Community Episode 1.12 Comparative Religion

Dean Pelton makes holiday announcements and reminds students to sign up for classes for the next semester. While the study group gathers in the student lounge for holiday snacks, Shirley expresses her dislike of the dean's "PC-ness" over the holidays.

Shirley gives each person a bracelet that reads "WWBJD" -- What would Baby Jesus do? Annie and Britta look a little uncomfortable with the biblical reference but don't want to offend Shirley. Reluctantly they all put the bracelet on to make Shirley happy.

Abed grabs a plate of "winterdoodle" cookies from the table of holiday treats in the student lounge. Just as he begins to walk away, he is stopped by a group of student bullies. When the main bully knocks the plate of cookies out of Abed's hands, Jeff steps up in his defense. Just in time, the dean arrives as "Mr. Winter," which breaks up the argument.

Back in the study room, the group discusses the bully incident. Shirley expresses her gratitude to Jeff for choosing to settle the argument peacefully. Jeff tries to gear the conversation back to Spanish 101. If he doesn't pass the final, he fails the class. Time to study!

Shirley invites everyone to her Christmas party after the Spanish final, but asks if they will be changing into their Christmas outfits before attending. It's then that Annie breaks the news that she is Jewish, Britta pipes in that she is atheist, Troy is a Jehovah Witness, Abed is Muslim, Pierce is Buddhist (or so he thinks) and Jeff is agnostic. Shirley is certain the Lord is testing her.

Senor Chang sits at the front of class waiting for his Spanish 101 class to finish their final. While Jeff sits nervously taking the test, the bully appears at the classroom door to taunt him and Abed. After an exchange of words, Jeff sets time for them to fight -- 3:00 p.m., by the garbage cans, but not the ones next to the parking lot.

Back in the student lounge, Jeff, Abed, Troy and Pierce discuss the fight over lunch. Jeff admits to never having been in a fight. Pierce then rallies Abed and Troy to join him in teaching Jeff how to fight.

Troy, Abed, Britta and Pierce teach Jeff how to fight. Pierce gets Jeff to practice punching and tries to distract him in the process, teaching him that he must be alert at all times. After Annie spills the beans to Shirley that Jeff intends to take on the bully, Shirley interrupts their fighting practice in hopes of changing Jeff's mind.

The group leaves Jeff with Shirley to have a private conversation. Shirley asks Jeff, "Why do you hate me and Jesus?" She asks him not to fight on such an important day. With her recent divorce, today's Christmas party will be the only one she has this season and she doesn't want Jeff to fight on a day that is so important to her.

The group gathers, sans Jeff, at Shirley's Christmas party. While she has asked everyone to bring something representing their religions or beliefs, she is determined to push her Christians traditions on everyone. Britta challenges Shirley by suggesting that banning Jeff from the party isn't very Christian of her.

The group stands up to Shirley, asking her to support each of them regardless of their religious beliefs, and that includes supporting Jeff at his fight. They all get up from Shirley's party to go support Jeff. Jeff meets up with the bully outside the library. He takes off his sunglasses, empties his pockets and prepares to fight Mike, the bully. Just as he raises his fists to fight, he sees the bracelet that Shirley gave him.

Jeff tells Mike that he's not going to fight him because he has a friend who believes it's the time of year to put differences aside and make peace. After his speech, Mike punches Jeff in the gut anyway. With the group around to witness this, including Shirley, she yells out, "Jeffrey, kick his ass!"

With those few words, the fight is ON. Mike's friends join in, as do Pierce, Annie, Troy, Abed, Britta and even Shirley. The winter display in the center of campus gets destroyed as they fight.

In all the fight hype, Pierce ends up punching Jeff in the face, a rite of passage that he felt Jeff needed in order o become a man. Once the fight is over, the group returns to the study room and celebrates their different religions together in the spirit of the holidays.

Senor Chang comes into the study room to deliver big news. He has graded all the finals and everyone has passed. Since he is the only Spanish teacher, he'll be seeing all of them next semester in Spanish 102.

Jeff pops open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the semester's accomplishments, and toasts to the new semester to come.