Annie Edison/Jeff Winger

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Pairing
Pairing: Annie Edison/Jeff Winger
Alternative name(s):
Gender category: het
Fandom: Community (TV series)
Canonical?: Semi-canon
Prevalence: common
Archives:
Other: Milady_Milord on LJ
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Annie/Jeff is a very popular semi-canonical het ship in the Community fandom.

In Canon

Jeff and Annie have an ongoing flirtation throughout all three seasons of Community, despite Jeff's discomfort with their substantial age difference. Their relationship has become increasingly central to the storyline in season 3, and later in season 4.

Although it is likely that Annie was not intended to be a romantic prospect for Jeff when the series was initially created, the obvious chemistry between the two led to several Jeff/Annie storylines fairly early in the series. In an early first-season episode,[1] Jeff begins to take notice of Annie and the two eventually kiss, which results in their being rather awkward around each other (and is the origin of their signature head-pat move). Later on, it is implied that Jeff is jealous when Annie begins dating Britta's small-nippled ex-boyfriend, Vaughn.[2] In the first-season finale, they kiss again, and by the season two premier it is clear that Annie has a crush on Jeff.

The burgeoning feelings between the two are sub-plots to multiple second-season episodes, and by the third season it is fairly clear the show is moving in that direction. They even sing about it.[3] Jeff finally admits that he has feelings for her, but states that they aren't ready for it to become anything yet.[4] During a party to celebrate Abed and Troy moving in together, Jeff creates several different timelines when he rolls a dice in order to get out of getting the pizza. Most of the timelines show them kissing or getting intimate.;[5] one of them including The Darkest Timeline which reappears prominently in Season 4 finale. Annie is the one that could persuade Jeff to join the Glee club by putting on a private performance for him.[6] After getting advice from Annie for his speech about Shirley's upcoming nuptials,[7] Jeff looks into his heart and finds several images of Annie which can hint toward the depth of his feelings for Annie.

Season four shows us that they are still just friends, although you can see them build it more - from trying to do a couple costume[8] to pretending to be married during the Inspecticon,[9] where Annie goes along with the hotel's notion she was Mrs. Winger. Which causes her to through a drink in his face when the staff shows him flirting with some lady in the bar. Instead of completely freaking out about it when he finds out about what she did, he apologizes and states that she got one thing wrong about her fantasy - if they were married, he wouldn't be flirting with any other woman. For the group's Christmas party,[10] Annie comes early and redecorates Jeff's apartment, and although he is at first questioning it, he doesn't stop her and even admits to thinking some of her ideas are a good idea. Abed also questions them if Annie had moved in with him after seeing the change. The Darkest Timeline appears again, showing Evil Jeff getting Evil Annie out of the mental asylum and kissing. Jeff imagines the Evil Jeff & Evil Annie coming over to the prime timeline[11] where they try to corrupt him. Evil Annie and Evil Jeff are said to have a sexual relationship.

Season five shows the two reunited, following both having graduated from Greendale, as part of the Save Greendale Community. Of particular note is that during the return of the Ass Crack Bandit it's stated that the two often pair up during escapades as an excuse to spend time together and that others around Greendale have been paying attention[12]. This is again seen when the two pair off during the school-wide game of hot lava[13]. When Jeff overdoses on anti-aging pills from Koreatown and scotch whiskey and dreams that he and his friends are characters in GI Joe, one of the things that brought him back to reality was Annie tearfully pleading for him not to die[14]. In the first part of the two-part season finale, Jeff and Britta get engaged when the survival of Greendale is threatened by a sale to Subway, which greatly upsets Annie[15]. Finally, in the second part of the finale, while attempting to open the door to the secret underground computer laboratory using a computer powered by human passion, Jeff, after having looked at Dean Pelton, Britta, and Abed in turn, is finally able to power the computer when he looks at Annie and remembers their ritual of referring to each other as m'lord and m'lady, respectively. This leads to Greendale being saved and Jeff and Britta canceling their engagement[16].

Season six is fairly light on romantic subtext between the two, though there are a few smaller moments, such as Jeff offering to take Annie to a bar, just the two of them, to comfort her following Annie Kim having replaced her in a stage production of The Karate Kid[17]. The series finale shows Jeff finally admitting his feelings towards Annie after learning that she will be taking a summer internship with the FBI. After the two discuss their fears, Jeff worried about being stuck at Greendale and being older, Annie worried about the uncertainty of her future and the lack of stability inherent in youth, Jeff acknowledges that physically and intellectually, he's let Annie go, but emotionally he's still in love with her. The two share a goodbye kiss. Jeff then drives Annie and Abed to the airport, kissing Annie goodbye before seeing the two off[18].

In Fandom

One of the major themes surrounding this couple in canon is that Jeff is reluctant to act on his attraction to Annie because of her young age. Many fanworks are centered on Jeff overcoming this reservation (or Annie getting older, making it moot). Others play up the age difference for kink purposes. Other common themes are them living together (before or after getting together) or Annie playing tutor to Jeff.

The primary Jeff/Annie community on LJ is Milady_Milord,[19] which was founded less than two months after the pilot aired in 2009. As of January 3, 2011, the community has 1321 members.[20] Jeff/Annie stories make up about 20% of the Community fic archived at the AO3, and over 30% of the FanFiction.net archive.

Unlike a lot of television shows and their shippers/pairings, the Annie/Jeff ship got a lot of attention due to Dan Harmon (creator of Community), who enjoyed the pairing's chemistry and him paying homage to a shipper's fanvid[21] in Season 2, where Dan Harmon even puts up money to use the exact song.

In 2011, Annie/Jeff won the E! TV's Top Couples against House/Cuddy.

Alison Brie, the actress that plays Annie Edison has stated that she's a fan of the pairing:

“I love the Jeff-and-Annie thing when it doesn’t infringe on Annie being a grown-up person. … I’ll always ship Jeff and Annie! I’m a fan of it.”[22]

Phases and bywords

  • "Platonic shoulder holding"

Notable Fanworks

Fanfiction

Arts

Vids

Recs

Resources

References

  1. ^ Community Season 1, Episode 9 Debate 109
  2. ^ Community Season 1, Episode 15 Romantic Expressionism
  3. ^ In the season three opening fantasy musical number, Jeff and Annie sing the line "we're gonna sleep together." Of course, the whole thing takes place in Jeff's imagination.
  4. ^ Community Season 3, Episode 3 Geography of Global Conflict
  5. ^ Community Season 3, Episode Remedial Chaos Theory
  6. ^ "Community Season 3, Episode 10 Regional Holiday Music".
  7. ^ Community Season 3, Episode 11 Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts
  8. ^ Community Season 4, Episode 2 Paranormal Parentage Jeff is a wrestler and Annie is supposed to be a ring girl, but instead dresses up as the girl from The Ring.
  9. ^ Community Season 4, Episode 3 Conventions of Space and Time
  10. ^ Community Season 4, Episode 10 Intro to Knots
  11. ^ Community Season 4, Episode 13 Advanced Introduction to Finality
  12. ^ Community Season 5, Episode 3 Basic Intergluteal Nuministics
  13. ^ Community Season 5, Episode 5 Geothermal Escapism
  14. ^ Community Season 5, Episode 11 G.I. Jeff
  15. ^ Community Season 5, Episode 12 Basic Story
  16. ^ Community Season 5, Episode 13 Basic Sandwich
  17. ^ Community Season 6, Episode 4 Queer Studies & Advanced Waxing
  18. ^ Community Season 6, Episode 13 Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television
  19. ^ named for a recurring greeting between the two characters
  20. ^ compared to the less than 350 members of the next-largest Community shipping com
  21. ^ "Gravity @ Community wikia". Archived from the original on 2018-04-04.
  22. ^ Interview with Alison Brie By Maria Mercedes Lara for POPSUGAR. Published April 28, 2014. (Accessed 28 April 2014)