Dan Harmon is known for creating comedy shows with a bizarre sense of humor, and Community is no exception. However, although sitcoms are meant to be silly, some sense of order and logic is still expected. Fans want the storyline to make sense and the characters' lives and actions to be relatable or at least understandable.
Community can get away with some of its more outlandish episodes. Fans can suspend their disbelief for a movie parody or a wacky antic, but there are some things about the inner workings of Greendale and the study group that just don't make any sense.
The School Gets Destroyed Frequently
Greendale goes through a lot of destruction throughout the series. On multiple occasions, the school is wrecked from paintball battles. Frisbees also cause the roof to cave in and windows are smashed during the zombie-ism outbreak. The Dean mentions on several occasions that Greendale doesn't have a lot of money. So how can they afford to rebuild the school when it is frequently badly damaged?
Changnesia Storyline
A lot about Ben Chang doesn't really make sense, especially the storyline of him developing Changnesia. Although everyone in the study group eventually believes that he lost his memories, the whole thing was actually a lie. Then in the first episode of season 5, Chang randomly states that he was faking his Changnesia, confessed to his crimes, and went to prison for a while. Overall the whole subplot was confusing, undermined several character arcs, and was pretty anti-climatic.
The Amount Of Time Students Are At Greendale
More often than not, a community college is a place for students to get a 2-year associate degree or receive a certificate or job training. Although some community colleges offer bachelor's degrees, it doesn't explain why everyone at Greendale is there for such a long time. A period of over five years passes from the pilot to the series finale and some side characters like Leonard and Garrett don't seem any closer to leaving than the very first episode.
Britta's Overall Character And Personality
Britta's personality changes in confusing ways throughout the series. While she starts off as a head-strong and independent activist, in the later seasons, this doesn't seem to be the case. Britta becomes the study group's scapegoat and is frequently made fun of for her mistakes.
They even start using her name as a synonym for messing something up. Britta seems ridiculous and almost unintelligent in the later seasons. Her character is confusing and it's hard to nail down exactly what the writers were going for.
The Dean's Obsession With The Study Group
In the episode "Curriculum Unavailable," the study group is evaluated by a psychiatrist. While Dr. Heidi turns out to be tricking the study group, he ends up bringing up a good point. Everything at Greendale seems to revolve around the study group. The Dean is obsessed with the seven of them and apart from his attraction to Jeff, there's never really an explanation as to why.
What Happened To Rachel?
With the other members of the study group, their romantic relationships are given a clear beginning and end. However, as Britta puts it, Abed has several "intense burst[s] of compatibility with a girl we never see again." Although Abed does date Rachel, she only appears in three episodes and it isn't clear at the end of the series if their relationship will continue after Abed moves to Los Angeles.
Does Anyone Have A Job?
Although it's not impossible that every member of the study group is living off savings or help from their parents, in the earlier seasons, especially, it seems like no one in the study group has a job.
Sure Pierce is rich and later in the series, Britta is a bartender, Jeff becomes a teacher and Shirley owns Shirley's Sandwiches. But in the first season, it's a mystery how anyone can afford to support themselves and go to school.
Abed's Hidden Storyline
The episode "The Psychology of Letting Go" centers around Britta and Annie's fundraising campaign, Pierce's mother's death, and Jeff's high cholesterol. However, only fans that were really paying attention would have noticed another storyline in the background.
Throughout the episode, Abed can be seen interacting with a pregnant couple and eventually helping to deliver their baby. He then mentions in "Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" that "I delivered a baby earlier this year in the back of an SUV." However, fans can never fully understand why Abed is so actively involved in this couple's pregnancy or how he knew them when the study group takes most of their classes together.
Troy And Britta As A Couple
Although there are some small hints of romantic feelings between Troy and Britta, most fans felt that the pair as a couple just didn't make sense. It seemed to come somewhat out of nowhere and their personalities aren't compatible.
Troy is fun-loving, imaginative, and slightly childish, whereas Britta is a self-labeled activist, strong-willed and serious. It's unclear how this couple first came together and it didn't really make sense for them to date in the first place.
Lockers And Other Things Community Colleges Don't Have
Greendale is relatable as a community college in some ways and utterly unrealistic in others. For example, the school has lockers, which is a point of confusion that the study group mentions occasionally. The school also hosts dances, which is rare after high school - even for a full-on university. Finally, earlier in the series, Abed lives in a dorm room when, in reality, very few community colleges offer on-campus housing.