It’s already been FIVE long episodes since Troy set out on his Voyage across the world. He is supposedly on a great adventure to find his true self (and to claim the millions of dollars waiting for him at the finish line). I’m not mad at him. He has already provided us with some of the best comedy on television over the past 5 years. The only problem is, we want more, and the show its self needs more.
Four out of the last five episodes have been decent (“App Development and Condiments” was painfully boring), but I expect great from Community. Maybe the show is finally losing its touch and showing its fatigue as a whole. The entire premise to this season has been a stretch with the group returning to Greendale Community College after already graduating. I think that would be easier to overlook though if the funniest character, Troy Barnes, was still around.
Troy was very essential to Community. His dynamic with his BFF, Abed, was comedic gold. Their adventures and overall weirdness made for some of the funniest moments I’ve seen on television. They became the comedy backbone of the show, and the viewer could always count on a few laughs from them even if the rest of the episode wasn’t amazing. By removing Troy, Abed is no longer as fun as he once was. Even though he is still a great character, his solo adventures seem almost sad now. I like that they have brought a love interest on for him because he needs to play off of someone almost as strange as him.
The reason Troy is such an important character to the show is that he was sort of like the glue of the group and represented innocence to a certain point. After the first few episodes of the series, he never took himself too seriously. He became comfortable in his own skin. He was naturally funny and naïve at times without being an idiot. The fact that he had a uniquely good relationship with all of the other characters brought some very interesting dynamics to the show. He lived with old and grumpy Pierce at one point. He found a truly great friend in Britta following their failed romantic relationship. He had an ambitious quality that Jeff admired, and was just awkwardly hilarious with his best friend Abed.
It’s not likely that the actor who plays Troy, Donald Glover, will make a full return to Community. He said he needed to branch out and make it on his own. I’m sure we all respect that, but it would be great for him to make an appearance here and there if the show lasts another season. I think it’s very possible these last 3 episodes of the season will be the end of the series. If the show does make it another season I hope they can find a way to bring Troy back in some capacity. He is the missing piece that has Community stuck in “just good” territory instead of its usual great standing.
– Deonte’ Briddell