I'm currently doing a rewatch for all 6 seasons.
I was not a big fan of this episode the first time around, but I SORT OF came around to liking it. I might be in the minority, but I think this is one of the better episodes from S4, which is NOT a good sign for the rest of the season.
I thought the Abed/tv sitcom bit was pretty well done, but the rest of the episode seems a bit forced, especially the 'Hunger Deans' bit. I appreciate the effort the new showrunners and writers put in to the season opener to make it feel like Community. I just don't think it quite worked the way they wanted it to.
Something that I noticed - the likability of a season 4 episode varies greatly within the Community community (compared to other seasons) which shows how inconsistent this season was. You could never really tell what the heck they were aiming for in the end. No direction.
I'll admit.. knowing everything that happen behind the scenes (Infamously known as the 'gas leak year' after the network fired Dan Harmon), I'm conflicted on how I truly feel about these episodes. I can't tell how much of my Dan Harmon bias negatively affects the ratings I give S4 episodes, and how much of my weighted grade (cutting the season some slack) positively affects the rating.
That being said, trying to be as non-bias as possible, Season 4 is still my least favorite season BY FAR. It's not as bad as I once thought it was, but you can clearly FEEL something different with these episodes. The cast, however, is still incredible as always, making this season worth the watch. You can really tell how much fun they're still having.
For this episode.. 7.5/10.. rounding up to an 8.