Community/Recap/S3/E02 Geography of Global Conflict

Annie acts pleased when she meets Annie Kim, a fellow student in her political science class and if anything a more determined overachiever. She's less than happy when Other Annie takes her idea of a Greendale model UN and makes it official. Annie responds by forming her own model UN with the biology study group. Their teacher (guest star Martin Starr) approves the idea of a model UN face-off.

Not participating, at least not inside the hall, is Britta. Jealous of an old classmate who's being held as a political prisoner in Syria, she haphazardly sets out to get back in touch with her rabble-rousing roots. Her wish to be a notorious troublemaker dovetails with Chang's desire to be a brutal cop.

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The Community episode "Geography of Global Conflict" provides examples of:

• Alternate Universe: Discussed when Abed decides that there should be a second Earth to go with a second UN and Cligoris runs with it.
• Asian and Nerdy: Annie Kim.
• Berserk Button / Big No: Annie does NOT want to lose.
• Buffy-Speak: A long example when the other security guard has trouble explaining to Chang (paraphrased) "that thing that comes down and keeps cars out of the parking lot".
• Captain Obvious

Britta: This is what the UN is doing to your freedom! I'm your freedom! And I'm in a cage! With the world! Because of them!

• Chewing the Scenery:
  • Britta's speech, complete with hand gestures.
  • Annie's Big No and following tantrum.
• Cue Card Pause: Chang, while reading the note Britta left on a brick she threw through his window, has to pause and rotate the brick to read the far right side of every line.
• Curse Cut Short/Last-Second Word Swap

Jeff: My Annie gave this other Annie the idea and this diabolical little b--usybody stabbed her in the back.

• Cutaway Gag/Gilligan Cut/Leaning on the Fourth Wall

Abed: It's simple really, first we (goes on with hand gestures and mumbling) Jeff: Abed, what did I tell you? You can't just mumble nonsense. No one's cutting away. Abed: Okay, fine. Here's my actual plan. (cuts away to Chang in his office)

• Designated Villain: Annie Kim's only real crimes are being less friendly, and more arrogant and snide, than Annie Edison. Those aside, her behavior throughout the episode is generally better than her main-cast counterpart. This is arguably part of the point, since while she might be better behaved than the Annie we know and love, she also lacks the humanizing qualities that enable us to sympathise with Annie despite her faults.
• Development Gag: The original Annie was written in the pilot episode as an Asian.
• Discriminate and Switch: Pierce, though it doesn't help the situation. He switches from racism to sexism. Then from sexism to racism.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: This. Britta and Chang act like they're about to be married but she backs out at the last minute.
• Don't Explain The Symbolism: Britta explains every point of the weird visual metaphor in the page picture to anyone who will listen.
• Don't Look At Me: Annie after her tantrum.
• Doomed Moral Victor: Annie claims that even if Annie Kim takes the practical victory, the former's committee extending an olive branch to the latter's automatically earns the former this status.
• Evil Twin: More "jerkass twin" than "evil twin," but Annie Kim still counts. She possesses all of Annie's overachiever nature and obsession with winning, but without any of her humanizing or endearing qualities. Lampshaded, of course, by Jeff.
• Foe Yay: The run-ins between Britta and Chang are played as a Hollywood Meet Cute, with Lionel Richie's "Hello" playing on the soundtrack.
• Friendly Enemy: Annie and Annie at least at first.
• Getting Crap Past the Radar: Professor Cligoris
• Growing Up Sucks: Annie is concerned that growing up would ruin the close friendship she and Jeff have.
• Hypocritical Humor:

Prof. Cligoris: Ready, set, peace! (shoots gun)

• I Am Spartacus: Parodied in the "I farted" conclusion, where Jeff was trying to say he actually was the one who farted, only for everyone to do the "Spartacus thing".
• Its Pronounced Tropay: Uruguay not Ur-a-gay. Cligoris says that either CLI-goris or cli-GOR-is are acceptable.
• Last-Second Word Swap: Jeff calls Annie Kim a little bi...sy body.
• Misaimed Fandom: Pierce thinks Somalia is a tropical paradise.
• Model United Nations: The conference turns out to be nothing but crisis committee after crisis committee.
• Music Video Syndrome: Whenever Britta and Chang butt heads.
• Name's the Same: Georgia. Troy knows it's a country but uses a Southern accent to hilarious results.

"Backyard barbeque!"

• • Donald Glover grew up in Georgia.
    • Which Georgia are we talkin about here?
• Nerd Glasses: Annie Kim wears a classic set. YMMV on whether they're flattering or not, but the fact her character wears them pushes the "bookworm" aspect of Annie further.
• N-Word Privileges: Britta actually calls the study group "My N-words!" instead of using the word. It's subverted when Troy and Shirley display offense anyway, prompting a hasty apology.
• Offhand Backhand: Britta gets one in against Chang.
• One Steve Limit: Averted with two Annies.
• Papa Wolf: Jeff towards Annie, so much. Overlaps with the Ship Tease -- near the end of the episode, he admits to thinking that playing this role is the only safe way he can express his affection for her.
• Ragtag Bunch of Cut-ups
• Rule-Abiding Rebel: Britta is called out In-Universe on being one of these by the head of campus security.
• Rule of Fun: Why Troy speaks with a Southern accent.
• Ship Tease: Jeff/Annie, but they both realize it's way too creepy considering the whole "Annie is still a kid, but she's growing up" discussion that led up to it.
  • The Foe Yay entry above mentions Britta/Chang.
• Shout-Out:
  • To Spartacus where everyone claims to have farted.
  • Abed and Troy play Operation on Pierce in The Tag.
  • A red Earth and a blue Earth are competing to crush each other, and both leaders have the same name. Eventually it all works out when the people of blue Earth create a portal to the red Earth and try to negotiate peace.
  • Abed's insistence on calling the alternate universe of the hypothetical second UN Earth-2.
• Sitcom Arch Nemesis: Annie Kim to Annie
• Take That:
  • Cligoris deals a pretty harsh hit to the usefulness of the United Nations.

Cligoris: A logical, effective, common-sense move, Annie Kim. One which flies in the very face of the United Nations itself--a fundamentally symbolic organization founded on the principles of high-minded rhetoric and empty gestures.

• • Britta pouring paint on the globe looks like the Sherwin-Williams "Cover the Earth" logo.
• Throwing Off the Disability: When we first see Prof. Cligoris.
• Unfortunate Name: Cligoris.
• Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Abed attempts to invoke this with his plan to win the UN competition. The trope is lampshaded by Jeff, and then immediately played arrow-straight.
• What Do You Mean Its Not Awesome: Professor Cligoris really likes Model UN.