Community Season 3 Episode 9 Recap: Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism
The study group is hanging in the cafeteria. Troy and Abed tell the study group they are estatic that they finally received their expensive limited edition Dark Knight DVD with an autograph and special commentary by Christian Bale. Troy and Abed tell the gang they plan to watch their special movie that night. Jeff becomes annoyed by the three noisy international students playing foosball. Jeff has a thing about foosball, he thinks only losers play it. When Jeff storms over to the foosball players Shirley begs him to stop. Jeff talks down to the foosball players who promptly kick his ass playing foosball and laugh as they leave him defeated and embarrassed.
Shirley finds Jeff at the foosball table after hours and asks him why he cares so much about beating the international students. Jeff tells Shirley he used to play foosball all the time as a kid because it was a sport a lonely kid could play alone since his dad wasn’t around. Shirley lets Jeff in on a secret: she was a rabid foosball player as a kid. When Shirley starts playing Jeff she demolishes him with amazing moves and Jeff begs Shirley to help him get better at the game so he can beat the international students. The international students stroll into the room and find Jeff and Shirley at the foosball table and demand to use it. Jeff tells them they can’t have it and he challenges them to an all out game the next morning.
Annie is cleaning in the apartment being careful to be respectful of Troy and Abed’s belongings when she decides to dust the big screen TV. Annie hears a crunching sound and is overwhelmed with guilt when she discovers she stepped on the guys limited edition Dark Knight DVD and broke it. Troy comes home to find Annie admitting she broke the DVD. Troy is heartbroken but knows Abed will come unglued over his precious DVD.
Jeff and Shirley have bonded over her teaching him the secrets of being a foosball master. As they sit munching on goodies at a coffee shop Shirley confesses her darkest secret: she was an angry kid who bullied others through playing foosball. Shirley tells Jeff about one foosball game in particular that caused a younger boy to cry. Shirley the bully was known as Cheddar, she made fun of the boy beating him at foosball, then pushed the foosball rod into his stomach. The rod hurt him, scaring the boy and causing him to wet his pants, which gave Cheddar every reason to call him Tinkle and embarrass him in front of the other kids. Jeff is horrified as he realizes Shirley was his childhood bully Cheddar who humiliated him and changed his life, causing Jeff to tell Shirley off and storm out of the coffee shop. Later that day Jeff apologizes to Shirley for his outburst, who in turn apologizes to Jeff. They decide they will team up to annihilate the international students in foosball once and for all.
Annie creates a crazy story for Abed, pretending someone broke into their apartment and stole her necklace and the Dark Knight DVD. Things get worse as Abed dresses up in his Batman costume to investigate the crime. Annie tries to confess but Abed doesn’t believe her and Annie pins the burglery on the landlord. Abed arrives through the landlords window and uncovers a closet full of stolen women’s but no DVD. Annie claims she found a broken piece of the DVD there along with a pair of her shoes that have been missing. Annie finally confesses to Batman that she stepped on the DVD by accident and apologizes. Batman forgives Annie but suggest Abed might not take it so well.
Jeff and Shirley arrive at the foosball table to challenge the international students. Jeff and Shirley destroy the international students in one move, then walk away, deciding they’d much rather spend time together seeing a movie instead of playing foosball.
