G.I. Jeff

G.I. Jeff

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Director: Rob Schrab — Writer: Dino Stamatopoulos — Aired: April 3, 2014 —Season: Five — Number: Eleven Summary: The study group gets 'animated' in the vein of the 1980s 'G.I. Joe' series.

Plot

What's anyone's rank? We're all just dressed up as serial killers and strippers!

— Buzz-Kill

A Cobra attack force lead by Destro piloting a Cobra Rattler fighter plane attacks Taj Mahal intent on destroying it. Their assault is intercepted by the G.I.Joe team lead by Flint. A part of the military unit is "Tight Ship" and "Buzz-Kill" who question a U.S. presence in India along with why its suddenly a terrorist target. The Joe codenamed "Three Kids" is there along with them but is busy talking to her children on her cell phone. "Wingman" arrives to join his squad admonishing them for making him look bad. He decides to show them how it's done and shoots down Destro's plane. After Destro ejects from the cockpit, Wingman refuses to let him get away and shoots holes in his parachute. Flint and the rest of the Joes look on in horror as Destro falls to the ground and dies while Jeff is oblivious to their reaction.

Wingman's squad: Three kid's, Buzz-Kill, Wingman, Tight Ship and Fourth Wall

Afterwards at G.I.Joe HQ, Wingman and his squad of Buzz-Kill, Three Kids and Tight Ship are facing a Disciplinary Committee made up of Duke, Flint and Scarlet. They are charged with mature actions unbecoming of a Joe. Wingman admits to the tribunal that he killed Destro but argues its sometimes necessary when dealing with an evil organization. He adds that if they don't start killing Cobra they might as well just kill themselves. The committee is unmoved by his speech and sends Wingman and his troops to the brig with other G.I.Joe rejects. In an adjoining cell they meet a Joe codenamed "Fourth Wall". He hints at a higher reality and suggests what they are experiencing now is merely a syndicated children's cartoon show. Fourth Wall tells them about a mission he recently undertook infiltrating a Cobra excavation operation codenamed "Greendale".

A G.I.Joe disciplinary committee is held for Wingman and his squad

As Fourth Wall continues his explanation, Wingman recognizes the codename from somewhere. Fourth Wall then presents an artifact to the squad that he found during his investigation, a miniature action figure of Duke. Wingman suddenly collapses upon seeing it and while unconscious imagines a kids toy commercial. He wakes up to find himself still in the brig and Fourth Wall suggests he has a connection to the other reality. It's then that Wingman starts to hear through his squad voices unrelated to the G.I.Joe world calling him "Jeff". Over at Cobra headquarters, Cobra Commander is eulogizing Destro when he interrupted by a communique. It's from Vice Cobra Assistant Commander who tells his boss about weird energy readings emanating from the Greendale site. Cobra Commander is too grief stricken to care and vows to make G.I.Joe pay for Destro's death.

Fourth Wall breaks the Fourth Wall

Back at Joe headquarters, Wingmans squad is still in the brig when Cobra forces attack the base. An explosion blasts a hole in the wall of their prison cell freeing them. Wingman tries to help the Joes but ends up causing the deaths of several Cobra troopers and Lifeline, the Joes medic. They are branded traitors by Duke and Flint and forced to escape aboard the "Submachopter". Wingman piloted the vehicle until Fourth Wall mentioned Greendale. This caused him to pass out and while unconscious he has more visions. He sees another toy commercial and a brief glimpse of himself in a hospital bed surrounded by his freinds. He awakens to find Fourth Wall reassuring him everything is okay and that they have set a course for "Greendale". Upon arrival, the squad easily overpowers the Cobra guards and makes their way into the excavation site. Once inside they find an old, yet strangely familiar looking school building.

The Cobra excavation site has a familiar location, the entrance to the library

In Vice Cobra Assistant Commander's office, Major Dick and XimXam are discussing their health care insurance. Overkill interrupts them and informs them the base has been infiltrated. The Assistant Commander sends the three Cobra officers to deal with the intruders but they are all dispatched by Wingman quickly. The squad makes it to the study room and Wingmans memories as Jeff Winger come back. He recalls who they all are in real life including the Assistant Commander who is overjoyed to see him. Wingman excuses himself and heads to Jeff's office where he finds his drivers license. He returns to the study room and tells his squad that in reality he drank a fifth of scotch and took some youth pills he bought at Korea Town. He did this because it was his birthday and he just turned forty.

Wingman discovers the truth

Fourth Wall figures out how he can return to the real world but Wingman refuses preferring fantasy over the reality of being a middle aged. They are interrupted by the arrival of the united Cobra and G.I.Joe forces of "Joebra". Wingman is taken into custody but soon freed after convincing them he wants to stay in this world. He quickly changes his mind when he learns cartoons can't indulge in adult pleasures. After a quick brawl back to the study room, he puts on his flight pack and flies to the barrier separating realities. Cobra Commander grabs on to his foot but doesn't survive the trip between worlds. Wingman awakens as Jeff in his hospital bed surrounded by his friends. He admits his true age but they tell him they suspected he was forty already. After handing him his birthday present they have a group hug happy to have him back.

Hugging it out

End tag

Buzz-Kill and Fourth Wall appear in a classic G.I.Joe public service announcement. Buzz-Kill attempts to lecture two teens about the graffiti they are painting but Fourth Wall criticizes her aproach as too preachy. He advises that cartoons should keep any lessons they want to teach simple and direct. He then tells the boys "Graffitti is bad, go play sports". Buzz-Kill starts defending her methods but Fourth Wall cuts her off by reciting the catchphrase "And knowing is half the battle!".

Recurring themes

Continuity

• Previously:
  • In the cartoon world of Greendale, a "Fat Dog For Midterms Dance" poster references the Season Five episode "Analysis of Cork-Based Networking" while a poster promoting the band "Some Worries" references the Season One episode "Home Economics"
  • Abed mentions the time he imagined the world was stop motion animated in the Season Two episode "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"
• Replay: This episode has the same basic plot of "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" with a character refusing to accept reality by imaging himself in a cartoon world. It was also written by the same person, Dino Stamatopoulos, although Stamatopoulos has said that the episode as aired was mainly written by Dan Harmon.
• School supplies: The fine scotch Pierce bequeathed to Jeff in "Cooperative Polygraphy" can be seen on Jeff's desk. It can be assumed that this is the fifth of scotch he drank when he downed the Korean pills.
• Familiar faces: A number of cameos from the G.I.Joe franchise makes an appearance. These include...
  • Joes: Flint, Scarlet, Duke, Roadblock, Snake-Eyes, Lady Jaye
  • Cobra: Destro, Cobra Commander, Zartan, Baroness, Storm Shadow.
• Discontinuity: This episode retcons Jeff's age. It is possible he was lying the entire time, however this revalation conflicts with information in previous episodes as well as statements Community creator Dan Harmon had made about Jeff's age.
  • "The Art of Discourse": Jeff is called "35" by Mark Cahill in 2010 and doesn't dispute it. This would later be contradicted.
  • "Early 21st Century Romanticism": In 2011, Ben Chang steals Jeff's drivers license which clearly says "November 21, 1971" (this is actor Joel McHale's birthdate). On DVD commentaries for this episode and also in a tweet to a fan, Harmon dismissed this as a production error and suggested that Jeff was several years younger than him or Joel. At the time McHale was 40 and Harmon was 38.
  • "Intro to Political Science": In 2011, a videotape of Jeff's audition for "The Real World: Seattle" is shown. Jeff says he was "like nineteen" when he recorded that tape. The Real World: Seattle premiered on June 16, 1998 and if it followed the production schedule of other Real World shows then it accepted audition tapes the previous year in 1997. This then suggests that Jeff was born around 1978. That put Jeff's age around 33-34 range back then and should make him 36-37 in Season Five.
  • "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism": Jeff claimed he was 10 years old when he met Shirley "Big Cheddar" who was 12 at the time. Either he was lying and he was older, and small for his age (14-15), or Shirley's age gets increased to 42.
  • "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations": in 2012, Jeff tells his father he faked an appendectomy in seventh grade "22 years ago." The average age of a seventh grader is between 11-13. This is consistent with previous episodes as it places his age at that time to be around 34-35 which would make him 36-37 in Season Five.
  • Community writer and executive producer Andy Bobrow had a discussion with several fans on his twitter account about this discontinuity:

“@Funkapus @SaraLinnLinn We try not to be sloppy. Try to make the characters as real as possible. Sometimes we screw up and everyone tells us”

Running gags

• Annie's Boobs:
  • Buzz-Kill mentions Tight Ship's cleavage to Flint.
  • Wingman states his appreciation of Tight Ship's rack.
• Catchphrase:
  • "Yo Joe!" is used in this episode
  • "I have three kids!" is repeatedly said by Three Kids
  • "Knowing is half the battle" is spoken by Fourth Wall in the PSA end tag.
• Raging against the machine: Buzz-Kill gets off track when she starts rambling about her political views while trying to impart the lesson to be learned in the closing PSA.
• Attention students!: Vice Cobra Assistant Commander uses the Public Announcement system to alert the Cobra troops to Wingmans squad having infiltrated Greendale.

Pop culture references

• Product placement: This episode has live action sequences done in 80's style commercials which features several real G.I.Joe products such as the Duke, Destro, Cobra Commander figures and vehicles like the HISS tank.

Meta references

• Homage: This episode is an homage to the 1980's G.I.Joe cartoon and features not only a lot of the characters from the franchise but also the original voice actors.
• Background check:
  • A note can be seen on Jeff's desk in the G.I.Joe works which reads "Welcome to the club". This references that Jeff at this point is on the verge of dying and joining Pierce in the afterlife.
  • Community fandom artist Jujujulieta (Julieta Colás) is acknowledged in this episode on a poster in the background reading "Vote 4 Julieta." It can be seen HERE.
  • In the end tag PSA, the rock the boys are graffitiing has the words "HARMON SUCKS!" painted on it referencing the Community creator Dan Harmon and possibly a Community fansite dedicated to the show.
• IRL:
  • Ben Chang says he feels like he is Korean. The actor who plays him, Ken Jeong is Korean.
  • Abed jokes that he's 38 years old. Danny Pudi was 35 at the time of taping.
• Résumé: Rob Schrab, creator of "Scud: The Disposable Assassin" comic", directed this episode. Scud appears in the audience when Wingman and his squad are facing the disciplinary committee.
• Use your allusion:
  • Abed's cartoon character in the G.I.Joe world is codenamed "Fourth Wall". This references the meta aspect of his character which often uses the narrative device of "breaking the fourth wall". This is where a character in a story directly addresses the audience or acknowledges in some way his awareness that he is just a fictional character.
  • Annie's cartoon character in the G.I.Joe world is codenamed "Tight Ship". This references the fan shipping aspect of the character who has been paired off romantically with a number of different characters in fan works.
  • Britta's cartoon character is codenamed "Buzz-Kill" referencing the Season One episode "The Science of Illusion" when she was referred to as a buzz-kill.
  • Shirley's cartoon character is codenamed "Three Kids" referencing her children which she constantly mentions she has. This can be seen as alluding to criticism that her only identity on the show is being a mother.
  • Ben Chang's cartoon character in the G.I.Joe world is "Overkill". This references actor Ken Jeong's comedic style which has been criticized as over the top and excessive (1, 2)
  • The G.I.Joe character codenamed "Sleep Apnea" resembles Community creator Dan Harmon who also provides the characters voice.
  • Buzz Hickey's cartoon character mentions hazard pay to Dean Pelton's cartoon character. This references a Breaking Bad episode "Hazard Pay," in which Jonathan Banks plays character Mike Ehrmantraut.
• Up against the wall: Abed mentions that Jeff shouldn't care about his age since he is still in the 18 to 49 range which is still viable. This is a reference to the 18 to 49 demographic for TV shows which appeal to advertisers and sponsors.

Production

G.I. Jeff was produced by Starburns Industries , Harmon's animation studio that also created Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas.

Behind the scenes

Voice cast

The cast of Community voiced their cartoon counterparts on the show, Community creator Dan Harmon also provided his voice for the character codenamed "Sleep Apnea". Two of the "G.I.Joe" cartoons original voice actors reprised their roles in this episode; Michael Bell returned as Duke and Bill Ratner returned as "Flint". The original voice actor of Cobra Commander, Chris Latta, passed away in 1994 and was replaced by Rob Schrab the director of the episode. Destro's original voice actor Arthur Burghardt was also replaced by actor Isaac C. Singleton Jr..

Joel McHale in the studio voicing "Wingman"

Production delays

Director Rob Schrab and Community creator Dan Harmon are real life friends and long time collaborators. The production of the episode was held up for a time while Harmon finished tweaking the script. As the deadline drew nearer, a friendly twitter feud between Schrab and Harmon began with Rob insisting that Dan complete the script. This feud culminated with Harmon getting Jon Kimmel ( the G.I.Joe theme singer for this episode ) to sing a parody song about Rob which was originally posted HERE and later put on Youtube with the video on the right (Warning, NSFW lyrics).

Production art

Character designs

On April 5, 2014, animator Brent Noll published production artwork of this episode on his tumblr. Brett also works on Rick and Morty , Dan Harmon's Cartoon network show.

Storyboards

Storyboards published by cmbarnes on deviantart.

Gallery

Commercial

Promotional photos

Trivia

• When Jeff regains consciousness , Duncan is the only one who is absent but he appeared in Xim Xam role in Jeff's fantasy.

External links

'Community': Details on the 'G.I. Jeff' animated episode -- FIRST LOOK