It felt a little off to me, but maybe I was contaminated by having read the Grantland article, and feeling crappy from giving blood, and watching it by myself instead of with my regular Community-watching gang.

The laugh track was really disconcerting. And kind of creepifying.

Greendale Babies OMG.

The tag failed at the very end--that's the part that felt uncomfortable for me. It wasn't the funniest episode--but it was solidly in the middle of the pack, and use established plot points very carefully and appropriately, and recasting Pierce is never not ba.d.

I agree with ita ! The tag didn't work for me either.

But it was Community, and there was much rejoicing.

Yeah. the tag failed for me, mostly because I didn't get Shirley's part.

Me neither.

I'll agree. I think they made some smart choices for the episode that worked well, but the tag fell flat. Cautious optimism continuing.

Wasn't Shirley's part in the tag making fun of characters with catchphrases that always got a huge laugh-track response, like "Dyn-o-MITE!!!"? That's what I assumed.

(Er, maybe everyone already got that, and just couldn't figure out what the point of making fun of it was. Sometimes I state the obvious.)

Ooooh. That makes sense. Now.

Yeah, that was my guess, Tep.

Tep,

that's how I took it. I think the new season ep was being very meta and also addressing FAN fears the show was going down the toilet in light of the creator leaving. So that's why there was all this irritating bullshit thrown in (laugh track, catchphrase, even 3 camera shots I think)