Community

Season 5

Repilot

1. This episode saw the return of showrunner Dan Harmon, who was previously fired for the entirety of Season 4. Also returning from the hiatus with Dan Harmon is co-showrunner Chris McKenna and writer Dino Stamatopoulos. The "Gas Leak Year", which is mentioned in this episode, refers to Season 4, as fans and critics, generally, noticed a drop in quality from the series' third season to its fourth.
2. When Jeff shows Dean Pelton the complaint form signed by the other five in the group, Troy's signature is just an X.
3. Abed mentions, and at the end of the episode watches, the ninth season of Scrubs (2001). The ninth season starred Dave Franco and he can be seen in the clip at the end. Dave Franco and Alison Brie are married in real life.
4. WILHELM SCREAM used twice in the tag scene during Abed and Winger's super-fight.
5. Jeff is seen writing with his right hand as Dean Pelton attends to his future class. However, as seen in all other episodes, Jeff is left-handed.
6. When abed mentions scrubs 2001 and how Zach Braff was only in six episodes of season 9 Sarah chalke who plays Zach braffs love interest in the whole series is also a main character in Rick and Morty the tv show Dan Harmon started when he left as show runner for community
7. Chevy Chase's cameo had been kept secret and only the absolute necessary crew was there to shoot his scene. Of the cast, only Joel McHale knew of Chase's appearance.
8. Abed informs the group that Zach Braff left season 9 of Scrubs after the first 6 episodes, to which Troy erupts, "That son of a bitch! After everything that show did for him!" The joke being that Donald Glover was leaving Community after episode 5.
9. Final appearance of Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne.
10. The last episode of the series to feature the original 8 core cast members.
11. Troy's (Donald Glover) dismay at Zach Braff only appearing in six episodes of Scrubs' final season is also a tongue-in-cheek poke at Glover himself. Glover only appears in five episodes of Community's fifth season.

Introduction to Teaching

1. Jeff's office is in room 502, this is episode 5.02

Basic Intergluteal Numismatics

1. First episode featuring Professor Ian Duncan (John Oliver) since season 2, episode 22 when he runs out in the middle of class.
2. The opening credits are a homage to Red Dragon (2002).
3. This episode features a green shading in the color palette of the camera. This is common in various crime films and TV shows.
4. The song sung by Shirley's sons is called "Creep" by the band Radiohead. With the episode being inspired by the works of David Fincher, this song was famously used in the trailer for Fincher's "The Social Network".
5. The scene where Annie begins suspecting Duncan of being the Ass Crack Bandit is an homage to the basement scene from Zodiac (2007) where Jake Gyllenhaal's character slowly realizes the man he is speaking to may be the Zodiac killer.
6. The scene where Annie is in Professor Duncan's office mimics the scene in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) where Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) slowly figures out that she is in the killer's house and has to pretend she hasn't realized.

Cooperative Polygraphy

1. In Community: The Art of Discourse (2010) the epilogue states, "Britta Perry, proud owner used iPod Nano, 2014. In this 2014 episode Pierce leaves his iPod Nano to Britta in his will.
2. On YouTube, to raise money for the charity World Central Kitchen, the cast returned for a livestream table read of this episode in 2020. Goggins was unable to return, but was replaced by Pedro Pascal.
3. While reading out Pierce's bequeathments, Mr. Stone pronounces Abed's name as Pierce did, "Ay-bed", rather than "Ah-bed", as everyone else pronounces it.
4. In one of the original drafts of the episode's script, Abed is actually about to be bequeathed something but refuses before he could be told what it is. He instead decides to forego his bequeathment in exchange for the phone number of the female polygraph technician named "Mara." This is done on his part as a homage to the 1992 film "Sneakers" which a flattered Mara immediately picks up on. After she accepts his proposal, Abed is told by Mr. Stone (originally "Kobayashi", which was the name of the enigmatic lawyer and right-hand man of crime lord Keyser Söze in "The Usual Suspects") that his bequeathment was a limited edition caricature of Muhammad (any images of the Muslim prophet are strictly forbidden by most followers of the religion).
5. Pierce's boat that he tells Troy to sail around the world on is named Childish Tycoon. Donald Glover, who plays Troy, goes by the stage name Childish Gambino for his music career. Pierce tells Troy to take his boat and find himself. Shortly after this episode, Donald Glover left the show to continue his career as Childish Gambino. He released a combined EP/Mixtape named STN MTN / Kauai a year after he finished filming.
6. This is Pierce's second and most successful attempt at destroying Abed and Troy's handshake. The first time was in Community: Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts (2011), when he paid the two $1000 to the rights for their handshake and almost gets them to stop. In this episode he finally destroys it by revealing that Troy got the idea for it online.

Geothermal Escapism

1. This episode for the first time conclusively establishes where the show is set when Jeff mentions that he has never set foot outside of Colorado.
2. When Shirley's Island is falling apart, Magnitude can be heard saying "I'm actually British!", referencing the fact that Luke Youngblood, the actor who plays him, is from the UK (his most well known role being Lee Jordan in the Harry Potter franchise).
3. Chang mentions his celebrity crush is Nathan Fillion, who plays a custodian on the next episode.
4. The scene outside the library shows a garbage bin lying on the ground. In Community: Geography of Global Conflict (2011) it was mentioned that students tend to bump into the left garbage bin coming out of the Library.
5. The outfit that Chang is wearing as one of the "locker boys" is reminiscent of the character Rufio from the movie Hook, particularly the red hairpieces. The Locker boys themselves are also likely meant to be a reference to the Lost Boys.
6. WILHELM SCREAM: Heard when Abed's and Troy's orb runs over an opponent.
7. The boat Troy (Donald Glover) leaves on is called the Childish Tycoon, which is a reference to both Pierce's character and Donald Glover's rap name, Childish Gambino.
8. Troy's sailboat "Childish Tycoon" is a Beneteau 25S, a 25-foot performance cruiser. The back of the boat was digitally filled in and the name added using CGI.
9. Final appearance of Donald Glover as Troy Barnes.
10. The scene where Abed willingly lets go into the lava floor below is a direct reference to Alien³ (1992) where Ripley falls in a similar fashion.
11. Ben Chang confesses his same sex celebrity crush is Nathan Fillion. In the following episode, Analysis of Cork-Based Networking, Fillion has a guest role as Bob Waite - a senior member of Greendale's custodial staff.

Analysis of Cork-Based Networking

1. In the previous episode, Chang mentions that his celebrity same-sex crush is Nathan Fillion. Nathan Fillion guest-stars in this episode.
2. You can see the bulletin board that needs to be replaced fall down in the second episode of the season Community: Introduction to Teaching (2014) just before the protesting students enter the cafeteria.
3. When Abed and Rachel are watching TV and eating popcorn, the show playing is Rick and Morty, Dan Harmon's other show.
4. Katie Leclerc, who plays Carol, the deaf girl Abed is talking to, also plays the deaf characters Daphne on the series "Switched at Birth", and Emily on "The Big Bang Theory".
5. After Professor Hickey leaves the dean's office, disappointed by Annie's joining the very system she tried to beat, the dean exclaims "Oh man, this got Sorkin-y." The Annie/Hickey storyline mimics the compromise and nepotism of an Aaron Sorkin political drama.
6. When Annie yells "everything," this is a reference to Gary Oldman's crooked cop character yelling "everyone" from "Leon The Professional."
7. This episode features Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay Jim Rash, Academy Award winner for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Brie Larson, and Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay Kumail Nanjiani, though Larson won a year later (2015) and Nanjiani's nomination came four years after the episode aired.
8. Some of Chang's dialogue during "Bear Down for Mid-Terms" is taken directly from an e-mail Ken Jeong sent Dan Harmon, asking for a more serious role for his character.
9. On the news segment near the end of the episode a bulletin can be seen, reporting that LeVar Burton and a non celebrity have been captured by pirates in the Gulf of Mexico, the non celebrity being Troy Barnes.
10. Paget Brewster plays the IT-lady, Debra Chambers, in this episode as a guest star. She would later return as a main character in season 6, but playing a different role (Frankie Dart).

Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality

1. Chang's Old Timey Photo Club photo features various behind the scenes Community crew including writer Tim Saccardo and series creator Dan Harmon.
2. Annie taking note of how little she and Shirley did in comparison to the rest of the Save Greendale Committee is a reference to the small amount of screen time they have in the episode. Annie also mentions that they've had enough focus lately to which Shirley grumbles in response "Speak for yourself." This is a reference to how much Annie's character has been featured in the first half of Season Five in comparison to Shirley's character.
3. The chalk board in the last scene hints that Troy is currently in the Bermuda Triangle. The longitude coordinates DMC -70° 23' 49.68 for that area is given as his last known location. The chalkboard reads:" The Bermuda Triangle GCC 506/507HAS ANYONE HEARD FROM TROY? IS IT TRUE? HE MAY HAVE FALLEN INTO A PERFECT STORM? HIS LAST CONTACT LOCATION WAS DMC -70° 23' 49.68 Could a "live" "Troy & Abed in the morning" via satellite be on the horizon? Throw us a lifeline! GCC 513"
4. In the "Old Timey Photo Club" picture at the end, Annie's brother Anthony can be seen standing in the back, though his character wasn't officially introduced until several episodes later.
5. Chang's entertaining a club full of dead people, then s showing up in an of photo with them is a direct nod to Stephen King's The Shining.

App Development and Condiments

1. Mitchell Hurwitz guest stars on this episode as Koogler. Mitchell Hurwitz is best known for creating Arrested Development (2003). Dan Harmon, creator of Community, guest stars on an episode of Netflix's new season of Arrested Development.
2. The MeowMeowBeenz app featured in this episode closely resembles the way the people live in Black Mirror: Nosedive (2016), a season three episode of Black Mirror (2011), where people rate each other based on their interactions. "Nosedive" aired two years after this episode.
3. Joel McHale performs stand-up comedy in this episode. Outside of acting he is a successful stand-up comedian.
4. The costumes and decor of the "5's" are reminiscent of those from Logan's Run (1976).
5. The end credits feature a spoof of an R-rated 1980s teen college film style trailer for a movie called "Koogler".
6. The outfit Star-Burns wears at the end of the episode very closely resembles the one worn by Sean Connery in "Zardoz" (1984).
7. The movie "Koogler", was made in 1984 and was rated "A" for Awesome and was based on the book "Le Désespoir des Travailleurs".

VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing

1. One of Vince Gilligan's only acting roles.
2. Jim Rash joked at the 2019 Community reunion that he performed the Payday Apology Rap in only one take: according to Reddit user Rebecca Coleman, who visited the set on the day the sequence was filmed, the scene actually took multiple takes because no one could keep a straight face. Gillian Jacobs recalls being the worst offender because she could not stop laughing and looking at the camera. Even in the finished episode, Joel McHale and Gillian Jacobs can be seen angling their faces away from the camera to hide their reactions, with Jacobs visibly trying to hide the view of her mouth with her hand: when they turn back to the camera Jacobs is clearly smiling. Dan Harmon remarked there was debate over keeping the take because of this, but ultimately they decided it made sense for Britta to find the situation funny.
3. Jonathan Banks's ("Buzz Hickey") son Claudio portrayed Craig Pelton's assistant, who played the keyboard backing track for the Dean's rap.
4. A riddle is written on the dry erase board behind Annie and Shirley in the study room.If 7/a + 14/l + 21/e + 28/d = Sumtotal 34/S What word am I? If You Guessed "Fourteen" You'r Wrong. Play again - Ask Your friends with Words to Help Clue: No fractions were used Clue 2: pop pop
5. Vince Gilligan, who portrays Devon the actor of the VCR game "Pile of Bullets," is also the creator of Breaking Bad (2008) and Better Call Saul (2015). Jonathan Banks (Buzz Hickey) was a series regular on Gilligan's show Breaking Bad and currently on Better Call Saul.
6. During the scenes where they're discussing the resolution of the textbooks, the soundtrack includes a recurring segment almost identical to the theme of the movie "Sneakers" (1992).
7. Final appearance of Brie Larson as Rachel.
8. Gina Gershon appears in an uncredited role as Devon's partner.

Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

1. The name of Hank's (David Cross) character in the game, "Tristram Steelheart," is a reference to "Community" executive producer and director Tristram Shapeero.
2. When Jeff is talking about Neil still being around doing this and that in the background, Neil is actually seen standing with the extras in the background behind Jeff.
3. Hank refers to Abed as "Aziz." This is a reference to comedian/actor Aziz Ansari, who is Indian American. He also happens to star in the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation" which followed "Community" on Thursday nights. Aziz Ansari and Danny Pudi have also joked about switching roles on their respective shows for an episode.
4. At the 11:10 mark, Chang (Ken Jeong) offers Hank Hickey (David Cross) a fist-bump. Hank rolls his eyes and taps Chang's fist three times: the exact same gesture his estranged father, Buzz Hickey (Johnathon Banks), makes to others on the show, e.g. to Britta (Gillian Jacobs) in 5:5 "Geothermal Escapism."
5. The character name "Joseph Gordon Diehard" is a multiple reference to actor Joseph Gordon Levitt and the 1988 movie "Die Hard," which starred Bruce Willis, who was Levitt's co-star in the 2012 movie Looper (2012), where they played older and younger versions of the same character.
6. In the final showdown between the two parties, Hank repeatedly casts the spell "Lightning bolt." This is a reference to a popular internet meme of a video which features LARP (Live Action Role Playing). In the game, a player calls for the spell several times against his opponent.
7. Annie previously played Hector, the Well Endowed in the gang's first Dungeons & Dragons game depicted in "Community: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (2011)".
8. Britta's character "Fibrosis the Ranger" is a reference to a character named "Varus" from the MOBA game "League of Legends." Both characters use a bow as a weapon and their names are related to a medical problem; "Fibrosis" is an excessive growth of fibrous connective tissue, while "Varus" refers to a deformity of a bone or joint.
9. Features a rulebook from the 2nd edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

G.I. Jeff

1. In the hospital scene, Abed says he is 38 before saying it's not true. Although Abed would have been about 24 during the events of the episode, Danny Pudi was 35 at the time of filming.
2. When presenting the G.I. Joe rejects in the prison cell, the last character Annie mentions is "Sleep Apnea." This character resembles and is voiced by Dan Harmon, the creator of the show.
3. Chang is reminded that he is Chinese, but states, "I feel Korean." Ken Jeong is of Korean descent in real life.
4. The cast recorded their voiceovers three weeks before the episode's airing. The animation was finished days before airing.
5. Abed's line "you're still 18 to 49 for almost a decade" is a reference to the range of ages of viewers that most shows aim to attract.
6. A Cobra soldier removes the digits '10419' from a sign labelled "Days Since Last Casualty." The number of days leads to 23 September 1985, the date episode 6 of G.I. Joe (1985) was originally broadcast.
7. G.I. Joe (1985) voice actors Michael Bell and Bill Ratner reprise their roles of Duke and Flint, while Mary McDonald-Lewis, who voiced Lady Jaye in the show, voices Scarlett in this episode.
8. When cartoon Jeff is at Greendale and is looking around his office, a note can be seen, which reads "Dear Jeff, welcome to the club. -Pierce". This references that Jeff at this point is on the verge of dying and joining Pierce in the afterlife.
9. When Jeff is running away and fighting in the locker's hallway you can briefly see a "Fat Dog for midterms dance" poster (Community: Analysis of Cork-Based Networking (2014)). This is a reference to the "Bear Down for Midterms" gag from an earlier episodes. There is also a flyer or sticker advertising "Some Worries" the name of Vaughn's band from season 1.
10. This was the final episode produced for the fifth season. Shooting for the rest of the season was completed in December 2013.
11. The submachoppers sound when flying is the same sound as TIE fighters in Star Wars.
12. Eric Bauza, who plays the Narrator, starred as Destro, Storm Shadow, and Tunnel Rat in G.I. Joe: Resolute (2009).
13. The respective G.I. Joe identities of Jeff (Wingman), Annie (Tight Ship), Abed (Fourth Wall), Shirley (Three Kids), Duncan (Xim-Xam & Mix-Max), Professor Hickey (Major Dick), and Chang (Overkill) are based on the G.I. Joe characters Duke, Shipwreck, Spirit, Stalker, Tomax & Xamot, Major Bludd, Cobra Commander, and Quick-Kick.
14. During the end credit scene, you can see on the ball that the kids are spray painting on "Harmon sucks." Dan Harmon is the creator of the series.
15. The yellow robot sitting behind Jeff at the court-martial is Rob Schrab's comic book character Scud the Disposable Assassin.
16. Fourth Wall's illustration of the layers of reality is a reference to the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Deities & Demigods/Legends & Lore book.
17. When cartoon Jeff looks around his desk in cartoon Greendale, the pills that real Jeff took are sitting on the desk and the Korean writing is seen on the plastic.
18. Ken Jeong stars in a parody of G.I. Joe (1985). He had earlier starred in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). Hasbro owns both G.I. Joe and Transformers.
19. Hasbro, the owner of G.I. Joe (1985), gave permission for the parody. As such, the creators were able to use real GI-JOE names and characters like Destro and Cobra Commander. Even the theme song is the real one from the GI-JOE cartoon (with a few joke lyrics added).
20. This episode establishes that Jeff Winger was born on November 20, 1974. Joel McHale, who plays Jeff, was born on November 20, 1971.

Basic Story

1. In the opening scene there's a reading for a heartbeat monitor on the green chalkboard that shows a strong beat, then a flat-line. This is because no one knew if there was going to be a sixth season.
2. That free $5 footlongs for life Subway Black Card, like the McDonald's Gold Card and Burger King's Crown Card, really exists. These cards are handed out to famous celebrities like athletes and movie stars as part of long term promotional campaigns.
3. At the start of the episode Abed talks about how they are all in a story. His explanation mirrors series creator Dan Harmon's story structure called the story circle. Abed's breakdown of what's happening line up with the first two pieces of the circle.
4. Towards the end of the episode, when Chang is spying on the study group, the only note on his pad reads 'tomato'.
5. The discussion at the end of the episode between Professor Hickey and Professor Ian Duncan heavily implies that Hickey is the father of Ian's cousin Clive, after losing his virginity to Ian's aunt.

Basic Sandwich

1. Throughout much of the episode, Abed is wearing a t-shirt with the logo for The Dead Alewives. The Dead Alewives were an improvisational comedy group formed in the 1980s in Milwaukee. Series creator, Dan Harmon, and show director, Rob Schrab, were among the founding members.
2. Abed apologizes to Annie for missing her birthday, Halloween, Christmas, and other major holidays. This is a reference to the lack of holiday-themed episodes in Season Five which was possibly done in order to avoid another Season Four situation. That year NBC rescheduled the debut of the show to February from its announced November date. All of the holiday-themed episodes were aired long after that particular festivity had been celebrated.
3. Racquel the robot has a sticker that says Boobatron. Boob-A-Tron was the robot created by Troy and Abed in Community: The Art of Discourse (2010). Despite its goofy appearance, it was an unstoppable machine to be feared, programmed with a single purpose in mind: boobs. The robot was later upgraded from the 4000 version the duo built into a 6000 version that wrecked havoc on campus in Community: Paradigms of Human Memory (2011).
4. Dean Pelton's name is revealed to be Craig Isadore Pelton.
5. Final appearance of Jonathan Banks as Buzz Hickey. Banks does not return for the final season due to scheduling conflicts with Better Call Saul (2015) and The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015).
6. In this episode, Dean mentions the show The Office. At the end of the episode, B.J. Novak, a series regular on The Office, appears.
7. Final appearance of John Oliver as Ian Duncan. Oliver does not return for the final season due to his full-time commitment on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014).