"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Favorite Characters: Dean Craig Pelton (Community)

 
I’m sure that many members of the Community ensemble will show up on the blog as time goes on, but I’d like to start with the one who pressed his way to the fore on my most recent run through the series.  It’s none other than Dean Pelton, Greendale’s hapless head honcho.
 
In season one, the Dean is introduced as relentlessly optimistic, absurdly PC, and incurably incompetent.  Deep down, a part of him probably realizes he’s the captain of a sinking ship, but bless him, he never admits it.  Much of his presence in the first season comes from his cheerful P.A. announcements; no matter what unfortunate FYI he gives his students, he delivers it without fail in a chipper voice.  We also see his out-of-control PC leanings in action.  His attempts to be fully inclusive in creating the Greendale Human Beings mascot are well-meaning but misguided, and the holiday season is so taxing that he feels compelled to invent an entirely new character, Mister Winter, to avoid religious affiliation.  And let’s face it – he’s terrible at his job.  This is a man who accidentally gives out malfunctioning condoms at the STD Awareness fair.
 
The Dean’s more unique quirks start to come through toward the end of season one and beyond.  His Lady Gaga costume in season two’s Halloween episode kicks off the running gag of the Dean appearing in outrageous outfits to deliver a bit of exposition.  He has a particular penchant for women’s costumes; Tina Turner, Scarlett O’Hara, and Donna Reed are just a few looks he’s appropriated.  I adore this gag, not because I think drag is inherently funny, but because the Dean will seize upon the flimsiest of excuses to dress up.  My favorites include dressing like a Moulin Rouge dancer to inform the study group that biology class is “can-can-canceled” and wearing a “sexy construction worker” costume because he’s “building to big news.”
 
I think part of the reason I like him is because he’s just so happily weird.  He goes about his day wearing wild costumes, making goofy puns on his name/title (“simmer dean” is a good one,) and writing about the exploits of time-traveling Dean Dangerous, and he doesn’t generally let other people’s remarks stifle him.  At some point, he decided he was okay with flying his freak-flag, and he never looked back.  Some would argue that the show uses him to poke fun at queer sexuality, and I can see where they’re coming from, but it’s hard for me to agree.  I see how much the Dean enjoys being who he is, and even though he sometimes seems pretty wimpy, I think his sunny disregard for anyone’s mockery shows that he’s ultimately quite a strong person.
 
Not that he doesn’t let anything get him down.  As comfortable as the Dean is in his own skin, he’s very insecure when it comes to his job.  It’s desperately important to him that he’s viewed as a good dean and Greendale as a good school – when things start to get away from him, he falls apart spectacularly, and it’s always hilarious.  He goes to pieces when a game of paintball turns the school into a warzone, he very nearly loses his mind trying to film a commercial for Greendale, and when an outdoor food festival descends into a “race kerfuffle,” he helplessly wails, “I didn’t even know there was a difference between North and South Korean barbeque!”
 
Luckily, the study group usually comes through to help him out.  His earnest affection for them and their somewhat-begrudging protectiveness of him – like he’s an eager but annoying little brother – is a sweet part of the show.  It invariably makes me smile when the group includes him in an activity, a celebration, or even a group hug, because I know how much it means to him.

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