It's nice to be writing a top ten list again with a wealth of options to choose from. "Parks & Recreation" is a great show, and I really had trouble narrowing this down. Hence, the healthy list of honorable mentions. The first season was not up to snuff, but I seem to like the later seasons more than most. Also, I will totally cheat and count two-parters as single episodes.
The picks below are unranked and ordered by airdate. All the spoilers ahead.
"Ron and Tammy" - This is the episode that really kicked off "Parks" for me. The explosive introduction of the evil Tammy Two, played by Megan Mullaly, shook up our understanding of Ron Swanson and introduced a new level of absurdity to Pawnee. I don't think any of the subsequent Tammy installments ever lived up to this one, because the initial shock is just deployed so perfectly.
"Summer Catalog" - It was a close race between including this or "Jerry's Painting," but "Summer Catalog" is so strong all around, and I enjoy it as one of the more grounded and realistic stories that the show has presented. Leslie becoming bitter as she actually meets all the former heads of the Park Department is a lot of fun, and Andy and April's romance playing out is terribly sweet.
"Andy and April's Fancy Party" - Regular sitcoms love to drag out romantic relationships, so I can sympathize with Leslie when the wedding is sprung on us out of nowhere. This goes against all the norms of network television! But Andy and April, despite not knowing how to adult, turn out to be completely right about getting married. Also Donna and Ann in the B-plot are super cute.
"Citizen Knope" - I'm a sucker for episodes where everyone rallies together, and "Citizen Knope" gives us the show's best version of this. This is the episode that really gets into Leslie being the world's best gift giver, community do-gooder, and really the ultimate friend. It's not just that everyone is willing to make a big sacrifice to help Leslie run for City Council, but that Leslie shows she deserves it.
"The Debate" - This is the episode where I felt that Leslie Knope won her election, and it was kind of a shame that it took two more episodes for everyone else to catch up. The swings in this one are just wild, from Leslie coming in expecting to cream Bobby Newport, to the endless dirty tactics, to the idiot also-ran candidates. The B-plot with Ron and Andy's hijinks at the viewing party is also a blast.
"Emergency Response" - It's another big crisis that everyone manages to turn into a triumph, thanks to Leslie using all her powers of organization and preparedness for evil. This one gets a big boost from the ensemble - Ron taking over "Pawnee Today," Andy at his exam, and Chris being dead. And the ending, of course, is irresistable. I found the surprise wedding announcement better than the ceremony itself.
"Ron and Diane" - Too much Tammy Two can be detrimental to the show, and I think this episode got it just right, not only using her reappearance to explore Ron's steadily advancing relationship with Diane, but Ron's relationship with Leslie. We also get to explore a new corner of the Pawnee universe, and one of my favorite B-plots: Tom, April, Donna, and Andy discovering Jerry's charmed home life.
"Recall Vote" - Weirdly, this is my favorite Ben and Leslie episode. I left most of their more romantic episodes off the list, but this is the one that stuck. After Leslie's recall defeat, the pair get hilariously drunk and loopy together, to the point where Ann has to intervene. And they're dressed as Buttercup and Westley the entire time for Halloween, and never mention it. How could I resist?
"Leslie and Ron" - It's the "Parks" version of "Mad Men" two-hander "The Suitcase," where we finally just get Leslie and Ron locked in the old department together to hash out their grievances. The gags are great and the performances are silly, but there's just enough genuine drama and heartache to make the reconciliation feel real. The episode also pays off some long-running Ron jokes to perfection.
"One Last Ride" - I watched the producer's cut of the finale, and got to see all the extra scenes of what happened to characters like Jamm and Shauna, which was great. I wasn't totally sold on some characters' fates - surely Andy and April had more in store for them - but the ones that they got right were so perfect. Of course Jerry is mayor forever, Ron finds his place in nature (and federal government), and Leslie and Ben attain higher office. It's seeing everyone together, though, that made me happiest.
Honorable mentions: "Practice Date," "94 Meetings," "Telethon," "Flu Season," "Media Blitz," "Harvest Festival," "Jerry's Painting," "Camping," "The Trial of Leslie Knope," "Campaign Shake Up," "Win, Lose, or Draw," "Halloween Surprise," "Two Parties," "Leslie and Ben," "Are You Better Off," "London," "Fillibuster," "Fluoride," "Moving Up," "2017," "Ron and Jammy," "Pie-Mary," and "Two Funerals"
---
No comments:
Post a Comment