Cooperative Polygraphy

Cooperative Polygraphy

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Director: Tristram Shapeero — Writer: Alex Rubens — Aired: January 16, 2014 —Season: Five — Number: Four Summary: A man called Mr. Stone administers a lie-detector test to the study group.

Plot

Clearly Pierce is trying to lure us into a labyrinth of emotional manipulation and strategic instigation. And I think we're all smart enough to know we should quit while we are not ahead.

— Jeff

The study group arrives in Group Study Room F having just attended Pierce's Reformed Neo Buddhist funeral. In their possession is an Energon pod supposedly containing Pierce's "life vapor". Ben Chang shows up and mocks everyone's somber attitude pointing out how much they disliked Pierce. A man identifying himself as "Mr. Stone" then appears claiming to be carrying out a private inquest at the behest of Pierce's will. As two technicians set up a polygraph device Stone invites the study group and Chang to submit to a lie detector test investigation. It’s to determine if any of them were responsible for Pierce's death.

"Aw shnizzle! You guys are in trouble!

To honor Pierce's last wishes they agree but Stone's opening questions uncovers secrets: Britta is angry to learn Shirley is a platinum level donor to a Pro-Life organization, Jeff's finds out Troy and Abed are using his Netflix account and Annie is overcharging her roommates for rent money. Chang departs after admitting he masturbated in the study room as the remaining test subjects argue. Stone quiets them by announcing the equipment is calibrated and the actual inquest is about to start. When Jeff suggests they should quit before it gets worse Stone reveals if they do they won't receive bequeathments from Pierce's 20 million dollar estate.

Let's begin.

Everyone agrees to continue resulting in more revelations: Shirley once served Britta non-vegan food, Britta was high on marijuana during the baptism of Shirley's child, Jeff kept souvenirs of his sexual conquests including Britta's panties, Abed learns Troy did not create their signature handshake, Abed implanted geo-trafficking devices in all of them, Annie once dosed the group with amphetamines to keep them studying and Abed is revealed to have been "cat fishing" Jeff pleads with the group to stop letting Pierce manipulate them. Stone points out that he stopped asking questions a while ago and those responses were volunteered.

Abed literally keeps track of the group -even a buried Pierce.

Jeff then realizes the "lesson" this activity was meant to teach them: They are all as flawed as Pierce was, he was just more honest about it. Jeff suggests they embrace their imperfections and admits he would rather look at himself naked rather than the women he sleeps with, Annie confesses she hit Jeff's Lexus with her car in the parking lot, Britta only gives to the homeless if she is with someone, Troy has never been to Lego Land, Shirley admits to being passive aggressive, and Abed hates the sound of chewing gum. With all their secrets now out in the open, Jeff defiantly tells Mr. Stone to continue his inquest.

The polygraph technicians monitor the groups vitals.

The final round of questions begins with Stone telling Britta Pierce believed she should stop hating herself and that her passion inspired him. Britta is bequeathed a used iPod Nano along with a cylinder of Pierce's sperm. Shirley is next and Stone tells her Pierce always respected her strength of character and business acumen. She is bequeathed Pierce's timeshare in Florida and a cylinder of his sperm. Annie is told by Stone she was Pierce's favorite and is given a tiara he tried bequeathing her years ago along with sperm. Stone then questions Jeff's sexuality before bequeathing him a bottle of fine scotch and his own canister of Pierce's sperm.

The gift that keeps on giving.

Stone tells Abed Pierce believed he was crazy before handing him a canister of sperm. Troy is then told Pierce believed he had untapped potential. Along sperm, Troy is bequeathed 14.3 million dollars of Pierce's shares to Hawthorne Wipes. The only condition is that Troy sail Pierce's boat, "The Childish Tycoon", around the world. It was a task his father gave him to earn his fortune which he didn't complete. Jeff argues the condition can be contested but Troy states he will do it. Abed appears to be okay with this until one of the polygraph technicians monitoring his vitals confirms he is lying.

The study group loses another member.

End tag

Mr. Stone and the study group are at a restaurant having a drink. Stone is inebriated and has dropped the dour façade he was using at the inquest. He reveals to the group that the cause of Pierce's death was dehydration from filling up all the sperm cylinders he bequeathed to the group.

Recurring themes

Continuity

Continuity lists

Narrative Recurring or debuting plot points in this episode: Previously: As a gift from Pierce, Britta receives an iPod nano. The captions at the end of the Season One episode "The Art of Discourse" predict that Britta will be become the proud owner of a used iPod nano in the year 2014. Annie is also given a tiara as a gift once and was said to be Pierce's favorite once again, which was seen first in the Season Two episode "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking." Pierce's will challenges Troy to embark on a solo voyage around the world in a sailing vessel. Troy and Pierce took a sailing course in "Beginner Pottery". After accidentally opening Pierce's Energon pod , Troy begins to gulp his escaping vapors.  In the Season Two episode, The "Psychology of Letting Go", Troy states "I want to eat a ghost!" after learning that you can do so by practicing Reformed Neo Buddhism. That just happened: This episode deals with the revelation in the previous episode to the study group that Pierce has just passed away. People Recurring or debuting characters in this episode: Familiar faces: Walton Goggins of Justified fame guest stars in this episode as "Mr. Stone". Places Recurring or debuting places in this episode: This must be the place: Other than the tag, this episode takes place exclusively in Group Study Room F. Things Recurring or debuting items in this episode: School supplies: An Energon pod appears in this episode containing Pierce's spirit. A similar pod housing the spirit of Pierce's mom was last seen in the Season Two episode "The Psychology of Letting Go". School uniform: In keeping with Pierce's beliefs, the study group wears teal ceremonial Laser Lotus outfits. A similar outfit was last seen being worn by Pierce himself in the Season Two "The Psychology of Letting Go".

Running gags

List of Running gag

List of Running Gags: Awww!: Annie is touched when a question Mr. Stone asks her is full of compliments from Pierce about her intelligence and organizational skills. Bon Appetit!: Mr. Stone gives Britta a cylinder of Pierce's sperm in case she gives up her lesbian lifestyle and wants to have his kids. Come sail away!: Troy cries when Abed learns that Troy copied the idea for their special handshake from a video blog. Gay, he's so gay!: From beyond the grave, Pierce gets the executor of his estate Mr. Stone to interrogate Jeff in order to prove he is gay. Mad or hungry?: Abed doesn't understand the expression on his friends' faces when they're told he planted tracking devices on them. Raging against the machine: Britta vociferously expresses her opinions about multiple topics. Sexy voice: Shirley's voice changes from sassy to pleasant after accusing one the polygraph technicians of adding snark to her answers. Troy and Abed in the Morning!: Troy and Abed mention that they sang "Troy and Abed are in mourning" during their eulogy for Pierce.

Pop culture references

List of Pop culture references

List of Pop culture references: IMDb: The 2011 film "The Grey" is mentioned when Jeff discovers Abed had been changing his Netflix scores on the film. Troy laments the fact that he's only seen the last two Police Academy movies. Product placement: Troy and Abed admit to using Jeff's Netflix account without his knowledge. Abed created a fake Facebook profile to "catfish" Annie. Annie who has a handholding fantasy set in Disneyland. Troy comes clean about lying to his friends about having been to Legoland. ClenCallan is a fictional brand owned by Independent Studio Services and has appeared in numerous films and series. Shout out: Liam Neeson is revealed to be a favorite actor of Jeff's. At the age of 23, Pierce hung out with John Denver for a year. Use your allusion: Disgusted by Jeff's "souvenirs", Annie calls him "Adrien Grody" after the actor "Adrien Brody". A RoboCop reference is written on the chalkboard in the study room. Troy tells Annie that Abed is catfishing her, a reference to the 2010 film Catfish.

Meta references:

List of Meta references

List of Meta references: Homage: The entire episode follows the convention of a bottle episode and/or locked room mystery. IRL: Chang walking into the study room with the line "What up, N-bombs, how was the funeral?" is a reference to the alleged use of the N-word by actor Chevy Chase while shooting an episode. [1] Résumé: In his bequeathal to Troy, Pierce encourages Troy to become his own man. As a condition to receive his bequeathment, Troy must sail Pierce's boat "The Childish Tycoon" around the world. Donald Glover, who plays Troy, is leaving the show in order to be in control of his own career. He is set to "write, executive produce and play the lead in a half-hour comedy, which has landed at FX for development."("[Deadline.com]") In addition, Glover records and performs as a rap artist under the name Childish Gambino and begins an international tour in the spring of 2014. Up against the wall: The episode is another "bottle episode" in the series. The title "Cooperative Polygraphy" is a reference to the first bottle episode, Season Two's Cooperative Calligraphy.

Production

In a November 25 interview with Entertainment Weekly online, actor Walton Goggins discussed his role as "Mr. Stone" on Community. He mentioned he is a fan of the show and was eager to guest star:

“I’m always looking to not only challenge myself, but to put myself in situations where I’m not just intimidated but outright insecure.”

Trivia

In the episode everyone but Abed is shown to receive a personal bequeathal from Pierce along with their complimentary canisters of his sperm. In one of the original drafts of the episode's script, Abed is actually about to be bequeathed something but refuses before he could be told what it is. He instead decides to forego his bequeathment in exchange for the phone number of the female polygraph technician named "Mara". This is done on his part as a homage to the 1992 film "Sneakers" which a flattered Mara immediately picks up on. After she accepts his proposal, Abed is told by Mr. Stone (originally "Kobayashi") that his bequeathment was a limited edition caricature of Muhammad (any images of the Muslim prophet are strictly forbidden by most followers of the religion). Writer Alex Ruebens posted a picture of the script page for this unfilmed scene HERE on his twitter account.

A deleted scene from the original script.

According Mr Stone, the total inheritance from Pierce Hawthorne is over 20 million dollars. The shares in the Hawthorne Wipes Company given to Troy is worth 14.3 million dollars leaving 5.7 million dollars unaccounted for. It is highly unlikely the remaining fortune was used entirely on the rest of the study group's bequethals plus the 6 canisters of sperm. It could be speculated that it was possibly used for any alimony payments Pierce owed to his seven ex-wives.

Quotes

“Mrs. Bennett, is true you are a Platinum level donor for the Pro-Life organization prenatal patriots.org?”— Mr. Stone

“WHAT?!”— Britta

“Keep it cool, girls.”— Jeff

“It's my money and my choice.”— Shirley

“Yeah, well, if I wanted the government in my uterus I would fill it with oil and Hispanic voters!”— Britta

“Mr. Winger, your name please.”— Mr. Stone

“Jeffrey Winger.”— Jeff

“Are you gay?”— Mr. Stone

“No.”— Jeff

“Are you sure?”— Mr. Stone

“Yes.”— Jeff

“Gay murderer says what?”— Mr. Stone

“What?”— Jeff

“I have been instructed to inform you that that means you're gay.”— Mr. Stone

“SILENCE WENCH!”— Troy

“I didn't just masturbate in the study room... I masturbated everywhere. EVERYWHERE!!!”— Ben Chang

“Do you care about people at all, Abed? Answer on the polygraph!”— Annie

“(after a pause) Jeff made me apply for handicapped parking so he can get a better spot.”— Abed

“Britta's the one that invited Garrett to Annie's birthday party!”— Jeff

“Troy won't sit on a toilet seat after Jeff!”— Britta

“When we're alone Shirley refers to you guys as 'those people'!”— Troy

“Oh! When Annie's with other females she calls Jeff her uncle!”— Shirley

“Shirley thinks we're all going to hell!”— Annie

“You are all going to hell!”— Shirley

External links

• AV Club twitter
• 'Justified' star Walton Goggins talks 'Community' guest role -- EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS
• Donald Glover To Create And Star In Music-Themed FX Comedy Series Project

Season Five Episodes
1. "Repilot" 2. "Introduction to Teaching" 3. "Basic Intergluteal Numismatics" 4. "Cooperative Polygraphy" 5. "Geothermal Escapism" 6. "Analysis of Cork-Based Networking" 7. "Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality"	8. "App Development and Condiments" 9. "VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing" 10. "Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" 11. "G.I. Jeff" 12. "Basic Story" 13. "Basic Sandwich"
Season One • Season Two • Season Three • Season Four • Season Five • Season Six