Where Todd VanDerWerff is wrong about Contemporary Impressionists
AV CLUB COMMUNITY REVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY IMPRESSIONISM
“Broadly speaking, Abed’s not terribly likely to break into the film industry, the only place he could make any real money at this. At some point, he’ll have to find a job and grow up and stop living in a fantasy world. But, as Troy points out, that would stop making him Abed.”
Todd VanDerWerff wants to decode CONTEMPORARY IMPRESSIONISTS as revealing that playtime is dangerous and ultimately has to stop sometime.
You can’t criticize his criticism too much. He gave it a “B,” right?
!!!
The proposed meaning of this show is not teaching people they need to grow up. It’s explicitly said, and implicitly implied that there is no one path to enlightenment. And, it’s a gross take away that t we are failed versions of our own fantasy until we accept our capitalistic fate.
Abed “failed” in Troy’s eyes, in his father’s eyes, in society’s eyes. But, he isn’t a failure in any criteria he accepts.
The lesson if there needs to be one is that like Troy said earlier, Abed is magic.
We as an audience continue to fail Abed just as Troy predicts. Troy, like Peter, betrays Abed three times before the (pea) cock crows.
We supposedly learn Abed’s refusal to give up being creative / hiring actors to play with him, means that he needs a baby sitter. No, not necessarily so.
Some people simply moonwalk through life marching to the beat of a different drummer. If Troy didn’t help him, Abed would simply Peter Seller’s his way through the situation somehow just by BEING THERE.
Maybe French Stewart would get arrested for trying to break Abed’s legs.
Maybe Pierce would pay off the debt.
Maybe he would become an indentured servant- playing Jamie Lee Curtis for the next six seasons.
Todd suggests that we should all empathize with Troy needing to grow up and become AC Repair man, but I suggest we all know an Abed who somehow lands on their feet precisely because they go limp when falling out of the hostel.
I mean, meta meta meta cool cool cool: Show runner Dan Harmon dropped out of a University. Went to a Community College for fun… made a bunch of fun movies with his friends and then made this show we all talk about online.
The story isn’t accepting boundaries. The story is learning the consequences of having boundaries.
