I'll be honest, I was really looking forward to this episode after seeing the trailer last week and was thrilled that it lived up to the hype. Like most episodes of Community , the premise was far-fetched, but the fine mix of subtlety and silliness made it the strongest episode of any sitcom I've seen in a long time.

Welcome+to+the+party,+Jeff.

The plot was simple: the Dean organized a school-wide game of paintball with an original grand prize of a Blu-ray player. When the device was stolen, the prize was changed to "Priority Registration" (a far better reward) and all hell broke loose. Jeff woke up from a nap mid-battle and soon found himself in a tenuous alliance with his Spanish study group, fighting to be the last one standing. And from there, Community pretty much had its way with every blockbuster action movie from the past 30 years, including Die Hard, T2, The Matrix, Rambo, Scarface, The Warriors, Hard-Boiled and a slew of post-apocalyptic survival films. I know I'm forgetting a few, so don't be shy about mentioning other references you saw.Throughout the season, Community has been very aware of its place within the pop culture spectrum, but in these past few episodes, the movie and TV references have been turned up a notch for great comic effect. Not only was this episode an homage to action movies, but the cast's awareness of sexual tension between Jeff and Britta was front and center as the familiar "will they or won't they?" scenarios from classic sitcoms Friends and Cheers were referenced early and often. The fact that Jeff and Britta's similarities to Ross & Rachel and Sam & Diane were such a constant annoyance to the rest of the characters was a great way to wink at the audience and still get some great jokes out of the situation. Having the two of them finally have sex (during a hyper-cliched "wounded soldier/trembling nurse" scenario) was an additional benefit as it marked a major turning point for the show. We'd been waiting all season for that to happen and now they can move the story forward.Beyond just the pitch-perfect nods to famous movies and the bombshell that Jeff and Britta finally hooked up, I need to give the director of this episode, Justin Lin (who directed the last two Fast and the Furious movies), a ton of credit. From the well choreographed gunplay to the panoramic views of a destroyed college campus, this show really nailed the look and feel of a multi-million dollar action film. My personal favorite scene was the shot of green paint slowly dripping down the bathroom wall and the tight close-up of Abed's face as he realized his fate - perfectly timed, perfectly acted, perfectly executed (a close second was Jeff's leap to avoid Senor Chang's exploding paint bomb). Lin has directed a few earlier episodes, but this one really captured the entire scope of every action film I've ever loved.Most sitcoms don't have as many water-cooler moments as serialized adventure shows like Lost or 24, but I know this episode of Community will be an exception. This was a sitcom in the guise of an adventure show, which is a tough combination to pull off successfully. The writing, acting and directing all have to be great and the format of the show has to flexible enough to allow the story to be funny, believable and true to what they're parodying. Who didn't love the classic overhead shot of Shirley telling Britta that she's "going home"? " Modern Warfare " will be difficult to top but I sure hope they try.