NBC Universal MediaSadly, Greendale students and Community fans will say bon voyage to another beloved character: Tory Barnes, former football star, the “Truest Repairman,” one half of the greatest television friendship of all time, and the character who has spawned some of the finest one-liners and reaction GIFs that the Internet has ever seen. We’re expecting him to go out with a bang in “Geothermal Escapism,” and we’re sure that there won’t be a dry eye in the study room when he finally sets off on his new adventure – we’re even willing to bet that most of those tears will come from Troy himself.
Like Abed, we wouldn’t be content to let Troy depart without a proper celebration, so we’ve decided to pay tribute to him and Donald Glover with a collection of Troy Barnes’ best episodes, and the moments that helped make him one of our favorite television characters of all time. It’s like our whole brains are crying.
Spanish 101 – Season 1, Episode 2
It seems fitting that the very first Community tag, which featured Troy and Abed rapping in Spanish, signified the official beginning of Troy and Abed’s friendship. Forget Jeff and Annie or Troy and Britta or even Shirley and Andre; the real love story of the show is Troy and Abed, whose super-close friendship has been the most stable and heartwarming element of the study group dynamic. This was the moment that spawned the blanket forts, the fake morning show, and a pact to make any death look like a suicide inspired by the cancelation of Firefly in order to get that show back on the air, and is still one of the most iconic moments in the entire run of Community.
Enviornmental Science – Season 1, Episode 10
Possibly one of the best musical moments that Community has ever had featured Troy and Abed rescuing their lab rat, Fievel, after he has escaped from the classroom by dueting to “Somewhere Out There.” In addition to being both funny and touching, the moment represented the first of many times throught his time at Greendale that Troy sacrificed himself or something he wanted in order to help out his friends. That’s the essence of who Troy is. He might be terrified of rats, but he will sing his little heart out if it means saving his and Abed’s project.
Pascal’s Triangle Revisited – Season 1, episode 25
Glover had the ability to deliver throwaway lines in such a manner that they became the funniest parts of any given episode, and this talent is exemplified in two instances in the first season finale, resulting in two of Troy’s most well-loved lines. The first comes when Shirley reveals that her Finnish friend, Gary, is transferring, and Troy declares that he hopes “he transfers to hell.” The second features Troy’s predilection for crying and misunderstandings, when he tearfully explains to Abed that Happy Days had an episode where a character “literally jumped over a shark. And it was the best one!” while eating a giant cookie.
Accounting For Lawyers – Season 2, Episode 2
Another famous troy and Abed tag featured Abed convincing Troy that he had actually managed to cross over into the cartoon realm. The fact that Troy so willingly believed that it was possible to do such a thing, and was willing to try it himself shows how much he wants to believe in goodness, happiness, and magic. This desire to believe shows up again in “Cooperative Calligraphy,” when he suggests that a ghost stole the pen in order to keep everyone from fighting.
Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking – Season 2, Episode 16
If you only watch one Troy episode in your life, make it this one. Possibly Glover’s greatest work on the show came when Pierce faked being on his death bed and bequeathed gifts onto the study group, and gave Troy a visit from LeVar Burton, prompting what was arguably the greatest freak out in sitcom history. Just watch Troy sob while singing the Reading Rainbow theme, and you’ll understand.
Remedial Chaos Theory – Season 3, Epsiode 3
Although things go terribly wrong every time one of the study group gets up to leave, the Darkest Timeline only occurs when Troy goes to get the pizza, proving that in some weird way, Troy, with all of his freak outs, immaturity, terrible jokes, and willingness to do whatever he needs to for his friends is the glue that truly holds the study group together. Without Troy, who has close bonds with every single one of the other study group members, the group’s balance will be thrown off, and their world will be plunged into chaos. So… that bodes well for the rest of the season.
Introduction to Finality – Season 3, Episode 22
After Troy proves himself to be the Truest Repairman, and gets Murray to confess to murdering Vice Dean Laybourne, he makes the choice to fix Murray’s air conditioner and save him from overheating the Sun Chamber. He didn’t have to, but he knew that it was more important to do what was right and save Murray, even though it would have been easier to let him die of heat stroke. Again, Troy always steps up when other people are in need, and by handling the air conditioning repair school murder is the right, logical way, it was easy to see how he had grown and matured over the years.
Here’s to you, Troy. We never cry, but… this time, we will.
