"We can just sit back and take it easy."-- Ben Wyatt
"No, no. We're not going to do that. We're going sit forward and take it hard." - Leslie Knope
On this "smooth and silky" episode Leslie gets jazzed about democratically polling Pawnee's new town slogan, despite interference from Ira and the Douche. Tom gets jazzed about finding his new restaurant space, much to the chagrin of April and Donna. And Ron gets jazzed about, well, jazz -- DUKE SILVER'S BACK, Y'ALL.
Let's all dive into "a warm bath of [Duke Silver's] jazz" and begin this recap:
Leslie
AWithin what otherwise felt like a filler episode, Leslie's growth as a character was quite profound. Her realization that the new job would mean no more lower-level paperwork "while listening to spice girl oldies" leads her into one of her all-so-delightful spirals of unintended destruction. Even more so, we learn perhaps a more believable reason for postponement of the job in Chicago than her claim in "The Wall". It's not just that she wants to stay for herself, it turns out. Part of Leslie is scared that she can't handle that much leadership.
While many, including Ben, may find this sentiment ridiculous, I found her concern very human and it made me fall in love with Leslie all the more. Add in her feminist satire with Ira and The Douche, and her measurement of waffles in time --"Martha, I'm going to need two hours worth of waffles"-- and you have yourself classic Leslie Knope. Always adapting and evolving. Always eating waffles.
April
C+ Alas, where is the hilariously sardonic April of yesteryear, (aka seasons 2-4)? I get that she is a tough cookie with a constantly expanding gooey center of love and empathy, but that doesn't mean she should lose her bite. The weirdest comment April makes to dissuade Tom from renting a store is saying it reminds her of a cafeteria in a haunted nursing home. The old April would have planted a rat or convinced Tom the dinosaurs at Jurassic Fork came alive last night like an R rated version of The Land Before Time.
Plus, there is way too much exposition on why she doesn't want Tom to find a place. When April says to Donna, "I didn't want Tom to leave, so I said all those bad things about the restaurant," it felt like writers Sam Means and Alan Yang were hitting me in the head with (really painful) plot devices. Guys, just like Duke Silver, make smooth sultry love to your audience through the subtext of your work. Don't hit them on the head with your saxophone.
Ron
B
"If my secret got out, this office would be waist deep in women's undergarments!"
Really Ron could have done anything this episode, and he still would have passed simply for bringing back Duke Silver. While I'm kind of annoyed there was absolutely no character resolution, I'm hoping it's a slow burn and will hold out for his inevitable surprise performance at the end of the season. If this doesn't occur, I will rally all of the "turkey-necked" women of Pawnee in protest. Duke Silver cannot die! For he must go on living in the hearts of middle-aged women throughout Indiana for all eternity.
I give Ron extra points for having a button that automatically closes his office door. Well done, Ron.
Andy
B+ Firstly, he started off the episode in a top-notch interaction with our favorite Eagletonian Craig (after seeing repetitive
Billy on The Street promos during a hulu marathon I am now obsessed). Andy's blissful ignorance plays off beautifully against Craig's sassiness; I want them to become best friends, and then come over to my place to hang out.
I also love that Andy is taking the unity concert so seriously, and finally finding a job that fits him. I hope this develops into a better career path than his time in England. Andy once again teaches Ron a lesson in this episode: to not give up on music so easily. Their relationship is always adorable, but this time Andy wins for being more authentic and not letting Ron give up on his passion.
"New Slogan"
BPert so aptly puts it, when it comes to this episode, "the story of my interest level is: it's medium." While not much happened to move along the season arch, it was noticeable that this episode was dynamic and started to build toward something perhaps resembling a climax. Much like one of Duke Silver's steamy, sensual melodies, this episode laid down a few base notes on which future episodes can build the tension. Aprils' subplots continue to be lacking due to a loss of her true character's voice, and Tom's restaurant dreams appear similarly unimaginative and out of character. However, Duke Silver and Leslie's well-presented and charmingly developed lesson elevated the episode significantly.
Demerits
- When are we getting a Craig storyline? We demand more Craig.
- The intro segment was annoyingly contrived. Why on earth would a web designer make a panda computer game for a government website and why would Ron enjoy such a game? Only when Hell freezes over.
- I want at least five more minutes of Andy's secrets. WHAT IS THE OTHER 98% OF 2% MILK?
![]()
Extra Credit
- Bringing back some hilarious town hall-ies! And Leslie's freakout over all of the grammatical errors. I sympathized with her anxiety.
- Leslie's "chillin' in the studes with my dudes."
- Schindler's Lunch themed restaurant. Is it Jewish or German cuisine? And is Liam Neeson everywhere? I am most curious...
Best Larry/Gary/Jerry Digs
- Leslie, after agreeing to (yuck) delegate: "The public forum will be run by...Oh no, I would not have started this sentence if I had known Larry was the only one here."
- Leslie's faintness of breath when she says "Larry Gengrich, who is 100% in charge." Perfection.
- "Trust Larry!? Are you even listening to yourself!?"
What do you think of Duke Silver's reappearance? Do you think we'll see him at the concert?
What do YOU think Pawnee's slogan should be? Let us know in the comments section!
