Parks and Recreation - "Ann's Decision" - Review

There are plenty of instances where you may like something, but you find it impossible to articulate why that is. You know it’s good, but you just can’t put your finger on it. Explaining your feelings episode to episode, while maintaining variety and trying to not to fall into the same old patterns, can make it difficult at times to write about a show. If an episode is just flat out spectacular or if it bombed like crazy, you’re going to have good deal to plumb from it. But when an episode isn’t doing anything particularly special, but it’s still good and still representative of the show, well, what do you say then?

My most recent review of Cougar Town is quite frankly a total mess. It fails to capture exactly what I wanted to say; it’s too vague in places and it leaves out a few ideas that in hindsight should have been put down. But I’m fine with leaving it a bit haphazard-like because I’m attempting to use this blog in part as a learning tool. Hopefully the more I write, the better equipped I’ll be to address what makes a series and individual episodes work or don’t work. 

Which is to say, Parks and Rec was very good but I couldn’t say why I liked it much beyond I really enjoy this ensemble and I think the writers give them material that plays really well to their strengths. Not much changes really from episode to episode. The biggest things to happen this season are Ron dating Xena Princess Warrior, and Leslie and Ben getting engaged. These big events happened, got absorbed into the show’s DNA, and then the series has carried on undisturbed. Yes, we’ve had episodes that are suggestive of preparing for the eventual wedding but they play out like any old plot the series would be doing anyway. Down the line we’ll probably get a big, fabulous, adorable wedding and I’m sure the series will manage to invert the concept in such a way that it fails to be “stunt”-like. 

But otherwise, though this episode isn’t the most outstanding episode the series has produced, it’s still very, very funny. 

The food tasting scene is filled with great little character jokes; Ben failing to recognize that breaded Italian dish is calzones; Tom “Instagram”-ing his food rather than eating it and describing one dish as “a good book I would likely not read, but would probably enjoy the movie version of”. Funnier still is the day after where everyone but Tom finds themselves with food poisoning. Nick Offerman’s calculated movements to show his physical discomfort is a great piece of physical comedy. 

April dressing up as Leslie is not only amusing but also speaks to her aspirations to be like Leslie. When Andy purposely does a misdirect and hides Leslie’s outfit in order to force April to handle the town hall meeting in her own way, I was smiling a big ‘ole grin. Especially when right after April asserted herself and shut down the usual loonies at these kinds of meetings (most memorably one who wants a “topless park”).

We also get the return of the always welcome Nick Kroll as “The Douche”, Pawnee radio personality, who, to Leslie’s chagrin, is suddenly baby-crazed Ann’s top candidate as a sperm donor.

All in all it’s another pleasing episode carried by the charm and chemistry of a strong cast and writers who utilize them well. It’s all the more impressive an episode for carrying three storylines. In the hands of less competent writers, three stories would make this feel overstuffed and none of them would get their fair due. But everyone is still given some nice moments (even Ann who despite my affection for Rashida Jones is usually my least favorite character but has been well used this season), and none of it feels rushed or forced. 

Grade: A-