[7.5/10] For as much as I enjoy, and have rewatched parts of Parks and Recreation, I’ve never thought of it as a particularly structurally audacious show. I tend to think of it in terms of typical A-plots and B-plots, with occasional big event episodes or fun scenes that connect different characters. But, while no one would accuse “Galentine’s Day” of having any sort of intricate structure, it is truly an ensemble piece, that examines no fewer than five relationships and finds the merits and fault lines in all of them, while contrasting and comparing them in an interesting fashion the whole way through.
The relationships that command the most attention in the episode are the ones between Leslie and Justin, and the one between Leslie’s mom and an old flame that Leslie reunites her with. I have to admit, I had zero recollection of Justin. The early couple of seasons are a bit of a blur, and Justin (likely intentionally) doesn’t make as big an impression as, say, Louis C.K. does in the early going. But I like the way he and Leslie’s relationship is written here, with nothing exactly wrong or confrontationally bad, but with Justin pushing Leslie into things she doesn’t want to do.
The fact that Ron is the one who recognizes that Justin is a “tourist” and identifying that this is why Leslie is put off by him even when she herself can’t quite put her finger on it, is a deft choice. It shows not only a certain wisdom and ability to read people from Ron, giving him some depth behind his libertarian caricature, but it also shows that he knows Leslie, and knows the side of her that cares more about people than stories. It’s a canny way to elucidate both characters at once.
The “relationship” between Leslie’s mom and her old flame is more played for laughs, and there’s plenty of humor to be wrung from the “one that got away” story being realized as a “I sure dodged that bullet” story when stripped of the gauzy view of the past. John Larroquette is great as the sort of disheveled, down-on-his-luck, misguided guy who’s nervous as hell to rendezvous with his lost love and unfortunately hopes to rekindle the flame. Leslie’s mom reacts perfectly, from her shock at seeing him to her “you can’t possibly be serious” response to his sweet but doomed advances. There’s humor in the performances, and in the larger idea of showing the cracks in the foundations of those old stories of young romance that have since ascended into the stuff of legends.
But at the same time, the show mirrors that with the “one that got away” theme to April and Andy. It’s the show’s first successful romantic pairing (though not its last), and making April the unexpectedly lovesick kid and Andy the oblivious but undeniably sweet object of her affections works like gangbusters here. April’s obvious affections are cute coming from the typically dour Miss Ludgate; her break up with her gay boyfriends is appropriately bizarre but sweet coupled with her uncharacteristic appreciation for the elderly paramours celebrating V-day, and her attempts to ward off Ann are entertaining as well.
Ann and Mark’s part of the episode is slighter, but still interesting. There’s a clear indication, one that thankfully isn’t belabored, that everything is technically sound between the two of them, but that they’re not really feeling it. When Ann looks at Andy, she sees someone who frustrated her, but who also got a reaction out of her, in a way the anodyne relationship she has with Mark can’t quite achieve. I appreciated the subtlety of this point, with Ann’s “no complaints” talking head telling the story by what’s notably absent in her comments about the relationship.
The last relationship explored in the episode is the one between Tom and his former green card bride. Again, this is more of a subplot, but the story’s told in a succinct and efficient way. Tom attempting to romance his platonic pal only to get shot down in appropriately sad for a holiday that leaves many lovelorn. But the height of it is Tom suing her for alimony in a bid to get her to date him. It’s the perfect way to write Tom – having him attempt to pull off a ridiculous and wrong-headed gesture that’s assuredly in character for him, but have it comes from a human and relatable place, where he just wants someone he cares about to give him a chance. It strikes the right balance of insane and vulnerable that makes the character work, and the hug they share seals the deal.
On top of all that great work, there’s tons of little throw-ins and asides that are just hilarious even when they don’t really tie into any of the bigger plots. Andy worrying about how his toned-down gig at the senior center will go because he doesn’t have women flashing him (his usual barometer for show quality) to rely on, only him to understand that an elderly woman telling him he’s like Dean Martin is the “old lady version of flashing” is hilariously bizarre and again, kind of adorable. Tom taking Leslie and Justin’s break up harder than Leslie is, similarly, a nice touch at the margins of the episode. And Jerry reminding Leslie that he’s been happily married for twenty-one years to a wife she’s met several times is the kind of sad sack subversion I like.
Overall, “Galentine’s Day” takes a look at the relationships of nearly all of the major characters on Parks and Recreation and finds the ways in which they are in turns, fine, misguided, lacking or hopeful. That’s a tough thing to do in a half-hour comedy, especially when mixing in such good laughs along the way. I don’t think to Parks and Rec as a show particularly devoted to unique structure, but by putting all of these threads out there, and tying them together thematically and plotwise, the episode succeeds in creating a unique and unified whole.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-02-15T19:55:57Z
[7.5/10] For as much as I enjoy, and have rewatched parts of Parks and Recreation, I’ve never thought of it as a particularly structurally audacious show. I tend to think of it in terms of typical A-plots and B-plots, with occasional big event episodes or fun scenes that connect different characters. But, while no one would accuse “Galentine’s Day” of having any sort of intricate structure, it is truly an ensemble piece, that examines no fewer than five relationships and finds the merits and fault lines in all of them, while contrasting and comparing them in an interesting fashion the whole way through.
The relationships that command the most attention in the episode are the ones between Leslie and Justin, and the one between Leslie’s mom and an old flame that Leslie reunites her with. I have to admit, I had zero recollection of Justin. The early couple of seasons are a bit of a blur, and Justin (likely intentionally) doesn’t make as big an impression as, say, Louis C.K. does in the early going. But I like the way he and Leslie’s relationship is written here, with nothing exactly wrong or confrontationally bad, but with Justin pushing Leslie into things she doesn’t want to do.
The fact that Ron is the one who recognizes that Justin is a “tourist” and identifying that this is why Leslie is put off by him even when she herself can’t quite put her finger on it, is a deft choice. It shows not only a certain wisdom and ability to read people from Ron, giving him some depth behind his libertarian caricature, but it also shows that he knows Leslie, and knows the side of her that cares more about people than stories. It’s a canny way to elucidate both characters at once.
The “relationship” between Leslie’s mom and her old flame is more played for laughs, and there’s plenty of humor to be wrung from the “one that got away” story being realized as a “I sure dodged that bullet” story when stripped of the gauzy view of the past. John Larroquette is great as the sort of disheveled, down-on-his-luck, misguided guy who’s nervous as hell to rendezvous with his lost love and unfortunately hopes to rekindle the flame. Leslie’s mom reacts perfectly, from her shock at seeing him to her “you can’t possibly be serious” response to his sweet but doomed advances. There’s humor in the performances, and in the larger idea of showing the cracks in the foundations of those old stories of young romance that have since ascended into the stuff of legends.
But at the same time, the show mirrors that with the “one that got away” theme to April and Andy. It’s the show’s first successful romantic pairing (though not its last), and making April the unexpectedly lovesick kid and Andy the oblivious but undeniably sweet object of her affections works like gangbusters here. April’s obvious affections are cute coming from the typically dour Miss Ludgate; her break up with her gay boyfriends is appropriately bizarre but sweet coupled with her uncharacteristic appreciation for the elderly paramours celebrating V-day, and her attempts to ward off Ann are entertaining as well.
Ann and Mark’s part of the episode is slighter, but still interesting. There’s a clear indication, one that thankfully isn’t belabored, that everything is technically sound between the two of them, but that they’re not really feeling it. When Ann looks at Andy, she sees someone who frustrated her, but who also got a reaction out of her, in a way the anodyne relationship she has with Mark can’t quite achieve. I appreciated the subtlety of this point, with Ann’s “no complaints” talking head telling the story by what’s notably absent in her comments about the relationship.
The last relationship explored in the episode is the one between Tom and his former green card bride. Again, this is more of a subplot, but the story’s told in a succinct and efficient way. Tom attempting to romance his platonic pal only to get shot down in appropriately sad for a holiday that leaves many lovelorn. But the height of it is Tom suing her for alimony in a bid to get her to date him. It’s the perfect way to write Tom – having him attempt to pull off a ridiculous and wrong-headed gesture that’s assuredly in character for him, but have it comes from a human and relatable place, where he just wants someone he cares about to give him a chance. It strikes the right balance of insane and vulnerable that makes the character work, and the hug they share seals the deal.
On top of all that great work, there’s tons of little throw-ins and asides that are just hilarious even when they don’t really tie into any of the bigger plots. Andy worrying about how his toned-down gig at the senior center will go because he doesn’t have women flashing him (his usual barometer for show quality) to rely on, only him to understand that an elderly woman telling him he’s like Dean Martin is the “old lady version of flashing” is hilariously bizarre and again, kind of adorable. Tom taking Leslie and Justin’s break up harder than Leslie is, similarly, a nice touch at the margins of the episode. And Jerry reminding Leslie that he’s been happily married for twenty-one years to a wife she’s met several times is the kind of sad sack subversion I like.
Overall, “Galentine’s Day” takes a look at the relationships of nearly all of the major characters on Parks and Recreation and finds the ways in which they are in turns, fine, misguided, lacking or hopeful. That’s a tough thing to do in a half-hour comedy, especially when mixing in such good laughs along the way. I don’t think to Parks and Rec as a show particularly devoted to unique structure, but by putting all of these threads out there, and tying them together thematically and plotwise, the episode succeeds in creating a unique and unified whole.