Community/Recap/S2/E18 Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy

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As the end of Shirley's pregnancy draws closer and the question of who the father of her child is comes nearer to an answer, Senor Chang is increasingly insistent on inserting himself into the child's life — and by extension, Shirley's. Equally eager to keep him out of their lives as much as possible, Shirley asks Jeff to persuade Chang to sign away his parental rights in the event of the child being his; however, Jeff is soon torn between keeping his promise to Shirley and seizing an opportunity to get Chang, in persuading him to change his ways in preparation for fatherhood, out of his apartment.

Troy and Abed have made a new videogame friend, Lukka, and beg Britta not to sleep with him, fearing the inevitable disillusionment which will come with her, having entered a failed relationship with him, spilling all of his embarrassing and awkward secrets. Unfortunately, this places Britta in a tight spot when she eventually learns the truth of what Lukka actually got up to during the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.

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The Community episode "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy" contains examples of:

• Adorkable: Britta has shades of this with her Britta-ney Spears rendition.
• Affably Evil: For someone who is hinted to have done some very nasty things in the Balkans, Lukka is a rather charming fellow.
• Air Vent Passageway: Unsuccessful attempt by Chang.
• Brought Home the Wrong Kid: A classic example when Chang screws up his attempt to prove he's a good father by picking up someone else's kids instead of Shirley's.
• Cassandra Truth: After borrowing a DVD without permission Britta is unable to convince Troy & Abed of the real reason they should stop being friends with Lukka.

Britta: You guys have to believe me! He's so much worse than Tall Kyle!

• Complete Monster: Lukka is apparently one of these in-universe.
• Completely Missing the Point: Lampshaded when Andre's attempt to convince Chang about the realities of fatherhood ends with Chang fleeing:

Andre: I'll go ahead and consider that point missed.

• Crazy Prepared: Abed subverts this. He doesn't have a security camera, he has a camera for a documentary that occasionally comes in handy.
• Dramatic Pause: Britta attempts this ("May...be...we...do...!") but gets blank stares from Abed, Troy and Lukka.
• Friendship Moment: Britta has one of these with Troy & Abed where they agree to go easier on her if she doesn't tell them details about guys she is dating. With the exception of if they have committed genocide or are left handed (Abed's making a chart).
• Go Look At the Distraction: Jeff's quote in this episode is used on the trope page.

Jeff: Oh look, is that a reason to leave?

• Guide Dang It: Abed's reaction to hearing about the situation in the Balkans.

Abed: If I ever go to the Balkans, I'm going to bring some serious cheat codes and walkthroughs.

• Hey, It's That Guy!: Lukka is Victor!
• I Need to Go Iron My Dog:

Jeff: Oh look, is that a reason to leave?

• Left the Background Music On: After Lukka spoils the mood, a standard "Wa Wa Aa Aa". plays. Lukka's neighbor is a real mood killer.
• Losing Horns: Heard during Britta and Lukka's makeout session after she discovers he committed atrocities when he was a soldier in his homeland. They're actual sounds coming from Lukka's next door neighbor practicing playing his trombone.
• Moment Killer: Lukka's neighbor. Although Lukka himself does a pretty good job of killing the moment for Britta when he fondly reminisces about performing atrocities in the Balkans.
• Only Sane Man: Andre, when he convinces Jeff and Shirley that their plan to have Chang imprisoned might be a little bit over the top. Also when he tries to convince Chang that acting like a Standard Fifties Father doesn't mean he's ready for fatherhood.
• Shout-Out: Abed and Troy gift Shirley at her baby shower a bottle of purified water, claiming that in the future when their child is a lone scavenger in a nuclear wasteland, pure water will be worth its weight in gold. Troy also wanted to get a Sawed-off Shotgun, a possible weapon in Fallout, but claims they were too expensive.
• Significant Reference Date: The end of the episode occurs on St. Patrick's Day, the same day this episode first aired. Abed, Britta, and Troy are all wearing green. Ends up being a Dresses the Same instant when Troy realizes both he and Britta are wearing the same neckerchief.
• Standard Fifties Father: Chang acts and dresses like one in an attempt to show Shirley he can be a responsible dad.
• Surveillance as the Plot Demands: Abed has security camera set up in his dorm for an autobiographical documentary. They come in handy every once in a while.
• What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: Abed, Troy and Lukka are very freaked out by Britta's Dramatic Pause moment.

Troy: I don't want to play any more. Abed: I feel sick. Lukka: She's strange.

• What Happened to the Mouse?: Abed and Troy aren't friends with Lukka anymore...but there's still a Balkan war criminal loose in Greendale.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Andre is horrified that Shirley and Jeff are conspiring to get Chang locked away for 20 to life for human trafficking (Jeff isn't above a little perjury) rather than just 3 to 5 for kidnapping.
• Video Game Cruelty Potential: Lukka applies his real world knowledge to show how it can be done. Though honestly any game that awards points for killing unarmed villagers is just asking for this to happen.
  • It looks and sounds like a standard run & gun game, but apparently it contains sophisticated infrastructure systems to allow strategies like cutting off the enemy forces' supplies at the root by terrorizing the countryside. (I forget how exactly, does Lukka mention something about burning crops?) It seems the game is designed with cruelty potential on the genocidal level in mind. . .