Parks and Recreation - "End of the World"/"The Treaty"

Season 4, Episodes 6 & 7

“Yeah, sure. I’ll just tread water until you’re ready.”

Of the reviews that I’ve kept going this season (sorry, Terra Nova), Parks and Recreation has been the show that I’ve fallen through on the most. This shouldn’t be an indictment of the season, as I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit, unlike other critics you have been worried that the show is headed for a downhill slide in quality. But I think that there’s something to the concerns that P&R is using the same formula, and that it’s getting old. Now, I still think the show is delivering hilarious results, so I’m not too worried about the formula being used out just yet, but I do think makes it difficult for me to write about the show week to week, even if it remains my favorite comedies. So I might be changing up the reviews some as I see fit, starting today as I review both last week’s “End of the World” and this week’s “The Treaty”.

Why am I doing this? Well, in part to make up for skipping last week (as you can see, I wrote down quotes, but never an actual review), but also because the two work well as a companion piece in many ways. (Wasn’t that fortuitous?)

So let’s start with the A-plots, which were both fittingly about Ben and Leslie, and answered a question that I didn’t even know need answering – what’s the fallout from their breakup? The world of P&R is such and bright and sunny place (compliment!) that it didn’t even occur to me that The World’s Sweetest Breakup Ever might have more to it. I was so taken with the sweetest of Ben’s sacrifice, and convinced of the inevitability of their reunion, that it didn’t much occur to me to question what would happen after.

But, now that the show has forced me to think about it, it’s good that the show is dealing with it, and that it’s dealing with in sooner rather than later. One of the biggest problems facing shows with full order seasons is that it can be hard to tell a season-long serialized story arc and deliver enough of that story every week (or even every two or three weeks if you have more than one ongoing storyline) to keep the audience interested. To that end, I think the shortened episode order was a boon to P&R’s third season, as it forced the show to move things along in a more brisk fashion. Or, to put it another way: there probably would have been even more episodes in which that stupid “Government employees can’t date” rule kept the Ben and Leslie apart.

But here we are, dealing with their breakup, and the show is doing a fantastic job of it. “End” showed us just where there were in their break-up, in that Leslie not ready to let Ben go, and “Treaty” more or less reversed that position. While in both episodes Leslie is the one to overreact, but in the former she initiated the conflict, while in the later it’s Ben’s turn to have problems with their current arrangement. It was a great showcase for Adam Scott, especially when he too began to act out, and it also felt like forward progress in their breakup and reconciliation, while also reminding us that there’s still that passion to pull the two back together at some future point in the season.

That same issue of pacing can be brought up in regards to Tom. The show has had fun spinning him off into his own little storylines with Entertainment 720, and as fun as those have been, there’s always been the knowledge in the back of our minds that Tom would have to return to the Parks Department eventually. But as much as I hated the waiting game, I’ve enjoyed watching the show subtly play up this story line, ending with the three episode arc that started in “Meet ‘n’ Greet” and ended with “Treaty”. While I didn’t enjoy the show asking us to feel sorry for a character as douchey and selfish as Tom, it has gone out of its way to humble him over the past few episodes, and seeing him with Lucy, and last night at the hands of Ron, was just a fantastic way to bring him back into the fold.

And then there’s Chris. I often felt that the show hasn’t really known what to do with the character, and that probably comes out of the fact that Rob Lowe only signed on as a guest star for the first six episodes of season three, before becoming a full-fledged cast member, and I think they’ve always been a bit behind with fleshing him out because of it. While his’ courting of Jerry’s daughter has just been silly fun up to this point, it’s also run the risk of having the show push Chris too far into caricature. Last week slowed Chris down a little bit by having him interested in the idea of Reincarnation as an intellectual exercise without falling under the sways of the cult, and “Treaty” was about the most human we’ve seen him yet, as his and Ann’s talk about their relationship was a good learning opportunity for him, even if it felt like the show was retconning a lot of information.

(This also could possibly be a way to start up the Chris and Ann pairing, which I am strongly against. Not only do I like having seen Ann grow as a person since their breakup, but I never felt there as much chemistry there to justify the two of them getting back together, especially considering how simple there break-up ended up being.)

But there is also a dialectic between these two episodes as whole that’s also worth exploring. The high-concept heart of “End” that had the group acting out because of the end of the world (even if they didn’t believe in it) was big and bombastic by the show’s standards, especially when you compare the more powerful emotions the show was able to pair with a UN conference in “Treaty”.  I think that the show works best when it’s able to focus on the people as opposed to the concepts, and even if “End” gave us that wonderfully beautiful ending of Andy and April looking at the grand canyon, which is probably the high mark of this season, I also really liked how sweet they were in getting Ben and Leslie to sit down with one another in “Treaty”. If the show can keep delivering smaller, yet sill cute, moments like that on a regular basis, I think it will be more powerful for it.

Quotes, Etc:

“Again Andy, you don’t need to bow.” “As you wish.”

“You’re not giving me much notice, Herb, let me see what I can do.”

“Turns out when you think the world’s ending, you don’t aim so carefully in the porta-potties.”

“Tonight the followers of Reasonalbeism will be joining together to await the return of Zorp, the giant lizard god who will destroy the earth with his cleansing fire of judgment. Also, light refreshments will be served.”

“My company’s no better than a company where you ask a fake butler to Google things for you.”

“The worst things that’s ever happened on any of these events was Lance Armstrong dumping Cheryl Crow.”

“Lots of people don’t hang out. Jerry and April. Obama and Madonna, probably.”

“I’d like to remake the movie Kazaam where Shaquille O’Neal plays a genie, and get it right.”

“Teach my son how to throw a spiral…Have a son.”

“Evening, ladies, gentlemen. Hail Zorp.”

“Also, the Centurion VIP Area.” “Sponsored by Sobe Life Water.” “Nobody’s allowed in there, not even us.”

“This is all you want me to do? Pass out shrimp to people at the party?” “Yes! And stop asking questions!”

“We’ve never discussed sex.”

“God, I am so annoyed that he would hypothetically do that.”

“Is she more charming than me? Ann, if you saw yes, I swear I will kick you.”

“Oh my god, they’re going to have sex in five minutes.”

“Actually, we’re having a pretty nice talk.” “Keep your pants on.”

“What if you’re not here when Zorp shows up? Boy, would you face be red.” “Well, if Zorp shows up, your faces will be melted off and used for fuel.” “You’ll want to be here for that.”

“Then Lou had another interesting idea. What if there was a 28-foot tall lizard with a volcano for a mouth that controlled the universe?” “That is interesting.”

“What religion am I? Well, I’m a practicing None-Of-Your-Goddamn-Business.”

“You know, can I go? Gale is making a roast.”

“I think the most likely explanation is that legendary Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger owned this gas station from 1951 to 1958.”

“I actually forgot they ever dated. I was actually trying to hit that.”

“Guy’s got ears like a fruitbat.”

*********

“I kind of want to roll up my sleeves and make geopolitical problem solving my bitch.”

“Andy, will be Iceland?” “The bad guys in Mighty Ducks 2? I don’t think so.” “How about Japan?” “The bad guys in Karate Kid 2? Even worse. How about Germany? They’ve never been the bad guys.”

“Every three weeks I have to sand my toenails. They’re too tough for clippers.”

“Sarcasm again! You’re a delight!”

“We need you to lead us, or millions of people will starve to death. But most importantly, have fun!”

“You’ve got to dangle the carrot – literally and metaphorically.”

“Are you insane, he’s a million-year-old racist!” “He said he liked ethnic girls, Tom.”

“Then, lengthen it just a little to: ‘Tommy’s Place’.”

“I just traded Finland’s army to Kenya for 50 lions!”

“Shut up, Bulgaria!”

“The nation of Denmark needs a juice box.”

“This is incredibly inappropriate…” “Thank you….” “Okay, I’m game.”

“Food, schmood; this is war! Gah, it’s time for you to nut up, Switzerland.”

“The only thing I will be waving is your decapitated head on a stick in front of your weeping mother!”

“The moon will join your coalition!” “Yeah, we’ve got the freakin’ moon! What are you gonna do without tides, Peru?”

“When Ben gets upset he becomes a really bad roommate. He takes really long sadness baths and makes me late for stuff.”

“Ben, how are we going to get Kathy Ireland to do naked aerobics for them?”