Season 3, Episodes 15 & 16
A strong outing for Ben and Leslie; everything else plays second banana.
Much like last week, I was going to split this discussion up by the two episodes, since they weren’t really meant to be air as an hour long block, but NBC decided to air them like that anyways. (Case in point: Even though there were title screens marking “Part 1” and “Part 2” like this was a full hour, they still showed the intro credits for the second half.) But then the show had to go and ruin those plans by having the Ben/Leslie relationship carry relatively seamlessly among the two episodes. So I’ll offer up my opinions of the Ben/Leslie plot(s) first, then I’ll break down the discussion so that I can talk about other things from the two episodes separately.
Ben and Leslie have always had a lot of sweet chemistry between them, which is one of the things that I think made it so successful on a show that was just finishing off the April and Andy romance while simultaneously starting up a (albeit short-lived) romance between Chris and Ann. It’s a special bond that the two share, and as much as we care about that bond, apparently Leslie cares about it even more. What I like about the “bubble” concept is that it simultaneously serves three masters, as we can continue to see the sweetness in the relationship, yet the show can keep the dramatic momentum going without selling the relationship out to Chris so soon, which would have felt cheap in light of the fact that the two just hooked up last episode. So Leslie’s mom is a good place to start, as it is something that is relatable to the audience, yet she also served as a symbol of the government, and Leslie telling her mom about the relationship is like a smaller-scale version of her telling Chris.
Yet having Ron find out didn’t work so well, mostly because Ron is very good about protecting his friends, and doing anything that will make them happy, which includes not selling them out to upper management, who, let’s face it, Ron hates in the first place. So the risk here didn’t really exist. Luckily the show turned this into a learning experience for the two of them as to the job troubles their relationship can get them into (another lesson also covered by their experience with the elder Mrs. Knope), up to and including searing off most of Ron’s facial hair. (And I don’t exactly why, but something about the amount of hair that was left on Ron’s face made that sight gag just even funnier. Most shows would go for all the hair off, but P&R went the extra mile by leaving random bits of mustache on. Tough mustache, that one.)
But I draw the line at the cliffhanger. Thought the drama up to that point felt real – they had been warned the four episodes prior about the dangers of workplace romances – something about Leslie’s sudden rise to the higher levels of government seems forced. It’s not that I don’t believe that Leslie isn’t capable or hasn’t earned the right to do so – “Eagleton” a few weeks back proved that she could rise in politics – it’s just that the timing of it all feels unnatural, and I can see the show adding on layers just to bring back viewers in the fall. And maybe it was because “Lil’ Sebastian” seemed full of false cliffhangers, but I get the sense that some of these things will be wiped away all too quickly in the fall, and if one of those things is the latest hurdle in the Ben-Leslie pairing, then I’ll be frustrated. But then again, I’ll also be frustrated if the show goes through with it, so they’re in kind of a lose-lose situation here as far as I am concerned.
“The Bubble”
The only other real plot on display in this episode tonight was the series of gags about how Chris set out to reorganize the Parks Department (and I’m guessing the other city departments as well). While it was great to see the various drones out of their element – especially Jerry trying to pull off HR work – and to see Ron first enjoy the move that will hold up the government, but then eventually go against his beliefs for the sake of his friends, the best subplot was Tom and Andy on the fourth floor. Not only is the Tom/Andy pairing a great one that I think the show should indulge in just a bit more (Tom’s douchiness just bounces so well off of Andy’s unrefined nature), something about throwing them into the hell dimension of City Hall was great, especially all the weirdly specific problems that exist there. Oh, and that guy with the coffee pot. I don’t know what that was about, but it sure got a laugh out of me.
“Lil’ Sebastian”
I’m not sure what it is, but something about the A-plot, Lil’ Sebastian’s funeral, didn’t exactly click with me in the way that it should have. Don’t get me wrong – even just hearing that there was an episode named “Lil’ Sebastian” had me excited, and I thought and still think that basing an episodes around a big memorial service for an overly-beloved animal is a great idea for a comedy series to do. Heck, this episode even copied the structure of “Harvest Festival” (which I still maintain is one of the best episodes the show has done) as the memorial helped to keep all the scattered bits of plot together. But somehow it didn’t click. Now, there were very good bits surrounding the funeral, but I think what kept me from loving itself is that a) we only ever saw Lil’ Sebastian and the town’s reaction to him once and b) that reaction was so extreme that I don’t think the show could ever top that in funeral form, even if they put a good effort to doing so here.
One of the bits I did like, however, was watching Chris being forced to face his immortality. Back in “The Flu” we had to see what would happen if Chris’ perfect microchip of a body ever got a grain of sand in it, and there was the same kind of hilarious fallout here, only this time it was emotional instead of physical. I also liked seeing Andy attempt to write a song for Lil’ Sebastian, both because I like Mouse Rat and because the song was actually kind of good. (Seriously NBC, if you decided to sell that thing, I will buy it.) But what really made it work was seeing April act as the de facto manager of Andy’s band (perhaps to make up for her failing as a wife last week), and then for it to become official, in a moment that was perhaps even sweeter than their wedding.
But where this episode really fell apart (I don’t blame it for the Lil’ Sebastian stuff not working for me, as I feel I may be in the minority on that one) was the fact that the closing party/wake scene – which seemed to have very little to do with the rest of the episode – was set up almost entirely to give us a bunch of cliffhangers to carry us through the summer. Leslie gets that government job offer. Tom’s left the Parks Department for a private business venture. Chris seems interested in getting back with Ann. We see the briefest glimpse of Tammy I’s torso.
I am all for cliffhangers, especially well-done ones, but none of these are that well constructed. Tom is certain to come back to the Parks Department after his business inevitably fails. Though their re-coupling is pretty much perfunctory at this point, something as the speed of the turnaround on Chris’ part feels forced, and the show still has to deal with Ann’s currently unhealthy relationship with guys, something that I’m not sure it’s capable of doing. Tammy I admittedly isn’t a real plot, so why did the show feel the need to introduce her here? What was the point, besides learning that Tammy II is afraid of her (in what feels like a wasted cameo for Megan Mulally)? And Leslie…well, I already made my complaint above.
Yet despite my dislike for these turns, I still have faith, because hey, this is Parks & Rec, and they’ve given us a pretty stellar run, dating back several episodes into season two. So it’s quite possible that they will turn this all around, and that I might even like some of the twist I despise now. I guess we’ll find out in the fall.
Quotes, Etc.:
“Stewart, please, could you give us like 45 minutes?”
“Last time I was up there I saw somebody buy crystal meth out of a vending machine. It’s a bad place.”
“You told me to say your name.” “And you did a great job superstar.”
“It’s somehow both freezing and humid.”
“Try not to move too much stuff around, because this is technically still a crime scene.”
“At one point, for no reason, I took off my shoes and just held them.”
“A cute fascist hard ass, but still….”
“I’d like to discuss your rhyming, Dr. Seuss.”
“So you need to swivel your ass down to his office and have a word with him.”
“You need a lobotomy. I’ll get a saw.”
“Why you got to be like that, Ethel?”
******
“You want to get run over? Cause I know a guy.”
“We can be happy to know he’s in heaven, doing the two things he loves most: eating carrots and urinating.”
“Half-mast it too high; show some damn respect.”
“Dr. Harris, you are literally the meanest man I have ever met.”
“Something like ‘Candle in the Wind’, but like 5,000 times better.”
“Cube butt! Cube butt! Cube butt!”
“This is a memorial service for Lil’ Sebastian, not double coupon night at the strip club.”
“Maybe we should just Photoshop that out.”
“And he is terrible, face-wise.”
“Show me Nancy Pelosi again.”
“Please tell me you hung up before Ruth Bader Ginsberg.”
“Which one floats your penis?”
“Code red: Coconut just took a dump on stage.”
“I hope you brought a change of clothes, because your eyes are about to piss tears.”
“If you know one thing about me, it’s that I prefer laying wreaths to lighting torches.”
“Are you made at me? Because without eyebrows, it’s hard to tell.”
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