Guys, Parks and Rec is in it to WIN IT. "It" being my heart and soul of course. It's so easy to fizzle out and recycle old storylines by the time a show's sixth season rolls around, but Parks ain't having NONE of that. Instead, we're getting some interesting and, as always, relatable shifts in character dynamics. Leslie is learning to adapt to life without her soulmate Ann, and the episode ends with the suggestion that she'll also have to learn to share time with Ann and her new baby (who I'm SO excited to see Leslie interact with; I hope Oliver realizes he basically has two moms). Ben is trying to step up and admit that Larry is actually a decent human who deserves to be generally liked. And Ron is learning to be THE MOST AMAZING DAD EVER (seriously, I see him owning fatherhood).
Let's get to it, Parkies.
Leslie A-
“We’ll forge our own unique traditions in the fiery cauldron of female friendship!”–Leslie
Leslie, you magnificent, insane, gorgeous phoenix. May you forever rise from the ashes of your balls-out-craziness to a glorious rebirth of sanity. Having an Ann Perkins wall straight out of Homeland and holding a Galentine’s Day brunch to rank the potential best-friendship compatibility of the women in her life is so completely and perfectly ‘Leslie’. This time around, Donna and April had the privilege of showing her she was nuts, but of course no one but Ann could pick up the pieces. So is there a sign up sheet where I can apply to be Leslie’s next best friend, or do I just send her my friendship resume and cover letter? I could create a friendship reel if necessary, which I assume would just be a live feed of me watching the last five Oscar red carpets so she can judge my commentary.
Donna & April A & A
“You sound like a tampon commercial.” -April
Well this was everything I ever wanted. An episode where Donna not only gets more than one line, but reveals even more about her amazing personality? YES, PLEASE. Girl travels like it’s her job, obviously knows how to treat herself and isn’t afraid to stand up to Leslie. It doesn’t surprise me that she was in the lead in the friendship rankings. To be honest, my favorite friendship pairing in this episode was actually Donna and April; I love that they are getting closer. Aside from their obviously different tastes (black coffee with extra grounds vs. mocha ice blended) these two women are really very similar. Neither takes crap from anyone, both are sassy as hell, and together they come up with amazingly creative solutions. Recording Ann’s voice on a stuffed bunny easily ranks in the Top 5 most adorable things from this show. Plus, you know once Leslie deletes April’s creepy Zodiac Killer recording, she’s going to use that bunny all the time.
Side note, as much as I would love to say Donna would be my bestie from the group, I’m definitely not cool enough to keep up with her. I’m more Ethel Beavers’ speed; drink a bunch of whiskey, say something inappropriate and fall asleep at the table.
Ben A+
Oh my goodness, if I wasn’t in love with Ben before, then I certainly am now. There is nothing hotter than a man who stands up for the unpopular underdog, even if that underdog can only fart their gratitude. Not only did Ben stand up to his friends (which we’ve learned from Neville Longbottom is way harder than standing up to one’s enemies), but he brought down the heat on the tent renter! Damn son. You on fire.
Larry A+
I couldn’t be happier that we finally got a storyline about how Larry is treated terribly for no reason. This is the button that I felt the “Anniversaries” episode needed to tie up Ben and Larry having such an amazing time together. I originally thought they had left it open ended due to time constraints, but I’m impressed that the writers were going in for the long haul with this one; typically Parks likes to tie up all its strings at the end of every episode, so this was a new writing technique for the crew.
As for the plot itself, I’ve always been a bit torn with the Larry gag. On the one hand, it’s hilarious; I love when there is a character that everyone can unite in picking on. 30 Rock had Lutz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has Scully and Hitchcock, and The Office had Toby. And yet, the reason I love Parks and Recreation is because it is one of the rare comedies than can be nice to it’s characters, have them all generally like and respect each other, and yet still manages to be one of the sharpest shows on TV. It’s very difficult to do comedy well without being mean, and I was always impressed with how Parks and Rec succeeded in this.
But the Larry jokes always stuck out to me; While hilarious, I also found them to be simultaneously depressing (as some of the best comedy can be) and never really felt sure of where I sat with them. Today’s episode finally, after six seasons, addressed it perfectly. It may not have ended the bullying, but it didn’t need to. We got to see that Larry is much stronger than anyone gives him credit for. The episode in Season 5 where he retires and Tom becomes the Larry of the office gave the first inkling of that strength; that Tom can’t handle what Larry goes through every day. But Larry not only handles it, he takes it with a smile. He does his job, then goes home to his hot wife and amazing kids. Good on ya, Larry. Wait, sorry, Jerry. No, Gary. Jeeze.
Ron A
“There is no silence any more; only Doc McStuffins.”–Ron Swanson
Guys, Ron learned something. Look at that! And he handled it like a f***ing grown-ass man, just like we knew he would. Parks at it’s best, and arguably any successful story regardless of format, writes about compelling characters growing and learning. The lesson doesn’t have to be something huge every single episode; we can’t have each character going through an existential crisis every 30 minutes, otherwise it cheapens the growth. But to give characters small tasks, like learning parenting is a 24-hour life-long job, rings true. To do that and maintain the heart of what makes the character unique is Parks at it’s best, because otherwise I wouldn’t have this fabulous gif of Ron slapping peanut brittle out of Andy’s hands.
Andy B+
I don’t know how they do it, but the Parks writers get so much mileage out of Andy being a small, helpless man-child and it never gets old for me. He’s so loveable, I can’t even handle it.
“Galentine’s Day” A
I’m gushing, I loved Galentine’s Day. It might as well have taken place on actual Galentine’s Day (February 13th, true Parkies) because it rekindled my love in the fiery cauldron of female friendship. Plus, Larry farts.
Demerits
- You can’t give me Ann but no Chris! It’s like giving me cookie dough without chocolate chips! A STILL-DELICIOUS TEASE.
Extra Credit
- When Ron slapped the peanut brittle out of Andy’s hand, I LOST MY SHIT.
- Chris and Ann have a beautiful baby because DUH, look at them
- We can go ahead and add “beautiful, glowing sun goddess” to the list of Knope complements that are going on my gravestone
- Rob Heubel’s Shakespearian pronunciation of “striped” (as “stripe-ed”) KILLS me
- This is Emma Fletcher & Rachna Fruchbom’s first Parks and Recreation script, and they killed it. If this is any indication of what the newer writers are churning out, I’ve got no worries for Season 7. Nicely done, ladies.
Best Jerry/Gary/Larry Win
- Dude gets a win this week. Let’s be real, he may have a job where everyone treats him like crap, but he goes home every night to a ridiculously gorgeous, kind woman who is madly in love with him and he has three amazing daughters. You do you, Larry.
- Although his “Yeah, I definitely farted! Didn’t I, Ben?” succeeded in breaking my heart.
No new Parks next week! See you April 3rd!