Body Swap Comedies
Season 4 Episode “Basic Human Anatomy”
Abed (Danny Pudi) and Troy (Donald Glover), the show’s closest friends, are struggling with heavy issues, as Troy’s romance with Britta (Gillian Jacobs) isn’t going so well, and Abed is getting more introverted and niche. The two rent some body swap comedies, then make a wish to swap bodies, and proceed to pretend the entire episode that they are the other one, starting, of course, by looking down their trousers.
From there, the wave of body swapping spreads, as Dean Pelton (Oscar winner and episode writer Jim Rash) tries it with Jeff, who doesn’t play along, leaving the Dean to pretend he is Jeff the rest of the episode. It’s not as high-concept a parody as Community has done in the past, but it plays with what you see in films about similar situations, and takes it down to a human, simple level without any screwy magic or witch curses, somehow finding ways to move you emotionally with all the silliness going on between everyone.
