Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts
Encyclopedia
"Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" is the 22nd episode of the second season
of Community
. It originally aired on April 28, 2011, on NBC
.
In the episode, Shirley unexpectedly goes into labor
during the group's Anthropology final. A campus food riot prevents them from getting her to the hospital in time, and they have to help deliver her baby in the classroom.
The episode was written by Karey Dornetto and directed by Jay Chandrasekhar
. It received positive critical reviews.
) unexpectedly shows up with a reporter for Dean Magazine who's doing a piece on the dean and is invited by the dean to observe the final. Professor Ian Duncan (John Oliver) makes an excuse and escapes.
Shirley's (Yvette Nicole Brown
) water breaks
, saving the class from admitting that their Anthropology class has been a fake. The dean decides to get his car to drive Shirley to the hospital. However, a riot breaks out at the food festival in the parking lot, leaving her stuck on campus. Abed (Danny Pudi
) is capable of delivering a baby, but Shirley refuses to let Abed see her "nethers." Instead, Abed guides Britta (Gillian Jacobs
), who had been advocating natural birth to Shirley, through the delivery process. Throughout the episode, Chang (Ken Jeong
) pesters Shirley about how "Chang babies" are born, since he is hoping the baby is his ("Epidemiology
"). During her contractions, Chang calms her down with stories about his relatives' – the Chang babies – births.
Shirley's husband, Andre (Malcolm-Jamal Warner
) arrives to help her through the final stage of delivery. Shirley gives birth to a boy, which is clearly Andre's. Grateful for Chang's help during the birth, Shirley names the baby "Ben" after him.
At the end of the episode, it is shown that Dean Magazine shut down after only two issues.
, his third directing credit of the series.
. Dean Pelton compared his self-proclaimed father figure role to the horror film Children of the Corn
.
' performance as the best in the series, "by a mile." Ken Jeong
also received praise for his performance. Cory Barker of TV Surveillance said the episode wasn't "overly complicated", but had "a number of really solid, straightforward emotional beats, something we haven’t seen from the series for most of this season." Kelsea Stahler of Hollywood.com said "Even when we get an episode that's more about love and friendship with Community, we usually find a few great lines along the way. Even so, it wasn't a bad episode. What we found last night, was an episode of Community that was full of heart, a few chuckles and one really fake-looking newborn." Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a B+ score, saying he enjoyed the series "[getting] out of its own way and let Shirley deliver her baby."
Community (season 2)
The second season of the television comedy series Community premiered on September 23, 2010 and concluded on May 12, 2011, on NBC and aired on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET as part of Comedy Night Done Right.-Starring:*Joel McHale as Jeff Winger...
of Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
. It originally aired on April 28, 2011, on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
In the episode, Shirley unexpectedly goes into labor
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
during the group's Anthropology final. A campus food riot prevents them from getting her to the hospital in time, and they have to help deliver her baby in the classroom.
The episode was written by Karey Dornetto and directed by Jay Chandrasekhar
Jay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam "Jay" Chandrasekhar is a Tamil American actor, comedian, writer, and film director with the comedy team Broken Lizard.-Life and career:...
. It received positive critical reviews.
Plot
The study group and their classmates are having their Anthropology final exam, which is a farce. Dean Pelton (Jim RashJim Rash
Jim Rash was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter.His most noticeable appearance was when he portrayed Mr Grayson/Stitches, a sidekick to the supervillain 'Royal Pain' in the 2005 film Sky High and as the recurring characters Fenton on That '70s Show...
) unexpectedly shows up with a reporter for Dean Magazine who's doing a piece on the dean and is invited by the dean to observe the final. Professor Ian Duncan (John Oliver) makes an excuse and escapes.
Shirley's (Yvette Nicole Brown
Yvette Nicole Brown
Yvette Nicole Brown is an American actress and comedian. Brown has appeared in various commercials, television shows, and films throughout her career...
) water breaks
Rupture of membranes
Rupture of membranes or amniorrhexis is a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac. Normally, or "spontaneously", it occurs at full term at the onset of, or during, labor...
, saving the class from admitting that their Anthropology class has been a fake. The dean decides to get his car to drive Shirley to the hospital. However, a riot breaks out at the food festival in the parking lot, leaving her stuck on campus. Abed (Danny Pudi
Danny Pudi
Danny Pudi is an American actor, best known for his role as Abed Nadir on the NBC comedy series Community.-Early years:Pudi, who is of Indian and Polish descent, was born and raised in Chicago and grew up speaking Polish...
) is capable of delivering a baby, but Shirley refuses to let Abed see her "nethers." Instead, Abed guides Britta (Gillian Jacobs
Gillian Jacobs
Gillian Jacobs is an American film, theatre and television actress, best known for her role as Britta Perry on the NBC comedy series Community.-Personal life:...
), who had been advocating natural birth to Shirley, through the delivery process. Throughout the episode, Chang (Ken Jeong
Ken Jeong
Kendrick Kang-Joh "Ken" Jeong , also known as "Dr. Ken," is an American comedian, actor, and physician. Currently, he appears as Ben Chang on the NBC comedy series Community.-Early life and medical career:...
) pesters Shirley about how "Chang babies" are born, since he is hoping the baby is his ("Epidemiology
Epidemiology (Community)
"Epidemiology" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Community, and the 31st episode of the series overall...
"). During her contractions, Chang calms her down with stories about his relatives' – the Chang babies – births.
Shirley's husband, Andre (Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Malcolm-Jamal Warner is an American television actor, film director, and musician. He is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Additionally, he appeared as Malcolm McGee on the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie. He is currently starring as Dr...
) arrives to help her through the final stage of delivery. Shirley gives birth to a boy, which is clearly Andre's. Grateful for Chang's help during the birth, Shirley names the baby "Ben" after him.
At the end of the episode, it is shown that Dean Magazine shut down after only two issues.
Production
"Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" was written by Karey Dornetto, her fifth writing credit of the series. It was directed by Jay ChandrasekharJay Chandrasekhar
Jayanth Jambulingam "Jay" Chandrasekhar is a Tamil American actor, comedian, writer, and film director with the comedy team Broken Lizard.-Life and career:...
, his third directing credit of the series.
Cultural references
Abed and Troy compared Pierce's offer to "buy" their handshake to a similar deal in Indecent ProposalIndecent Proposal
Indecent Proposal is a 1993 drama film, based on the novel of the same name by Jack Engelhard. It was directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Robert Redford, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson.-Plot:...
. Dean Pelton compared his self-proclaimed father figure role to the horror film Children of the Corn
Children of the Corn (1984 film)
Children of the Corn is a 1984 horror film based upon the 1977 short story of the same name by Stephen King. Directed by Fritz Kiersch, the film stars Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton...
.
Ratings
In its original broadcast on April 28, 2011, "Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" was viewed by an estimated 3.35 million people, with a Nielsen rating of 1.4 in the 18–49 demographic.Reviews
The episode received positive reviews from critics. Jeffrey Kirkpatrick gave it a 4.2/5 rating, and praised Gillian JacobsGillian Jacobs
Gillian Jacobs is an American film, theatre and television actress, best known for her role as Britta Perry on the NBC comedy series Community.-Personal life:...
' performance as the best in the series, "by a mile." Ken Jeong
Ken Jeong
Kendrick Kang-Joh "Ken" Jeong , also known as "Dr. Ken," is an American comedian, actor, and physician. Currently, he appears as Ben Chang on the NBC comedy series Community.-Early life and medical career:...
also received praise for his performance. Cory Barker of TV Surveillance said the episode wasn't "overly complicated", but had "a number of really solid, straightforward emotional beats, something we haven’t seen from the series for most of this season." Kelsea Stahler of Hollywood.com said "Even when we get an episode that's more about love and friendship with Community, we usually find a few great lines along the way. Even so, it wasn't a bad episode. What we found last night, was an episode of Community that was full of heart, a few chuckles and one really fake-looking newborn." Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a B+ score, saying he enjoyed the series "[getting] out of its own way and let Shirley deliver her baby."
External links
- "Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" at NBC.com
- "Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" at TV TropesTV TropesTV Tropes is a wiki which collects and expands on various conventions and devices found within creative works. Since its establishment in 2004, the site has gone from covering only television and film tropes to also covering those in a number of other media such as literature, comics, video-games,...