Thursday's Highlights: 'Community' on NBC

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TV listings for the week of Dec. 5 - 11 in PDF format (alternate link)

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This week's TV Movies

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HOLIDAY EPISODE: Abed wakes up in a stop-motion animation starring the members of the study group in a new episode of “Community” at 8 p.m. on NBC.?

SERIES

The Big Bang Theory: Sheldon's (Jim Parsons) “girlfriend” (Mayim Bialik) realizes she has fallen for Penny's (Kaley Cuoco) ex (Brian Thomas Smith) in this new episode (8 p.m. CBS).?

Rocky Mountain Gators: Jay Young lives the wild life, wrangling, raising and wrestling alligators deep in the heart of Colorado's Rocky Mountains in this new series (8 p.m. Animal Planet).?

The Apprentice: One of the two finalists will hear Donald Trump speak the words “Welcome to the Club,” in the season finale of the unscripted series (10 p.m. NBC).?

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Kyle and Mauricio's marriage is put to the test as they argue over whether to take the kids along on what is intended to be a romantic Napa Valley trip for a charity bike ride, and a new twist in Camille's marriage to Kelsey is revealed in this new episode (10 p.m. Bravo).?

SPECIALS

A Barbara Walters Special: Oprah, The Next Chapter: The veteran ABC newswoman interviews Oprah Winfrey in this new special (9 p.m. ABC). “Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2010” follows at 10, featuring Justin Bieber, Betty White, Gen. David Petraeus, the cast of “Jersey Shore,” Sandra Bullock and former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the first person to make Walters' list three times.?

MOVIES

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Director Wes Anderson tells the Roald Dahl story about a fox (George Clooney) who tries to overcome the prowling tradition of his species, in this 2009 animation. Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson also provide voices (7 p.m. HBO).?

The Santa Incident: A couple (Ione Skye, Greg Germann) help Santa Claus (James Cosmo) after the U.S. government shoots down his sleigh as an unidentified aircraft in this new holiday treat. Michael McElhatton and Sean McConaghy also star (8 and 10 p.m. Hallmark).?

SPORTS

Hockey: The Calgary Flames visit the Kings (7:30 p.m. FSN).?

Photo: NBC

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'Community' recap: Happy birthday, Troy!

Well, well, well -- it’s Troy’s 20th birthday. Make that the 20th anniversary of his expulsion from a uterus. Troy (Donald Glover) is a Jehovah’s Witness, you see, and doesn’t celebrate his birthday. Still, there’s presents, a bit of “Happy Birthday” and even a cake, which Pierce (Chevy Chase) proceeds to destroy while claiming that it was his birthday last week and that nobody made a big deal about it. They convince him he had a wild party, and he goes along with it. Ha.

Annie (Alison Brie) starts reading facts about Troy’s birthday, that he was born on Dec. 4, that he shares it with Tyra Banks, Marisa Tomei and French cinematographer Claude Renoir, and that he, like Annie, is a horse. Troy corrects her to say, nope, he’s a snake, born in 1989. Which means he’s 21. Which can mean only one thing. Party!

Troy’s down with a trip to a bar for his first legal alcoholic beverage -- “I want to bathe in manhood” --? while Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) and the underage Annie are not, but they go along anyway. Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) bicker about which bar to take Troy to (These two are particularly bickersome tonight … must be something in the air), a fake ID is acquired for Annie (Caroline Decker from Corpus Christi, Texas) and they’re off. One closed bar, telephone argument and Jeff pep talk (“Troy, you’re entering the next chapter of your life. Sadly, it’s 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.) later, they arrive at the Ballroom. Much to Shirley’s chagrin. Turns out she knows it well.

Annie doesn’t just pretend to be Caroline Decker from Corpus Christi, Texas; she becomes Caroline Decker from Corpus Christi, Texas, fake accent and all. And rolls with it. Growing up on a trout farm (What? Not a catfish farm?), punching out her probation officer,? following Phish around. Just call her Capricious Caroline. “Plans just fall off me like chicken crap off an armadillo.”? Hot damn!

While Troy ponders what to order -- beer? a Seven and Seven like his favorite uncle favored? -- Shirley cruises the bar, looking for incriminating photos of herself from her drinking days, and Abed (Danny Pudi) goes off to play Asteroids. Where he’s hit on by a geeky guy. Abed ignores the signs -- he’s way more interested in discussing his favorite sci-fi show in great detail (“I really, really like talking about ‘Farscape’ ”). And gets a drink in the face for his efforts.
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Shirley comes face to face with her past -- a poster Britta’s plucked from the bathroom featuring a very drunk Shirley and the legend, “If you look like this, call a cab.” Muttering, “I had some bad years, with a chaser,” she stalks out, where she finds Pierce stuck in the bar’s entrance, with a dead battery on his wheelchair. She takes pity on him, and takes him home.

Back at the bar, it’s nearly midnight. Troy looks around, sees a sad Abed and Annie and a still bickering Britta and Jeff, and decides to call it a night. Next thing you know, Troy’s behind the wheel of Jeff’s hot car (Now, that’s a much better birthday present!). Jeff and Britta start bickering again -- this time over the name of a bar. Turns out they've been talking about the same bar, just calling it different names, which sets Troy off: “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.” Da doy! Welcome to adulthood, Troy.

And with adulthood come some extra smarts too, apparently -- Troy gets all philosophical and wise when he walks Annie to her apartment door. Annie too. Sweet.

Sweetness, meanwhile, is not what’s going on in the back seat of the car, where Jeff and Britta are playing tonsil hockey. If you can’t fight ’em, make out with ’em, I guess.? Unwilling witness Abed rats them out, and is chastised by Troy. Turns out Troy may be the most grown up of them all.

Or maybe not. This week’s extra credit finds Troy and Abed setting a T-shirt record? -- just because they can. By the time Troy’s squeezed into No. 157 -– an XXXL Uncle Rusty’s burger shirt, he can barely breathe, much less move around. And that’s when his phone starts ringing. “Hurry, I think it’s a girl,” he urges the rooting Abed. Kids.

Overall, a pretty good episode. A few secrets were revealed, especially where Shirley was concerned. Now, is she pregnant or not? As to Annie … a complete 180 from the gun-wielding Annie of a few weeks ago when her pens went missing (or was that just the root beer talking?). And who knew Troy had such surprisingly deep thoughts? And then there’s Jeff and Britta, the 21st century's Bickering Bickersons.??

Be sure to catch next week's episode -- an early Christmas present for "Community" fans.

-- Alison Dingeldein

Photo: Britta (Gillian Jacobs) shows off a bit of incriminating evidence. Jeff (Joel McHale), center, and Troy (Donald Glover) are equally amused. Credit: Jordin Althaus / NBC

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'Community' recap: Mean girl Hilary Duff

Abed, Abed, Abed, you make such a good mean girl. Remind me to always have you on my side. Come to think of it, Se?or Chang (Ken Jeong) too. The evil Chang, that is.

In a story sadly all too similar these days to real life, there's a mean-girl problem at Greendale -– namely a trio led by Meghan (very special guest star Hilary Duff). Britta (Gillian Jacobs), Annie (Alison Brie) and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) cross paths with them in a women's studies class, Feminist Representation in Media (personally, I can't imagine Meghan and Co. signing up for a course like that, unless it is required, but ...). Oh, and Abed (Danny Pudi) has tagged along to get to know his female friends better. Good thing. Turns out he's quite adept at seeing people’s flaws and weaknesses and not shy about sharing. Before you know it, Britta, Annie and Shirley have turned him loose on the campus' mean girls, much to Chang's delight. Oh, snap!

Meanwhile, Troy (Donald Glover) and Jeff (Joel McHale) are learning a thing or two about Zen and the art of tranquility maintenance. You see, they've discovered a secret garden with a magical trampoline at its center, cared for by a very hippie-like gardener named Joshua (Matt Walsh). Shhh, don’t tell anybody. After a few bounces, they're one with the universe and Jeff is sporting a pair of Uggs. In public. "It’s like wearing a pair of dreams," he tells a knowing Troy. It's all too much for Pierce (Chevy Chase), who demands to know their relaxation secrets. They refuse and sneak off to the garden for a bounce before lunch. They're too blissed out to notice that Pierce's little "DraganFlyer" -– complete with spy cam -– is following them. Soon, Pierce crashes into their Zen garden -– and the dumpster -– and the secret is out. So long, trampoline; farewell, Joshua (who, it turns out, was no hippie, but a racist). Troy and Jeff come to the conclusion that "purity that demands exclusion isn't real purity. Maybe paradise is just a lie."

That lesson could also be applied to the girls, who, in true Greendale fashion, go overboard and become the kind of women they hate. Abed too (C'mon, dissing your juice box? What'd it ever do to you?). He wises up and decides to restore the natural order, giving Meghan the tools of their downfall -– a pack of "destruct codes," as he puts it.? Soon, Meghan is dissing him publicly, again much to Chang's enjoyment, and things have pretty much settled back into their Greendale-ness. Here's hoping, though, that the mean girls learned a thing or two about themselves and will be nicer in the future.?

Extra credit: It's another edition of "Troy and Abed in the Morning." This one with "Greendale’s resident animal expert," Star-Burns (Dino Stamatopoulos), and his pet turtle. It was great to see the actors branching out from their usual groupings this week, but you can never have too much of Glover and Pudi, in this recapper's opinion. They have a fantastic chemistry, never more so than in these clever vignettes. This week’s expanded on their morning show, complete with bow tie, coffee mugs, a weather guy and even "fans" with their faces -– and signs -– pressed to the "window."? "Today" has never looked this fun.

-- Alison Dingeldein

Photo: Meghan (Hilary Duff), left, and fellow mean girl Jen (Jess Adams) on "Community." Credit: Harper Smith / NBC

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