2x15 Sweetums

[7.3/10] Good solid Parks ep. I’m a fan of the main idea behind the A-story here, which is that Ron bristles at Leslie’s attempts to tell him what to do, which he conflates with the government telling him what to do, because he thinks it comes from a place of wanting to boss people around and limit their freedom. But then he realizes that it comes, at least through Leslie, in the form of caring about someone and what happens to them. It’s another step in the detante between the two characters, and it’s a nice way for them to develop mutual respect and understand one another.

Granted, this leans into some the cartoony Sweetums stuff that I don’t always enjoy. The broad shtick with the Sweetums candy bars being sold in public parks feels a little over the top in the villainy of the evil corporate manipulators, and the candy rush and crash the Parks Dept. experiences is a bit too much too. But we get a good public forum scene out of it, and it serves the Ron/Leslie stuff well, so I’ll give it a pass. (I love Leslie reading her drinking chart/blackjack card on Ron’s car as well.)
The B-story, with the gang helping Tom move, is just okay. Tom being a jerk to everybody has never been my favorite tack on this show. That said, the gang reacting to his jerkiness (Mark in particular) is good for some laughs, and it’s the introduction of DJ Roomba! Plus, we get some good developments on the April/Andy front, with April’s gay boyfriends making fun of Andy and April blanching at it in her own quiet way. I like April being pulled between her ironic/judgy world and Andy’s goofy but sweet one.

Overall, a good episode bolstered mainly by the Leslie and Ron material, and a little of the April-Andy material.