to organize a buyer for the books in exchange for a cut of the profits. Chang then walks in on the scheme. The group coerces him to confess that he stole the books while being filmed by Britta. Realizing that things have gone too far, Jeff wants out of the plan. Shirley doesn't allow this, and has Jeff tied up along with Chang. Britta's buyer is ready to meet with Britta, but Jeff manages to convince Shirley and Hickey that Britta could double-cross them. Shirley decides to complete the sale herself, and ties up Britta and Hickey. When Shirley meets with Britta's contact (Paul Williams), he reveals that the textbooks have no page numbers, and the whole bundle is only worth $20 as recycled paper. Shirley, realizing her mistake, frees Hickey, Britta, Chang, and Jeff. The group comes together for another Save Greendale committee meeting the next day, where Abed admits to Annie that he has been missing Troy. Abed and Annie then agree to find a roommate on Craigslist. During the credits in 1993, it is shown that Devon (Vince Gilligan), the host of the "Pile of Bullets" videogame, worked for Apple, before being convinced by his wife (Gina Gershon) to quit the "sinking ship" of Apple, since, according to her, VCR videogames were where the future was heading. (In fact, Apple's market valuation did plunge in 1993, not reaching similar levels until the tech boom five years later, and not fully recovering until more than a decade later.) Reception Ratings Upon airing, the episode was watched by 2.77 million American viewers, and received an 18-49 rating/share of 1.0/4. The show placed fourth in its time-slot, behind The Big Bang Theory, Hell's Kitchen, and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland; and thirteenth for the night. Critical reception "VCR Maintenance And Educational Publishing" was met with positive reviews from critics, with many praising Yvette Nicole Brown's performance. Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+, writing: "'VCR Maintenance And Educational Publishing' probably isn’t an episode that anyone is going to think about fondly in years to come, when recalling their five or 10 favorite Community episodes, but it has moments—both humorous and emotional—where the show attains everything it’s capable of." References External links "VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing" at NBC.com 2014 American television episodes Community (season 5) episodes