Basic Rocket Science

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

Dean Pelton decides that Greendale Community College must have its own flight simulator and cannot be bested by the competition, “City College,” which is planning its own flight simulator. He enlists the study group to clean and refurbish the Greendale Community College simulator. As Jeff, Pierce, Britta, Annie, Shirley and Troy wash the tattered simulator down, they end up accidentally launching it – sending everyone on an unexpected journey into “outer space.” Abed is left behind to try and navigate a safe “return” for everyone.

Our Take

A goofy bottle episode that leans hard on Greendale’s low-budget absurdity, and mostly gets away with it. The Apollo 13 riffing is fun and Abed’s mission-control bits land, but Pierce’s storyline drags and the jokes about the simulator’s sad condition wear thin. Worth a watch for the concept alone, even if it never quite hits the heights of season two’s best.