[vektor]

I thought it was the weakest episode of the series so far. It felt like a jumping the shark moment purely because of how forced everything seemed, Jeff trying to get all the balls, Annie's weirdness, the breaking of the fourth wall, Abed's alternate reality... it seemed like they took ever little quirk from every character, concentrated it and then shoved it all into one script hoping the audience would like it. It's a common sign that the writers don't know what to do with the direction of the show because it doesn't flow naturally.

I would reference you all to Weeds and Arrested Development where near the end of the show the storylines became a caricature of what they used to be, that moment where it becomes formulaic. Hopefully it turns around, but this smells a lot like Arrested Development season 3. Or take a look at the Big Bang Theory, a show that used to have a unique premise that has become a formulaic mess that is limping along using the same cliches and formulas that made the earlier episodes unique. Obviously we will all watch it to the end because the earlier seasons were strong enough to shine through one bad season.