[7.4/10] This review contains vague spoilers for the end of the series. Do not read it if, like me, you’re a spoilerphobe about that sort of thing!
Another one built on the strength of the A-story. It’s interesting, in retrospect, how clearly Parks & Rec sets up the notion that there are bigger things in Leslie’s future. I don’t think that’s any big surprise, but it’s interesting how strongly the show underline’s Ron’s idea that this a “weigh station” for Leslie.
The way the show dramatizes that is superb. Leslie coming back to the Parks Dept. and feeling down about how they don’t seem to need her anymore is a good tack to take for her return. Tom is a good fulcrum for that, someone who’s totally blown stuff off at his job before who Leslie could, very reasonably, not trust with this lemonade stand. Leslie initially trying to micromanage him, then work against him, only to see that Tom is prepared and finding his own path, is a really tidy little way to show both growth for Tom, a learning experience for Leslie, and drive home the part that thanks to Leslie’s efforts, the Parks dept. is becoming self-sufficient without her.
The scene with her and Ron, like many scenes with her and Ron, is both touching and funny, with Ron complimenting her on getting April and Tom to be reliable government employees, and talking up her great potential. And the comedic coda, where Ron slices up his “government employee of the month” award, burns it, and buries it in Illinois is brilliant.
The B-story, with Ben trying to be the cool boss but also getting over his own uptightness after being pranked by the rest of the office is solid too. It’s not a laugh riot or anything, but it has some great comedic performances from Adam Scott, particularly in his always dependably funny awkwardness around cops, and Andy of all people having a heart-to-heart with him about it (in typically dopey Andy terms) draws back to their relationship nicely. It ends a little abruptly, but it works.
The only problem, once again, is the Ann and Chris C-story. Again, their vacillating over whether to get married feels like lazy sitcom plotting. There may have been weird things with their shooting schedule, but they’ve rarely been a compelling duo, and little about their indecision over buying a ring or getting married or god knows what was funny or compelling.
Otherwise, this was a quite good episode that is particularly commendable in how it develops Tom and Leslie, with a great Ron chaser.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-05-25T02:08:30Z
[7.4/10] This review contains vague spoilers for the end of the series. Do not read it if, like me, you’re a spoilerphobe about that sort of thing!
Another one built on the strength of the A-story. It’s interesting, in retrospect, how clearly Parks & Rec sets up the notion that there are bigger things in Leslie’s future. I don’t think that’s any big surprise, but it’s interesting how strongly the show underline’s Ron’s idea that this a “weigh station” for Leslie.
The way the show dramatizes that is superb. Leslie coming back to the Parks Dept. and feeling down about how they don’t seem to need her anymore is a good tack to take for her return. Tom is a good fulcrum for that, someone who’s totally blown stuff off at his job before who Leslie could, very reasonably, not trust with this lemonade stand. Leslie initially trying to micromanage him, then work against him, only to see that Tom is prepared and finding his own path, is a really tidy little way to show both growth for Tom, a learning experience for Leslie, and drive home the part that thanks to Leslie’s efforts, the Parks dept. is becoming self-sufficient without her.
The scene with her and Ron, like many scenes with her and Ron, is both touching and funny, with Ron complimenting her on getting April and Tom to be reliable government employees, and talking up her great potential. And the comedic coda, where Ron slices up his “government employee of the month” award, burns it, and buries it in Illinois is brilliant.
The B-story, with Ben trying to be the cool boss but also getting over his own uptightness after being pranked by the rest of the office is solid too. It’s not a laugh riot or anything, but it has some great comedic performances from Adam Scott, particularly in his always dependably funny awkwardness around cops, and Andy of all people having a heart-to-heart with him about it (in typically dopey Andy terms) draws back to their relationship nicely. It ends a little abruptly, but it works.
The only problem, once again, is the Ann and Chris C-story. Again, their vacillating over whether to get married feels like lazy sitcom plotting. There may have been weird things with their shooting schedule, but they’ve rarely been a compelling duo, and little about their indecision over buying a ring or getting married or god knows what was funny or compelling.
Otherwise, this was a quite good episode that is particularly commendable in how it develops Tom and Leslie, with a great Ron chaser.