NBC’s Community recently saw one of its longtime, fan-favorite characters, Troy Barnes (Donald Glover) leave the series. Pop-Break’s own “study group” Logan J. Fowler, Daniel Cohen and Lauren Stern fondly look back on their favorite “Troy” moment in Community’s run.
Logan J. Fowler: My favorite Troy moment is the moment that sold Community to me in the first place. In the first season, Troy and Abed are working together on a science project where they have to teach a mouse to respond to a song. Troy is terrified of the creature and accidentally lets him go, which upsets Abed. Later on in the episode, Abed discovers the mouse in the hallway, and begins singing “Somewhere Out There” to the little rodent. Troy joins in, despite his fear, and that was the first real “Troy and Abed” friendship showing, which would steamroll into them becoming one of the best tv duos ever. It really was just so memorable, and was reflected in Troy’s final episode, that no matter what, that bromance will live on, even if one half of the partnership is missing.
Lauren Stern: I think it’s safe to say that the best Troy moment ever happened in Season 2, Episode 16 “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking.” For those who can’t recall, this is the episode where Pierce claims he is dying and decides to give gifts to the rest of the study group to remember him by. When it came time to give Troy his gift, Pierce invites Lavar Burton (of “Reading Rainbow” fame) to the hospital. Troy makes the most memorable stunned face, so memorable that has been used in gif listicles all across the web ever since.
http://youtu.be/KkHNVd3xlD4
Daniel Cohen: While you could certainly make the argument that Troy’s best moments came when he was paired with Abed, the highlight of his Greendale career for me came in the Season 3 finale (“Introduction to Finality”). A lot of this season revolved around Vice Dean Laybourne (John Goodman) trying to get Troy to join the air conditioning repair school, a sort of elitist cult at Greendale. Yup…this is Community at its finest.
In this episode, Troy is forced to join the air conditioning repair school, abandoning his fateful Greendale Study Group. Vice Dean Laybourne proclaims Troy to be the prophesy of the air conditioner repairmen, in which Troy responds with what is one of my favorite lines from any Community episode ever…
“It’s a trade school. It’s a two-year degree in boxes that make rooms cold.”
But it’s later in the episode where Troy truly lives up to Pierce’s future proclamation of him having “the heart of a hero,” when he battles a sleazy air conditioner Professor in the sun chamber. Troy easily wins, but he shows the man mercy, even though he doesn’t deserve it.
Out of all the members of the Greendale Seven, in my opinion, Troy was the least flawed. Community will continue on, but the show will definitely lack something in Troy’s absence. He was more than Abed’s sidekick. As Vice Dean Laybournce prophesized…
“The true repairman will repair man.” That was Troy Barnes.
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