Conventions of Space and Time
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Episode 3
| "Conventions of Space and Time" | |
|---|---|
| Community episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Michael Patrick Jann |
| Written by | Maggie Bandur |
| Production code | 404 |
| Original air date | February 21, 2013 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Conventions of Space and Time" is the 3rd episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series Community and the 74th episode overall. It was written by Maggie Bandur and directed by Michael Patrick Jann. It originally aired in the United States on NBC on February 21, 2013.
In the episode, the study group attends a fan convention for the fictional show Inspector Spacetime. At the convention, Abed meets another fan, leaving Troy and Britta behind. Meanwhile, Annie and Jeff allow themselves to get caught up in different personas, while Pierce and Shirley are selected to provide input for an American version of the show. The episode was seen by 3.08 million viewers and received mixed to negative reviews.
Abed (Danny Pudi) and Troy (Donald Glover) attend InSpecTiCon, an Inspector Spacetime convention. Britta (Gillian Jacobs) joins them, though Abed seems to disapprove of her attendance and her relationship with Troy. Jeff (Joel McHale) and Annie (Alison Brie) join the trip to go skiing. However, when the ski slopes close unexpectedly, Jeff wants to leave. Annie resists and returns to her hotel room, which was reserved under Jeff's name. Abed meets Toby (Matt Lucas), a fan he met online, and the two attend a panel without Troy and Britta. Pierce (Chevy Chase) and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), who were not invited by the group, arrive at the convention and are selected for a focus group for an American adaptation of Inspector Spacetime.
When Annie orders room service, the staff address her as "Mrs. Winger". She decides to pretend to be Jeff's wife. In the lobby, an Inspector Spacetime fan, Lauren (Tricia Helfer), mistakes Jeff for an actor from the show; Jeff plays along and flirts with her. Britta realizes Toby is trying to steal Abed away from Troy. After viewing the American adaptation, Pierce criticizes it for being too complicated, while Shirley defends it.
Troy joins Abed and Toby but quickly becomes upset and leaves. Toby, noting that his own friend acted weird after getting married, invites Abed to a convention in London. Meanwhile, a hotel bellman (Chris Tallman) tells Annie about Jeff's flirting in the lobby, assuming that Jeff is cheating on her. To maintain the charade, Annie confronts Jeff, causing Lauren to leave. Angry and confused, Jeff also leaves.
Abed realizes Toby lied about his friend. Toby argues "neurotypicals" hold back people like himself and Abed, but Abed reasons that Troy keeps him emotionally grounded. In response, Toby locks Abed in a prop telephone booth. Troy tries to take a photo with Britta, but he realizes he cannot go through with it; Britta understands and tells him to find Abed. Troy locates Toby and frees Abed. Toby leaves, and Abed and Troy reconcile. Later, Jeff returns to the lobby, where Annie confesses to her play-acting and explains she was upset Jeff tried to leave. The two apologize for their respective actions. The seven group members find each other and decide to stay.
In the end tag, the group watches the American Inspector Spacetime. Afterwards, Abed tells Pierce he hates the changes.
Production
"Conventions of Space and Time" was written by Maggie Bandur, her second writing credit for the series, and was directed by Michael Patrick Jann, his only directing credit for the series.
The Inspector Spacetime show seen in the episode is a parody of Doctor Who that first appeared in season 3's "Biology 101".[1][2]
The episode features guest appearances by Matt Lucas and Tricia Helfer.[3][4] Matt Lucas would later go on to star in Doctor Who as Nardole. It also features Luke Perry and Jennie Garth, who starred together on Beverly Hills, 90210, as the stars of the American version of Inspector Spacetime.[5]