Digital Estate Planning

"Digital Estate Planning"

"Digital Estate Planning" is the twentieth episode of the third season of the U.S. television series Community. It originally aired on October 13, 2011 on NBC. The episode featured retro video game styled graphics and a synthesizer driven soundtrack reminiscent of consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis, with references to multiple classic games on those and later consoles.

The episode was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Adam Davidson.

Plot

Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) invites the study group (being his closest friends), as well as actor LeVar Burton as a "maybe", to a warehouse when Pierce himself is invited with the sole instructions to bring along his seven closest friends. Those in the study group are the only to show up.

Upon arrival, the study group is greeted by Pierce's deceased father Cornelius Hawthorne (voiced by Larry Cedar)'s assistant of thirty years and estate executor, Gilbert Lawson, who informs them of his (former) position and of Cornelius's last will and testament, that Pierce and seven of his closest friends play a video game that was developed by a team of Chinese programmers hired by Cornelius over the course of thirty years as a response to a request by Pierce made in 1979 to invest in video games.

Upon entrance to the game, with stylized graphics reminiscent of the fourth generation in video games, they are informed by the floating head of Cornelius of the above and as an act of punishment for questioning the economic viability of moist towelettes, Pierce and his friends are to compete in the game for the prize of Pierce's inheritance.

The study group finds that Gilbert has taken on the role of the seventh close friend and, with his vast knowledge of the game's makeup, intends to out compete the study group for the inheritance, revealing later that he is Cornelius's bastard son and more rightful heir to the fortune. He and the study group compete for the fortune, with the study group deciding that Gilbert has more right.

The side plot is of Abed (Danny Pudi) falling for and subsequently downloading to a flash drive one of the in-game characters, a program dubbed Hilda.

The post credit scene is of Abed and Troy (Donald Glover) entering the study room to find a baby and deciding how they would care for it, only for the mother to enter and recover the child. The duo resumes talking about Abed's theory about "Inspector Spacetime".

Production

Cultural References

The episode features references to multiple classic games such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Sonic the Hedgehog, and the infamous Biggoron's Sword side quest in Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.