"Football, Feminism and You"
◄   Season One, Episode Six  ►
Air date	October 22, 2009 on
Written by	Hilary Winston
Directed by	Joe Russo

Summary: Jeff is blackmailed by Dean Pelton to recruit Troy to Greendale's football team upsetting Annie. Meanwhile, Pierce helps the Dean make a new school mascot, and Britta tries to become Shirley's bathroom buddy.

Contents 1 Plot 2 End Tag 3 Recurring Themes 3.1 Continuity: 3.2 Running gags: 3.3 Pop Culture References: 4 Quotes 5 Images

PlotEdit

In the study room, Annie helps Troy study for his Astronomy class as the other study group members arrive for their daily study session. Dean Pelton makes an appearance and introduces himself to the study group. He awkwardly segues into football and pretends he just noticed Troy, who he happens to know was a star quarterback at Riverside High. The Dean asks Troy to join the school's football team, the Human Beings. He explains that Greendale recently changed the team name and is having trouble creating a mascot. Pierce offers to help with the mascot design but Troy decides not to join the football team because he was the best and, even though an injury ended his high school career, he finished on top. Disappointed, the Dean leaves but says that the offer still stands. Shirley gets up to go to the bathroom but is offended when Britta declines an invitation to join her. Britta promises to try again later in an attempt "to try some more mainstream feminine stuff."

During Chemistry class Britta invites Shirley to the bathroom, much to Shirley's delight. Britta then fails to sympathize with Shirley's story about an inconsiderate driver and launches into a tirade about gender inequality, upsetting Shirley with her behavior. Jeff interrupts Dean Pelton's mascot brainstorming session with Pierce to protest the use of his face on a Greendale poster. The Dean offers to remove Jeff from all of Greendale's promotional materials if he convinces Troy to play football for Greendale. Britta sees Shirley walk to the bathroom and then confronts her when she exits. Shirley says that Britta must learn to be softer with her friends while in the bathroom. Britta reveals that other girls have always hated her and she doesn't want to pee alone anymore.

Jeff finds Troy and interrupts his study session with Annie to talk about football. Troy is unimpressed by the unfinished football field and players that include a midget and a pregnant woman. However, Jeff wins him over by appealing to Troy's ego, saying Troy will be popular and loved if he plays football again. Troy returns to Annie but she is incensed by his return to his arrogant jock ways. Jeff returns to the Dean's office and announces that Troy has agreed to play QB for the team. Dean Pelton and Pierce are making progress on the mascot, charting racial and gender characteristics in order to avoid using anything that could be recognized and, thus, offend.

Annie ambushes Jeff and accuses him of ruining Troy's life for selfish gain and threatens to tell Troy about Jeff's ulterior motives. Jeff counters that Annie is taking advantage of Troy's need for academic help to monopolize his time because she is in love with him. Deeply hurt, Annie scurries to the bathroom asking Shirley to join her. Britta follows Annie instead and manages to cheer her up. Shirley, who had apparently been eavesdropping, jumps in to celebrate Britta's success.

Jeff seeks out Troy at the pep rally to admit that he lied about how great playing football for Greendale would be. However, Troy reveals that he purposely injured himself because he was afraid that he might fail and there won't be any pressure playing for Greendale. He continues that Greendale is there because something went wrong in their life and encourages Jeff to accept where he is. Outside, Jeff apologizes to Annie, admitting that they were both wrong and he's trying to make peace with his situation in life. Pierce and Dean Pelton approach with the new mascot for the human beings, a person in a head-to-toe silver lycra suit. They all head in to the pep rally.

End TagEdit

Troy and Abed sneak into the Administration office and use the PA to make humorously inane announcements. Two security guards bust in but pull up upon realizing that they look just like Troy and Abed.

Recurring ThemesEdit

Continuity:Edit

• First appearance:
  • The Dean officially introduces himself to the study group.
  • Dean Pelton's office makes is debut.
  • The school's new mascot, The Greendale Human Being, is introduced in this episode.
  • Eric shows up as a football player.
• Mad skillz: Though previously mentioned, the full extent of Troy's football talent is revealed in high school.

• Middle Eastern Magic 8 Ball:
  • Troy remarks that Dean Pelton looks like Moby. In his coup at the end of season three, Chang used a Moby celebrity impersonator to replace the real Dean.
  • At the end of the episode Troy suggest that Jeff take a pottery class which happened in Beginner Pottery.
• History Lesson: We learn more about Troy's life at Riverside High School.
• Previously: Abed is reprimanded by Jeff for treating the others like sitcom characters. Abed agrees to lay low for the episode, admitting that he relied heavily on the gimmick last week (it is unclear whether "last week" refers to production date, air date or neither). He scarcely appears for the rest of the episode.

Running gags:Edit

• Pierce the expert: Pierce offers to assist the Dean in designing a mascot claiming to "have a wealth of experience in image management, icon development and Y2K preparedness".
• Catchphrase: Shirley says, "That's nice" when Britta invites her to the bathroom.
• You're the worst: Britta egregiously breaches female bathroom etiquette in her first trip to the bathroom with Shirley.
• Callback: In the end tag Troy and Abed introduce themselves over the school's PA as "Abed and the Disco Spider". This is a callback to the end tag from Spanish 101 where Troy raps, in Spanish, "My name is T-Bone, the disco spider".

• Butt stuff: Troy says, "Butt soup!" over the PA in the end tag.

Pop Culture References:Edit

• Name that tune: "Please Do Not Go" by the Violent Femmes.
• Shout out:
  • Troy says the Dean looks like Moby.
  • While performing Riverside's politically conservative and shamefully outdated fight rap Troy mentions John Kerry and Al Gore. He later adapts the rap for Greendale and mentions Nancy Pelosi.
  • Phylicia Rashād (who married star football player Ahmad Rashād) and Seal are mentioned as Dean Pelton and Pierce construct the generic Human Being mascot. They also reference Desmond Tutu, Lou Diamond Philips, and La Bamba to describe a type of coffee drink.

• IMDB: Jeff compares the football stadium, unimpressive as it may currently be, to Thunderdome, a gladiator-like arena from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
• Donald Glover: Troy calls a student Poindexter, coincidentally Childish Gambino's (Donald Glover) second rap album is titled "Poindexter"

QuotesEdit

“Well, look at this group having some kind of meeting and being so diverse. There is just, boy, there is just one of every kind of you, isn't there?”— Dean Pelton

“I miss knowing what to think.”— Troy

“You still know what to think, Troy.”— Jeff

“Oh, good.”— Troy

“I'm saying you're a football player! It's in your blood!”— Jeff

“That's racist.”— Troy

“Your soul!”

“THAT's racist.”

“Your eyes?”

“That's gay?”

“That's homophobic!”

“That's black!”

“THAT'S racist!”

“Damn!”

“I think not being racist is the new racism.”— Jeff

“The dean has pictures of me, okay. Horrible pictures of me, attending his school.”— Jeff

“A life of disillusionment and depression begins on the other side of that door.”— Jeff

“Hey, man. Is this your first pep rally or something?”— Eric

ImagesEdit

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"
Season One • Season Two • Season Three • Season Four • Season Five

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