Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow...
Everyone meet your meat!
I'm more than sure I probably said something similar to this when Season 4 premiered last year but, man, it's good to have Parks back. If you've been reading any of the IGN TV new show reviews of late, you'll have noticed a pattern: there's a lot of suck. And when you're bombarded with so many lazy, unfunny new comedies, it makes you appreciates the true gems even more.
"Ms. Knope Goes to Washington" followed Leslie and Andy as they visited D.C. to meet up with their significant sweeties, Ben and April. And while this Season 5 premiere had a killer side-story involving Ron, a doomed pig named Tom, grill virgins, watered-down beer for the kids, Sparkle Suds and "Tum-Rums" Tommy, I'm going to hand this episode over, as if it were a trophy, to Andy. I truly believe this was some of Chris Pratt's finest work ever.
Ron Swanson is an incredible character, and he rightfully gets a ton of critical and internet worship. But the often-overlooked Andy is incredibly key to the comedy of this show. Yes, his dunce character isn't as fresh as Ron's libertarian carnivore, but Pratt has found a new inside track to the time-honored buffoon. My biggest laughs came from Andy in D.C., throwing away the guide book, thinking all the boob and penis-looking buildings held National Treasure-type clues, making a shrimp claw at a fancy political gala, and lauding the White House for being the place where Sinbad lived in the movie, First Kid. By the way, any and all First Kid references will be met by a standing slow clap by me. Amalgam. Nailed it.
Leslie and Ben are still going strong, even though Leslie gets momentarily stricken by jealously when she sees the gaggle of "Hot Rebeccas" that Ben works and mingles with on a daily basis. She becomes so distraught that she can't even function in front of her heroes, Senators Olympia Snowe and Barbara Boxer. Or notice that John McCain is standing right behind her trying to get his coat. Energetic, excited tour guide Leslie finds herself snow(e) blind when faced with the vast, impersonal bureaucracy of Washington and the end result is that even something as small as hearing the names of all the other Pawnees gives her anxiety. And us laughs. Even that craphole Pawnee, Missouri.
Meanwhile, back in the non-craphole Pawnee, Leslie's not around to lead the annual "Leslie Knope Employment Enjoyment Summerslam Grill Jam Fun-Splosion." So it's up to Ron. Who naturally assumes all anyone wants to do is eat a ton of meat and stand around in quiet solitude. Yes, "good, shared meat" is apparently Ron's idea for social glue. But since no one else respects the process, or the potential slaughtering of "Pig Tom" in front of children, Ron takes his barbecue and goes home. Literally. He drives off with the freakin' thing in tow.
This show has also done a great job of pairing Ann up with Tom while still never making them a full-fledged item; an idea that I feel many of us were against when it was presented to us last season. Now, they still might end up together, but if it does happen, I predict it will feel a bit more earned and less random. As if Ann was just making her rounds through every male cast member. But so far, so good. They're toying with us. By having Ann and Tom pretend to be in a relationship - as the glitter-soaked "Haverkins" - just to spite people.
Parks and Rec continues its run of being infinitely quotable while having some of the funniest and sweetest characters on TV. Nothing ever gets too dark or too reference-y, but it's still able to capture the attention of oft-cynical critics like myself. At this point, this series probably has fewer days ahead of it than behind and I'll always wonder why it never caught on more, or drew a larger audience, than it did.
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and IGN. WARNING: No Nudity!
Source : ign[dot]com
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