Community (2009–2015): Season 2, Episode 3 - The Psychology of Letting Go - full transcript

Pierce deals with the death of his mother and the group comes together to comfort him in his time of need. Professor Duncan struggles to take over the anthropology class with no training, as Professor Bauer takes an unexpected leave of absence after her classroom hijinks put Jeff Winger in the hospital.

Oh, what are you guys doing together,

- just the two of you?
- We're gonna raise money

on the quad to help with the oil spill.

We're making this display to
show how serious the problem is.

Oh, yeah.
Each drop represents

10,000 gallons of oil.

Ooh! Oh...

I'm so glad this tragedy
overshadowed Haiti.

I didn't have any ideas for that.

Yeah, to having fun in pairs!

What up, party people?



Oh, you got a band-aid on your arm.

You should be more careful shaving.

I wax, dummy.
This is from a blood test.

Oh, no... I knew it.

Things are going too well for you.

Oh, no, no. Just a physical.

Even a Ferrari needs a tune-up.

You guys moonshiners now?

No, just the two of them.

We're raising money for the oil spill.

Did you even know there was one?

Uh, yeah, I have the
aol home page bookmarked.

Did you even know about the ostrich,

that raised the tiger cub?



- Troy, what's wrong?
- I just saw a dead body.

I told you not to use
the east stairwell.

My pastor said it's meth season.

You know I'm living
with Pierce now, so...

This morning I went to
do laundry in the garage,

and I found his mom... dead.

- Oh!
- Troy, that's terrible!

Well, she had been in
bad shape for a while.

So I guess she crawled out
there to die like a cat.

I've never been that close
to a dead body before.

- Oh!
- Oh, pumpkin!

She was so cold and gray.

I saw her underwear!

Jeez... who died?

Pierce, we're so sorry
to hear about your mom.

- Why?
- Losing a loved one

is always difficult.

What? My mom isn't dead.

But when Troy found her,
he said that...

Well, her heart, lungs,
kidneys, and brain

stopped working.

And another way of
saying that would be...

She's used up her organic body.

By... dying in it.

Wrong. She's alive.

Mom was a part of my Buddhist church.

She's a level five
laser lotus, same as me.

When a level five's
body stops functioning,

it's vaporized in the temple of renewal

and stored in an energon pod.

In a few years, when
our technology advances,

they'll extract her body vapors

and recondense it to a solid state.

And before you know it,

mom'll be back in the kitchen
making Troy and me sandwiches.

Ha.

Pumpkin! It's okay!

Did you guys hear about
that turtle in China?

Two packs a day.

Community 2x03 - The Psychology of Letting Go

Look, if you guys just let
me get to the can opener,

I can feed you.

We have to do something about Pierce.

He really thinks his mom isn't dead.

He's gone crazy.

...Er?

He won't even let us
have a memorial service.

I was halfway done with the collage.

He hasn't cried yet, and
from what I've been told,

- that's not normal.
- Who's normal, Abed?

Well, baptists are, but
that's beside the point.

Everybody has some sort of
service for the departed...

Eskimos, witch doctors, Jewish people.

Oh, cool. We made the list.

The point being, death
needs to be coped with,

not ignored, otherwise, why did mankind

concoct all these religions?

- You wanna rephrase that?
- Oh, I'm sorry... Humankind.

You think you're real smart, don't you?

Guys, guys, guys.
Did we learn nothing

from last Christmas?

I don't see much difference
between Pierce's religion

and anybody else's.

Well, then you're not listening,

because his has lasers.

Look, you guys make fun of me
for not caring about religion,

but at least I'm dedicated
enough to not caring

to let you have your own beliefs.

Can't Pierce have his?

Can't you be cool like me?

Hello?

He ends so many of
his speeches that way.

- Morning, guys.
- Morning, Pierce.

- How's mom?
- Terrific.

Her body's being vaporized as we speak.

What does that feel like?

They say it's the greatest feeling ever.

Like the second when the fudge
on your Sunday is still hot

or when you're the first one
to break in a new boob job.

Also, you're free from the
burden of your earthly body.

It is a burden.

Greetings, class!
I am Dr. Ian Duncan.

Now, I don't normally
teach anthropology,

but apparently Professor Bauer
tried to strangle Mr. Winger

and has been put on
administrative leave with pay.

So... What is anthropology?

Seriously, does anyone know?

- You, in the boobs.
- It's the study of humanity.

Wow!

Wow. I thought psychology was a racket.

Well, well.

I heard there was a drunk limey

teachin' this class.

I'm not actually drunk,
and I can prove it.

I blew beneath the legal
limit just this morning.

That's reassuring.

Also, I would like everyone here to know

that this man assaulted me last year.

And I have a restraining order

so I can have him expelled
if he comes within...

25...

Feet.

- Abed.
- Yep.

Proceed, Dr. Teeth.

It is the single largest
disaster in recorded history.

It is worse than 50 Exxon Valdez spills!

You don't have to yell at us.

Nobody is on the other
side of this issue.

And the pelicans are covered in oil.

Everyone likes pelicans.
They bring babies.

- That's storks.
- Oh, right.

Well... We still like them!

Yeah, we do. Um...

I'm gonna give you...

- another 20.
- Oh!

Thank you so much!

I'm here for my test results...

If you haven't framed them yet.

- Hi, gorgeous.
- Jeff.

You have something very infectious.

- What?
- Charm!

You got me, Jackie.

Seriously, everything looks great.

You're an incredible specimen.

Even your moles look like little hearts.

The only thing I would suggest...

Go see a doctor and get a prescription

for cholesterol medication.

Your cholesterol's a little high.

It's no big deal.
Eat some egg whites.

But I... I don't understand.

Wait, did I accidentally
tell you you have AIDS?

'Cause I've done that before.

It doesn't... I mean... it doesn't...

I treat my body like a temple!

Well, I can't be the
first person to tell you

that the temple doesn't last forever.

I mean, it's made of hamburger.

This is a... this is a temple of doom.

And you know what?
Like the real Temple of Doom,

it represents the inconvenient fact

that all good things...

Be they people or movie franchises...

Eventually collapse
into sagging, sloppy,

rotten piles of hard to follow nonsense.

I need to be alone.

Uh... You can do that by leaving.

Whoo. Okay.

Let's get goin'!

Those paps aren't
gonna smear themselves.

There is no God!

Tell us how you really feel.
Am I right?

Morning, Jeff.

Did you get the results
of your blood test?

- I'm fine.
- I figured.

Thank you for wising us up yesterday.

We were being judgmental
about Pierce's religion.

But the fact is, Jesus...

The fact is, everyone's dying.

And we all have these little notions

that we're the exception,

but we're as wrong as we are dead.

That's nice.

How's it going with
the little side project

that just the two of you are doing?

It's great. I made $236,

plus Britta's makes...

well, all totaled, we're
close to 250, right, Britta?

Greendale cares about this issue.

Yeah. I don't think that's it.

- What do you mean?
- Come on, Annie.

You know guys are giving you money

because of the whole
sexy schoolgirl routine.

- I have a routine?
- Yeah.

You know, the one where
you use posture as an excuse

to stick out your chest

and you laugh at guys' unfunny jokes,

pretending not to know

that they have a sock at
home with your name on it.

Um... That's me,

and if a guy wants to
make a puppet of me,

that's hardly your concern.

Well, I just may be an outsider here

because I was never
called to participate,

but it seems to me that Britta's upset

because she's raising
less money than you.

Yeah, I'm raising less money

because I'm not
jump-starting date rapists.

Bitter much?

Say "bitter much" much?

Say say "bitter much much" much?

It's not my fault.
I used to wear a back brace.

That's why.

What's with the lava lamp?

It's not a lava lamp.
It's my mom.

Ha ho ho! Snap!

Wait... What?

The temple finished vaporizing her.

This is mom's energon pod.

And that's her vapor
in those little bubbles.

I'm sure that thing was free, right?

Energon doesn't grow on trees, Jeff.

It's harvested by super bees
in a Buddhist meteor crater.

Which is at the foot of mount sky mall

in the sharper image valley?

Sorry, I overslept.

The sidewalk is more
comfortable than it looks.

Drunk. Glug, glug, glug.

Shut up. So where did
we get to yesterday?

You are drunk and stupid.

Actually, Ben, I do have
a wee big of a headache,

so if you could just...

Isn't that interesting?

I have a right to be here, sir.

Oh, you do, you do,

and I do hope you
have very good hearing.

Bastard!

So, where did we get to yesterday?

We were talking about humanity,

which starts with birth
and ends with death.

True.

All life ends in death,
which we, as a species,

are cursed with knowing, resulting in...

Something.

Again, this is really not my field.

Professor, what would you say

might be the difference between

a religion and... a cult?

Why don't we open that
question to the floor,

since I don't know

and the book for this
class is expensive?

Well, I would say a
cult might, for instance,

sell you a tube of Jell-O

and tell you your mother is in it.

- Jeffrey!
- I see... Are we thinly veiling

a personal conflict and
passing it off as a lesson?

'Cause if so, please continue.

Reformed neo-buddhism is not a cult!

It is a new way of looking at the world,

emphasizing empowerment.

- Like a video game?
- Yes, Troy.

Very much like a video game.

You gain levels, and at a certain point,

you actually can eat a ghost.

What? I wanna eat a ghost!

No. No, do not let him
pollute your brain

with this crap, Troy.

- It's okay to ask questions.
- I have a question.

You said your mother went
from a solid to a vapor.

Do people in your religion
ever take liquid form,

like the creatures in the abyss

or children's Tylenol?

That's a good question.

Actually, when Buddha returns,

we all take liquid form

and merge into a shimmering
ocean of knowledge.

Which, according to scripture,
tastes like Hawaiian Punch.

I do like Hawaiian Punch.

Hey, if you're really curious,

come to my church's open hive tomorrow.

You know, wine, beer,
free credit checks.

How much wine and beer per person?

- Oh, come on!
- We're having a con... What?

Excuse me. Is this anesthesiology?

Yes. Yes, it is.

Just go with this.

It's really sad. Anything helps.

So just anything you
could give would be...

Hey!

I like need you to save the pelicans.

They're all feathery and pelicany.

I wuv them.

Thank you!

Wow. It really is easy to raise money

when you sell out your gender.

I'm sure it's even easier

when you're not standing next to this.

Hey, jerk! You're stupid!

Gimme money. I know more than you.

Oh, I don't know anything.

I need boys.

Saving the planet makes my back hurt.

Oh, I obviously don't
need guys for anything.

That's why I wear stripper
boots during the day

and eat only celery
and mustard for lunch!

- Oh, I never stop smiling.
- I never start!

My sweaters keep shrinking!

I get up an hour early to
ever-so-slightly curl my hair.

Yeah, you're both so different.

Skinny bitches.

Hello, Billionaire Boys Club.

Mind if I ask what
happened in class today?

You pulled 40 minutes of
anesthesiology out of your ass.

Yeah, I did.

But, uh, I meant your elderly friend.

Do you know how many times
I haven't eaten a donut?

- I do not.
- How much I got teased

in grade school for dabbing
my pizza with napkins?

I've suffered.

- I've denied myself.
- Mm-hmm.

Because the rules said if I did that,

I would live longer.

But then, halfway through the game,

I get this little update that
it doesn't matter what I do.

I could eat powdered bran every day

while you suck down figgy pudding,

and I still might die first.

It's unfair! I want my donuts back.

Well, I think you're being
a little childish, and...

Hold on a sec.
I need to use my force field

to prevent Chang from getting food.

Now, where were we? Look...

The way I see it, while
claiming to have no religion,

you were actually devoutly
worshipping yourself.

And now that your God
has high cholesterol,

you're trying to kick
Pierce's in the balls.

You're right.

All I've been trying to
do is crush Pierce's faith

to feel better about dying.

And...

And now that I realize
that that was my goal...

Mm-hmm?

I can really roll up my sleeves

and get it done.

- There it is.
- Thank you!

You're welcome.

No, that wasn't what I...
Actually, I don't care.

He girls, guess who found Buddha.

- Hey.
- Hi.

We're on our way to
Pierce's buddhist open hive.

But first I'm taking
these fellows for ice cream

as an apology for
questioning Pierce's faith.

Pierce says there's this
69th flavor I need to try.

I am excited.

Hey, guys, my car's over there.

Cool.

Guess what.

I'm not actually taking
them for ice cream.

I am taking them to the county morgue

where I have confirmed
that Pierce's mother's

very un-vaporized corpse

will be lying on a stainless steel slab

for all to see.

Surprise! Welcome to reality.

Welcome to death.

- Have fun.
- Good luck.

Wow.

You guys are real downers.

I can't believe I made
out with both of you.

Ugh.

I'll check the basket.

Sorry.

I almost arched my back a little.

I know you hate that.

No, I should count it.
Since I'm a calculating bitch.

No, I should, since I'm the one

who's whoring out our gender!

- Give that back to me.
- I'm gonna count it!

- Let go!
- Gimme that!

Oh, yeah? Think this is funny?

You think it's funny? Get off of me!

- You little brat!
- Oh!

I hate you!

Now, this is why I came to America.

Maybe we should listen to some music.

No problem.

I brought the jam book
from the Pierce Mobile.

I could play some of the old stuff,

but you guys would make fun of me.

So...

I'll throw ya... a bone
and put in some loggins.

This ice cream place is far.

Trust me. It's worth it.

What's this?

This is mom's handwriting.

Is that what you were
doing in the garage,

you silly goose?

She spent her last
moments alive making a cd?

That's gangster!

Pierce, you found the CD,

which means... I'm dead.

Vaporized.

I'm not vaporized.
I'm gone, Pierce.

Gone forever and...

that's how I like it.

Life is only worth a
damn because it's short.

It's designed to be consumed, used,

spent, lived, felt.

We're supposed to fill
it with every mistake

and miracle we can manage.

And then we're supposed to let go.

I can't force you to do
that for yourself, Pierce.

But you can't force me to stay.

And if you unscrew the
top of that stupid thing,

you'll see it was made in China.

I love you, son.

Good-bye.

I'll play myself out.

Whew.

Well, that proves one thing.

That woman was really losing her marbles

toward the end.

You... seriously still
think she's in there?

Why wouldn't I?

No reason.

So... Where's this ice cream place?

- Yeah.
- Oh...Um...

You know, the... I think I...

actually saw a better one back there.

The place I was gonna take
you was... kinda depressing.

Oh, can we get a little more
sawdust on that storm gutter?

Thank you!

- I'm sorry...
- I'm sorry too.

I just got jealous of you.

No, but you totally called
me on what I was doing,

and... I only kissed Jeff

because I wanted to see if I could do it

because I wanna be
cool and sexy like you.

I can't believe how gross I am.

I only slept with Jeff
because I hate myself,

and that's why I got after
you for raising money.

I'm twice as gross.

And you know the reason

that we raised more money in
five minutes of oil wrestling

than we did in two days of fundraising?

Because... men are even grosser?

And when we forget that, they win.

Yeah. All right.

All right, all right.

Yeah, do it.

Oh, so you got actual ice cream.

Yeah. With peanut butter and hot Fudge.

What the hell, right?
Nobody lives forever.

No offense.

Nah, think what you want.
It's a free country.

I barely saw you this week, Abed.

What have you been up to?

- Not much.
- Hmm.

What?

Whoa! Busted! 25 feet!

Which puts you in violation

of this restraining
order I filed against you

for abusing me with
your restraining order!

Mutually assured destruction.

Well played, Chang.

Thank you.

Uh...

That means a lot.

Do you mind getting a quick photo of me

with the oily coeds?

- Center button.
- Okay.

- You're the man.
- Yeah, no problem.

Wha... whaaaat?

He's not a projection.

He's the British guy pretending
to be Tom Berenger.

It was a mislead.

That's the whole point of inception.

Subversion of reality.

He hasn't seen it yet!