Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality (S5, E7 – Feb. 27, 2014)
While no one would begrudge John Oliver his success on Last Week Tonight, it is a shame that he will not be returning to Greendale. His Prof. Ian Duncan was often a wonderful foil for Jeff, and a piece of Greendale’s ever-expanding world that just seemed to fit. Taking a cue from Season 2’s “Mixology Certification,” this episode plays it mostly sincere (aside from a subplot involving Chang, maybe his funniest since Season 2). Duncan’s crush on Britta has often been played as unrequited and more than a little bit creepy, but having him rescue her at a point of extremely low self-esteem and then refusing to take advantage of her because he’s come to respect her as a human being made for an honestly heartfelt moment.
