[7.6/10] Another good episode where everybody has something to do. The main story, which features Leslie and April going on a garbage route to prove that women can do manual labor in government as well as men, is good stuff. It leads to a great deal of good humor about the backwards sexism of Pawnee (the old sexist councilmember is an unexpected funny addition, and Leslie’s reaction to him is great). The problem is wrapped up a little too tidily, with Leslie just being able to find a food kitchen to take the heavy fridge, and that being enough to convince sanitation to hire more female workers, but there’s a lot of good material there.
The subplot of all of this – Chris trying to figure out what his relationship with Shawna Malway-Tweep is – also has its moments. There’s some good comedy to be wrung from his confusion over the new dating scene.
Ron and Ann’s babysitting adventures are good for some laughs as well. Ron soldiering his way through in good spirits, and Ann’s initially abortive but eventually successful attempts to relate to the kids lead to a lot of laughs. And Ron admitting his loves Diane, and then telling her, adds some sweetness to the moppet-fueled insanity.
The weakest story is probably Ben and Andy teaching Tom to play basketball. The physical humor just isn’t as sharp for whatever reason – possibly because the gags are obvious. Still, Tom’s solution of pitching Rent-a-Swag as the answer to middle school kids emulating the post-game interview fashions of their NBA idols is a clever one.
Overall, the A-story is a little rushed, and the basketball story is weaker, but it’s all very funny (especially April’s fascination with garbage and invading privacy) and the Ron-April story is a real winner both in terms of comedy and character.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-04-13T01:39:22Z
[7.6/10] Another good episode where everybody has something to do. The main story, which features Leslie and April going on a garbage route to prove that women can do manual labor in government as well as men, is good stuff. It leads to a great deal of good humor about the backwards sexism of Pawnee (the old sexist councilmember is an unexpected funny addition, and Leslie’s reaction to him is great). The problem is wrapped up a little too tidily, with Leslie just being able to find a food kitchen to take the heavy fridge, and that being enough to convince sanitation to hire more female workers, but there’s a lot of good material there.
The subplot of all of this – Chris trying to figure out what his relationship with Shawna Malway-Tweep is – also has its moments. There’s some good comedy to be wrung from his confusion over the new dating scene.
Ron and Ann’s babysitting adventures are good for some laughs as well. Ron soldiering his way through in good spirits, and Ann’s initially abortive but eventually successful attempts to relate to the kids lead to a lot of laughs. And Ron admitting his loves Diane, and then telling her, adds some sweetness to the moppet-fueled insanity.
The weakest story is probably Ben and Andy teaching Tom to play basketball. The physical humor just isn’t as sharp for whatever reason – possibly because the gags are obvious. Still, Tom’s solution of pitching Rent-a-Swag as the answer to middle school kids emulating the post-game interview fashions of their NBA idols is a clever one.
Overall, the A-story is a little rushed, and the basketball story is weaker, but it’s all very funny (especially April’s fascination with garbage and invading privacy) and the Ron-April story is a real winner both in terms of comedy and character.