for their Halloween episode. It started fun enough with just the costumes, as Troy and Abed sported an Alien themed duo getup, while Jeff went as David Beckham, and the Dean was Lady Gaga. The episode became special once people started going crazy.
“Epidemiology,” the sixth episode of the season, worked as a zombie story. A rabies-style outbreak began, with students taking bites out of each other. One by one, the study group saw their numbers dwindle like a classic zombie film. To top it off, most of the episode was set to ABBA songs, in the most perfect Community way possible.
Worst: Celebrity Pharmacology 212 (8.0)
“Celebrity Pharmacology 212” was the rare installment to put the main story in the hands of Annie and Pierce. The latter bribed Annie for a bigger role in the anti-drug play she was directing. Of course, Pierce used this to try and become a star, turning drugs into something positive for the children.
While the fans appreciated this main story, the subplots lacked a bit. Jeff pretending to be Britta and sending an inappropriate text from her phone? Shirley being mean to Chang as he tried to be nice to her? These weren’t interesting storylines to follow. It was the thirteenth episode and it was mostly forgettable.
Best: Conspiracy Theories And Interior Design (9.4)
Jeff Winger finally found the perfect blowoff class. The one that doesn’t exist. He was about to get caught in his lie when a Professor Professorson showed up, claiming it was real. “Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design” is the ninth episode and put the focus on this concept.
Guest star Kevin Corrigan took on the role and stole the show. We watched as he revealed plot twists wrapped in shocking reveals. Jeff, Annie, and Dean Pelton get involved, culminating in a final scene filled with prop guns that is among the wildest in television history.
Worst: Messianic Myths And Ancient Peoples (7.8)
In this fifth episode of the season, Shirley found that millions liked a blasphemous YouTube video but only a dozen people attended her church. To help fix this, she asked Abed to direct a viral video that could promote the church. Abed only accepts when he finds the filmmaker’s value.
He began production on a film titled, “ABED.” He walked around the school as if he was God himself, sparking a rivalry with Shirley. The side story was better, as it saw Pierce hang out with troublemaking elders at school. Jeff and Britta acted as his de facto parents while he was being a brat.
Best: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (9.5)
This was a case of Community doing something special and knocking it out of the park. They took something as simple as Dungeons & Dragons to put on an episode, the fourteenth of the season, that was funny, true to the characters, and ultimately sent a good message to everyone watching at home.
The study group came together to play the game with a classmate, Neil, who was going through a rough patch. Upset at being left out due to his attitude, Pierce takes on the role of a villain. He bullies Neil throughout the game. The emotional story combined with the creative use of Dungeons & Dragons made this a fan favorite.
Worst: Competitive Wine Tasting (7.6)
As this season was wrapping up, it delivered some knockout episodes. This, episode twenty, is in the middle of a batch of pretty strong installments. “Competitive Wine Tasting” saw Jeff become obsessed when a woman rejects him and instead goes for Pierce.
Fans weren’t interested in seeing Jeff be this petty. His fragile ego was always a thing but this was just annoying. There’s also the problematic subplot of Troy lying about being sexually abused just so he can do well in acting class and have Britta be attracted to him.
Best: For A Few Paintballs More (9.6)
It’s kind of weird to talk about this episode before its predecessor but that’s how the rankings landed. “For A Few Paintballs More” is the season two finale. It takes the brilliance of season one’s “Modern Warfare” and kicks things up a notch by raising the stakes.
City College concocts a sinister plot behind the paintball game. The study group leads Greendale into a battle for the school’s life. It was all made better by the Star Wars theme, complete with Abed taking on the role of a Han Solo like character that Annie was smitten with.
Worst: Custody Law And Eastern European Diplomacy (7.5)
Similar to “Competitive Wine Tasting,’ this episode saw characters doing unlikeable or uninteresting things from start to finish. The eighteenth installment, it felt like a break from the show’s strongest run to that point. First, you had Britta hooking up with Troy and Abed’s friend and finding out that he’s a war criminal.
On the other hand, there was Jeff getting annoyed that Chang was living with him. It’s okay to be annoyed with that prospect. However, Jeff took it too far by getting him arrested and using Shirley’s parental rights against him. The whole thing was questionable at best.
Best: A Fistful Of Paintballs (9.7)
The first part of the two-part finale, “A Fistful of Paintballs” was the first look at the series taking a game of paintball assassin to the next level. It took on the feel of a spaghetti western and was masterfully done. It also helped close out the storyline of Pierce’s feud with the rest of the study group.
The episode was bolstered by a guest appearance from Josh Holloway, famous for playing Sawyer on Lost. He even brought some of his famous one-liners and nicknames with him. The whole thing was directed by Joe Russo, who went on with his brother to helm Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
