The Community Season 3 Episode That Was Ahead Of Its Time

NBC

Some shows succeed due to good acting. Others engage with mind-blowing concepts. And still others thrive off incredible writing. Every once in a while, you get a unicorn of a production that combines all of these traiths into something truly special. "Community" is one of those unique occurrences in the timeline of humanity, and one episode shows that more than most: Season 3, Episode 4: "Remedial Chaos Theory."

The episode is not just confidently told — it was ahead of its time. First airing in 2011 (when the MCU's "Avengers" had yet to assemble for the first time on the silver screen), "Remedial Chaos Theory" dove headlong into the concept of the multiverse before it was a buzzword. When the study group gathers for pizza and games at Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed's (Andy Pudi) new apartment, they decide to roll a die to see who will go pick it up. When Jeff (Joel McHale) suggests the idea, Abed warns, "Just so you know, Jeff, you are now creating six different timelines."

The rest of the episode is spent showing all six timelines play out. One version is particularly dark, and the show returned to that timeline multiple times in later episodes. It was a fun watch when it aired, but over time, "Remedial Chaos Theory" has proven to be a harbinger of the multiverse mania to come. The most prominent example came in the post-"Avengers: Infinity War" era, when Marvel Studios dove headlong into the multiverse concept. But, at the end of the day, all those movies were exploring an idea that "Community" had already nailed a decade earlier.

Marvel Studios

The multiverse isn't the only connection between "Community" and Marvel. There's a bigger, more direct one in the form of directing duo Anthony and Joe Russo. The directors started their Marvel Studios careers with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (my personal favorite and a high entry on /Film's Marvel Cinematic Movie rankings). They were also behind "Captain America: Civil War," "Avengers: Infinity War," "Avengers: Endgame," and recently returned to direct "Avengers: Doomsday."

But before all that? The dynamic duo directed episodes of "Community," also serving as a executive producers on the show. No, they didn't direct "Remedial Chaos Theory," but they helmed many others, including an epic paintball two-parter to end Season 2. One of those episodes was "Star Wars"-themed, and it caught the eye of the head boss at Marvel, Kevin Feige. Joe Russo credited "Community" for his MCU career:

"When [Kevin Feige] got to those episodes, obviously, 'Star Wars' being so important to him, I think he adored those two back-to-back paintball episodes. And he reached out and asked us if we had any interest in comic books. And we did, and now we're here."

So, yes, "Community" may have indirectly set the stage for Marvel's multiverse saga. But it was also the launch pad that gave the MCU two of its most successful directors.

NBC

Whether you're talking about "Community" being ahead of its time or its creators impressing major studio executives, there's no doubt that the show is studded with one episodic gem after another. For starters, "Remedial Chaos Theory" still holds a 9.8 out of 10 stars on IMDb, and our own SlashFilm ranking has it in the No. 1 spot for the best "Community" episodes. But its high quality is not an anomaly. There are many other outstanding episodes, many of which feature some kind of unique element, like the multiverse or paintball, that help them stand out. Out of the show's 110 episodes, fully 20 of them have 9 stars or more on IMDB. These spin magic out of a smorgasbord of concepts like "Dungeons and Dragons," 2D gaming, the Mafia, and Ken Burns documentaries.

A lot of the greatness comes from the writing. (Personally, while it isn't my favorite show as a whole, I do think it is the most well-written show of all time.)  "Community's" writers had to learn to bend the rules of TV. They had to learn how to get outside the traditional television rulebook while staying entertaining. As series creator Dan Harmon put it:

"In point of fact, we often stumble across things. We will suddenly realize that we've been thinking in terms of rules, and we take that opportunity to stop at that moment and ask ourselves why those things are rules."

That willingness to think outside the box led to one success after another, including "Remedial Chaos Theory," one of the truly great visionary moments in modern television.