[7.2/10] Here we are, at another late-season Parks episode with a mixed bag of a main story, but a pair of decent B-stories. The A-story, which featured Leslie and Ben getting embroiled in controversy involving a pie-making contest for Congressional candidates wives, had its moments. I like that it captured the "damned if you're do, damned if you don't" position that Ben and Leslie were in; Jennifer Barksdale is always a welcome source of comedy on the show, and the withering look Leslie gives Ben after his ill-timed "Daddy wants pie" comment was just great. (It had the rhythms of a classic Simpsons swerve.) But as usual, the opposing political forces in Pawnee were pretty cartoonish, which took away some of the strength of the point, and Leslie and Ben's end shtick at the podium was really direct and preachy and blunt in a way the show is usually able to avoid. A for effort, but the execution was off.
That said, I enjoyed the Ron-April storyline, as I so often do, and it put a nice button on another one of those relationships that unexpectedly proved to be a foundation of the show. April trying to find Ron's old house key before she moves, and the whole thing turning into the exact sort of puzzles that Ron likes made for a great comic premise. April's cryptic notes, Ron's giddiness in following the clues, Andy's usual dopeyness, made for some very funny material. (I got a big kick out of April and Andy ragging one another for their mutual crushes.)
But the episode also takes time to add an emotional beat for Ron and April. It's clear that even reserved April is a little hurt when Ron just says "good talk" in response to the news that she's moving away. But the scavenger hunt brings them a reason to spend some time together, and these two unemotional people's comments of affection for one another at that tree speaks volumes about their connection.
Last but not least, I absolutely loved the Donna-Jerry storyline. It's nice that the two tertiary castmembers got some time to shine on their own here. Jerry losing all his stuff in a storm drain and revealing the squareness of his home life was fun, and Donna rescuing it all for him and getting oranges to boot was quite sweet. It's a testament to the positive perspective on this show that it's a simple but funny storyline that works on the goodwill accumulated by both characters.
Overall, an episode bolstered by the B-stories but held back by an uneven main story.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-06-09T22:04:50Z
[7.2/10] Here we are, at another late-season Parks episode with a mixed bag of a main story, but a pair of decent B-stories. The A-story, which featured Leslie and Ben getting embroiled in controversy involving a pie-making contest for Congressional candidates wives, had its moments. I like that it captured the "damned if you're do, damned if you don't" position that Ben and Leslie were in; Jennifer Barksdale is always a welcome source of comedy on the show, and the withering look Leslie gives Ben after his ill-timed "Daddy wants pie" comment was just great. (It had the rhythms of a classic Simpsons swerve.) But as usual, the opposing political forces in Pawnee were pretty cartoonish, which took away some of the strength of the point, and Leslie and Ben's end shtick at the podium was really direct and preachy and blunt in a way the show is usually able to avoid. A for effort, but the execution was off.
That said, I enjoyed the Ron-April storyline, as I so often do, and it put a nice button on another one of those relationships that unexpectedly proved to be a foundation of the show. April trying to find Ron's old house key before she moves, and the whole thing turning into the exact sort of puzzles that Ron likes made for a great comic premise. April's cryptic notes, Ron's giddiness in following the clues, Andy's usual dopeyness, made for some very funny material. (I got a big kick out of April and Andy ragging one another for their mutual crushes.)
But the episode also takes time to add an emotional beat for Ron and April. It's clear that even reserved April is a little hurt when Ron just says "good talk" in response to the news that she's moving away. But the scavenger hunt brings them a reason to spend some time together, and these two unemotional people's comments of affection for one another at that tree speaks volumes about their connection.
Last but not least, I absolutely loved the Donna-Jerry storyline. It's nice that the two tertiary castmembers got some time to shine on their own here. Jerry losing all his stuff in a storm drain and revealing the squareness of his home life was fun, and Donna rescuing it all for him and getting oranges to boot was quite sweet. It's a testament to the positive perspective on this show that it's a simple but funny storyline that works on the goodwill accumulated by both characters.
Overall, an episode bolstered by the B-stories but held back by an uneven main story.