7x01 2017

[8.6/10] A great kickoff to the show’s final season. It’s funny watching this from the present vantage point of the far off distant year of 2017, but the show does a nice job at making its predictions modest and silly (like homocidal AIs and Kevin James as Jason Bourne). Most impressively, “2017” sets up the new “three years later” environment for the show quite well.

That starts with the estrangement between Leslie and Ron. Even knowing it was coming, it’s jarring to see the disconnect between these once good friends. Leslie’s barely restrained rage at Ron, Ron’s hangdog but defiant frustration with her, and cryptic hints of an incident only known as “Morning Star” do good work at creating a mystery with personal stakes for the show to explore. The struggle landing in the cake is a little too broad for my tastes, but I appreciate the way the show forces our favorites to pick sides here, portending some interesting stuff.

The weakest story for me was the Ben-Tom story about Tom giving the intro to Ben’s “Pawnee Man of the Year” award. It’s nice to know that Tom’s restaurant business has worked out for him and he’s finally become a mogul, but his self-aggrandizing shtick has never really clicked with me, so seeing him pull the same kind of stunt with Ben that he did with Leslie in the guise of promoting Entertainment 720 was annoying for me. And while I appreciate the show trying to save it by claiming Tom was too emotional to deliver his genuine, heartfelt speech, which he later gives to Ben, it felt like too little too late, without enough laughs to make up for it.

That said, I really enjoyed the C-story with April and Andy freaking out that they’ve gotten too boring and adult-like. The pair of them having become responsible, job-having adults worrying about renters’ insurance and xanax is an amusing turn, and having them try to recapture their spontaneous spirit and deciding to buy an old haunted house (from frickin’ Herzog!) is a fun setup.

I also like the larger story arc they’re going for here, with the National Parks Service competing with Grizzl for a swath of Newport-owned land. It fits the ethos of the show, and gives Leslie an opportunity to make one more pitch for the public good and public service, with her loyal friends having to go to “war” against one another with Leslie on one side and Ron on the other.

Overall, a superb way to start the new season.