"Regional Holiday Music"
◄   Season Three, Episode Ten  ►
Air date	December 8, 2011 on
Written by	Steve Basilone and Annie Mebane
Directed by	Tristram Shapeero

“	It was almost like being on Ecstasy, except instead of having pointless conversations and dancing like idiots...Oh, wait, it was exactly like being on Ecstasy.	”
–Britta, on replacing the Glee Club last year

Summary: After the Greendale Glee Club is sidelined, Abed falls under the influence of its director Mr. Rad (Taran Killam, Saturday Night Live) and gradually recruits the other members of the study group to replace them for the Holiday Musical.

Contents 1 Plot 2 End tag 3 Recurring themes 3.1 Continuity: 3.2 Running gags: 3.3 Meta references: 3.4 Pop culture references: 4 Quotes: 5 Videos 6 Comments

PlotEdit

The study group is eating lunch in the cafeteria, discussing what they'll be doing over the holiday break. Abed invites everyone over to watch the Inspector Spacetime Holiday Special, but everyone already has plans. The Greendale Glee Club shows up and starts performing "remix" versions of Christmas carols. They are stopped by Chang who hands them a cease and desist order from ASCAP. Jeff reveals he tipped the organization off to the illegal use of copyrighted material, preventing the club from performing any of those songs. Upon hearing this news, the Glee Club members begin to have a very loud and disturbing nervous breakdown. During the spectacle, the study group quietly sneaks away.

In the study room, Dean Pelton informs the study group that all the members of the Glee Club are currently hospitalized and under psychiatric care. He introduces the Glee Club director Mr. Radison. He asks the group if they can fill in for the Glee Club like they did before. The group refuses, and Jeff privately warns them all to watch out for "Mr. Rad" who may try to change their minds. Abed ignores Jeff's warning and decides to talk to Mr. Rad. The two commiserate over their holiday problems before Mr. Rad breaks into song and gets Abed to accompany him. Afterwards, Abed resolves to get the rest of the study group to help in the Christmas Pageant.

Abed goes back to his apartment to talk to Troy. After bringing up the Christmas Pageant, Troy says he would like to help, but he can't really take part in anything related to the holiday as a Jehovah's Witness. Abed comes up with a possible loophole: what if Troy were just pretending to like Christmas, so he could destroy it from within? They then rap the song "Christmas Infiltration" which ends up convincing Troy. Annie interrupts their song and becomes suspicious when they invite her to rap with them.

The next day at school, Annie shares her concerns with the other study group members as they head to the study room. When they arrive, they see the room has been rearranged and now has a large piano along with a player sitting in the corner. Troy and Abed appear and try to appeal to the others to join them in song. They start to sing "Baby Boomer Santa" to the study group. Pierce succumbs and joins in, accepting the praise heaped upon his generation in the flattery laced song. The rest of the study group slowly backs out of the room, horrified by what they just witnessed.

Abed goes to the music room to update Mr. Radison on how his recruitment is going so far. Mr. Rad is already planning out the direction of the show using a diorama to represent the study group. Abed questions Britta's role, and Radison suddenly snaps, telling him that she's just playing a tree. Annie walks in, demanding them to explain their recent actions. Troy suddenly appears behind her and closes the door to the room. The three of them corner Annie and begin to harmonize as they ominously close in on her. Meanwhile, Jeff, Shirley, and Britta are in the student lounge worrying about what's going on. Annie arrives and asks Jeff to join her as she has an idea of what Mr. Rad will do next.

Leading him to a changing room, she dons a provocative outfit and proceeds to put on a private show for Jeff. She seductively sings the song "Teach Me How to Understand Christmas." Jeff is unable to stop watching as he is both turned on and disturbed by the performance. Back in the commons area, Pierce approaches Britta and Shirley. He promises that he himself won't sing to them but subsequently unveils a children's choir. They sing a sad song about how the world tries to ignore the holiday's ties to Christianity, and in particular, Jesus. Unable to control herself, Shirley joins in the song, turning it into an upbeat melody called "Happy Birthday Jesus!" Britta runs away and bumps into Jeff in the hallway. Jeff begins to sing as Britta starts to scream.

A few days later, it's the night of the Christmas Pageant in the Greendale cafeteria with all the study group members as enthusiastic participants. Before putting on the first musical number "Planet Christmas," Radison thanks Abed for his help. In a disturbingly manic tone, he corrects Abed's assumption that tonight's performance is just a one time deal. He has plans for the study group beyond even regionals. Realizing that he has been duped, Abed sets out to correct his mistake. He pulls Britta aside and tells her she has to replace him in his part of the pageant. Britta steps in for him and begins to sing badly in front of the entire audience, prompting an angry Mr. Radison to storm the stage and yell at her.

Dean Pelton steps in to calm the situation down, suggesting that Britta continue her awkward song to which the audience cheerfully agrees. Incensed, Mr. Radison launches into an angry tirade which ends with a confession: it turns out that he was responsible for last year's bus accident which killed the previous Glee Club. When he realizes what he has said, Mr. Radison runs offstage. Abed apologizes to the study group for what happened and leaves as well. Back in his apartment, Abed is watching the Inspector Spacetime Holiday Special when he hears carolers outside his door. He finds the study group standing there singing, and they all enter. Everyone joins Abed in the living room to watch the rest of the Inspector Spacetime special.

End tagEdit

The end tag has Leonard, Magnitude, and Star-Burns joining Dean Pelton and Chang to close out the show in another musical number, performing a rendition of "Carol Of The Bells,"

Recurring themesEdit

Continuity:Edit

• Previously: It's mentioned in the Season Two episode "Paradigms of Human Memory" that the study group previously filled in for the Greendale Glee Club after they were all killed in an "accident." Also, the diorama Mr. Rad makes of the pageant is reminiscent of the dioramas the group had to make for Anthropology class in Season Two.
• That just happened: Jeff says to everyone how dark this semester has become, mentioning that he "kind of attacked them with a fire ax" and "basically killed a guy".
• Returning students: Leonard, Magnitude, and Star-Burns appear in the end tag.
• School song: Six original songs were written for this episode: "Glee", "Christmas Infiltration", "Baby Boomer Santa", "Teach Me How to Understand Christmas", "Happy Birthday Jesus!" and "Planet Christmas".

Running gags:Edit

• I hate Glee!: The entire episode is a send up of the show Glee but with original music.
• Annie's boobs: Troy mistakes Annie's Yiddish name for her grandmother Bubbe as "booby."
• You're the worst!: Mr. Rad calls Britta this after she sings onstage.
• Britta'd it: Abed gets Britta to ruin the the holiday musical.
• Catch phrases: Britta says "Duh Doy!"
• Nice Outfit: Jeff, Pierce and Troy's toy soldiers outfits, Annie's white gown, Shirley's Ghost of Christmas Present outfit, Abed's Mouse King outfit.
• Fanservice: Annie's Santa's helper costume, Britta's brown unitard.
• Turning it into a snake: Britta sings and dances awkwardly onstage as the Mouse King.

Meta references:Edit

• Parody: The entire episode is a parody/satire of the popular Fox show Glee with a few scenes done in the same style, along with many overt references to the show.
• IRL: Jeff saying "Not liking Glee doesn't make us bullies" is a reference to Glee creator Ryan Murphy's comments about musicians and bands who refused to have their music featured on his show. This is referenced again when Mr. Rad shouts "Look, Kings Of Leon!", which is the name of one of those bands.
• Resume: Years ago, Alison Brie did an online skit singing "Santa Baby," wearing a similar outfit and performing the song just as provocatively as she did in "Teach Me How To Understand Christmas."
• IRL2: Donald Glover used to be a practicing Jehovah's Witness.
• Use your allusion:

"Christmas Infiltration" has Abed singing the line: 'If years were seasons, this December would be the December of our December." In a Tweet, Dan Harmon explains this line: "If years, which contain 4 seasons, were seasons in a 4 season story, winter of season 3 would be the coldest and darkest." This is not only a reference to the overall story arc of the show but also to the fact that this episode is the last one shown before NBC put Community on an extended mid-season hiatus.

The song "Baby Boomer Santa" has Troy and Abed mimicking certain singing styles including Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. They also do dances similar to John Travolta in "Staying Alive" and Courtney Cox from Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" video.

The song Annie sings "Teach Me How to Understand Christmas" is a satire of similar holiday classics with lyrics that reflect the criticisms of those type of songs. In this interview, the writer of the episode Megan Ganz explained: "That song too was supposed to be a satire of the way that those "Santa Baby" songs infantilize women’s sexuality. Of course, it’s Alison Brie doing it, so it’s going to be sexy."

When Britta runs into Jeff in the hallway, it is a reminiscent of the final scene from the 1978 version of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers."

The Inspector Spacetime Holiday Special is a reference to the infamous "Star Wars Holiday Special"

Pop culture references:Edit

• Shout outs: "Baby Boomer Santa" includes many references including: Coca Cola, Doris Day, The Beatles, Woodstock, "Staying Alive," Steven Spielberg, Gremlins, MTV and Twin Peaks.

Quotes:Edit

• "That guy is like a human fro-yo." —Troy talking about Mr. Radison
• "I realize the stakes aren't that high, but somehow that just makes it way scarier!" —Britta
• "Look, eventually you hit a point of diminishing returns on the sexiness." —Jeff

"What's a dimishi-weh-weh?" —Annie

• "This is forever. This is what we do now. This is who we are." —Mr. Radison
• "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! This show is supposed to gleeful and bright and fun, and you can let me do that, OR THERE CAN BE ANOTHER BUS CRASH!" —Mr. Radison confesses
• "What the hell are regionals?" — Pierce Hawthorne

“I'll be at the movies with my Bubbe”— Annie

“You're not taking both of them?”— Troy (thinking she means her breasts)

“Well one's dead”— Annie

“WHAT!?”— Troy

VideosEdit

Community - Inside Regional Holiday Music(03:59)
148 views

Season Three Episodes
1. "Biology 101" 2. "Geography of Global Conflict" 3. "Remedial Chaos Theory" 4. "Competitive Ecology" 5. "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps" 6. "Advanced Gay" 7. "Studies in Modern Movement" 8. "Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" 9. "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism" 10. "Regional Holiday Music" 11. "Contemporary Impressionists"	12. "Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts" 13. "Digital Exploration of Interior Design 14. "Pillows and Blankets" 15. "Origins of Vampire Mythology" 16. "Virtual Systems Analysis" 17. "Basic Lupine Urology" 18. "Course Listing Unavailable" 19. "Curriculum Unavailable" 20. "Digital Estate Planning" 21. "First Chang Dynasty" 22. "Introduction to Finality"
Season One • Season Two • Season Three • Season Four • Season Five

Start a Discussion Discussions about Regional Holiday Music

You can find discussions about everything related to this wiki on Community Wiki Forum!