Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m continuing my coverage of Parks And Recreation (2009-2015, NBC), which is currently available on DVD/Blu-Ray and streaming.
Parks And Recreation stars AMY POEHLER as Leslie Knope, RASHIDA JONES as Ann Perkins, AZIZ ANSARI as Tom Haverford, NICK OFFERMAN as Ron Swanson, AUBREY PLAZA as April Ludgate, and CHRIS PRATT as Andy Dwyer, plus ADAM SCOTT as Ben, and ROB LOWE as Chris. With JIM O’HEIR as Jerry and RETTA as Donna.
Season Six observes Parks And Rec’s first big drop in quality, with the headline being that Ann and Chris both depart midyear. Their exit constitutes a major loss, removing a reliably funny ensemble player in Chris and a tentpole of the situation in Ann, whose bond with Leslie has been a vital personification of the premise. Now, it’s not the same as, say, losing Michael Scott — the central character, around whom an entire situation revolves — but they are key figures who contributed to the show’s quality at its peak; minus them, we’re guaranteed that those days are un-replicable. Naturally, Six’s back nine really suffers for their absence, yet with their departure announced near season’s start, this is a cloud that hangs over the whole year. And since Andy also misses most of early Six while Chris Pratt was becoming a Marvel movie star, this means the season is set up to never sound like classic Parks And Rec. To that point, although the literally town-expanding Pawnee-Eagleton merger is designed to introduce potential new regulars, only Billy Eichner’s Craig sticks; he’s a one-joke peripheral gag who lacks the accrued emotional dimension to fit within this current ensemble. So, Six loses core elements without effectively replacing them — indicating a show that’s indeed winding down. However, that’s only the headline — underneath an obvious hit to the situation is the fact that this is also the year where Leslie gets recalled and voted off city council, which forces her back to the Parks and Rec department. It’s a regression in her career that feels fundamentally sad given what we know of her ambitions, striking a downbeat chord that’s antithetical to the series’ usual tone and setting up a version of her character that’s less cheery as well (and sometimes even overly manic in a delusional way). What’s more, even though it seems like a return to the classic configuration — Leslie at Parks and Rec — what’s inevitably revealed is that the show has simply aged, and its novelty of premise is gone. That is, there aren’t a lot of great, fresh ideas anymore. Just old ones being recycled, or goofy town plots either ignoring or, worse, straining the Leslie characterization. And while the season ends on a narratively tight finale that could have wrapped up the series, a surprise renewal gave Parks And Rec one more 13-episode chance to self-consciously perk up.
01) Episode 92: “London (II)” (Aired: 09/26/13)
Leslie’s London trip is marred by news of what’s going on in Pawnee.
Written by Michael Schur | Directed by Dean Holland
After last season’s premiere memorably went on location to D.C., this year decides to open with a two-parter (originally aired in a single hour-long block) largely set and filmed in London, where Chris Pratt was shooting Guardians Of The Galaxy. Frankly, it made sense within the situation to go to D.C., but justifying a London trip is more inherently contrived, and it all feels more gimmicky… However, I think this is an above-average sample in the context of Season Six, especially Part II, which moves away from being a travelogue and actually has more stakes for the leads, particularly Leslie, who ruins her speech in London because she’s so upset about the bad publicity she’s receiving in Pawnee amidst her pending recall vote. This is a frustrating development for someone who believes she’s just trying to do good, allowing Amy Poehler to play different shades of Leslie Knope — more frazzled, neurotic, and less cheery than usual. We’ll see a lot more of this in Six, sometimes without the kind of direct situation-approved support that she receives here… Meanwhile, I also appreciate this entry’s casting of Henry Winkler as Dr. Saperstein, and I must note that there’s a nice moment between April and Leslie at the end, evidencing just how much Leslie has rubbed off on the once-emotionless April. (Other notable guests include Heidi Klum and Peter Serafinowicz.)
02) Episode 94: “Doppelgängers” (Aired: 10/10/13)
The Eagleton Parks and Rec department merges with Pawnee’s.
Written by Donick Cary | Directed by Jay Karas
In this offering, Leslie not only learns about Ann and Chris’ upcoming move (which the audience knew would also mean their exit from the show) and thus has to start processing another emotional loss, but the series also begins the absorption of Eagleton into Pawnee. We see that play out here within the small microcosm of the Parks and Rec office, as the Pawnee workers meet their Eagleton counterparts — a chance for comparisons that intrinsically play upon what we know of each regular. This leads to some good laughs — Sam Elliott is great as the Other Ron, as is June Diane Raphael as Tynnifer, April’s counterpart who’s nothing like her and yet becomes her bestie… Of course, the only one who’ll stick is Billy Eichner’s Craig — a comically caustic oddball who adds hahas but never develops the strong bonds now seminal to the series and its tone. So, overall, it ends up not acquitting the show well in the long-term, but this half hour itself is enjoyable. (And, incidentally, I also think it’s a rhetorically interesting contrast to The Office‘s merger episode, which was comedically about inflicting the weirdness of Michael Scott onto new people; here, the new people are all weird, just like the rest of the main cast, and that speaks to a difference in design between these two series.)
03) Episode 95: “Gin It Up!” (Aired: 10/17/13)
Leslie tries to help when Donna accidentally tweets from the Parks and Rec’s official Twitter.
Written by Matt Murray | Directed by Jorma Taccone
If you’re looking for silver linings here in Parks And Rec’s down-shifted sixth season, the minimization and eventual departure of several key regulars frees up more time for lesser-explored players — specifically, Donna, who is vital to more stories this year than ever before. And seeing as she’s a reliably funny peripheral presence who’s been around since the beginning, it’s exciting to find her used more prominently in ideas like this, where Leslie steps in to protect Donna after she accidentally tweets inappropriate stuff from the Parks and Rec’s official Twitter account. I like this logline because it jibes with Donna’s personality and shows her well, and also because it’s a dilemma that displays the Leslie character’s nuance — she takes government and its processes seriously due to her belief in its ultimate purpose, but she’s increasingly eager to fight it to help people. In fact, it’s now almost a given that she’ll prioritize her friends’ well-being over government formality, and that’s some added humanity in her character that also plays to her growing bonds with folks like Donna, who, again, counts this as one of her finest.
04) Episode 96: “Filibuster” (Aired: 11/14/13)
Leslie misses Ben’s birthday party to filibuster on behalf of the former Eagletons.
Written by Harris Wittels | Directed by Morgan Sackett
Although Leslie more easily prioritizes people she loves over the government now, she still has a strong moral compass about what’s right versus wrong and how the government should operate to help — which is why, in this episode, she forgoes her plans to attend a party for Ben’s birthday (which is 1990s themed and set in a roller rink, providing an excuse to have her dressed as a roller derby girl) to instead fight Jamm on something she deems important: giving the newly absorbed residents of Eagleton the right to vote in Pawnee’s forthcoming special elections. It’s an elemental display of Leslie — predicated on her belief in serving the public, even when it’s at her own personal expense (her future recall). And as usual, Ben is there in full support, allowing Leslie to be everything she wants, making this a fairly straightforward look at the series and its central character. Also, I love the subplot where Ron struggles in a shooting video game at the skating rink — a fun conflict based on his depiction. (Note: this is one of three outings that guest The Good Place’s Kristen Bell as Eagleton’s equivalent of Leslie Knope.)
05) Episode 99: “The Cones Of Dunshire” (Aired: 11/21/13)
Leslie negotiates with Jamm to get the Pawnee Commons park started.
Written by Dave King | Directed by Julie Anne Robinson
As Ann and Chris’ departure looms, the series tries to deliver some premise-related narrative closure, specifically regarding the initial project that sparked Leslie and Ann’s friendship, where Ann represented the kind of Everywoman citizen of Pawnee that Leslie was committed to helping via her power and resources in local government — you know, Parks And Rec’s situation. The most natural way to remind of that now is to reintroduce some forward movement on Pawnee Commons (formerly Lot 48, formerly the pit), which currently involves surmounting some opposition from Leslie’s perennial rival on council, Jamm. He’s never been much of a nuanced character — serving only as a device in stories that demand conflict in a personalized form — but he does get a bit of comedic exploration in this installment. I also appreciate this entry’s Leslie/Chris pairing — they work so well together, reminding us that we’ll not only be missing Ann from the situation, we’ll also be missing Chris as a reliable gooser of laughs.
06) Episode 102: “Farmers Market” (Aired: 01/23/14)
Ben and Leslie agree to only talk about work at work.
Written by Joe Mande | Directed by Adam Scott
This is the penultimate excursion for Ann and Chris, whose exits loom and yet nevertheless don’t mire these proceedings in sadness, for instead, there’s a humorous take on Ann related to her late-stage pregnancy, and how that affects her behavior, annoying the people around her. It’s circumstantial hahas, yes, but as someone whom the series has struggled to develop comedically, Ann does have one of her better showings with this material. I also enjoy the interplay between Leslie and Ben, both of whom are now working in the same building and struggling to balance their personal and professional worlds — primarily because Leslie always wants to discuss business and how she can serve the people, and Ben is determined not to let work bleed into their actual relationship. This culminates in a chase between the two — with some physical comedy that is over-the-top (in accordance with a bigger, less self-aware version of Leslie here in Season Six), but it’s for the most part motivated by their basic depictions and the unique dynamic they share, particularly in this current version of the situation’s status quo. (Also, this is when Andy becomes a children’s musician — Johnny Karate — as he first performs for kids.)
07) Episode 103: “Ann And Chris” (Aired: 01/30/14)
Leslie and Ann try to get groundbreaking started on the park before Ann leaves.
Written by Aisha Muharrar & Michael Schur | Directed by Dean Holland
My choice for this season’s Most Valuable Episode (MVE), “Ann And Chris” isn’t as laugh-out-loud funny as most of this series’ true all-timers, but it is the single half hour that I’ll remember most from this collection, for it best represents the year, both in terms of what it narratively offers, and also for how it sits within the series’ entire trajectory. Specifically, this is the season where Ann and Chris leave — an arc that shapes all of Six, as their exit is built up in the first half before being felt in the latter (for both the audience and the characters) — and this is the actual outing where they bid farewell, rendering this the defining sample of the year. No other would be as honest a pick. How does it stand qualitatively? Well, it pairs Leslie and Ann for an extended sequence where they both zealously scramble to begin official groundbreaking on the park — the thing that brought them together, of which both they and the show are conscious — and in that regard, it’s a direct play to the premise via its history, which stretches back to the pilot where there relationship was first formed and their characterizations in proximity to each other were initially cemented: the optimistic government employee and the Everywoman who inspires (and is inspired by) her determination. Accordingly, this entry does feel like a tribute to the show on a conceptual level, and these regulars on a positional level — and even though it’s maybe not as comical as I’d like, it tonally reflects the heart this series has also come to project, as an outgrowth of its central Leslie Knope character, whose depth of care for the people she serves, personified by Ann, enables such earned sentiment. So, this is a totally sentimental and thus accurate example of Parks And Recreation — and one of the last at that.
08) Episode 108: “Prom” (Aired: 04/03/14)
Leslie brings back the town high school’s senior prom.
Written by Matt Murray & Harris Wittels | Directed by Ken Whittingham
The back nine of Season Six without Ann and Chris (well, Ann makes an extra cameo in one, but that’s neither here nor there) is a middling collection overall, for the show looks like it’s both crusading to an ending while also feeling like it already did and is just buying time. No script is truly terrible — this isn’t post-Michael The Office — but usually there’s only a few great things inside a whole that simply can’t be great in comparison to what the series previously routinized. I select this particular sample because it’s probably got the most individual parts that work — starting with an A-story set at a high school prom organized by Leslie and the department, where she and Ron compete over their influence of a young intern, with their well-established disagreement about government’s role and abilities forming the basic conflict and therefore showing them off in the process. Additionally, the very idea of April subjecting herself to a prom is fun — one of several characters who have good moments here. Oh, and the return of Greg Pikitis is a wonderful callback that recalls classic (or, heck, pre-classic) Parks And Rec.
09) Episode 109: “Flu Season 2” (Aired: 04/10/14)
Leslie doesn’t feel good while she and Andy try to book a band for the upcoming concert.
Written by Megan Amram & Dave King | Directed by Nick Offerman
Billed as a sequel to one of the series’ all-time greats — Season Three’s “Flu Season” (my MVE for that year) — this good-but-not-great installment fails to reach comparable heights, lacking its predecessor’s expert display of character and well-crafted thematic cohesion. However, by the standards of Six, there’s a lot to enjoy, like big laughs in the subplot where Donna, Tom, and April go wine tasting (Craig is also featured well), the return of Sam Elliott as Eagleton’s Ron, and best of all, the extended teamwork of Leslie and Andy, who are always a delightful duo. It’s especially fun to have those last two used as a pair, as this has been a season where Leslie’s either been downtrodden or manic as a result of her hard knocks, so to see her in a classic configuration next to a goofball who emphasizes her determination and competency feels like a return to form. And with the heartwarming reveal that she and Ben are expecting, there’s a balance of humor and heart in this outing that indeed evokes old school Parks And Rec.
10) Episode 112: “Moving Up (II)” (Aired: 04/24/14)
Leslie plans to leave Pawnee as the department hosts their Unity Concert.
Written by Aisha Muharrar & Alan Yang | Directed by Michael Schur
Season Six ends with a two-parter — originally aired in a single hour-long block — that plays like a series finale, with Leslie considering a National Parks job that would take her away from Pawnee (encouraged by Michelle Obama in a brief cameo), just before the town celebrates a Unity Concert in honor of Pawnee’s recent absorption of Eagleton, where the show gets to trot out a lot of its old favorites… like the Li’l Sebastian tribute song and the annual return of Megan Mullally as Tammy II, who’s back to torment Ron (before he and Diane cleverly pair her off with Jamm). And there’s even a new business venture for Tom, which for once, looks like it might turn into a success. Of course, before Leslie can officially move, she realizes there’s no place like home, convincing the National Parks department to headquarter in Pawnee, which has an empty floor conveniently available. It’s as if the series is tying itself up in a pretty little bow — no, there’s no Ann or Chris; but that’s already been tied up. This is everything else… and if not for the fact that it ends up not being everything else — Season Seven is in the offing — this would probably be a more effective hour. As it stands, this feels like a collection of “greatest hits” capping off a year that toiled to come up with fresh, situation-rich ideas, especially after two leads departed. And it doesn’t have quite the punch it should. (Both halves are solid — Part II is the actual finale, but Part I is obviously a de facto Honorable Mention.)
Other notable episodes that merit mention include: “Recall Vote,” a big event show where Amy Poehler gets to play Leslie out of sorts when she’s depressed following her recall, “Fluoride,” which offers some of the series’ broadest and least subtle political satire, and “Second Chunce,” a transitional entry where Leslie, in her final hours on city council, tries to convince everyone that she should run again — a seminal, foundationally correct display of her character that I wish was funnier. Then, after Ann and Chris leave, there are a handful of decent outings that I just don’t think are as fully laudable as those above: “Anniversaries,” a likable town-based plot where Leslie hopes to promote the recent Pawnee-Eagleton merger via the celebration of a “mixed” marriage, “Galentine’s Day,” where Leslie seeks a new friend to replace Ann (a jokey idea that’s clear about what the show has lost and honest about its lead’s hyperactivity), and “One In 8,000,” which I cite for the hilarious notion of Donna having her own “Tammy II” in the form of a nice guy who’s drama free (Keegan-Michael Key).
*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Six of Parks And Recreation goes to…
“Ann And Chris”
Come back next week for Season Seven! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!