A self indulgent blast from the past with a talented cast. For some, I'm sure the toothless, pleasant reunion is just what they need. And it is for charity, so I guess I can't be too harsh. But for others, like myself, it just further exposes the show's vapid toothlessness, befitting the Obama era it came from. The show 'about' politics that had a liberal and libertarian become the best of friends and had gratuitous cameos from Biden, Clinton, and even Gingrich continue its uncritical legacy in a special 'about' the pandemic but not once mentioning the failure of the system that let it get this bad. It's just a thing, that's happening, and Leslie and Ben are doing their best to fix it but not angrily or in any way that could upset anybody. Like its show, politics in this special are just a bedrock for its characters to go through mild inconveniences on their way to perfect endings.
There's no conflict. There's barely even any jokes- the first minutes being Ben Wyatt bringing back and combining the Claymation and tabletop game gags and the last being a big reprisal of 5000 Candles in the Wind tells you all you need to know. The closest I came to laughing was when Ben Schwartz and Jason Mantzoukas were on screen, and that's not due to their material but the fact that they ooze charisma and commitment, whereas the main cast seem to cruise through. They, like the special itself, are banking on you still being in love with these characters years later, even as the times have evolved past them. If you are, I'm sure this is a pleasant catchup with old friends. If you're not, you'll be embarrassed you ever enjoyed this show to begin with.
@jc230 Why wouldn't you still be in love with these characters? Your expectations for this special seem quite extreme. It is just a pleasant catchup with old friends, made to raise money for charity.
Review by JCVIP 4BlockedParent2020-05-01T22:41:55Z
A self indulgent blast from the past with a talented cast. For some, I'm sure the toothless, pleasant reunion is just what they need. And it is for charity, so I guess I can't be too harsh. But for others, like myself, it just further exposes the show's vapid toothlessness, befitting the Obama era it came from. The show 'about' politics that had a liberal and libertarian become the best of friends and had gratuitous cameos from Biden, Clinton, and even Gingrich continue its uncritical legacy in a special 'about' the pandemic but not once mentioning the failure of the system that let it get this bad. It's just a thing, that's happening, and Leslie and Ben are doing their best to fix it but not angrily or in any way that could upset anybody. Like its show, politics in this special are just a bedrock for its characters to go through mild inconveniences on their way to perfect endings.
There's no conflict. There's barely even any jokes- the first minutes being Ben Wyatt bringing back and combining the Claymation and tabletop game gags and the last being a big reprisal of 5000 Candles in the Wind tells you all you need to know. The closest I came to laughing was when Ben Schwartz and Jason Mantzoukas were on screen, and that's not due to their material but the fact that they ooze charisma and commitment, whereas the main cast seem to cruise through. They, like the special itself, are banking on you still being in love with these characters years later, even as the times have evolved past them. If you are, I'm sure this is a pleasant catchup with old friends. If you're not, you'll be embarrassed you ever enjoyed this show to begin with.