Basic Rocket Science
Encyclopedia
"Basic Rocket Science" is the fourth episode of the second season
of Community
. It was originally broadcast on October 14, 2010, on NBC
.
In the episode, the study group, except Abed, are trapped in a space flight simulator being towed away from Greendale Community College. When they discover that it was a plot hatched by rival City College, they work together to complete the simulation mission and bring the simulator back on Greendale in time for the college's simulator launch.
The episode was written by Andy Bobrow and directed by Anthony Russo
and is a spoof of the space adventure movie Apollo 13
. It received mixed critical reviews.
) acquires an old and dirty 1980s Greendale County Museum simulator to beat City College as the first community college to simulate a space launch. The dean gets the study group to clean the simulator as punishment for submitting the winning design for the Greendale school flag, which is defaced with an anus
. The group enter the simulator, without Abed (Danny Pudi
), who returns to his dorm to get a proper spacesuit. Pierce (Chevy Chase
) accidentally closes the door, triggering machine to begin its simulation sequence. The group are trapped inside as the simulator truck is towed away.
The dean and Abed set up a command center in the library to communicate with the group. Abed is familiar with the machine and guides them on how to free themselves. Pierce, who is claustrophobic, exhibits destructive behavior and threatens to derail the group's efforts. During the chaos, Annie (Alison Brie
) reveals it was her who ordered the simulator to be towed, which she did in order for her to obtain a transfer to City College. When the group finds out it was City College who was behind it, they cooperate to make the launch a success for Greendale. They successfully complete a simulator mission to open the windows. However, they are way out of range to have anyone from Greendale rescue them.
Pierce rips off the simulator screen which opens a path to the simulator's driver seat. Annie squeezes through to drive the machine back to Greendale just in time for the launch. The group emerge from the simulator to applause from the Greendale community. Annie abandons her transfer plans.
, his ninth directing credit of the series.
Before the episode aired, it was compared frequently to "Modern Warfare
" by many, as it was anticipated to be another episode with a pop culture-driven plot.
Yvette Nicole Brown
said of KFC
's product placement
in what was essentially a space adventure spoof: "It's amazing the way the writers have integrated such silliness and wrapped it around a product. There’s biscuit thrusters and gravy throttles. The attention to detail is amazing. The seven herbs and spices are listed in different spaces." Joel McHale
called it a "tour de force of information about KFC, working to make the most delicious galaxy."
. The basic plot outline was having the "astronauts" get into an impossible situation and then saving themselves. The episode made numerous references to the film's visuals and dialogue. Abed's role in the episode was similar to Gene Kranz
(Ed Harris
) and Ken Mattingly
(Gary Sinise
) in the film. The first scene of the episode, the dean bursting in on a meeting discussing City College's acquisition of a space simulator, mirrors one of the early scenes in the film The Right Stuff, where President Johnson is informed of the Soviet space program and the need for the Americans to create one.
The space flight simulator used by the study group was called the "Kentucky Fried Chicken 11 Herbs and Space Experience."
The school motto that the group came up with, E Pluribus Anus, was a play on the U.S. dictum E pluribus unum
.
Most critics criticized the lack of character development in the episode. Matt Riechenthal of TV Fanatic said it "went to the outlandish well one too many times" and gave the episode a 2.0/5 rating. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
said the episode "didn't click for me as well as the other episodes this season" but still "very good" and gave it a B. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix
said "The jokes are great, but there has to be some kind of emotional story for one or more of the characters. Some weeks it can be a problem invented out of whole cloth; in the end, this probably wasn't one of those weeks." Cory Barker of TV Surveillance said the episode was "okay," and "still a good episode of Community, it's just not a great one and particularly not an all-time effort."
Community (season 2)
The second season of the television comedy series Community premiered on September 23, 2010 and concluded on May 12, 2011, on NBC and aired on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET as part of Comedy Night Done Right.-Starring:*Joel McHale as Jeff Winger...
of Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
. It was originally broadcast on October 14, 2010, on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
In the episode, the study group, except Abed, are trapped in a space flight simulator being towed away from Greendale Community College. When they discover that it was a plot hatched by rival City College, they work together to complete the simulation mission and bring the simulator back on Greendale in time for the college's simulator launch.
The episode was written by Andy Bobrow and directed by Anthony Russo
Russo brothers
Anthony and Joe Russo, known together professionally as the Russo brothers, are Emmy Award-winning American film and television directors. The brothers direct most of their work jointly, and they also occasionally work as producers, actors, and editors. The Russos are from Cleveland, Ohio, and were...
and is a spoof of the space adventure movie Apollo 13
Apollo 13 (film)
Apollo 13 is a 1995 American drama film directed by Ron Howard. The film stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan and Ed Harris. The screenplay by William Broyles, Jr...
. It received mixed critical reviews.
Plot
Dean Pelton (Jim RashJim Rash
Jim Rash was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter.His most noticeable appearance was when he portrayed Mr Grayson/Stitches, a sidekick to the supervillain 'Royal Pain' in the 2005 film Sky High and as the recurring characters Fenton on That '70s Show...
) acquires an old and dirty 1980s Greendale County Museum simulator to beat City College as the first community college to simulate a space launch. The dean gets the study group to clean the simulator as punishment for submitting the winning design for the Greendale school flag, which is defaced with an anus
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
. The group enter the simulator, without Abed (Danny Pudi
Danny Pudi
Danny Pudi is an American actor, best known for his role as Abed Nadir on the NBC comedy series Community.-Early years:Pudi, who is of Indian and Polish descent, was born and raised in Chicago and grew up speaking Polish...
), who returns to his dorm to get a proper spacesuit. Pierce (Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
) accidentally closes the door, triggering machine to begin its simulation sequence. The group are trapped inside as the simulator truck is towed away.
The dean and Abed set up a command center in the library to communicate with the group. Abed is familiar with the machine and guides them on how to free themselves. Pierce, who is claustrophobic, exhibits destructive behavior and threatens to derail the group's efforts. During the chaos, Annie (Alison Brie
Alison Brie
-External links:...
) reveals it was her who ordered the simulator to be towed, which she did in order for her to obtain a transfer to City College. When the group finds out it was City College who was behind it, they cooperate to make the launch a success for Greendale. They successfully complete a simulator mission to open the windows. However, they are way out of range to have anyone from Greendale rescue them.
Pierce rips off the simulator screen which opens a path to the simulator's driver seat. Annie squeezes through to drive the machine back to Greendale just in time for the launch. The group emerge from the simulator to applause from the Greendale community. Annie abandons her transfer plans.
Production
"Basic Rocket Science" was written by Andy Bobrow, his first writing credit of the show. It was directed by Anthony RussoRusso brothers
Anthony and Joe Russo, known together professionally as the Russo brothers, are Emmy Award-winning American film and television directors. The brothers direct most of their work jointly, and they also occasionally work as producers, actors, and editors. The Russos are from Cleveland, Ohio, and were...
, his ninth directing credit of the series.
Before the episode aired, it was compared frequently to "Modern Warfare
Modern Warfare (Community)
"Modern Warfare" is the 23rd episode of the first season of Community and originally premiered on May 6, 2010 on NBC. In the episode, after the Dean announces the prize for a friendly game of paintball, Greendale sinks into a state of all-out paintball war, with every student battling for...
" by many, as it was anticipated to be another episode with a pop culture-driven plot.
Yvette Nicole Brown
Yvette Nicole Brown
Yvette Nicole Brown is an American actress and comedian. Brown has appeared in various commercials, television shows, and films throughout her career...
said of KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
's product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
in what was essentially a space adventure spoof: "It's amazing the way the writers have integrated such silliness and wrapped it around a product. There’s biscuit thrusters and gravy throttles. The attention to detail is amazing. The seven herbs and spices are listed in different spaces." Joel McHale
Joel McHale
Joel Edward McHale is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, television producer, television personality, and voice artist. He is best known for hosting The Soup and for his role as Jeff Winger on Community....
called it a "tour de force of information about KFC, working to make the most delicious galaxy."
Cultural references
"Basic Rocket Science" was an homage to the 1995 space adventure film, Apollo 13Apollo 13 (film)
Apollo 13 is a 1995 American drama film directed by Ron Howard. The film stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan and Ed Harris. The screenplay by William Broyles, Jr...
. The basic plot outline was having the "astronauts" get into an impossible situation and then saving themselves. The episode made numerous references to the film's visuals and dialogue. Abed's role in the episode was similar to Gene Kranz
Gene Kranz
Kranz's book, titled Failure Is Not an Option, published five years after the movie, stated, "...a creed that we all lived by: "Failure is not an option."" . The book has three index references for the phrase, but none of those give any indication of the phrase being apocryphal...
(Ed Harris
Ed Harris
Edward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
) and Ken Mattingly
Ken Mattingly
Thomas Kenneth "Ken" Mattingly II, is a retired American astronaut and rear admiral in the United States Navy who flew on the Apollo 16, STS-4 and STS-51-C missions. He had been scheduled to fly on Apollo 13, but was held back due to concerns about a potential illness...
(Gary Sinise
Gary Sinise
Gary Alan Sinise is an American actor, film director and musician. During his career, Sinise has won various awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed, and played the role of George Milton in the successful film adaptation of...
) in the film. The first scene of the episode, the dean bursting in on a meeting discussing City College's acquisition of a space simulator, mirrors one of the early scenes in the film The Right Stuff, where President Johnson is informed of the Soviet space program and the need for the Americans to create one.
The space flight simulator used by the study group was called the "Kentucky Fried Chicken 11 Herbs and Space Experience."
The school motto that the group came up with, E Pluribus Anus, was a play on the U.S. dictum E pluribus unum
E pluribus unum
E pluribus unum , Latin for "Out of many, one", is a phrase on the Seal of the United States, along with Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum, and adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782...
.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast on October 14, 2010, the episode was viewed by an estimated 4.81 million people, with a Nielsen rating of 2.2 in the 18–49 demographic.Reviews
The episode received mixed reviews from critics.Most critics criticized the lack of character development in the episode. Matt Riechenthal of TV Fanatic said it "went to the outlandish well one too many times" and gave the episode a 2.0/5 rating. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
said the episode "didn't click for me as well as the other episodes this season" but still "very good" and gave it a B. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
said "The jokes are great, but there has to be some kind of emotional story for one or more of the characters. Some weeks it can be a problem invented out of whole cloth; in the end, this probably wasn't one of those weeks." Cory Barker of TV Surveillance said the episode was "okay," and "still a good episode of Community, it's just not a great one and particularly not an all-time effort."
External links
- "Basic Rocket Science" at NBC.com
- "Basic Rocket Science" at TV TropesTV TropesTV Tropes is a wiki which collects and expands on various conventions and devices found within creative works. Since its establishment in 2004, the site has gone from covering only television and film tropes to also covering those in a number of other media such as literature, comics, video-games,...