Ep 24. English As A Second Language

Jeff Winger, a self-centered and rude lawyer, has been suspended from practicing law due to his dishonest tactics. Hoping to earn a legitimate degree, Jeff enrolls at Greendale Community College in Colorado. There, he meets a quirky group of classmates including Annie, a straight-laced student determined to succeed, Troy, a former high school football star struggling to find his place, and Abed, a pop culture-obsessed film student. Together, they form a study group and navigate the challenges of college life.

In episode 24, titled "English as a Second Language," the study group learns that Chang has failed his Spanish class and is now threatening to retaliate against the dean. In order to address this situation, the study group agrees to help Chang pass his Spanish class by creating a study group of their own. However, they soon find that teaching someone else a language is not as easy as they thought.

As Chang struggles to grasp basic Spanish concepts, the group must figure out how to get through to him. Jeff suggests that they try to relate the language to something Chang is interested in, like gambling, but this approach proves ineffective. Shirley suggests using a song to help Chang learn the language, which leads to a musical montage of the study group singing and dancing to a song about Spanish grammar rules.

Despite their efforts, Chang continues to struggle with the language and begins to feel defeated. To boost his confidence, the study group convinces him to try teaching them Chinese. This leads to a series of hilarious misunderstandings as the group struggles to learn Chinese phrases and pronunciations.

Eventually, the study group realizes that they may have been teaching Chang the wrong way. Instead of just drilling him on the language, they need to help him understand the culture behind it. They take Chang to a Spanish restaurant where he can use his language skills in a real-world setting. Surprisingly, he thrives in this environment and begins to understand the language on a deeper level.

By the end of the episode, Chang has passed his Spanish class and thanks the study group for their help. Jeff also learns a valuable lesson about the importance of community and helping others, something he had previously been resistant to.

"English as a Second Language" is a hilarious and heartwarming episode that showcases the strengths of the study group as they work together to help someone in need. The episode is full of clever humor and playful references, making it a standout episode in the first season of Community.