Meta: Tritta and the Gas Leak Year (Comm s4)-- DFvQ

[xandromedovna]

Due to various well-documented production issues (including Dan Harmon leaving the show for s4 then returning for s5 while Chevy Chase and Donald Glover leave at the beginning of s5, plus the shortened episode order of 13 because it was barely renewed), season 4 is often noticeably different from the rest of the series. Many consider it the weakest of the seasons, and it was summarily retconned in 5x1 (titled “Repilot”) as the Gas Leak Year (GLY)—everyone was so OOC because of a gas leak that has since been fixed. I personally have mixed feelings about it because some of my favourite episodes (“Conventions of Space and Time”, “Basic Human Anatomy”) are in this season, but also some of my least favourites (“Alternative History of the German Invasion”, “Advanced Documentary Filmmaking”, “Economics of Marine Biology”). It’s also the last time we see the original study group all together.

 

But what I find so critically fascinating about the GLY is the sinking of Tritta (Troy/Britta). There were hints of Tritta throughout the earlier seasons and by late s3 they’re more or less dating but these moments are always paired with Trobed moments that place Abed as Troy’s more important partner (see merely_indifferent for a deeper analysis of this foil). This is usually talked about as it pertains to Troy’s arc as the apex of the triangle but what interests me about the GLY is Abed’s arc in relation to Tritta. Abed’s mental breakdown in s3 is directly related to the deterioration of his relationship with Troy, and it isn’t really resolved until Troy returns to him. And since so much of the show is arguably from Abed’s perspective, the year where Troy and Britta dated being the year that doesn’t count is telling.

The ramp-up to Tritta starts immediately after the War (3x13-14), during which Britta was passionately involved with Subway/Rick. As soon as the war ends, Britta’s ex-boyfriend Blade comes to town (3x15) and the fallout of that blatantly intrudes on Trobed’s way of life. To resolve the issue, Troy has to say heartfelt things about Britta that cause her to consider him as a romantic option. The very next episode (3x16), Annie meddles to have Troy and Britta go on a date, which “breaks” Abed. Thus, Britta has gone through three love interests in as many episodes, and while there’s hope Troy will be different because he's so unlike her previous boyfriends, the timing gives pause. The date goes well, and when the Dreamatorium falls (3x22), it becomes Troy’s bedroom, which he can now use to have girls (i.e. Britta) over. If the writers wanted to do anything with Tritta, they had to break up Trobed first (see aye_of_newt).

Abed’s approach to this sequence of events is actually quite heartbreaking. In “Contemporary Impressionists” (3x12) Abed realizes he can no longer fully trust Troy and that he’s going to lose him when he realizes Abed can’t be fixed, which is what causes him to self-isolate in the Dreamatorium. Abed initially was going to destroy New Fluffytown without a thought to make Troy happy (but then FUCKING VICE DEAN LAYBOURNE—), because keeping Troy in his life was more important. But then the War happened, the underlying issues of which were never resolved; Jeff had to use the magical friendship hats as a deus ex machina to secure a ceasefire. Just when Abed thinks things might return to normal, the Blade fiasco happens and now Troy and Britta are on a date.

Annie, who pushed Troy and Britta together in the first place, is the one who has to help Abed cope with his new reality, and only when she “breaks” him does she fully understand the stakes. She asks Abed to teach her how to play in the Dreamatorium to keep him occupied during Tritta’s date, but his annoyance with her causes her to realize: “You’re mad at me for playing matchmaker with Troy and Britta. You think you’re gonna lose Troy.” (3x16) Abed then reveals that Troy and Britta dating will unravel the social fabric of the group, which he knows because he’s run thousands of simulations (in his head) analyzing what would happen. This is the key to Abed’s approach to his relationship with Troy: it’s not that Troy dating Britta could be the group’s undoing, but that Troy dating anyone could—including Abed. At every turn, Abed chooses to let Troy go despite his own feelings for the good of the group, even before this ep (which is why he says “I’m not petty” [3x16], it’s not about his own feelings at all). It’s not necessarily that he doesn’t want to date Troy, it’s that he’s too scared of losing him to try.

(Yes I know I’m still in s3, I have a point, I promise.)

Annie, however, can’t see that yet, thinking Troy checking up on him is just another example of “people bend[ing] over backwards to cater to him” (3x16). Because she reads Abed’s relationship with Troy as platonic instead of pre-romantic (and assumes that romantic relationships are more important but that’s another post), she thinks Abed’s being selfish and reconfigures the Dreamatorium to require empathy before proceeding, causing Abed to experience a shutdown. What she doesn’t realize is that in Abed’s view he is being selfless and thinking about others by maintaining the balance of the group over his own feelings for Troy. He in fact accuses her of being selfish: “With Abed gone and Troy and Britta together, there’s nothing standing in the way of [Annie and Jeff]” (3x16). The implication is clear: to get with Jeff, Annie needs to get rid of Britta as a romantic option; to get rid of Britta, she needs Troy to date her; to get Troy and Britta together, she needs to get rid of Abed as a romantic option. Because if he's allowed to stay he will break them up.

But he also can’t break them up just so he can date Troy: “I’ve run the simulations, Annie. I don’t get married, I don’t invent a million dollar website that helps people have sex, I don’t make it into Sundance, SlamDance, or DancePants.” (3x16, emphasis mine). To him, there is no universe where he gets the guy in the end; the only way he’d be able to stay in Troy’s life is as friends. So with Annie’s help, he starts moving on: he throws himself into trying to find the Dean, he tries to move on with Hilda, he tries to stave off Evil!Abed—just because he’s not very successful doesn’t mean he’s not ready to get back out there. And with Troy in his own bedroom, they both can work on seeing other people.

And then comes the gas leak year. In 4x1, he looks at Troy and Britta holding hands with concern. This isn’t the first time he expresses worry about their interactions specifically; in 3x8 when filming his documentary, Britta and Troy hug a little too long and he calls the scene over. This is one of the few times Abed appears onscreen this episode, and the look on his face watching them walk off, which he tries to hide from the camera, is the same one he gets in 4x1. But instead of resisting the pairing like he did in 3x16, he encourages Britta to go with Troy to the wishing fountain in his place. Troy, alarmed by this, asks if Abed’s really okay with it, and Abed say’s he’s FYNE, their code for actually fine and not putting-on-a-brave-face fine. Ironically we know he’s lying because earlier he said he’d go with Troy, but only changes his mind after being reminded this is their last year together. If not being with Troy is what it takes to keep everyone together, then he can let Britta have him.

But not being together with Troy is harder than it sounds. In 4x2, he and Troy have a couple’s costume, and after Britta explicitly says Jeff should “leave the couples’ costumes to the couples” he points out the contradiction by saying “you should probably warn your boyfriend’s boyfriend.” This is one of several times this season Abed is referred to as Troy’s boyfriend—Jeff doesn’t say his girlfriend, which is usually how he would make fun of them (e.g. 1x23), which seems to indicate it’s less of a rib than it is a dig closer to Shirley’s judgements of them. Troy and Britta haven’t had sex at this point, but by the beginning of 4x3 they’ve been sleeping together for a couple weeks, which they’ve been hiding from Abed.

“Conventions of Space and Time” (4x3) is probably the most explicitly Trobed episode in the series. Abed has been pulling away from Troy ever since he’s been with Britta and has gotten pettier about it (probably thanks to the gas leak). Abed lets them think he doesn’t know they’re having sex because he gets free donuts out of the deal. When Troy asks why Abed never mentioned Toby, he quips “well you’ve been so busy lately having sex” (4x3). The most damning indication that Abed hates the two of them being together is his staring contest with Britta over Minerva; Britta silently dares him to talk her ear off about why she’s wrong like he usually would, but instead he decides to let it go. Britta thinks that means she’s won but Troy knows something’s very wrong, because he knows how Abed feels about them:

Troy: “Am I the only one freaked out by that?”

Britta: “No, I think Abed was just showing that he’s accepting of our relationship.”

Troy: (laughs awkwardly) “No really, what was it?” (4x3)

When Abed reveals he plans to spend the day with his new friend Toby, the parallels between his jealousy of Britta and Troy’s jealousy of Toby make plain what had until this point been subtext. As merely_indifferent notes, “Toby is meant to replicate Troy’s relationship with Abed. So when Toby, as Troy’s replacement, calls himself Abed’s soulmate, the implications are clear. Troy and Abed aren’t just best friends, they’re soulmates” (Part Three). Britta sees the parallel a lot faster than Troy does and goes into ‘girl talk’ mode, as if she’s not the one dating him: “No, Troy, I have seen that look, girls have given me that look. You are not being crazy, that dude is trying to steal your boyfriend.” (4x3) When Jeff calls Abed Troy’s boyfriend, it’s derisive, but Troy’s ‘actual’ girlfriend casually calling Abed his boyfriend shifts the story into something much more weighty. To my mind, Toby’s arrival was the moment she realized that Troy would always love Abed more than her, that she’s just a consolation prize. The fact that she continues to help him through this even though it puts her in such an awkward and demeaning position seems to indicate that she’s not as invested in Troy as Abed is (which is borne out by 4x11). But that moment is played for tension, not laughs: after she says it, Troy’s face falls, Britta gets up and says somewhat agitatedly, “I’m gonna get a refill”, and the scoring is one of the more serious stingers before a commercial break (4x3). Her disappointment is palpable even as she doesn’t take it out on Troy, because he doesn’t seem to realize the implications of his feelings.

Which, to be quite clear, are love (Troy had previously declared his love for Abed [2x6] but their memory was wiped). Not only does Britta conclude that Troy “went all psycho ex-girlfriend on Abed”, but before that she advised him “if you love someone, set them free; and if they don’t come back to you, they were never yours to begin with” (4x3). Incidentally, this seems to be her approach this episode—if Troy stays with her, then great, but if he gets back together with Abed, then she never really had a shot anyway. Troy, for his part, thinks that’s a horrible plan. However, when he loses his shit on Toby, Troy asks Britta to take the gluon photo with him instead of Abed, which Britta agrees to do but finds weird.

The gluon photo depicts a ceremony functionally equivalent to marriage: “it’s a photo where two people are fused together like the Inspector and Reggie were bonded for eternity in episode 704” (4x3). Inspector Spacetime is an expy for Doctor Who, but the vast majority of the Doctors had female companions, more than one of which were love interests, whereas Reggie seems to be a rather consistent companion that is considered the Inspector’s soulmate. When Abed decides he no longer cares about the gluon photo, Troy and Britta end up next in line. The framing of the scene reads like a marriage of convenience that Troy eventually calls off, to Britta’s relief. She tells Troy to “go to him” because she “do[es]n’t care about Inspector Spacetime” (4x3). This functions on two levels: she’s not Troy’s soulmate because she doesn’t care about Inspector Spacetime, but she also doesn’t see Troy’s Inspector as an obstacle to them doing what they’re doing. If she wants to be with Troy, she has to respect his relationship with Abed. (Polyamorous Trobetta rights)

Toby continually compares Abed losing Troy to Toby losing his own constable to a romantic relationship. When he calls himself Abed’s soulmate, Abed smiles before frowning, and as they discuss the philosophy of alien-human relationships, Abed realizes that of the two of them, Troy is the healthier match because they make each other better. Proving his point Toby locks him in a phone booth “until Stockholm Syndrome sets in” and asks “would you love me if I got you a churro?” (4x3) Throughout the series Abed’s fear of confined spaces has been attributed to being stuffed in lockers as a kid. He freaks out at first, but eventually he realizes that for the first time, he knows he’ll be rescued—because he has Troy, and he knows Troy loves him. In the end, Troy saves the day and they get their gluon photo. IF NOT GAY THEN WHY

 

Oh fuck this is turning into a whole manifesto I’m sorry there’s just so much gay this season. I’ll skip over the puppet episode because I already exorcised my headcanons about it in this fic, but basically Abed lies a lot this season and goes back to doing hijinks alone like he did in s1. The episode where he meets Rachel (who he doesn’t actually date until the episode directly after Troy leaves) involves several interactions where Troy tries to engage Abed but he keeps his distance and goes on his wacky double-booked date without him. They don’t really get back to normal until Troy enlists his help to break up with Britta on their anniversary (to which pairing does ‘their’ refer? Exactly).

“Basic Human Anatomy” (4x11) is such a fascinating episode for several reasons, but mostly because it sinks Tritta once and for all. The study group asks them how they’re celebrating their anniversary, and both of them ask “of… [what]?” Conversely, “Troy does remember his three-year anniversary of watching Freaky Friday with Abed, once again showing how Troy prioritizes his relationship with Abed even over his relationship with his girlfriend” (merely_indifferent). Both aye_of_newt and merely_indifferent analyze this arc through the lens of compulsory heterosexuality in enough detail that I won’t retread the argument, and anyway I’m more interested in what this means in terms of canonicity and storytelling. Aside from (arguably) “Pillows and Blankets”, this is the only real break-up episode we get in the series, and it’s certainly the only one to close off that romantic avenue completely. Even when Jeff and Britta (and Slater) had their public breakup in 1x25/2x1, they still had unresolved sexual tension throughout the series, and obviously Trobed recovered from the War however tenuously. But the GLY writers are very careful to write this entire season such that there’s no possible way to bring that relationship back as anything other than friends. This is a bold take on a plot element introduced in the last of the pre-GLY Harmon seasons, and ironically this seems to be one of the few things he agrees with about s4—in 5x12 Jeff says “this inspection is going to be the most boring thing to happen here since Britta dated Troy”.

The question all this raises for me is: why? Why are they so meticulous in their takedown of Tritta? On one hand, they can only continue to queerbait us with Trobed if there’s no actual chance of them getting together, otherwise it’s just subtext. For example, jokingly calling Abed Troy’s boyfriend can only be a joke if Troy already has a girlfriend that isn’t Abed. And even then, there’s so much more development for Trobed than for Tritta that these jokes don’t actually land as jokes but coding. On the other hand, playing out Tritta to its logical conclusion allows for not just the comphet narrative to flourish but for Trobed to reunite (and the resolution of a poorly-received plotline). Whatever the reasoning, by the end of the GLY, Troy and Britta are broken up and things have returned to the way they were before everyone stopped acting like themselves.

Which is why Troy has to leave. “Your entire identity has been consumed by your relationship with another man” Jeff says to Troy in “Repilot”. Troy has once again been reduced to Abed’s sidekick and the toxically codependent underbelly of their relationship that’s been slowly brewing since the War comes to a head in “Geothermal Escapism”, where they talk about dying instead of leaving each other. But Abed lets Troy go, because he’s done it before and survived, and he’ll do it again.

The GLY sank Tritta, but the return to normal sank Trobed (again), and I think it’s interesting that only in a year where everyone’s out of their minds can Troy and Abed be referred to as boyfriends and heterosexuality fail. Maybe that’s why season 4 still has a special place in my heart: it’s one of the only times Trobed was arguably canon.

 

Works Cited

aye_of_newt. “Pillow Talk: Heteronormativity, Gender Roles, and Air Conditioner Repair in Community”. Archive of Our Own, 23 July 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/25454587

merely_indifferent. “How Community Actually Made a Gay Story Gayer by Making it Straight.” Archive of Our Own, 17 Sep. 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506366

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