Over the course of six seasons of highs and lows, Community proved that it did a number of things well. Between the tribute episodes, jokes that take multiple seasons to pay off, and more pop culture references than you can shake a stick at, show runner Dan Harmon (minus that gas leak year) kept a lot of plates in the air at one time. However, as well done as the rest of the show was, few can disagree that the friendship between Troy and Abed is the greatest thing to come out of it.
Before Donald Glover left the show at the beginning of the fifth season to pursue his rap career as Childish Gambino, he and Danny Pudi subverted the classic jock vs. nerd trope and created a friendship for the ages. As they navigated college, friendships, and becoming adults without becoming totally lame, these two goofballs were the unique heart and soul of the show. Community may be gone, but it’s never forgotten, so let’s take a look at the top twelve moments in Troy and Abed’s friendship. There are too many to rank here, so be sure to sound off in the comments if we missed your favorite.
12. The Spanish Rap
In “Spanish 101,” the show’s second episode, Troy and Abed are still in the early stages of their friendship. However, their easy rapport and general weirdness is already starting to show. This was the first ever Troy and Abed end scene, and it still is one of the very best.
11. Troy Believes Abed Became A Cartoon
While this scene from “Accounting for Lawyers” is inherently hilarious, there is still a twinge of sadness about it. Troy believes in his friend so implicitly that he is willing to set aside reality and join Abed in a cartoon world. How awesome would that be? The smell of pie makes you float and your heart is shaped like a heart. Yes, Abed. You may have done some damage there.
10. The Story
After the stress of “Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design,” Troy and Abed take a moment to unwind on the couch and concoct a story of their own. Well, Abed tells the story while Troy listens to the outline, totally enraptured. Abed’s overactive imagination may not always jive with the rest of the world, but Troy is always interested in his flights of fancy. These two just fit, you guys.
9. Abed Doesn’t Want To Move In
Before he understands Abed’s motives for not wanting to move in together in “Pascal’s Triangle Revisited,” Troy manages to eat an entire giant cookie on his own. While it may make him sick (surprisingly!), he also learns a little bit about friendship in the process.
8. Chloroforming The Janitor
Troy and Abed brought Annie along for the ride on this one in “Accounting for Lawyers,” but it is still a classic mishap for the two buddies. While Abed quietly assesses the situation while Troy screams about how his “whole brain is crying,” there has never been a more clear indicator of which role each friend inhabits. Troy will always cry when stressed, while Abed needs a moment to take it all in. They are truly the yin to the other’s yang.
7. Kickpuncher
First introduced in “Romantic Expressionism,” Kickpuncher is another classic Troy and Abed gag. The perfect encapsulation of the weird stuff friends tend to create when they’re bored and broke, Kickpuncher is everything good and terrible from “classic” action tropes. His punches have the power of kicks! Beat that, Van Damme.
6. Pillows And Blankets
Season three’s “Pillows and Blankets” was hilarious and poignant, and was one of the few episodes where Troy and Abed were genuinely at odds. While the United Forts of Pillowtown and the Legit Republic of Blanketsburg eventually make peace, even twenty short minutes of war between the best friends is sad to see. The best of friends fight, and in this episode, viewers see that best friends know how to hurt the worst, as evidenced by Troy saying that he will be Abed’s last friend, because no one else can handle his weirdness. While the two eventually make up, it is still bittersweet knowing the level of unkindness that had been unearthed.
5. The Dreamatorium
While there are many wonderful things that come out of their living together, the Dreamatorium is one of the greatest things ever concocted by Troy and Abed. Totally impractical, a little selfish, but completely amazing. These two might be forced to grow up a little after Annie moves in in “Studies of Modern Movement,” but the nerdiness and whimsy at their friendship core always remains rock solid. It may take Annie a little while to understand the importance of the Dreamatorium, but Troy and Abed know the importance of imagination.
4. Batman Voices
Having a real friend means that you can discuss the weirder things that pop into your head, even when that thought is whether or not you would eat yourself if you were a cookie. In the season one episode, “Introduction to Statistics,” Troy and Abed prove that really nothing is too silly for them to talk about and that only your best friend will give you an honest opinion on the quality of your Batman voice.
3. The Zombie Apocalypse
Season two’s “Epidemiology” is considered one of the very best episodes of the show’s run, and Troy and Abed facing off against the zombies together is a big part of the reason why. Not only does it play on horror movie tropes, but Abed gets to “Han Solo” Troy as he sacrifices himself to the horde. Only a true friend will help you get out of a zombie outbreak alive.
2. Troy and Abed In The Morning
The fake morning show, Troy and Abed in the Morning!, was first introduced in season one’s “The Science of Illusion” and is one of the show’s most indelible running gags. Their show within a show was a hilarious way to prove that Troy and Abed were always perfectly in sync, even when (or especially when) they were acting like morons. With other characters, this kind of meta madness would be totally insane, but with Troy and Abed… well, it’s still totally insane, but that worked for them.
1. Saying Goodbye
While moving on to bigger and better things in season five’s “Geothermal Escapism” was best for the character of Troy, his absence was keenly missed in the following seasons. As Abed let his friend go, viewers everywhere felt the sting of separation, knowing that no more goatee’d darkest timelines or hilarious cold opens would occur between the two friends. Despite that, when Troy gets the chance to sail around the world, Abed knows that this is an opportunity he can’t pass up. Real friends encourage each other to chase their dreams, even if it means saying goodbye. Still, don’t be sad that it’s over. We’ll always have Dungeons & Dragons.
This is an updated version of a post that originally ran on June 16, 2016.
