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"Mixology Certification"
◄ Season Two, Episode Ten ►
Air date	December 2, 2010 on
Written by	Andy Bobrow
Directed by	Jay Chandrasekhar

“	Yes! I want to bathe in manhood!	”
–Troy

Mixology Certification is the tenth episode of the second season of Community. The group takes Troy out to a bar to celebrate his 21st birthday While they're there, Annie adopts a new identity, Abed is hit on by a guy, one of Shirley's darkest secrets is revealed, and Jeff and Britta fight over which of their bars is "cooler".

PlotEdit

The study group is in the study room celebrating Troy's birthday. Because he is a Jehovah's Witness and cannot officially acknowledge the occasion, Annie and Abed have made the event compliant with his religion. As Troy is opening his presents, Annie relates some birthday trivia including the fact that Troy is represented by a Horse in the Chinese Zodiac since he was born in 1990; he corrects her saying he was born in 1989. Britta realizes that he has turned the legal drinking age which inspires Jeff. He suggests they celebrate at a bar, so that Troy can have his first drink as an adult. He and Britta argue over which bar they should go to before settling on "Flanahan's Hole".

As the ladies drive over to the bar in Shirley's car, Britta hands Annie a fake I.D. with the name Caroline Decker since she's still underage. Jeff calls Britta and informs her that the bar they chose close, so they'll all meet up at "The Ballroom". Shirley is apprehensive at learning the change in plans. Over in Jeff's Lexus, Troy is eager to learn more about the adult world. Jeff tells him that he is entering a new phase in his life, and that they are now peers and equals. They group arrives at the bar together and everyone, with the exception of Britta, is let in without any hassles. The bouncer immediately recognizes Shirley who threatens him to keep quiet.

The group settles into their seats and Shirley notices a "wall of shame" depicting regular bar patrons located behind their booth. She sees her picture and quickly removes it. When a waitress takes their order, Annie tries out her new Southern accent as her fake I.D. states she is from Texas. The group splits up as Abed goes off to play an arcade game, and both Shirley and Annie decide to have a look around. Britta and Jeff ask Troy what his first drink will be. Troy mentions that his Uncle Carl passed away recently, and in his honor, he'd like to try his favorite drink, a Seven and Seven. Jeff and Britta both dismiss this choice as lame and insist that he choose something else.

At the serving counter, Annie chats with the bartender and continues to try out her new persona. As he's playing the arcade game, Abed is complimented for his skill by another patron. He offers to buy Abed a drink after they learn they are both fans of the same TV shows. Meanwhile, Shirley is still removing pictures of herself that are all over the bar. Pierce finally arrives but has trouble getting through the entrance because he is unable to maneuver his wheelchair. Back at the table, Jeff and Britta start arguing about what drinks are the best. Troy does his best to follow their bantering before they are interrupted by Annie who drops off their drinks completely immersed in her new identity.

Elsewhere, Abed is talking the bar patron's ear off about theories on the sci-fi show Farscape. The patron loses his patience and boldly propositions Abed who declines his offer. In response, the patron throws his drink in Abed's face. At the counter, Annie as Caroline is talking to the bartender and criticizing her friend Annie who has her life planned out for the next fifteen years. At the same time, Troy, Jeff, and Britta mock Shirley about her past experience at the bar having found photo of her that she missed. Humiliated, Shirley leaves only to find Pierce blocking the exit; he is unable to move because his motorized wheelchair lost all power. She reluctantly helps him after he pleads for assistance.

Troy goes up to the bar and asks for a Seven and Seven as it's almost time before he officially turns 21. He then looks around the bar and sees his friends in bad shape. Annie and Abed are both gloomily nursing their drinks as a drunk Britta and Jeff are still arguing about which bar is better. Troy decides to forgo his drink and collects his friends instead. He gets them all into Jeff's Lexus and begins to drive them home. Along the way, Britta points out the bar she originally wanted to go to called "'The Red Door" which Jeff points out is actually "L Street". They slowly come to the understanding that they've been arguing all night about the same bar.

Troy slams on the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden stop. He snaps at them, furious that the two people he looked up to as examples of maturity are actually as clueless as he is. Annie asks to be dropped off first since she lives nearby. When they arrive, Troy escorts her to her apartment. Annie reflects on the events of the night and says that pretending to be someone else at the bar made her realize she's not sure who she is anymore. Troy tells her that he's gotten to know her pretty well over the last few years and reassures her that despite a few faults, she is a good person at heart.

Back in the Lexus, Jeff and Britta are having a drunk make out session, ignoring Abed who is in the backseat with them. They both suddenly stop and agree that it was a mistake. Troy returns and apologizes to the pair for yelling at them. Abed spills the beans that they had just been making out. Troy admonishes Abed and tells him that no one likes a tattletale. Britta sincerely wishes Troy a happy birthday, and Jeff congratulates him, telling him that he is a man now. Troy smiles at the thought as he continues to drive them all home.

End tagEdit

Troy and Abed are trying to put as many t-shirts on Troy as possible with the last count being 157. Troy's cellphone rings, but he can't answer it because it's in his pants pocket which is now covered by layers of shirts.

Recurring themesEdit

Continuity:Edit

That just happened:
- Pierce is still in a wheelchair, recovering from the events in "Aerodynamics of Gender'.
- Abed puts an "Uncle Rusty's" shirt on Troy in the end tag. The group ate food from Uncle Rusty's at the end of the previous episode.
A sweet ride: Jeff's Lexus appears in this episode, and Troy uses it as the designated driver for the study group. Pierce's wheelchair is also featured.
This must be the place: The episode mostly takes place in a bar called "The Ballroom". Annie's apartment is introduced in this episode.
History Lesson:
- Troy mentions his Uncle Carl who taught him how to play football.
- Shirley's past alcoholic history is exposed which she refers to as a dark time in her life.
Googly eyes: Hints of Troy's attraction to Britta. Jeff and Britta make out in the back of his Lexus which foreshadows a reveal in "Paradigms of Human Memory'.
Identity crisis:
- Continued from "Epidemiology", Troy struggles with who he is now and what he is becoming, wanting to be recognized as a mature adult by his peers.
- Continued from "Pascal's Triangle Revisited", Annie tries out a new persona "Caroline Decker" which makes her realize how unhappy she is planning out every detail of her life.
Middle Easterm Magic 8 Ball: After Jeff states they are equals now, Troy asks him if he can drive his car. Jeff laughs at his request but Troy ends up getting his wish when he becomes the designated driver at the end of the night and uses Jeff's Lexus to drive everyone home..

Running gags:Edit

Come sail away: Troy is touched by the message on his "Expulsion" cake.
Awww!: When Troy says he wants to bathe in his manhood, Shirley and Annie coo but soon realize how gross that sounds. When Troy tells the waitress that he's waiting until midnight to have a drink, Annie and Britta "Aww" at the gesture.
Catchphrase: "Duh Doy" is said by both Jeff and Britta when Troy calls them out for being as dumb as him.

Pop culture references:Edit

Shout out:
- Tyra Banks, Marisa Tomei and Claude Renoir share a birthday with Troy.
- Apparently, Annie does't see her own resemblance to Anne Hathaway.
- Annie likes Mark Ruffalo.
Product placement:
- The arcade game "Asteroids", the drink "Seven and Seven".
- Troy had a bad experience at a Fuddruckers.
IMDB:
- The Last Starfighter is alluded to by Robert and then mentioned by name by Abed.
- Jeff insults Britta's bar of choice by dubbing it Red Poets Society.
TV Guide: Abed and Robert geek out about Farscape but Robert prefers Stargate.
Name that tune: Caroline Decker claims to have followed the band Phish on tour.

Meta references:Edit

Parody: The episode starts off mocking the TV convention of cutting into a scene with only the end of the "Happy Birthday" song being heard. The audience is supposed to assume that the entire song has been sung, but Pierce points out that the group only sang the last two words.
IRL:
- Donald Glover was a practicing Jehovah's Witness when he was growing up.
- Dan Harmon is infamous for picking on Yvette Nicole Brown, who typically doesn't respond well to his jibes. Despite the fact that nothing could be further from the truth, he frequently calls her an alcoholic in DVD commentaries, convention panels and, generally, whenever he is recorded talking about the show. This episode is a payoff to that off-screen running joke.
Everyone's a critic: When Jeff tells Britta that Flanahan's Hole is closed, she responds, "Well, that's what they get for trying to please everyone." This may be seen as the show's response to critics who say that Community doesn't appeal to a wide enough range of viewers.

Deleted sceneEdit

Where the party at?
Winger!

While Jeff is driving Troy and Abed to Flanahan's Hole, Ben Chang calls him up and asks him where the party is. Jeff lies and says there is no party; he and the study group are studying for their finals. It's then revealed that Chang is calling from the study room which still has the remnants of Troy's birthday party that Annie and Abed organized. He tersely says goodbye to Jeff and helps himself to a piece of the birthday cake they left behind. After tasting it he notes that it's still fresh and angrily squeezes the cake in his hands.

QuotesEdit

“I was born in '89.”— Troy

“Then you were born 21 years ago.”— Jeff

“Which would make me 20, because everyone is 10 for two years...because fifth grade is hard for every...one...MOM! HOW MANY LIES HAVE I BEEN LIVING?!”— Troy

“Troy, you are entering the next chapter of your life. Sadly it's also the final chapter but it's also the longest and if you play it right, the best. You and I, we're just two guys now, peers...equals.”— Jeff

“I just spent the last two years thinking that you guys knew more than me about life and I just found out that you guys are just as dumb as me.”— Troy

“Duh-doy.”— Britta

“Yeah, duh-doy.”— Jeff

Promotional picturesEdit

Season Two Episodes
1. "Anthropology 101" 2. "Accounting for Lawyers" 3. "The Psychology of Letting Go" 4. "Basic Rocket Science" 5. "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples" 6. "Epidemiology" 7. "Aerodynamics of Gender" 8. "Cooperative Calligraphy" 9. "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design" 10. "Mixology Certification" 11. "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" 12. "Asian Population Studies"	13. "Celebrity Pharmacology 212" 14. "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" 15. "Early 21st Century Romanticism" 16. "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" 17. "Intro to Political Science" 18. "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy" 19. "Critical Film Studies" 20. "Competitive Wine Tasting" 21. "Paradigms of Human Memory" 22. "Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" 23. "A Fistful of Paintballs" 24. "For A Few Paintballs More"
Season One • Season Two • Season Three • Season Four • Season Five

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