Plot
 You know what? My prank is going to cause a sea of laughter, and I am going to watch you drown in it!
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| — Britta |
It's the day before April Fool's, and Dean Pelton wants to make sure that the student body doesn't go too far with the shenanigans. In a pamphlet establishing rules of conduct for April Fool's pranks, it is stated that student volunteers are used as extra campus security due to times of heightened shenanigans. Shirley and Annie decide to volunteer and help out as Abed wonders which of them will be the bad cop. Pierce tells the study group about his Buddhist religion and that he is about to ascend to a higher level. Jeff has Abed get him an outfit from the theater department which he convinces Pierce are ceremonial robes sent to him for his upcoming ascension. Britta admonishes Jeff and the study group for playing a prank but ends up being called a buzzkill.
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Britta decides to try and shake her buzzkill image by playing a prank on Señor Chang. Her April Fool's gag is to place a frog on his desk wearing a sombrero with his name on it. She tells her plan to Jeff who is extremely unimpressed. That night, she sneaks into the biology room to steal a frog for the prank, but it ends up escaping from her. While trying to recapture him, Britta bumps into a medical gurney carrying a cadaver and sends it crashing into the wall. The impact causes the cadaver to slowly start to slide off the gurney and out an open window. Britta struggles to pull it back is unable to. She is forced to watch as the cadaver falls two stories to the ground below. Horrified at what has happened, she takes a step back only to accidentally squash the frog.
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Annie and Shirley are called in to investigate the crime scene with Abed tagging along. They continue to bicker over who the badass of the partnership is while being egged on by Abed. Along with Dean Pelton, they inform the Spanish class about the incident, and Jeff immediately figures out who was responsible. He confronts Britta after class and gives her an ultimatum to confess. She decides to make an anonymous call to Annie and Shirley, fingering Jeff as the culprit. They track him down and find evidence in his backpack planted there by Britta. Jeff makes a run for it with Annie and Shirley splitting up and giving chase. He manages to lose them when Annie accidentally pepper sprays herself, and Shirley gets lost. Annie and Shirley report back to Dean Pelton and end up being reprimanded by Abed who thinks the dean isn't being hard enough on them.
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| Both of them are relieved of their duties as campus security and told not to pursue the case any further. They ignore the warning and decide to continue investigating, locating Jeff in the study room along with the rest of the group. He professes his innocence while also trying to prove Britta's guilt. Not believing him, Annie handcuffs him to the chair and slams his head onto the table. They are about to torture a confession out of him until Britta stops them, finally admitting she was the one responsible. She says she only did it so people would think of her differently. Annie, Shirley, Pierce, and Troy make similar confessions about their recent actions, causing all of them to cry leading to a big group hug. Jeff looks on as the scene unfolds before being joined by Abed. He interrupts Jeff's musings and tells him just to appreciate the beauty of friendship.
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End tags
The first appearance of the "Troy and Abed in the Morning!" show.
Recurring themes
Continuity
- Previously:
- Pierce's religion as a "Laser Lotus" is further explored and expanded upon.
- Britta's obsession with her cats is demonstrated again.
- Familiar face: Craig Cackowski, formerly appearing as a Greendale campus security guard, now returns as a police officer.
- Identity crisis: Annie struggles to be seen as more of an adult, Shirley struggles to be seen as something other then just a older mother figure, and Britta struggles to be seen as less of a buzz-kill.
- A sweet ride: Annie and Shirley drive around in the campus security golf cart which is later seen again in the Season 2 finale "For A Few Paintballs More".
- Discontinuity: Chang's fear of frogs was clearly established in this episode. However, in the Season Three episode "First Chang Dynasty", as campus security guard (and Greendale dictator) Chang has his second-in-command Joshua book the Budweiser frogs . He appears to be looking forward to seeing them despite his ranidaphobia.
Running gags:
- Attention!: The show opens up with Dean Pelton making the usual silly announcements.
- You're The Worst!: For the first time, Britta is called a buzzkill.
- I'm Batman!: Abed does another impersonation, this time as a typical angry African American police captain found in movies like "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Lethal Weapon".
- Gay, he's so gay!: Pierce calls Jeff gay again.
- Come sail away!: Troy cries because he doesn't get the joke that Jeff played on Pierce.
Pop culture references:
- Shout out: Leonard interrupts Dean Pelton's announcements by grabbing the microphone away from him and saying "Baba Booey" twice. This is a reference to a word used by fans of Howard Stern in numerous prank calls to other shows. It's also a nickname of Stern's producer Gary Dell'Abate.
- Product placement: While wearing the magician's robe, Pierce is called Cookie Crisp by Star-Burns, a reference to the wizard who used to be the mascot of the brand. The joke is further elaborated on when Jeff gets him a wand with a chocolate chip cookie attached to the end of it.
- Nicknames: Jeff calls Annie and Shirley "Cagney" and "Lacey" after the TV show.
- TV Guide: Shirley calls Annie "Hannah Montana" after the TV show. Alison Brie played a character on that show in one episode.
Meta references:
- Use your allusion: Annie and Shirley storyline is a direct homage to the classic buddy cop movies from the 80's where a loose cannon teams up with a straight-laced partner. Abed makes repeated references to this genre as he observes them at work.
Gallery
Security guards Annie Edison and Shirley Bennett on the job.
Britta losing the dead body.
Security guard Annie snoops around.
Wizard Pierce and Troy listen up.
Troy and Abed in the Morning.
Pierce in a wizard costume.
Quotes
- “You're more of a fun vampire because you don't suck blood. You just suck.”— Troy
- “Knock, knock. Who's there? Cancer! Oh good! Come on in! I thought it was Britta.”— Britta
Trivia
- When Britta drops the body out the window at the 06:55 mark in the episode, a mattress can be seen being pushed behind her to cushion Gillian Jacob's fall.
- The photo of Britta's cat that Jeff uses as evidence of her guilt is actually a picture of Dan Harmon's real life pet. Gillian Jacobs revealed this in a twitter message.
| Season One Episodes | ||
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1. "Pilot" |
14. "Interpretive Dance" |
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| Season One • Season Two • Season Three • Season Four • Season Five • Season Six | ||
