Parks And Recreation - "Dave Returns"

Season 4, Episode 15

While watching “Dave Returns” I couldn't shake the feeling as if the Parks and Recreation writers were splitting their bets between this and last week's episodes as to which one should be Valentine's Day themed. Okay, that's not entirely true, considering that “Operation Ann” was so explicitly about romance that it even had a scene at a V-Day dance. But it is interesting to note how the theme of romance bridges these two episodes, both in terms of continued Ann/Tom arc, and in the larger sense as well.

Now, having Dave return to the show is a triumph for many reasons. Louis CK is of course awesome in the role, and it's always good to have somebody that funny come back to the show and add their own comedic sensibilities on top of the show's general week-to-week funniness. But the fact that Dave's presence is exactly as good as it was during CK's stint on the show in early season two – when the show had make a quick turn around in quality from season one, and was impressing just about everybody who watched it – reminds us of just how successful the show has been at keep up the quality these past two-plus years, no easy feet in the world of TV comedy.

Yet that is all meta-textual analysis, and in no way has any bearing on the events within the episode itself. The obvious stand-off (and let's face it, I'm being generous when using that term) between Leslie's former and current B-personality beaus says a lot about the character. In most shows – or at least in most dramas, where this so of premise is likelier to occur – the return of an old boyfriend is meant to present a moment of temptation (and possibly weakness) for the main character, as a way to stir up some (usually very calculated) drama. In P&R, Dave's return drives the comedy, sure, but there's something important in the comparison between these two men.

While their shared submissiveness is not such a surprise – of course Leslie would need to be in a relationship that she could control most of the time – their differences say a lot about how much she's grown. The more alpha of the two males, Dave has a terse and gruff way about him that makes him seem more manly in comparison, yes, but also makes him a far more awkward individual. Even the way he speaks seem to indicate that he's so wrapped up in the world's perception of him, but the only way he can attempt to control that is through direct, blunt words. If anything, this hour seeks to remind us of how awkward Dave was, and what a bad fit he was for Leslie. (Remember, she more or less went on that first date with him for a lack of better choices.)

So as much crap as the show gives Ben for his being a pushover and generally weak about everything, he comes off glimmering by comparison. He's a more emotionally available and communicative individual, and that makes him far more suited to date Leslie. But a lot of that is probably timing; Leslie grew a lot as a person since her crush on the unattainable Mark back in season one, through a combination of both seasonal retooling and (more importantly) the various challenges that she's had to overcome in the past few years. She's become much more self-assure, and she no longer has to settle for a guy like Dave. In fact, she's so confident that Dave can't pull any kind of shit with her. Just check out the way she shamed him using only a glare upon finding Ben handcuffed to the urinal.

That the rest of the cast was all stuck in one place – the recording studio – could have been disastrous, or at least a fairly explicit reminder of how often the show tends to sideline it's “ensemble” cast in favor of giving Leslie the A-story. However, these scenes were wisely split between just two stories, and they were both entertaining enough to distract me from the general sidelining of these characters.

The real winner here was Andy, who in a rare moment of self-reflection becomes aware of how little he can actually contribute to Leslie's campaign. Andy's always been a big goofball with an even bigger heart, so it shouldn't be surprising that he was so willing to throw himself into something in order to help out one of his few friends. But the fact that he realized that the only really helpful thing he can do is to craft a campaign for Leslie, and that this was driving him to achieve perfection was a really sweet note for the character, and hopefully a stepforward that will stick and make him less obtuse in the furture.

It's of course ironic that Andy's moment of self-reflection doesn't also lead him realize that he's not actually all that great at crafting songs, though part of that blame has to go to Ron, who stopped Andy before he could reach that specific realization. We could of course chastise Ron for stunting Andy's growth, but he's done so much already by trying to give Leslie the perfect campaign song that Ron's secret assiting with the song's production feels more like a reward for a job well done. Even more importantly, Ron's embrace of his musical talent feels like a step forward for him, as if he might one day be able to open to his friends about his alter ego.

(Although if we're being honest, this doesn't count as the return of Duke Silver, at least not in my eyes. I demand to see Nick Offerman in a stylish hat, a saxaphone against his pursed lips, and preferably in a night club surrounded by middle ages women.)

The continuation of Tom and Ann's romance was the least satisfying of all the episodes' plots, though not in any sort of comedic sense. Tom's desperation with women is always good for a few laughs, as if Ann's general annoyance with him. No, I was mostly bothered by the episode's suggestion that Ann is staying with Tom out of her own desperation, mostly because A) I find it hard to believe that someone who looks like Rashida Jones would ever have a problem finding a suitable man and B) it doesn't really feel like the show has earned this, that they've given her enough to be worn down about that she would date Tom. This is still something that could be fixed in the upcoming weeks, which is good, because that's going to have to happen if the show wants us to care at all about this plotline.

Quotes and Other Thoughts:

“Oh god, here it comes – 9/11....”

“And I dropped them all – all of them, like a thousand.”

“Yes, Leslie Knope is a female person with whom I was involved. We had a romantical involvement.”

“I heard he make mature women swoon when he sways.”

“When you two spoon, who spoons who?” 

“Okay, we'll get rid of him when he's in the wizz palace.”

“He's a gorgeous genius people, don't question his method.”

“You look like I could use some company.”

“Mine's really just a cup of honey, because tea's gross.”

“I think you sound like an angel, and everybody else sound like demons.”

“I still have feelings for Leslie, in a womanly fashion, and I believe she feels the same about me, in a manly fashion.”

“And then acted more feminine than he does in front of you.”

“I never thought I'd say this to you son, but you're over thinking this.”

“What on earth would make you think I would like that?” “Movies.”

“I mean him for doing that, not him for calling you a bitch, you tell me where he is, and I'll punch him too.”

“The four sweetest words in the English language: 'You wore me down.'”