[5.1/10] Oh man is it weird going back and watching this pilot after watching the series finale, where it hardly seems like the same show. Leslie is a bootleg Michael Scott; Andy is a jerk rather than a lovable goofball; April is barely a character; Ron is nigh-unrecognizable (that suit!), and Tom is pretty much the same just a little more mean-spirited.
On top of that, the rhythms of the show are so different. You appreciate the help that good editing provides to a well-written show like Parks when you see punchlines hang in there air and then fall to earth in this episode. The show’s going for something a little more unpolished and naturalistic (not unlike the British original version of The Office -- its spinoff grandfather show), and maybe that could have worked, but it feels really strange being more accustomed to the show later embracing crisper cuts and joke rhythms.
It’s also not especially funny. I think I laughed out loud maybe twice in the whole thing (one being the public forum member who wanted to rant about Laura Linney, of all things) and the humor is much more founded on more general awkwardness or Leslie being the butt of the jokes.
Oh yeah, and there’s Mark! To be frank, I often forget he was ever a part of this show. It’s not like anybody in the cast has any chemistry, romantic or otherwise, but he doesn’t bring much charisma or intrigue to the milieu either.
The basics of the show are there -- Leslie and Ann form an unlikely friendship; Leslie is idealistic and persistent at her government job; everyone else barely cares -- but it almost feels like an alien version of the show we know and love in hindsight. The gist of the episode, that Mark’s willing to cash in his favor from Ron (Duke Silver?) to get Leslie her subcommittee, is solid, but the humor and characters fall completely flat around it.
Overall, this is interesting in an almost sociological way to go back and see where the show started if you’re already a fan, and I suppose it’s necessary to give some context to the show’s premise for new viewers, but man, it’s a pretty boring and not particularly funny attempt to entice people to watch on a weekly basis. If you’re trying to persuade a friend to watch, you might warn them and then have them jump to Season 2 after this one.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-06-13T01:48:17Z
[5.1/10] Oh man is it weird going back and watching this pilot after watching the series finale, where it hardly seems like the same show. Leslie is a bootleg Michael Scott; Andy is a jerk rather than a lovable goofball; April is barely a character; Ron is nigh-unrecognizable (that suit!), and Tom is pretty much the same just a little more mean-spirited.
On top of that, the rhythms of the show are so different. You appreciate the help that good editing provides to a well-written show like Parks when you see punchlines hang in there air and then fall to earth in this episode. The show’s going for something a little more unpolished and naturalistic (not unlike the British original version of The Office -- its spinoff grandfather show), and maybe that could have worked, but it feels really strange being more accustomed to the show later embracing crisper cuts and joke rhythms.
It’s also not especially funny. I think I laughed out loud maybe twice in the whole thing (one being the public forum member who wanted to rant about Laura Linney, of all things) and the humor is much more founded on more general awkwardness or Leslie being the butt of the jokes.
Oh yeah, and there’s Mark! To be frank, I often forget he was ever a part of this show. It’s not like anybody in the cast has any chemistry, romantic or otherwise, but he doesn’t bring much charisma or intrigue to the milieu either.
The basics of the show are there -- Leslie and Ann form an unlikely friendship; Leslie is idealistic and persistent at her government job; everyone else barely cares -- but it almost feels like an alien version of the show we know and love in hindsight. The gist of the episode, that Mark’s willing to cash in his favor from Ron (Duke Silver?) to get Leslie her subcommittee, is solid, but the humor and characters fall completely flat around it.
Overall, this is interesting in an almost sociological way to go back and see where the show started if you’re already a fan, and I suppose it’s necessary to give some context to the show’s premise for new viewers, but man, it’s a pretty boring and not particularly funny attempt to entice people to watch on a weekly basis. If you’re trying to persuade a friend to watch, you might warn them and then have them jump to Season 2 after this one.