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Plot

“
There's only one solution. Someone has to go to Chang and talk to him. I vote we all look at Jeff at the same time.
”
Annie to Jeff
In the school cafeteria, the Dean announces to the students the upcoming week-long school environmental awareness event called Green Week. Afterwards, the study group is in Spanish Class taking an exam when Chang tells them their time is up. He talks them to put down their pencils but Annie is too focused on finishing her answers and continues writing. Chang gets in her face, takes a hold of her desk and drags it along Annie out of the classroom. He shuts the door in her face and assigns the other students a one page essay to be written in Spanish. Pierce then questions why they have to do this and Annie doesn't. This prompts Chang to increase the essay page count to two and then six after Shirley objects. When Britta attempts to compliment Chang he interprets it as sucking up and ultimately assigns twenty pages for the essay due on Monday.



ES This Monday
This Monday?
Back in the study room, the group is freaking out over Chang's latest insanity. All of them are busy with other classes and don't need the added pressure of a twenty page essay. Shirley is so worried about a presentation due in her marketing class that she accepts Pierce help in preparing for it. Troy and Abed chime in that they are already behind in a Biology lab project involving rats, one of Troy's phobias. Britta says that someone needs to talk to Chang and try to reason with him. Annie nominates Jeff who argues that he doesn't want to risk his grade by making himself a target of Chang's wrath. After Britta, Annie, and Troy wear him down, he grudgingly agrees to talk to Chang.



Community 1x10 Environmental Science.avi 000249583
"Ignore what she's doing, we are serious".
In Chang's office, Jeff discovers that Chang has separated from his wife, and the resulting emotional void is responsible for the excessive work assigned to the class. To cheer him up, Jeff invites Chang to hang out, and Chang offers to cancel the essay for Jeff but not the rest of the class. Meanwhile, Troy and Abed are training their rat, Fievel, to respond to their singing when it escapes. The next morning, Jeff, hung over after a late night with Chang, tells the study group that he was unable to make any progress with their Spanish class. Pierce tutors Shirley in public speaking, but his generally derogatory and offensive manner discourage her, and she decides to just read her presentation off of note cards.



1x10-Fievel
Fievel goes Hollywood.
During class, Chang adds a quiz for next Monday, but when he thanks Jeff for turning in the essay early, the group realizes Jeff sold them out. Jeff continues to spend time with Chang in his office, but Chang threatens to fail him should he spend time with other teachers. Jeff recognizes that Chang's emotional need is far greater than it first appeared. Chang shows up at the school dance commemorating Green Week at Greendale, curious about why Jeff invited him only to see his wife waiting to dance. As the dance starts, Shirley begins her speech in the marketing classroom but falters when the professor tells her he does not allow cards. With Pierce's coaching from the back of the room, Shirley quickly recovers and finishes her speech to a standing ovation.



1x10 Chang danced with his wife
The Changs reconcile through dance.
At the same time, Troy overcomes his initial reluctance to help Abed find Fievel and sings their duet which allows them to recapture the rat. Back at the dance, Chang begins passionately making out with his wife on the dance floor. He suddenly stops, jumps on stage, and tells the crowd that he has been a horrible teacher and husband. He calls off the essay homework for everyone but assigns Jeff a short essay to write for betraying his friends. The study group, seeing that Jeff found a way to help all the students, forgives him. In return Jeff tells them to just enjoy the festivities and dance. Pierce stays behind and tells him he discovered the secret behind Jeff charm, his study room chair.



1x10 The study group reacts to the good news
The study group reacts to the good news.

End tag

Abed and Troy are preparing for a water gun battle. They mock Pierce when he shows up with a tiny water pistol. They both stop laughing when he shoots them in their eyes with the pepper water that's inside.



Community 1x10 Environmental Science.avi 001271397
Who puts pepper in water!?

Recurring themes

Continuity

Continuity lists
Narrative
Recurring or debuting plot points in this episode:
  • History lesson: Chang tells Jeff how he met his wife and why they separated.
  • Middle Eastern Magic 8 Ball:
    • Pierce makes a joke with no response but when Jeff gets a big laugh for making the same joke Pierce asks, "What is it? The chair?" Later in the episode, when Jeff misses a study meeting Pierce sits in the vacant spot and has more success with his quips. Then, in the first episode of Season 3, "Biology 101", Jeff is again separated from the group and blames his resulting erratic behavior on lack of contact from the study table, claiming it has magical powers.
    • Dean Pelton watches an unsettling video featuring a man wearing a suit with a dalmatian pattern and says, "This better not awaken anything in me." Later in the season, his office features dalmatian decorations ("The Science of Illusion") and he invites dalmatian furries to join him at the Tranny Dance in "Pascal's Triangle Revisited".
People
Recurring or debuting characters in this episode:
Places
Recurring or debuting places in this episode:
Things
Recurring or debuting items in this episode:
  • School supplies: In Chang's office, there is a picture of his wife with a little speech bubble added that says  "enjoy it while it lasts". Behind the picture is a profile card of Jeff that includes info such as his Hometown, Course Focus and that his favorite spot is "Sitting in my Lexus with the air conditioning on".
  • School uniform: In the end tag, Troy wears a pair of goggles similar to, if not the same as, the ones Abed wears in "Modern Warfare".

Running gags

List of Running gags
Recurring or debuting running gags in this episode:
  • A dollop of whipped irony: Troy tells Britta how cold she is being towards Jeff. Right after he says this Troy acts the same way towards Abed by avoiding helping him look for their lab rat Fievel.
  • Annie's Boobs: Annie pretends to be a choo-choo train while wearing a tight fitting sweater.
  • Attention students!: Dean Pelton makes an announcement to the cafeteria promoting Green Week at the school.
  • Biggest laugh of the night: Pierce sits in Jeff's chair and leans back too far.
  • Board certified tutor: Pierce offers to help Shirley with her presentation. Though inconsiderate and overly critical, he does give her some good advice and ends up coaching her to success.
  • E-vasive: Jeff uses fake outrage to storm away from the group when they confront him after Spanish class.
  • Pansexual imp: Dean Pelton is intrigued by an Internet video featuring a man slowly posing in a white and black dalmatian bodysuit.
  • Screw you guys: Jeff breaks up with the group after they discover he sold them out to get better grades in Spanish class.
  • Turning it into a snake: Britta dances oddly to Greene Daeye at the end of the episode. Actress Gillian Jacobs said in the DVD commentary that she was unaware that cameras were filming at the time.

Pop culture references

List of Pop culture references
References to popular culture in this episode:
  • IMDb:
    • Abed and Troy's rat is named Fievel after the main character from An American Tail. The song they sing to Fievel features prominently in the movie. Additionally, the reunion of Troy, Abed, and Fievel is reminiscent of a scene in the film.
    • Pierce references A Few Good Men by altering the quote to "You can't handle a moist towelette!"
    • The Shining; at the close of Shirley's presentation, she holds back her hair and says "Heeeere's brownies!"
  • Name that tune:
    • Dean Pelton announces that Green Day will perform at Greendale. However, he was mistaken and the band is actually a traditional Celtic group with the homonymic name Greene Daeye.
    • Several Biology students sing songs to their rats, including Mary Had A Little Lamb and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Abed and Troy sing Somewhere Out There.
  • TV guide: The View.
  • Shout out:
    • While teaching Spanish Chang calls Shirley "Shakira" and Troy "Tupaco".
    • Pierce tells Shirley that the best way to end a presentation is with a Jack Nicholson quote. She chooses to say "Here's brownie!" a variation of the famous line Nicholson delivered in The Shining.

Meta references

List of Meta references
Meta references in this episode:
  • Résumé: Chang and Jeff exiting the Spanish classroom laughing about "Cherry daiquiri," which was the stage name of a character Gillian Jacobs played in the movie Choke.

Trivia

Quotes

You have to get Chang to call off some of this homework. You're the one with the silver tongue.Annie
Yeah, go tongue Chang.Pierce
Guys, what makes you think I can convince Chang of anything if I can't even convince you not to make me do it.Jeff
[everyone mumbles in defeat]
Wait, you are convincing!Troy
[Everyone gasps!]
Can I ask you a personal question, Señor Chang?Jeff
Okay, Freud. Sure, you try to penetrate my psychological armor and you-Chang
Did your wife leave you?Jeff
Holy-!Chang
You make no mistake about this, Winger. I pleasured that woman greatly.Chang
Yeah, you look like you would have to.Jeff
Season One Episodes

1. "Pilot"
2. "Spanish 101"
3. "Introduction to Film"
4. "Social Psychology"
5. "Advanced Criminal Law"
6. "Football, Feminism and You"
7. "Introduction to Statistics"
8. "Home Economics"
9. "Debate 109"
10. "Environmental Science"
11. "The Politics of Human Sexuality"
12. "Comparative Religion"
13. "Investigative Journalism"

14. "Interpretive Dance"
15. "Romantic Expressionism"
16. "Communication Studies"
17. "Physical Education"
18. "Basic Genealogy"
19. "Beginner Pottery"
20. "The Science of Illusion"
21. "Contemporary American Poultry"
22. "The Art of Discourse"
23. "Modern Warfare"
24. "English as a Second Language"
25. "Pascal's Triangle Revisited"

Nbc-community-dvd

Season OneSeason TwoSeason ThreeSeason FourSeason FiveSeason Six
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