Similar to the classic sitcoms of the 1990s like Friends and Seinfeld, or even Cheers, Dan Harmon’s Community has proven that it has staying power. This cult classic is just as hilarious now as it was back when it first aired.
One of the reasons we love Community so much is that every main character had a lot of incredibly funny, memorable, and sometimes profound lines. The jokes just keep on coming and everyone gets their chance to shine. Today, we’re listing the most memorable lines ever uttered by Troy Barnes, aka Donald Glover, on this timeless sitcom.
IT WAS AWESOME, BUT ALSO… IT WASN’T?
Presented in the style of Ken Burns’ documentary, The Civil War, the season three episode “Pillows and Blankets” narrates the events of a war on the Greendale campus. What starts as a minor disagreement between Troy and Abed about whether to make a fort using blankets or pillows escalates into an all-out war.
Narrator, Keith David, walks us through Greendale, introducing the opposing sides and recounting important events. He describes Troy as a “sensitive high school quarterback who became commander in chief of his own army” and quotes Troy’s words of wisdom in the aftermath of the war: “It was awesome, but also… it wasn’t?” Even though we never actually heard the words from Troy himself, we can totally picture him saying this.
HOW ABOUT I POUND YOU LIKE A BOY? THAT DIDN’T COME OUT RIGHT.
Coming up with the perfect reply when someone makes fun of you isn’t the easiest thing to do and no one knows that better than Troy Barnes. In the third episode of Community’s first season, we find out that Troy has a very funny way of sneezing. Or as Jeff puts it: “Troy sneezes like a girl”. Wanting to get back at him, Troy uttered this unforgettable line and regretted it instantly:
Quickly realizing that his words didn’t come off as threatening as he had intended, Troy hilariously added, “that didn’t come out right”. No, it didn’t, Troy. It really didn’t, but thank you for the laugh.
SOMETIMES I THINK I LOST SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME, AND IT TURNS OUT I ALREADY ATE IT.
In one of Community’s funniest episodes ever, the season two bottle spectacle that was “Cooperative Calligraphy”, Annie loses her temper when one of her purple gel gripped pens goes missing. Apparently, she’s been lending them to the members of the study group and they haven’t exactly been returning the pens to her, and this last incident was just one pen too many.
In the end, the study group ends up searching the entire classroom extremely thoroughly, searching each other’s belongings, and even stripping down to their underwear. But before any of that happened, Troy had a pretty solid guess as to what happened to Annie’s pen. “Sometimes I think I lost something really important to me, and it turns out I already ate it” is something only Troy Barnes could say.
SIXTY DOLLARS? HELLO? RICH PEOPLE? TROY’S JOINING YOU. YES, I’LL HOLD.
Towards the end of season three, Chang and his Changlorious Basterds took over Greendale Community College and expelled the Greendale Seven. When Officer Cackowski found Abed trespassing on the campus, he brought him back to the apartment and had some words of advice for the study group. He told Troy that the brick they’d been using to prop open the door is, in fact, an antique valued at around fifty to sixty dollars. Troy, being the adorable dork that he is, starts playing telephone with the brick saying:
His childlike glee is infectious and it’s impossible not to laugh at silly antics no matter how many times we re-watch the episode. Coincidentally or not, Troy did, indeed, join the rich people when he got that inheritance from Pierce.
YOU ARE THE OPPOSITE OF BATMAN.
Britta being called the worst is a running gag on the show and it’s especially funny when the group finds creative ways to describe just how bad Britta really is. In the season three premiere, Britta gets Abed hooked on a new show Cougarton Abbey to replace Cougar Town which has been pushed to mid-season. However, when Abed realizes that his new favorite show only ran six episodes and that everyone died in the finale, he falls into a catatonic state, prompting Troy to utter this hilarious iteration of “Britta, you’re the worst”:
Not only is this line funny, but it can also come in pretty handy for whenever you need to subtly insult someone. Fun fact, in a similar fashion, Troy also called Britta “the AT&T of people” in a different episode.
DID YOU KNOW THAT GOGURT IS JUST YOGURT?
You can always count on Troy to hit you with a random fact that will blow your mind. Case in point, when he uncovered the great conspiracy behind a curious beverage called Gogurt. In the season two episode, “Accounting for Lawyers”, Annie informed Jeff that his buddy from his former law firm was the one who, as Britta put it, narked on him, but Jeff called it a meaningless conspiracy. While they were on the topic of meaningless conspiracies, Troy took the opportunity to expose Gogurt.
It’s ridiculous enough that Troy would call out Gogurt of all things, but Donald Glover’s perfect delivery turned this line in one of Community’s funniest and most memorable jokes.
MY EMOTIONS! MY EMOTIONS!
In the season two episode “Competitive Wine Tasting”, Troy and Britta take an acting class with Professor Garrity, who tells them that to be an actor, one must release their inner pain in order to become visible to the audience. The students take turns recounting profound and painful memories, but when it’s Troy’s turn, he discovers he doesn’t have one. So, he does the sensible thing and makes up a story about being molested by his uncle. Troy finishes his story in tears, yelling out:
The line became an instant Classic Troy and the hilarious “my emotions” gif is nothing short of iconic.
DON’T EAT THE CRAB DIP. YAY YAY!
When Pierce announces that he started dating an escort and plans to bring her to Greendale’s STD fair (Catch Knowledge!), Troy tunes out the rest of the conversation and goes in search of a joke. Because Pierce is bringing an escort to an STD fair, there must be a joke there. And, indeed, there was. Once everything was said and done, Troy – who had been mumbling about crabs and scribbling in his notebook – victoriously says:
The way he says it then throws the notebook and leans on the table with a mischievous grin is just priceless.
I DIDN’T GET INCEPTION.
Troy crying will never stop being hilarious. In the season three episode “Virtual System Analysis,” Troy (played by Abed in the Dreamatarioum) has an unforgettable meltdown after Annie injects him with the truth serum. Troy blurts out his deepest, darkest secrets: “I love butt stuff, I hate spiders, I stole a pen from the bank, I cried during About a Boy…the soundtrack. I don’t wash my hands before surgery. I can see why women find Clive Owen attractive to the point where I might just as well be attracted to him…I didn’t get Inception. I didn’t get Inception! There are so many layers!”
This is without a question one of those Community moments that prove Donald Glover is a national treasure. The way Troy completely breaks down and starts crying hysterically when he admits that he didn’t get Inception is precious.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO! MY WHOLE BRAIN IS CRYING!
Whenever Troy freaks out and has a meltdown that moment immediately goes in our Best of Community Collection. Donald Glover has perfect comedic timing, his delivery is flawless, and he can make some pretty hilarious faces and gestures, making his breakdowns immeasurably entertaining. In the season two episode “Accounting for Lawyers”, Troy had a hilarious meltdown after witnessing Annie chloroform the janitor. Hopping over the janitor’s unconscious body, Troy frantically cries out:
The way he nervously hops around the room is hilarious enough, but it’s this line that makes this one of Community’s funniest scenes ever.
