This is just a monumental episode and those who have seen the show in its entirety would agree that this in many ways is really the beginning of Parks and Recreation as it is known today and its the point of no return for a series that began well under the shadow of The Office. Season 2 found its stride, even if it occasionally stumbled and an actor like Louis CK brought a much needed energy and weight to the season that helped the show establish its own identity. Now, the show is at that point where it is free to go completely in its own direction and here we are. Welcome to the show, Adam Scott and Rob Lowe!
This is a magnificent episode and one where everything works really well. There's very little here that's weak by any means so the episode has a nice energy and feel to it. Even the show's most problematic character (IMO), Tom Haverford, gets a nice storyline where he's pretty much his sleazy self but with a degree of humour (his whole animal lover schtick to the one girl is amusing as is him coming back for his "seed" to seemingly every woman in the bar later) but also thus far an infrequently seen humanity to the character when he meets bartender Lucy.
The April/Andy stuff is fantastic and the way episodes of April's jealousy and concern over Andy's potentially still existent feelings for Ann boil over here is deserved and organic development of that relationship. The same goes the other way with Andy, who confesses in a talking head that he likes April. The tease begins now. Also Andy using the mathematical "equation" to derive whether its appropriate for him to date April is classic Andy.
Then there's the little matter of two of the show's greatest and most important characters FINALLY being introduced at the pitch perfect time: Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt. Immediately, they're such an interesting partnership and Rob Lowe and Adam Scott have such pitch perfect yet contrasting energies for their characters and good god, does the show immediately feel ever more alive. Where some of season two can suffer by having essentially two "straight men" in Mark and Ann, we now get two more absurdist figures arriving into the show.
Perhaps my favourite scene in this whole episode of which there are numerous is the bar scene with Ben and Leslie. It's superbly written, the chemistry between Poehler and Scott is so on point and commands a sense of attention and the way we see a friendship about to grow out of that scene is amazing. Chris so often makes Ben a villain, unintentionally, by the optimist vs. realist angle between the two but the whole Ice Town reveal is perfect and what Ben says to Leslie, that you need to be willing to make the hard decisions that could make yourself unpopular among your people to succeed at the game of politics is so on point.
Chris immediately makes an impression and Rob Lowe has such an amazing energy about him but he'll get his moments to shine a little later on. I do absolutely love the death hazard vitamin pill that Chris takes which requires Ben's presence.
Parks and Recreation will never be the same again...
Review by SLionsCricketBlockedParent2020-03-31T13:21:00Z
This is just a monumental episode and those who have seen the show in its entirety would agree that this in many ways is really the beginning of Parks and Recreation as it is known today and its the point of no return for a series that began well under the shadow of The Office. Season 2 found its stride, even if it occasionally stumbled and an actor like Louis CK brought a much needed energy and weight to the season that helped the show establish its own identity. Now, the show is at that point where it is free to go completely in its own direction and here we are. Welcome to the show, Adam Scott and Rob Lowe!
This is a magnificent episode and one where everything works really well. There's very little here that's weak by any means so the episode has a nice energy and feel to it. Even the show's most problematic character (IMO), Tom Haverford, gets a nice storyline where he's pretty much his sleazy self but with a degree of humour (his whole animal lover schtick to the one girl is amusing as is him coming back for his "seed" to seemingly every woman in the bar later) but also thus far an infrequently seen humanity to the character when he meets bartender Lucy.
The April/Andy stuff is fantastic and the way episodes of April's jealousy and concern over Andy's potentially still existent feelings for Ann boil over here is deserved and organic development of that relationship. The same goes the other way with Andy, who confesses in a talking head that he likes April. The tease begins now. Also Andy using the mathematical "equation" to derive whether its appropriate for him to date April is classic Andy.
Then there's the little matter of two of the show's greatest and most important characters FINALLY being introduced at the pitch perfect time: Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt. Immediately, they're such an interesting partnership and Rob Lowe and Adam Scott have such pitch perfect yet contrasting energies for their characters and good god, does the show immediately feel ever more alive. Where some of season two can suffer by having essentially two "straight men" in Mark and Ann, we now get two more absurdist figures arriving into the show.
Perhaps my favourite scene in this whole episode of which there are numerous is the bar scene with Ben and Leslie. It's superbly written, the chemistry between Poehler and Scott is so on point and commands a sense of attention and the way we see a friendship about to grow out of that scene is amazing. Chris so often makes Ben a villain, unintentionally, by the optimist vs. realist angle between the two but the whole Ice Town reveal is perfect and what Ben says to Leslie, that you need to be willing to make the hard decisions that could make yourself unpopular among your people to succeed at the game of politics is so on point.
Chris immediately makes an impression and Rob Lowe has such an amazing energy about him but he'll get his moments to shine a little later on. I do absolutely love the death hazard vitamin pill that Chris takes which requires Ben's presence.
Parks and Recreation will never be the same again...