(S01E10) Hey, Jeff was kind of a selfish douche and then at the end he became a good person and did the right thing. Quick game: which episode am I describing?

I know I've complained about the predictability of this plot procedure in every episode, but for some reason it worked this week. Probably because even in the execution of it, you could see that Jeff had at least gained a sense of loyalty to his study group. In other words, he felt bad about what he was doing from the beginning. He still did it, but somehow that made all the difference.

I think the more shocking development was that Pierce offered to help Shirley with an upcoming speech she had to give, and she actually accepted. He also learned the "secret" to Jeff's power over the group, though I still think it's just confidence.

It was pretty funny, though, when Pierce sat in Jeff's chair and was making fun of his snide remarks and wisecracks. But, the most amazing thing about Pierce this week was that he genuinely helped someone, and it worked. Pierce is always willing to help, but he's usually way out of his element and the whole thing backfires. This week, while his advice to Shirley was still a little weird in places, it actually helped her.

I'm glad to see it, too, because I like the idea of Pierce occasionally having flashes of value and usefulness. I think the character needs that to avoid despair and gain confidence for whatever his next "expertise" may be in.

Jeff, on the other hand, excels at helping himself, and that's exactly what he did with Senor Chang. Initially going in to try and reduce the crazy amount of homework Chang is giving to the class, he winds up taking advantage of the man's emotional vulnerability to reduce just his own homework.

I'll give it up to Ken Jeong; there's not another actor on this show who is as committed as he is in this performance. He simply oozes unstable lunatic with every scene, but particularly when he was crying about his surprisingly attractive ex-wife. Jeong can screw his face up into the most amazing, and disturbing expressions. It's absolutely ridiculous, but he still manages to make it work for me.

The rest of the episode was a "friendship test" of sorts between Abed and Troy. I still absolutely love these two as unlikely friends, and so it was touching to see them singing "Somewhere Out There" to their own little Fievel in the halls. Troy had to overcome his fears and learn that to be a true friend, he has to be willing to help others ... not just be helped. Sometimes I forget that Troy was a pampered popular kid in school. He's so innocently doofy now, but I suspect that's a lot of the point. Here's what happens to the prom king when he steps out into the real world. He's nobody and he's exposed for all his inherent flaws.

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