Community gained a lot of new fans once it started streaming on Netflix, among other streaming services. Not too long after it hit Netflix in 2020, the service removed the fourteenth episode of season 2, "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons." Yvette Nicole Brown, who played Shirley Bennett on the show from 2009 to 2014, commented on the decision, explaining why she disagrees with Netflix's decision to remove the episode.
The Community episode was removed because Ben Chang wore Dark Elf cosplay for their game of Dungeons and Dragons, which on the surface, could be interpreted as blackface. Brown explained that because he technically wasn't wearing blackface, among other things, she disagrees with those streaming services for taking the episode down.
Brown gave her reasoning in an interview with Gizmodo. "I'm really sad that that episode is no longer in rotation. I think the reason that it was pulled, and this is a Black person speaking, was an overcorrection, and I think they should fix that. Ken Jeong's character played a drow, and they have black skin. It was not Ken Jeong in blackface, and I think that anyone who would have understood Dungeons and Dragons would have understood the distinction. There's also a moment in the episode where Shirley in the episode literally calls what Chang is doing a hate crime because it shows that Shirley didn't understand Dungeons and Dragons, so it had been handled." Brown explained further why she's unhappy that the episode was removed. "By them removing that show, we've lost a great episode where Charlie Koontz shines, and it's a great story about bullying and showing up for your friends, and I hope that they reconsider."
Netflix was not the only streaming service to remove the episode, as Hulu also removed the episode from their streaming service. However, when the show streamed on Amazon Prime, they elected to keep it on. Fans regard "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" as one of the best Community episodes not just because the comedy is top-notch, but because, as Brown alluded to, it's also about how damaging bullying can be on a person's mental health. Not to mention, it was ahead of its time in calling out fat-shaming.
It's understandable why, at first glance, the episode was removed. Blackface and minstrel shows are a beyond-shameful part of US history, and any non-Black person who puts it on with the intent of mocking the Black community should be shamed and punished for it without question. In this specific instance, there was more context to it. The show made it a point that Chang wasn't wearing blackface, but that what he was wearing could be interpreted as blackface, which they immediately pointed out through Shirley that it was offensive. The joke was more or less about how dressing up as a Drow can look like blackface to a non-trained eye, which Chang wasn't trying to do.
Audiences can debate for months on end whether Chang's Drow cosplay is offensive, and both sides are fair. However, removing the episode altogether seemed a little extreme. Something that streaming services could have done instead was issue a warning ahead of time about Chang's Drow cosplay so that they give their viewers the choice of whether they want to watch it or not, especially since that instance is a footnote in what is overall one of Community's best episodes.
Community can be streamed on Netflix and Hulu.
Source: Gizmodo