TV’s Moments of Joy – Christmas Attack Zone!

Community – In a move that only Community would even dare attempt, this week brought us a holiday episode in stop-motion animation, like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the other Rankin-Bass classics.  And in a typically meta-touch, Abed was aware that they were all animated, though everybody else thought he was crazy.  The animation was really well-done, and they made the most of the fantasy scenario to create some real lunacy.  No kidding, there was a Christmas pterodactyl.  But it wasn’t just a gimmick episode, as Abed struggled with the meaning of Christmas after receiving some bad news.  We may have learned more about Abed than in any live-action episode, and he kind of broke our hearts.  There were funny songs performed by the regular cast, most of whom are not singers.  (Except Yvette Nicole Brown.  Ladie’s got some pipes!)  And how can we not love an episode where a LOST Season 1 DVD is a metaphor for “lack of payoff”?