S02E23 · EP 48
season 2 · 2011-05-05

A Fistful of Paintballs

written by Andrew Guest · directed by Joe Russo · 3.49M viewers · image Community Wiki (CC BY-SA)

Episode DNA

19 scenes · 3 threads
absurd 11%tense 11%pursuit 8%betrayal 8%chaotic 5%deal 5%violence 4%awkward 4%humiliation 4%secret exposed 4%

Story threads over runtime

click a block to open the scene
0:005:0010:0015:0020:00
A · Paintball war for prize
B · Study group trust issues
C · Pierce's redemption arc
01

Every scene

19 scenes · our breakdown
1 · Greendale hallways · cold_openPaintball game begins

The study group plays paintball in the school, with Annie taking charge.

00:00–02:00pursuit · violence
2 · Greendale quad · act1Dean announces paintball contest

Dean Pelton announces a paintball tournament with a $100,000 prize.

02:00–02:57deal · escalation
3 · Cafeteria · act1Jeff negotiates with Pierce

Jeff tries to recruit Pierce but ends up in a standoff with the Math Club.

02:57–03:20betrayal · pursuit
4 · Hallway near cafeteria · act1Study group debates Pierce

The study group argues about whether to trust Pierce and join him.

03:20–05:34rivalry · petty_grievance
5 · School hallway · act1Black Rider appears

A mysterious cowboy called the Black Rider enters the game and eliminates players.

05:34–06:15pursuit · violence
6 · Stairwell · act1Troy and Abed arrested

Troy and Abed are arrested by Pierce's deputies and brought to Fort Hawthorne.

06:15–08:52impersonation · deal
7 · Men's room (Fort Hawthorne) · act1Fort Hawthorne revealed

Pierce shows off his fortified base and offers the study group hospitality.

08:52–09:06scheme · humiliation
8 · Fort Hawthorne · act1Pierce proposes alliance

Pierce proposes a plan to find ammo and split the prize with the study group.

09:06–10:34deal · negotiation
9 · School hallway · act1Annie and Britta talk

Annie and Britta discuss their feelings about Pierce and the group.

10:34–10:46confession
10 · School hallway · act1Chang executed by cheerleaders

Chang is executed by the cheerleaders for betraying the Math Club.

10:46–12:07betrayal · humiliation
11 · School hallway · act2Annie confronts Black Rider

Annie encounters the Black Rider and tries to shoot him but fails.

12:07–13:16seduction · pursuit
12 · School hallway · act2Jeff discovers blanks

Jeff learns Pierce loaded his gun with blanks and confronts the dean.

13:16–14:24betrayal · secret_exposed
13 · Storage room · act2Jeff arms the group

Jeff gets real paintball guns from storage and prepares to fight the Black Rider.

14:24–14:58pursuit
15 · Fort Hawthorne · act2Annie confronts Pierce

Annie discovers Pierce sabotaged Jeff's gun and confronts him about his behavior.

15:15–17:04betrayal · secret_exposed
16 · Fort Hawthorne · act2Pierce picks up gun

Pierce picks up his gun and prepares to fight the group.

17:04–17:44rivalry · betrayal
17 · School hallway · act2Jeff confronts Black Rider

Jeff confronts the Black Rider and negotiates a temporary truce.

17:44–18:50negotiation · threat
18 · School hallway · act2Pierce fakes heart attack

Pierce fakes a heart attack to trick the group and shoots Jeff.

18:50–20:15scheme · betrayal
19 · School hallway · act3Black Rider reveals truth

The Black Rider reveals he was paid by the ice cream company to win the game.

20:15–20:19secret_exposed · deal
21 · Greendale campus · act3City College invades

City College students invade Greendale to win the paintball game.

20:43–21:15pursuit · violence
03

Same DNA

nearest episodes by gene profile

Episode facts

Wikipedia · Wikidata
Aired
2011-05-05
Overall
#48
Writers
Andrew Guest
Director
Joe Russo
Viewers
3.49M (US)
Pace
97 words/min · 66 questions

Where to watch

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In this episode

JW
Jeff Winger16 episodes · drives 702 scenes
AE
Annie Edison14 episodes · drives 204 scenes
PH
Pierce Hawthorne23 episodes · drives 173 scenes
AN
Abed Nadir12 episodes · drives 277 scenes
BP
Britta Perry16 episodes · drives 194 scenes
TB
Troy Barnes10 episodes · drives 155 scenes
N
NeilCharley Koontz13 episodes · drives 4 scenes