A Reappraisal of Community's 'Basic Rocket Science'

Season 2's 'Basic Rocket Science' was never one of my favorite episodes of Community. In fact, the first time I watched it on Hulu, I was a little disappointed. Another concept episode or "self-contained escapade" with sci-fi parody and Abed quirkiness, the premise of the episode, a simulation rocket being commandeered by the Greendale Seven and then towed away, outside of town because of City College's Dean's malfeasance never really struck me as grounded in reality. Annie's character leaving Greendale for City College never sounded legitimate, either, since she decided to stay in Greendale at the end of season 1 despite her earlier talk of joining Vaughn at another city college outside the state (the show is set in Colorado, but the palm trees make it quite clear it's shot in California). That said, the episode has it's great moments and some laughs, so I will stand by it despite my earlier disdain for what some consider a dud in the great number of laughs, such as the study group's Greendale flag, an anus (with a Freudian slip from the Dean alluding to peanuts/penis!), or the Colonel Sanders narrator in the simulation rocket, because the former winnebago was sponsored by KFC in its transformation to a simulation spaceship, and, last but not least, references to the Dean's ratings of truck stop restrooms, presumably ratings based on the quality of sex he acquired from those bathrooms (anyone remember the one Republican senator caught soliciting gay sex in the Minneapolis airport bathroom?). The meta-commentary on this episode of a simulation of a simulation for instance, or the classic science fiction allusions, as well as a joke about Wesley Snipes hating the government (linked to tax evasion charges) made this episode enjoyable. We also get a look at an assertive, semi-professional Dean, presenting his ideas to the board. Abed also becomes a 'hero' in this episode, guiding Jeff, Troy, Pierce, Shirley, and Annie through the KFC simulation while Troy takes an early leadership role as captain of the simulation. In addition, we get hints of Pierce's future mental instability in this episode, since he imagines Sanders telling him he will die alone and even attacks Troy in his mistaken delusions (Troy refers to it as space madness, and claustrophobia and Sander's resemblance to Pierce's father only makes things worse).

Thus, this episode features some emotional depth and foreshadows later trends in the second season of Community. Close contact between Troy and Britta for instance, in the winnebago/spaceship where they each say, "Hi" to each other (which must be a reference to Star Wars or some other science fiction classic, it sounds so familiar) and Troy rising to the position of captain with support and acceptance by Jeff hints at his future maturity and adulthood in his 21st birthday and the paintball tournament which concludes the second season. Likewise, we see growth in Jeff, who accepts Greendale as his home, the place that accepts him, despite disparaging remarks and attitude toward his new home. And Troy and Abed are hilarious per usual in the short post-episode clip, playing with cardboard boxes while imagining they're in space firing at each other, only reinforcing their Calvin & Hobbes like love for imagination. Also, I gotta ask, what the hell happened between Dean Spreck and Dean Pelton in the past, there's clearly something personal between the two rival deans. There is also some obvious commentary on the degree to which corporations and fast-food culture have permeated our everyday life, a trend seemingly on the rise, what with the Supreme Court declaration of corporations as people and its entry into popular culture.

Thank God for the fabulous Greenstronauts!

Best Lines:

Dean Pelton: We Make Greendale, not City College, the first community college to pretend to put a man in space!

Pierce Hawthorne: You guys are walking slow-mo?

Shirley: It was the '80s, everyone who made this was on cocaine.

Jeff: I don't this this is a simulation. I think we're being towed.

Dean Pelton: So handicap spots count on Saturdays?

Jeff: I hate to pull reality on you but you got your rank, captain, by sitting in the chair with the largest knobs.

Annie: You guys thought that butthole flag was so funny. I mean, I respect you well enough to let you hate yourselves but I respect myself too much to let you hate my school.

Troy: Yeah, let's kill her.

Jeff: Our school may be a toilet, but it's OUR toilet. Nobody craps in it but us.

Abed: They're next to the truckstop with three thumbs.
Dean Pelton: Those aren't thumbs.

Troy: I told you we should've put cheeks on it. There is a time and a place for subtlety and that time was before Scary Movie.