4x07 The Treaty

[6.2/10] This is a weird episode, in that it combines this down to earth, very real emotional beats and real talk with unpleasant, broad, traditiona sitcom-level conflict.

Take the main story about Ben and Leslie helping out with Model U.N. There’s plenty of room for great comic stuff, like the pair dorking out in adorable fashion, April’s fascination with representing the moon, Andy trading militaries for lions, and April and Leslie’s high school-esque heart-to-heart. There’s also room for some good, real-feeling character stuff, with Ben feeling put on hold by Leslie, and Leslie feeling that Ben isn’t understanding enough of the position she’s in. That’s good stuff, and the heart in it almost carries the day.

But the Model U.N. war gets so bad and childish (which the show at least acknowledges) that it takes much of the punch out of the human element. It’s supposed to be “they get carried away and realizes how they’ve gone too far” bit, and it works to some degree, but the Model U.N. childishness is just too much, and cuts against the solid relationship material at the core.

The same definitely goes for Chris’s little pow-wow with Ann, Jerry, and Donna. Ann giving Chris “real talk” about how he needs to give his romantic partners space to be themselves and not overwhelm them is solid, and despite the broad elements of it, feels like a real conversation at times. But returning to the well of Jerry’s uncomfortableness, and the whole “focus group on my relationship” tack is strange and hurts the epiphany at the center of it.

Tom and Ron’s story works the best of the three in the episode, possibly because it’s the most straightforward, but even it is trying at times. Ron’s a noble guy, and his trying to let Tom save face and have his old job, alongside a cavalcade of hilariously underqualified candidates (including a young Kyle Mooney!) is a nice storyline. Tom pushing his nobility too far, until Ron basically manhandles him into accepting makes Tom look pretty awful (though I love Ron’s angry walk), but it’s still the most effective bit in the episode.

Overall, this is one of the more uneven episodes of Parks and Rec you’re likely to find, one that has many of the ingredients that make the show great, but which mixes them in with strange choices or unpleasant stuff that makes it a mishmash of good stuff and stuff that just feels off.