Community is known for cultivating an accepting environment with its quirky and adventurous main cast. However, no series ever got anywhere without conflict; and while Greendale Community College already provides enough obstacles within its own right, it doesn't compare to the inherent fight-or-flight responses generating from Señor Ben Chang.
In so many ways, Chang has been Community's best villain whose erratic and vengeful behavior haunted the study group for many years. After losing his teaching job, Chang became even more of an arch-enemy as the years went on, going as far as to take over the school with an iron fist. Hands down being the hardest to forgive or trust out of the series, Chang has provided some of the series' most intense moments and episodes.
10 Modern Warfare (S1 Ep23)
"Modern Warfare" is a Community episode that never got old and was the first of the paintball episodes. At that time, the problems and absurdity were all due to a misguided decision from Dean Pelton. The episode, while heart-pounding, didn't have the same over-arching villain that the next two incarnations would. Ben Chang, however, in his best John Woo-esque outfit, came into the game to help thin out the numbers as well as give even more spice to an already action-packed episode.
Being as competitive as he is, Ben Chang naturally has his own paintball set and bursts into the game as the Dean's final boss. He battles Jeff and Britta in a grand battle and goes out with a massive, paint explosion. Some people just really like paintball.
9 Environmental Science (S1 Ep10)
When Chang was "Señor Chang," the study group actively feared him and did their best to either be on his good side or never get on his radar in the first place. That was difficult to do in "Environmental Science" when Chang starts taking out his recent marital troubles on the class.
Given that Jeff was the best smooth-talker of the class, the study group has him talk with Chang, only to inadvertently become Chang's best friend and get special treatment for himself. Here, Chang gives a taste of his sensitive side and history that, while still plenty unpredictable, helped make Chang a more grounded character.
8 Analysis Of Cork-Based Networking (S5 Ep6)
While some episodes try to even out Chang, others just bring him back to his more wild and absurd roots. In season 5, Chang has already become nicer and is welcomed into the group. He's trusted to help arrange another one of the Dean's dances while Jeff and Annie explore the world of academic bureaucracy.
Chang manages to cry his way into getting the group to accept his obscure idea for the dance: "Bear down for midterms." Without much else to go on, they form a variety of bear-themed decorations, not realizing that Chang only thought of this due to a recent bear attack on the news. With his first project as an official part of the group going awry, Chang does his best to cover the mistake.
7 Advanced Documentary Filmmaking (S4 Ep6)
In season 4's iteration of Community's mockumentary series (one of the series' most famous trope subversions), the Dean has the group film a documentary on Chang and his recent bout with "Changnesia" as a means of getting grant money for the school. After the events of season 3, Jeff is understandably skeptical on if Changnesia is even real, especially given that it's literally named after Chang.
This puts him at constant odds with the newly named "Kevin," whose ignorance and newfound kindness take all of Jeff's attempts at sabotage in stride. "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking" showed Chang outside of his normal waters and helped fans believe that the series was really attempting a redemption arc for him. If only he actually was...
6 Queer Studies & Advanced Waxing (S6 E4)
Paralleling Ken Jeong's own acting journey, Ben Chang starts taking up acting positions and film jobs during season 6. His first big break comes in one of season 6's best episodes, "Queer Studies & Advanced Waxing," where he auditions for the lead role in the play adaptation of Karate Kid. However, instead of playing Daniel LaRusso, he lands the part of Mr. Miyagi.
Believing that he's been type-casted, he becomes distraught, especially with the director's Kubrickian pushing of him. However, in an interesting twist, the director was just seeing what the fans at home already saw in Chang: a man looking for redemption. He didn't typecast Chang but gave him the deepest and most demanding role in the play. By extension, the episode helped fans see more potential for Ken Jeong.
5 Competitive Ecology (S3 Ep3)
Before Chang started planning to take over the school in season 3, Dean Pelton misguidedly gave him his first bit of tyrannical power when he hired him as a security guard. In "Competitive Ecology," Chang started taking his job a little too seriously when he begins believing there's a mystery afoot on Greendale.
He starts picking up random items around the school as clues and goes into a neo-noir-like, inner monologue. It's one of the series' most hilarious episodes that warns of the dangers to come as Chang takes a little more power than he should be trusted with.
4 Celebrity Pharmacology (S2 Ep13)
Season 2 had Chang not only try to fit in among the study group but also get close to Shirley after he discovers that she might be carrying his baby. "Celebrity Pharmacology" shows some of Chang's earliest attempts at trying to be involved with Shirley's pregnancy, and Shirley's outright refusal to let him get anywhere near the baby.
In an effort to prove how good he can be with kids, Chang saves Annie's anti-drug play after Pierce hijacks it for himself. Countering Pierce's version, Chang scares the kids in the auditorium when he shows them how unstable and brutal drugs can be.
3 Custody Law & Eastern European Diplomacy (S2 Ep18)
"Custody Law & Eastern European Diplomacy" showed Chang's most aggressive attempt at getting close to Shirley, and Shirley's ultimate attempt to get rid of him. Here, Shirley has Jeff try to get Chang to sign a document that would waiver all of his custody rights. However, when Chang offers to become more responsible and move out of Jeff's apartment to prove himself to Shirley, Jeff encourages him to show Shirley that he can be more responsible.
What ensues was Chang's hilarious impersonation of what a responsible person looks like, complete with a sweater, glasses, pipe, and random talks about the stalk market. When just using a costume fails, Chang takes matters into his own hands and decides to babysit Shirley's kids (or who is he believes are Shirley's kids).
2 Applied Anthropology And Culinary Arts (S2 Ep22)
"Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts" sees the climax of Shirley's pregnancy arc. In the midst of the group's anthropology mid-term, she goes into labor, forcing everyone into a panic. While everyone scrambles to find out what to do, Chang tries to share stories of his family's tumultuous yet inspiring history with childbirth.
As disgusting as his stories can be, Shirley is more receptive to them than anyone else's words and asks Chang to stay by her side. While the baby ultimately proved to be Andre's, Shirley was so thankful for all of Chang's efforts that she named her newborn after him.
1 First Chang Dynasty (S3 Ep21)
"First Chang Dynasty" showed Chang at his very best, which is to say that it showed him at his worst and most villainous. In the ultimate culmination of his plan to take over the school, Chang has kidnapped and replaced the Dean with a doppelganger, kicked the study group out of Greendale, and used an army of child security guards to rule over the school.
Chang even dresses up like Napoleon Bonaparte, creates his own throne room, and puts up propaganda posters of himself all over Greendale. "First Chang Dynasty" showed the group's attempts to find the Dean and thwart Chang. However, up against Chang at his most supervillain form, the mission wasn't easy.
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