Parks and Recreation

[mfunk9786]

Between this and Community, I feel like we're finally in a new golden age of television. How long can that last?!

Apparently it's looking more and more likely that it'll last at least another year.

[mfunk9786]

Really didn't enjoy the level of absurdity in this week's episode. I love Ron and to see the character treated so bizarrely was jarring. (I understand that we've seen glimpses before, but jeez) I know that this show tends to always teeter on the edge of absurdity, but this episode pushed it way over the sitcommy edge. Let's hope for a return to form next week. Although the internet reaction seems overwhelmingly positive, so maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about.

[Murdoch]

No, it's not just you. This season so far hasn't lived up to last, I mean last week's episode was basically a half hour of Twilight jokes. I think the show needs to focus more on the government side of things, which has been mostly put aside this season to focus on character relationships. I'd be really happy to lose the Megan Mullaly character altogether.

[mfunk9786]

Another actor that Party Down seems to already have gotten the best out of.

[mfunk9786]

The Gizmo thing had LQ out of breath with laughter. I must admit, aside from the continued misuse of Adam Scott, this was the best episode so far this season.

The running Altavista joke was great - I would also have accepted Webcrawler.

[Zinoviev]

Or Hotbot.... Though I thought the Alta Vista joke was even funnier before Adam Scott "explained" it to us. Ron Swanson's typewriter was great. His fondness for tradition (cf the high and tight hair style) makes last week's corn rows even more inexplicable. I don't know that this season has yet reached the heights of Season 2.

[swo17]

Parks and Recreation: The Book. Also, apparently this show was renewed last week.

[domino harvey]

Damn, I didn't realize we weren't getting a full season this year. Unawesome sauce

[mfunk9786]

Yeah, I thought they were just going to cram in 22 episodes somehow. Goddamn Outsourced.

I might be in the minority here, but the mythology of the town of Pawnee just sort of bores me. I really don't know what I'd get out of that book. The show's appeal is its characters.

[Andre Jurieu]

Yeah, I thought they were just going to cram in 22 episodes somehow. Goddamn Outsourced.

I might be in the minority here, but the mythology of the town of Pawnee just sort of bores me. I really don't know what I'd get out of that book. The show's appeal is its characters.

Wait, are you trying to say you wouldn't just buy the book to get further history/insight on the significance of Li'l Sebastian?

[mfunk9786]

That's what I'm saying.

[swo17]

If that's true, then why did you just change your avatar to this?


[Note to a mod: Please do this. Thanks.]

[Murdoch]

From now on Julia Roberts will only be known to me as "that toothy girl from Mystic Pizza" (which gives me another laugh imagining Ron watching Mystic Pizza)

[Mr Sausage]

So I actually watched a full episode of this a few days ago. It was very funny, but I can't figure out why Rob Lowe is on this show. He did not say or do a single amusing thing for the entire episode. It was like a peppy, smiling void of unfunny, which annoyed me even more because it just meant less time spent with all the people who were actually funny.

[Cold Bishop]

I partly feel the same way, and will also add that I still think they're completely under-utilizing Adam Scott. However, we are at the point in the shooting schedule where it became clear that Lowe and Scott were going to be more than guest-stars, so hopefully they begin to make real use of them... And to be fair, as the first season demonstrates, the show has a way of really adding depth and shading to what seems to be very two-dimensional characters.

It's still not up to the level of last season, so I do hope you get back to those episodes.

[domino harvey]

Adam Scott's finally come into his own in the last few episodes, and he probably had the biggest laughs in the last one. I like Rob Lowe's health freak too-- as far as I'm concerned, everyone's pulling their weight again (though they really need to figure out what to do with Rashida Jones' character now that she has no real ties to any of the cast)

[Mr Sausage]

I've been watching the seasons backwards, and I'm shocked at how weak season one is. Granted, it's only six episodes long, but in hindsight it's all missteps. Most of the funny characters aren't given anything funny to do (Ron's basically a straight man, which should be impossible), and the show tries to force Leslie into being a slightly less awful version of Michael Scott. It's painful to watch the show embarrass her and load her with a level of failure and incompetence that her work ethic and dedication plainly don't deserve. Again, this is partly due to hindsight, but it still apparent that the show was struggling under the shadow of The Office, and I'm glad it came out from under it during the fantastic season 2.

As for Rob Lowe, I actually laughed at two things he said this past episode. But his character will never be successful because his beaming, nice guy attitude always seems forced and unconvincing next to someone like Andy, who is always genuinely and infectiously excited and happy to see his friends and talk about things he likes. I'd much rather they use Lowe's forced and stiff screen presence to make him a heartless and conniving person who covers it with a veneer of false positivity and happiness than keep him as is.

[Murdoch]

(though they really need to figure out what to do with Rashida Jones' character now that she has no real ties to any of the cast)

I know a sitcom has to remain somewhat insular so it doesn't get weighed down with too many characters, but I find it hard to believe that the only friends she has are her ex-boyfriend's friends from work.

[mfunk9786]

(though they really need to figure out what to do with Rashida Jones' character now that she has no real ties to any of the cast)

I know a sitcom has to remain somewhat insular so it doesn't get weighed down with too many characters, but I find it hard to believe that the only friends she has are her ex-boyfriend's friends from work.

To be fair though, she and Leslie are now best friends, which is enough of a connection as far as I'm concerned. And when you're in a relationship with someone like Season 1 Andy, life can get increasingly insulated from friends. And I think the show has done a good job of establishing that Ann isn't exactly socially comfortable, and has found sort of a surrogate family in the parks staff.

[Murdoch]

The Leslie connection makes sense for me, I think it's just that she works at a hospital which requires you to have some sort of connection with your coworkers, and she's Rashida Jones! But I'm just being picky, I hope the writers put in a little wink to the audience about this, like Anne saying she took the day off from work or something and Leslie replying "do you even work at the hospital anymore?" then cut to next scene.

[domino harvey]

I rewatched the last four or five episodes (whatever was still available on Comcast On Demand) in the background while doing work today and I rescind my comment. I had thought for some reason that Ann hadn't really been in the mix as Leslie's friend lately, but there she is. I guess I was taken aback by how she didn't come to Leslie's rescue when she called about April and Andy, but then again, that's understandable given her history. I'm loving the irresponsible head-first rush into major life decisions on the part of those two, by the way-- very true to the characters. I'm sure we all know at least one couple like April and Andy, for better or worse.

[Murdoch]

The buildup to Ron's birthday was the funniest thing this season, Ron's reactions throughout were perfect:

Spoiler

[mfunk9786]

This show is firing on all cylinders more perfectly than any comedy I've seen since Seinfeld

[Tom Hagen]

Apparently the J.D. Salinger of indie rock was referenced on this last night.

[HistoryProf]

I just had to come in and say that Parks and Recreation is officially the funniest show on TV right now. the two episodes last night *LITERALLY* had me in tears i was laughing so hard.

and...(This is right after she said 'penis' \:D/ )