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Plot[]

“
Guten luck on ze examination. We will be be preparing for it in Study Room 'F', as in Fictory. I like the way your old chair cradles my knadles.... Hahahaha. I just made that up. You know English is my second language."
”
Reinhold
On their way to class, the study group become dejected when they see other students happily enjoying the course they originally signed up for, "The History of Ice Cream". Jeff tries to reassure everyone about their new history course but is taken aback when he sees that two of the Germans he and Shirley faced off against last semester are taking the class as well. The third member introduces himself to Jeff as Reinhold, the brother of the other German he had met named Juergen. The tense situation is interrupted by the arrival of History teacher, Professor Cornwallis. The professor briefly introduces himself to the class and announces their first assignment. He asks the students to imagine how history would be written if the losers of a conflict had been the winners.



4X4 Professor Cornwallis
The History professor, Noel Cornwallis.
Meanwhile, Dean Pelton enters his office and is shocked to see Ben Chang sitting at his desk. Also in the room is a Dr. Ken Kedan from Greendale mental health services who tells him about "Kevin's" "Changnesia". After learning about Chang's connection to the school he decided it best to have his rehabilitation here. Pelton refuses but is told that it had already been cleared through the school board. At the same time, the study group arrives at Group Study Room F and find The Germans inside. Jeff insists they leave but Annie suggests they let them stay since they are only occupying a small corner of the room. The Germans quickly accept the invitation before any other protests could be made with Karl making a pithy comment that Abed recognizes. He later confronts the German student at his locker and they bond after Abed explains they are both players of the same MMORPG.



4X4 Chang returns
Chang makes a shocking return.
Back at Dean Pelton's office, Carl Bladt and Richie Countee explain to Pelton that the school is being paid to help Chang in his recovery hence their willingness to allow him back on campus. Meanwhile, the study group finds the Germans in the study room again except this time they are seated at the study table. They insist the trio leave causing Reinhold to call security who tells the study group to go as the Germans had reserved the room. The next morning, the study group arrives early at the administrations office to sign up for the study room but are beaten there by the Germans. The group is forced to hold their study session in a rundown basement. After a faulty light bulb nearly electrocutes Pierce, Jeff resolves to have everyone get up earlier to reserve Group Study Room F. Unfortunately their next few attempts prove just as unsuccessful.



4X4 Germans make themselves at home
The Germans make themselves
at home in the study room.
Meanwhile, Pelton is annoyed by what he perceives as Chang's innocent act and fills the amnesiac in on what he did last year. After learning he staged a coup at Greendale, held the Dean hostage for months and almost blew up the school Chang/Kevin runs out of the office horrified. Over in History class, Professor Cornwallis finishes up his lecture and the Germans taunt the study group about having taken over their study room. Angered, Jeff then convinces the rest of the group to take drastic measures to defeat the Germans. As part of the plan, the group throws a lavish Oktoberfest celebration in the student lounge. Karl and Lukas eagerly participate but Reinhold senses it's a ruse. After exposing an obvious ploy, Reinhold smugly celebrates by drinking a beer. The study group's true plan is revealed as they take photos of the Germans which are sent to Dean Pelton.



4X4 Ocktoberfest
The study group throws an Ocktoberfest
celebration in honor of the German's "victory".
The Dean tells the Germans that it's forbidden on campus for anyone to celebrate their ethnic heritage in order to prevent racism and nationalism. As punishment they will be banned from student amenities including use of the study room. Later, the study group triumphantly returns to the library only to be greeted by a student protest led by the Germans. The group is shocked to learn that they are perceived as villains who have been hogging the study room by the other students. Their hogging of the study room is seen in a series of flashbacks.


4X4 Student protest

Leonard, Vicki, Garrett, Todd and others
join the Germans in protesting the study group.

S04E04-Garrett gets shut out in 2010

Garrett gets shut out due to Annie's missing pens.

S04E04-Leonard gets shut out in 2011

Leonard gets shut out due to the D&D game.

S04E04-Vicki gets shut out

Vicki gets shut out as Jeff is trying to prove a point.
Elsewhere, Chang turned himself into the police for his crimes last semester but ends up being bailed out by Dean Pelton. He now believes the amnesia is real since Chang has remorse for his past sins and is willing to help him. Back at school, the study group is in the cafeteria feeling down about their status on campus when their wallowing is interrupted by Professor Cornwallis. His sudden appearance causes Jeff to leap to the conclusion that Cornwallis set this all up to teach them a lesson but the Professor tells them he's there to inform them that they missed the first exam and have received a failing grade.



S04E04-Cornwallis Oh my God
Oh my God! I've made a horrible mistake!
Jeff is forced to admit that in this case he is the villain who manipulated this situation. He decides that reparations are in order and the group starts by renovating the dilapidated basement while at the same time repairing the group's reputation on campus. Sometime later, the group is in Study Room F having just finished their study session, happy to finally be back. Dean Pelton shows up and congratulates them for having made amends with everyone. He then asks that they keep the spirit of forgiveness in mind when Chang walks into the room causing the study group to start screaming.



4X4 Hi my name is Kevin
"Hi, my name is Kevin."

End tag[]

Troy and Abed are doing their podcast along with Karl.

Recurring themes[]

Continuity[]

  • Returning students: Garrett, Karl and Lukas, Todd, Vicki, Leonard.
  • Returning faculty: Richie and Carl from the Greendale school board return.
  • Familiar face: The Greendale Human Being makes a brief appearance protesting the study group and at the Oktoberfest.
  • Previously:
    • Shirley mentions her new business and her child Ben.
    • Jeff and Shirley's encounter with The Germans is briefly touched upon by the brother of Juergan.
    • Dean Pelton goes over Ben Chang's misdeeds from last semester including staging a coup, kidnapping him and almost blowing up the school.
    • Professor Cornwallis mentions "no dioramas," a reference to the many dioramas that were made for Anthropology class in Season Two.
    • A flashback reveals that Garrett and Todd were present outside the study room when the group was searching for Annie's lost pen in the Season Two episode "Cooperative Calligraphy".
    • A flashback reveals that Leonard tried to enter the room while the study group was playing "Dungeons and Dragons" in Season Two episode "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons".
  • History lesson:
    • Shirley mentions how the Germans lost their foosball scholarship, Troy adds it was rumored they were "juicing".
    • Professor Cornwallis briefly fills the class in on his past employment at Oxford and how he lost the job due to a fling with a coed.
    • Shirley mentions that Pierce moved to Canada to avoid the war in Vietnam. Pierce indicates it "was hell, those people call ham bacon".
  • Identity crisis: Chang claims amnesia, wants to be called "Kevin" and doesn't remember his time at Greendale.
  • Replay: The study group repeatedly try to show up early enough to sign in for the study room before the Germans do.
  • School song: "Daybreak" is played by Abed as the sign out song for his and Troy's podcast.
  • Middle Eastern Magic 8 Ball: Abed knows the Germans are in the study room before the Study Group gets there.
  • This must be the place: Group Study Room F, Dean Pelton's office, the lounge, and the cafeteria are all seen in this episode.
  • Winger speech: Jeff's speech is about the Study Group improving Greendale.
  • Discontinuity:
    • In the flashback to "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons", Jeff's outfit is similar to one he wore in the episode but is noticeably colored differently.
    • In the flashback to "Cooperative Calligraphy", students are seen waiting outside the Study Room while the group searched each other in their underwear. However, according to Dean Pelton's announcement just a minute later, everybody was on the quad at the puppy parade at that moment.
    • In the flashback to "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons", Leonard is seen trying to get into Group Study Room F's closed doors. The doors were never closed in this episode. In addition, the flashback shows many students in the background. The D&D game was held on a Saturday when there would be few (if any) students. None were shown in the background in the D&D episode.

Running gags[]

  • Annie's Boobs: Annie covers up her chest after Professor Cornwallis mentions he had an affair with a student at Oxford.
  • Come sail away!: Troy starts to cry after the Germans signed up for the study room although the group arrived "crazy early".
  • Changuage: Changnesia is mentioned again. When the Dean introduces "Kevin" to the Study Group, he asks them to remember that "people can Chang".
  • Deanotation: Dean tries to say “amnesia” and instead says “am-Dean-sia”. Dean mentions that replacing words with "Chang" is something Ben has always "Dean".
  • Gasp:
    • Troy gasps when he thinks that History class will be about the MTV show "The Real World".
    • Annie gasps when Pierce implies that her type of thinking would have lost them the war.
    • Annie gasps again when she sees that the Germans have taken over the group's study table.
  • Let him finish!: Reinhold interrupts Annie, causing Jeff to say "Let the lady finish her sentence!"
  • Man crush: In the Dean's office, the first appearance of a framed photo of Jeff in the toy soldier costume from Regional Holiday Music is seen.
  • Et tu, Brute?: Troy doesn't get it when Jeff makes a pun out of Angela Merkel's name.
  • Nice outfit:
    • Annie, Britta and Shirley wear German barmaid outfits for the fake Oktoberfest celebration.
    • The Dean wears a nurse outfit when he goes to bail Chang out of jail.
  • NOOOOO!: The study group screams in unison after seeing Chang again.
  • PCness: The Dean apparently allows everyone on campus to celebrate any culture except their own.
  • Take that, inspector!: The rooms the Study group use while the Germans occupy the Group Study Room F are in very bad shape.

Pop culture references[]

  • IMDb: "Die Hard III" is mentioned by Abed.
  • Name that tune: Strong Bad's techno hit "The System is Down".
  • Shout out: Troy mentions movie director Darren Aronofsky.
  • Product placement: Shirley asks the group if they want to go to Skeepers to celebrate getting their study room back.
  • TV Guide:
    • Troy mentions HBO's "Game of Thrones".
    • Annie says "This class is about the real world", which Troy gets excited by, thinking she was talking about "MTV's The Real World" which was also referenced in S02E16, "Intro to Political Science".
    • Reinhold mentions the German version of "The Nanny" (while The Nanny has several foreign language adaptations, German is not one of them)
    • Troy mentions USA's "Burn Notice".
    • Both Jeff and Leonard mention "Hogan's Heroes".
    • The Germans refer to "Hogan's Heroes" as "Hogan's Villains". Ironically, a dubbed version of the show aired in Germany as "A Cage Full of Heroes" and earned a respectable amount of popularity in that country.
    • Troy references director "Darren Aronofsky".
  • Use your illusion:
    • At the Oktoberfest celebration, Lukas is excited when he notices the decorations and says "That must be very nearly 100 luft balloons!". This is a reference to the 1983 protest song "99 Red Balloons" from the German pop-rock band Nena. One balloon does eventually pop, leaving behind 99 luft balloons. The song playing at the Oktoberfest closely resembles the theme song to “Hogan’s Heroes”.
    • Reinhold says, "It would appear that in this battle, our bulge was a little bit bigger," an allusion to the Battle of the Bulge. He also says "I like the way your old chair cradles my knadles," a reference to knödel, a European dumpling. And he says "That blutwurst is probably injected with a laxative to make us pull a Grete Waitz in our trousers, a reference to the Norwegian marathon runner who won the 1984 New York Marathon despite having diarrhea during the race.
    • Jeff says the group must make reparations to Greendale, a reference to the World War I reparations and World War II reparations made by Germany.

Quotes[]

My name is Reinhold. I believe you know my brother, Juergen. There was some bad blood between you two, ja? Hmm. Don't worry. If there is one thing Germans don't do, it's hold a grudge.Reinhold
Unless we're talking Die Hard 3.Abed
Or the 20th century.Jeff
It would appear that in this battle, our bulge was a little bit bigger. Guten bye-bye. Excuse me. Don't touch.Reinhold
Season Four Episodes

1. "History 101"
2. "Paranormal Parentage"
3. "Conventions of Space and Time"
4. "Alternative History of the German Invasion"
5. "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations"
6. "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking"
7. "Economics of Marine Biology"

8. "Herstory of Dance"
9. "Intro to Felt Surrogacy"
10. "Intro to Knots"
11. "Basic Human Anatomy"
12. "Heroic Origins"
13. "Advanced Introduction to Finality"

Season 4 DVD xover

Season OneSeason TwoSeason ThreeSeason FourSeason FiveSeason Six
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