While Community may not have been as popular as other sitcoms that aired during its time, it has quickly become a cult classic. Known for its humor, meta-commentary, and pop culture references, the show manages to explore all kinds of topics, genres, and concepts, and is able to shift effortlessly from sitcom, to homage, to parody. A popular concept explored in the third and fourth seasons is The Darkest Timeline, an alternate reality in which the study group becomes evil after a series of unfortunate events unfolds.

Season 3 of Community introduces the concept of alternate realities created by the roll of a die. The first minutes after the dice roll are crucial for the development of each timeline and completely change the course of the characters’ lives. The Darkest Timeline is the one with the worst possible outcome. In this reality, the study group is struck by tragedy and death, and Abed suggests they commit to being evil and find a way to return to the prime timeline and replace the original versions of the group.

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Remedial Chaos Theory: Community’s Approach to Multiple Timelines

“Remedial Chaos Theory,” the fourth episode of season 3, is considered one of the best episodes of the series. The concept is pretty simple, but the execution is brilliant. Troy and Abed have moved into a new apartment and throw a housewarming party for the study group. They sit down for a game of Yahtzee, but get interrupted when the pizza delivery arrives. Jeff rolls the die to see who has to get it, and Abed mentions that by doing so, he is creating six different timelines. The rest of the episode follows what happens in every one of these timelines where a different member has to go get the pizza.

The Darkest Timeline is the one where Jeff rolls a one, Troy has to get the pizza, and a chaotic series of events unfolds. Troy races out to get the pizza as fast as he can, slamming the door and causing Abed’s Indiana Jones boulder replica to roll off onto the floor. Shirley goes to the kitchen to check her pies in the oven. Britta goes to the bathroom to smoke a joint, and Pierce causes Jeff to get up and get a drink. As Jeff gets up, he hits his head with the ceiling fan, and Annie offers to help and take a look at it in the bathroom.

As the pair heads to the bathroom, Annie trips on the boulder, hitting a table and launching Pierce’s bottle of rum, spilling it all over the floor. On his way to help her, Pierce kicks his present for Troy, a troll doll, across the room. Annie’s bag hits the floor, which fires the gun inside and shoots Pierce in the leg. The blood spraying out of his injury splashes Shirley, as a high hears all the noise and Britta comes out of the bathroom.

Startled by the emerging chaos, she accidentally drops her joint, causing a fire because of the rum on the floor. As the rest of the group attempts to put out the fire, Troy then returns with the pizzas and is incredibly shocked at the scene. He notices the troll doll right in front of him, and he screams horrified, dropping the pizzas. This scene became a popular Internet meme, and it brought new fans into the show, making it one of the most popular sitcom scenes.

What Happened to the Study Group from the Darkest Timeline?

At the end of the episode, the group from the Darkest Timeline gathers in the study room, and they relive the aftermath of that chaotic night. It is revealed that, in this reality, Pierce died from his gunshot wound, Jeff lost his arm in the fire, Shirley became an alcoholic, Troy lost his larynx after trying to destroy the troll by eating it, Annie got institutionalized because of her guilt, and Britta dyed a streak of her hair blue. Abed concludes that they are in the darkest and most terrible timeline, makes fake goatees for the group, and suggests that they should commit to being evil and find a way to return to the original timeline, the one where Abed stops Jeff from rolling the die. The group rejects his idea and leaves, except for Troy, who puts on his fake beard, and the pair does their signature handshake and catchphrase, changing it to “Evil Troy and Evil Abed.”

Throughout the third and fourth seasons of the show, the Darkest Timeline was occasionally mentioned. At the end of the season 3 episode “Contemporary Impressionists,” Troy gets mad at Abed for continuing hiring celebrity look alikes. Abed goes to the Dreamatorium alone. Evil Abed appears, and encourages the original Abed to embrace his darker side in order to further his own evil plans.

The season 3 finale, “Introduction to Finality,” Troy enrolls in the Air Conditioning Repair School and moves out of the apartment he shared with Abed and Annie, leaving Abed quite depressed. Evil Abed appears to take over his original self’s body, and decides to recreate the Darkest Timeline. He upsets Britta during a therapy session, causing her to consider dying her hair, and he intends to cut off Jeff’s arm. However, he feels moved by a speech about friendship Jeff gives in the courtroom, and his fake goatee falls off, becoming regular Abed again.

In the season 4 episode “Intro to Knots,” Abed wonders what is happening in the Darkest Timeline at that moment. During a montage, Evil Jeff is shown releasing Evil Annie from the mental hospital. The two then share a kiss, and Evil Jeff informs her that the evil study group are planning on destroying the prime timeline. The season 4 finale, “Advanced Introduction to Finality,” the evil study group invades the prime timeline Greendale. They pretend to be their original versions and attempt to break the study group apart. Abed is the only one able to see their true identities.

Evil Jeff uses a special paintball gun and sends the original Abed to the Darkest Timeline, where he encounters his evil doppelganger, who, to Abed’s surprise, has become good. He gives his original counterpart some special paintball supplies and sends him back to the prime timeline. Back in his timeline, Abed equips the study group, and they engage in a paintball match against their evil doppelgangers, sending each of them back to the Darkest Timeline. Evil Jeff is the last one standing, and Abed reveals to the original Jeff that this is only happening inside his mind because he is scared of graduating. Jeff shoots his evil counterpart and is taken back to the moment before he tossed the die. He decides not to throw it. This is the last time the show features the Darkest Timeline, and the evil study group isn’t seen again.

Whether the Darkest Timeline was real or the events only took place inside the characters’ heads, the concept served as a way for Community to show a deeper glimpse into the study group’s dynamics and the characters’ personalities. Since the Darkest Timeline occurs when Troy leaves the room, and the best scenario happens when Jeff leaves, it can be interpreted that Troy’s presence is the key to the group’s stability. And while Jeff’s absence led to the best possible outcome, the prime timeline also shows that Jeff’s presence and ability to take charge are essential to the study group’s dynamic and their overall friendship.

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