The review contains MAJOR SPOILERS for "Community," an episode of the NBC anthology series, "Fear Itself." A young married couple is eager to buy a house outside the city and start a family. One night, while having dinner with another couple, the man tells them about a nice house in just such a neighborhood. He said he didn't care for the snobby attitude of the neighbors, but Bobby (Brandon Routh) and Tracy (Shiri Appleby) decide to check it out anyway. Tracy falls in love with the house and the neighborhood, so they move in. Besides their slightly kooky neighbors Phil (John Billingsley) and Debra (Bonita Friedericy), everything seems just a little too perfect to be true. Eventually, the truth comes out about the Big Brother aspects of the town: surveillance cameras in every home, Dark Ages punishments for adulterers and demands to reproduce on a very tight schedule. Bobby wants out. Yesterday. But doing so isn't easy. Control is tight and unforgiving and the roots of the community reach far beyond the gates into every aspect of life. Still, Bobby develops a plan for escape, and with the help of his friends makes a break for it. Unfortunately, things don't go smoothly when his friend shows up with Tracy and he is dragged back to the community, where they fix it so he can never run again. Suddenly, Phil's missing leg is making much more sense. In the end, a pregnant Tracy and her son greet new neighbors with a smile and a lie as Bobby looks on helplessly from the second story window of their home. His legs have been removed, confining him to a wheelchair so he can never try to leave again. What Worked The concept for the episode is interesting and timely, considering the current state of the American housing market. The American Dream seems to be on many people's minds these days. Maybe the lowering housing prices explain how the couple was able to move into such a large home from such a modest apartment. What Didn't Work Just like every other episode of "Fear Itself," there just seems to be a bland mist of mediocrity that thwarts every attempt at creativity. This is the requisite "Scary Suburb" episode that every genre show gets around to if it lasts long enough. "Fear Itself" decided to tackle it early on. When done well, it can be fun. For example, "The X-Files" and the new "Twilight Zone" made their respective episodes fresh and exciting. "Community," however, seemed to move along at a snail's pace, and while I'm grateful not to have been subjected to any stomach-churning flesh eating this episode, some tension would have reminded me that I was watching a scary show. I kept hoping that an exciting twist would make an appearance and save the episode from its trademark blandness, but no such luck. Not to mention, the holes in the script. How did Tracy finally get pregnant? Did she have an affair? When did she make the transition from frightened captive to willing participant, and what was the catalyst for this change? How did she think that crippling her husband was for his own good? Was his friend in on it from the start, or did he decide to throw in with the angry mob because they had his wife? And just who would be crazy enough to go along with this madness? And the biggest question of all †just how does anyone get pregnant with cameras in the bedroom? There's a reason captive pandas don't breed. The acting was also sadly lackluster, although it's hard to determine if it is due to poor acting or the fact that the actors had very little to work with. Credit Where Credit is Due "Community" was written by Kelly Kennemer and directed by Mary Harron. "Fear Itself" airs Thursday nights at 10pm on NBC. Express yourself and be part of the news! Leave a comment below or join our rabid discussions on the SyBoards.