Nothing that Parks and Recreation gave us this week was going to compare to the heights of “Leslie and Ron,” which, the more I think about it, may be my favorite episode that the show has ever done. However, last night’s duo of “Gryzzlbox” and “Save JJ’s” was a little disappointing not just compared to last week’s episodes but because of how the Parks and Rec writers decided to resolve this season’s Gryzzl storyline.
Throughout its six-plus seasons, Parks and Recreation has never been a show that has shied away from ugly, difficult conflicts. Whether it was Leslie and Ben facing the professional repercussions of their relationship in Season 4 or Leslie being recalled from her city council position last year, this series has made sure that its characters face legitimate challenges and that they cannot simply find quick, easy solutions to their problems. But that appeared to happen in last night’s episodes of Parks and Recreation.
Both “Gryzzlbox” and “Save JJ’s” continued to focus on the competition between the National Parks Service and Gryzzl to acquire the Sweetums’ land. Gryzzl came out on top, only to soon after be convinced by Leslie and co. that it should donate the land for a new national park and build its campus in the shadier, beat-down area of Pawnee to improve the community and thereby help the company’s newfound PR problem (which was caused once it was revealed that Gryzzl had been data mining the citizens of Pawnee). It’s not that this development doesn’t make sense or that I can’t buy into it, but compared to resolutions to the many conflicts that Parks and Recreation has given us in the past, it just feels too neat and tidy. Perhaps another episode or two of Leslie, Ron, and the rest of the group working on this proposal would have made the victory feel more earned.
But aside from the simplicity of the solution to this season’s major problem, last night’s episodes of Parks and Rec had a ton of great moments, from “Treat Yo Self 2017” to Andy as Jonathan Karate (Johnny’s older, more serious brother) to Tom expressing his feelings for Lucy, feelings that she reciprocated. All of these scenes were nice reminders of the show’s history and the relationships forged between the characters.
However, the best storyline of the night was April’s continued search for passion, which took an interesting turn when she began dissuading potential interns (including Jen, essentially a younger version of herself) from the parks department. Out of all the characters on Parks and Rec, I’d argue that April has grown the most; sure, she’s still miserable and hates pretty everything aside from Andy and dogs, but there’s no denying how much she has accomplished throughout the series, as Craig correctly pointed out. Her decision to not only find just one intern but a whole bunch of them (using posters–something Leslie would do) illustrated that she not only heard Craig but believed him and, more importantly, believes in herself and understands how much her position at the parks department, and the people in it, made her into the woman she is today.
And it’s full-circle moments like April’s recognition or Leslie and Ron’s trip down friendship lane last week that have truly been the best parts of this final season so far. Parks and Recreation will always be funny (I’m still laughing at Ron signing his Mulligan’s Steakhouse contract as “Les Vegetables”), but as its final episodes begin to dwindle down (only seven left), the series has demonstrated a beauty and poignancy that we haven’t seen from it over the past couple of years, something that’s making me already start to miss the show before it has even ended.
Other thoughts:
– Of course JJ’s breakfast food is one of the few causes that could unite the people of Pawnee.
– Although is a Pawnee without JJ’s really Pawnee anymore? I think not.
– And speaking of the JJ’s conflict, it was nice to see Dennis Feinstein (Jason Mantzoukas) return in Parks and Rec‘s final season. “I AM NOURISHED BY YOUR HATRED!”
– The Perdples Court is one of my favorite things that Parks and Rec has ever done. After six-plus seasons, I still never get tired of Perd Hapley, who calls a gavel his “judge hammer.” Never change, Perd.
– For some reason Aubrey Plaza’s delivery of the line “Oh yeah, tiny rolled-up scrolls delivered by foxes” elicited the biggest laugh of both episodes from me.
– Sometimes even Ron needs clarification: “Is Star Wars the one with the little wizard boy.”
– Hitch 2: Son of a Hitch.
– Voldemort Putin.
[Photo via NBC]
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