On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Two of Parks and Recreation!
PARKS AND RECREATION: SEASON TWO
2009-201024 episodes
After a rough start to the series, Parks and Recreation came back for season two with a much clearer focus of the show it wanted to be. The improvement from the six episode first season to the second season is truly something to behold. I can't think of a more dramatic difference for the better in sitcom history. It doesn't get all the way there in its second season. They still have the lingering issues with the Mark Brendanawicz character. But they fix that at the end of the season too with his departure and the arrival of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, the last missing pieces to make the show truly spectacular.
Starring
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope (24 episodes)
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins (23 episodes)
Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz (24 episodes)
Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford (24 episodes)
Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson (23 episodes)
Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate (23 episodes)
Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer (22 episodes)
Jim O'Heir as Jerry Gergich (24 episodes)
Jaima Williamson as Wendy Haverford (7 episodes)
Starring
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope (24 episodes)
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins (23 episodes)
Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz (24 episodes)
Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford (24 episodes)
Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson (23 episodes)
Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate (23 episodes)
Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer (22 episodes)
Jim O'Heir as Jerry Gergich (24 episodes)
Retta as Donna Meagle (21 episodes)
Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger (2 episodes)
Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt (2 episodes)
Louis C.K. as Dave Sanderson (5 episodes)
7. Pawnee Zoo (9/17/09)
Leslie's stunt to have penguins marry at the zoo turns into a fiasco when it turns out it was two male penguins and Leslie faces opposition from a conservative group and praise from the gay community.
After it's so-so first season, Parks and Recreation really figured things out over the summer and opened season two with its strongest episode to that point. It starts right at the beginning with the cold open and is hilarious all the way through. Some highlights include Leslie at the club, the first appearances of Joan Callamezzo and Marcia Langman and Andy's hilarious attempt to be more mature. The show was smart to start doing stories not about the pit and this was a hilariously clever take on a major political issue at the time. It really is incredible to watch this episode right after episode six and see how much they've figured things out.
RATING: 9.5/10
8. The Stakeout (9/24/09)
After discovering marijuana growing in the community garden in the pit, Leslie sets up a stakeout with Tom to find the culprit on the same night Ann and Mark go on their first date. Ron has a hernia but won't seek help for it.
I was always kind of mixed on Louis C.K. even before his whole #MeToo scandal so I was never the biggest fan of his episodes on Parks and Recreation though he does have a funny monologue at the end of the episode. This episode is still more sure of it than any of season one's episodes but it's not nearly as strong as the season two premiere. The best story is Ron's hernia because it starts to showcase the relationship between Ron and April and has the iconic line "I'm Ron F***ing Swanson."
RATING: 6.5/10
9. Beauty Pageant (10/1/09)
Leslie and Tom judge a local Miss Pawnee pageant. Ann discovers that Andy has been living in the pit.
Nick Offerman is absent from an episode for the first and only time in this one. Even without Ron Swanson, it's a pretty strong entry. The Miss Pawnee pageant is a great example of the local Pawnee community being such a funny part of the series. There are some very funny moments with the different pageant contestants (including April) as well as the way Leslie and Tom view their roles. April has such a funny line at the end of the episode about being glad she didn't make any friends. The Andy-April-Mark story is decent thanks in large part to Chris Pratt.
RATING: 8/10
10. Practice Date (10/8/09)
Leslie goes on a practice date with Ann to prepare for a date with Dave. After a sex scandal of a local congressman, the Parks Department plays a game to try to dig up dirt on the others.
There's a couple notable firsts in this episode. This is the first time we meet Perd Hapley, although he's not really the character he becomes. We also see Ron's altar ego, Duke Silver, as we start to understand what an enigma the Ron Swanson character is. This is also the first episode where they start to really make clear what a loser Jerry is. All these notable firsts help make an episode with two so-so plots much better. Without knowing what some of these characters became, I wonder if it would have seemed as strong but it definitely does when you know the series as a whole.
RATING: 7/10
11. Sister City (10/15/09)
Leslie and the Parks Department welcome delegates from a sister city in Venezuela to Pawnee but they turn out to be very difficult to deal with.
This is a funny concept and its bolstered by a terrific guest appearance by Amy Poehler's SNL pal Fred Armisen. But the problem with this episode is it's sort of a one-trick pony. The joke keeps being the same pretty much all the way through - the Venezuelans are horrified by Pawnee and think it's a terrible place. Then they basically just re-tell the same joke in different ways through the rest of the episode. That was common in older sitcoms but not too common in more recent shows. I think the lack of a second, perhaps unrelated, story makes the main plot feel redundant.
RATING: 3.5/10
12. Kaboom (10/22/09)
Inspired by a program to build a playground in a day, Leslie wants to fill in the pit but ends up injuring Andy in the process and he threatens to sue.
Parks and Recreation moved forward so much in season two in large part because they got away from the pit story that consumed season one. This episode has some really funny moments (Leslie's frantic attempts to reach Andy and the dueling lawyers) but the biggest problem is it gets back to being all about the pit. It was almost like they boxed themselves into that story and had to revisit it once in awhile and this episode does that. But it feels like it belongs in Season One. This is also the only episode in the series without Aubrey Plaza.
RATING: 4/10
13. Greg Pikitis (10/29/09)
On Halloween, Leslie attempts to track down a teenager named Greg Pikitis who she thinks is vandalizing the town. Ann throws a Halloween party that is lame until Tom arrives.
The first Halloween episode of Parks and Recreation is a good one that introduces Andy's FBI alter ego, Burt Macklin. This is a very funny and clever story with Leslie going toe to toe with a punk high school kid. The dynamics between them are very funny especially when he makes Andy cry. The twists and turns in the story are fun too. The Halloween party story is not as strong aside from some fun costumes but it's serviceable for a Halloween episode.
RATING: 7.5/10
14. Ron and Tammy (11/5/09)
Leslie and Ron have to deal with Ron's ex-wife at the library over a dispute with the empty lot. Andy gets a job as a shoe shiner at City Hall.
I'm just going to say this now, I'm not a big fan of Megan Mullally in anything. I think she tends to overact and I find her characters unbearable, including on Parks and Recreation. However, what I do like about her episodes is the effect she has on Ron and the constant put-downs of the library by the parks staff, which becomes a recurring gag right through to the very last episode. So while Tammy herself is a lot to handle, she provides good comedy for Ron. Getting Andy into City Hall on a regular basis is a bit of a stretch but they make it work and now he gets to interact with the rest of the cast more.
RATING: 6.5/10
15. The Camel (11/12/09)
City Hall holds a contest for each department to come up with a new mural and Leslie tries to get the Parks Department excited about it. Ron and Andy have an awkward moment when Andy is shining Ron's shoes.
This episode brings a lot of the parks staff together on a project. While the premise is a little flimsy and maybe doesn't quite work enough to be an A story, it is not without its moments. In particular, the show has very clearly started to decide how to treat the Jerry character with the staff seeing his mural entry (clearly the best one) but not able to get over the fact that he called it a "murinal." The Ron-Andy story is just OK but well executed by Nick Offerman and Chris Pratt.
RATING: 5/10
16. Hunting Trip (11/19/09)
Leslie insists on the girls and Tom joining Ron, Mark and Jerry on their hunting trip. April and Andy bond while stuck on hold with the state at the office.
There's a ton of comedy in this episode and some great performances all the way around. This is a good example of Leslie being both infuriating and endearing and I love when the show gives Amy Poehler a chance to riff. I always feel like those quick cuts involve a fair bit of improv but I'm not sure. Either way, she nails it. The sweetest part of the episode is the first real foray into April and Andy as a potential couple. There's instant chemistry between Aubrey Plaza and Chris Pratt.
RATING: 8.5/10
17. Tom's Divorce (12/3/09)
Leslie discovers that Tom and Wendy are getting divorced and tries to cheer him up. Andy tries to hustle Mark in pool.
Although not one of my favorite episodes, this episode is good character development for Tom and the relationship between Leslie and Tom. It also has a hilarious moment for Ron when he discovers the strip club has a breakfast buffet. There's also some funny orders at the dinosaur restaurant and Andy's attempts to embarrass Mark. The ensuing Andy-Mark-Ann story is not very interesting or funny and I can't even totally blame wet blanket Mark. It's just not a funny story in an arc that is lacking.
RATING: 4.5/10
18. Christmas Scandal (12/10/09)
Leslie finds herself caught up in a scandal with a horny councilman. Andy tries to help April think of a gift for her gay boyfriend. Ron covers for Leslie's meetings.
The first Christmas episode of Parks and Recreation is not all Christmas-themed but has some surrounding holiday details. The main story is Leslie getting wrapped up in a scandal. It highlights something Parks and Recreation does really well which is take tropes from national stories and put it into a small city like Pawnee. That's what makes the relentless media coverage of the non-scandal so funny. The Ron story is funny too with a little shout out to the Swine Flu which very clearly puts the show in 2009. My only wish is that the plot was a little more Christmas-themed.
RATING: 7/10
19. The Set Up (1/14/10)
Ann sets up Leslie with a friend of hers to help her get over Dave but not with her friend Justin who seems like a more natural fit. Ron tasks Tom with hiring an assistant for him.
This episode might have been billed as primarily being about Will Arnett's guest appearance as Arnett was married to Amy Poehler at the time. But this episode goes down in Parks and Recreation lore as the first appearance of the great Jean Ralphio. One of my favorite recurring characters in the history of TV, Ben Schwartz's Jean Ralphio may not be as wild as he becomes but he's already got a pretty good grasp of the character in a hilarious scene with Ron. Although I'm not always a big fan of Arnett, he has some pretty funny moments here too.
RATING: 8/10
20. Leslie's House (1/21/10)
Leslie invites everyone to her house for a dinner party to impress Justin and enlists teachers from the community center whose courses are in danger of being cut.
Dinner parties are usually a ripe topic for sitcom hilarity but that doesn't quite happen on Parks and Recreation. I think there were perhaps too many characters and too much going on for anything to really land from a humor standpoint. There are some funny moments (including another Swine Flu reference!) but it just doesn't actually all come together despite being the first episode with scenes at Leslie's house. There's a lot of iconic dinner party episodes in TV history, this is not one of them.
RATING: 3.5/10
21. Sweetums (2/4/10)
The Parks Department teams up with the Sweetums Candy company but Ann and Leslie become concerned about how unhealthy their products are. Tom enlists Mark, Jerry, Donna, April and Andy to help him move.
This episode is the first introduction of Sweetums as a major industry in Pawnee. Of course it will be more important to the story later on during Paul Rudd's arc. This episode has probably the best town forum scene yet with such gems like "if sugar is so bad, how come Jesus made it taste so good?" The B-story with the moving is also pretty funny even with Tom being everyone's worst nightmare when you volunteer to help them move.
RATING: 8/10
22. Galentine's Day (2/11/10)
Leslie and Justin try to find a long lost lover of Leslie's mom for Valentine's Day. April gets frustrated with Derek and Ben as she spends more time with Andy. Tom tries to win Wendy back.
Another Parks and Recreation tradition is born here with "Galentine's Day," which has transcended the show although it's really only discussed in the opening scene. The biggest development in this episode is the continued connection between Andy and April. Whoever decided that they should be a couple was a genius because they have such great chemistry and April is so sweet with regards to Andy compared to how she approaches the rest of life. I also am a big fan of Mouse Rat's rendition of "The Way You Look Tonight." The story with Leslie, Justin, Leslie's mom and guest star John Larroquette is just okay but it does move the show on from Justin, which is a good thing.
RATING: 7/10
23. Woman of the Year (3/4/10)
The Best Episodes
The Worst Episodes
Josh Duvendeck as Ben (5 episodes)
Andy Forrest as Kyle (5 episodes)
Blake Lee as Derek (5 episodes)
Phil Reeves as Paul Iaresco (5 episodes)
Mo Collins as Joan Callamezzo (4 episodes)
Alison Becker as Shauna Malwae-Tweep (3 episodes)
Megan Mullally as Tammy Swanson (1 episode)
Susan Yeagley as Jessica Wicks (1 episode)
Andy Forrest as Kyle (5 episodes)
Blake Lee as Derek (5 episodes)
Phil Reeves as Paul Iaresco (5 episodes)
Mo Collins as Joan Callamezzo (4 episodes)
Alison Becker as Shauna Malwae-Tweep (3 episodes)
Andrew Burlinson as Burly (3 episodes)
Jay Jackson as Perd Hapley (3 episodes)Mark Rivers as Rivers (3 episodes)
Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (3 episodes)Alan Yang as Chang (3 episodes)
John Balma as Barney (2 episodes)
Mel Cowan as Mel (2 episodes)
Kirk Fox as Joe (2 episodes)
Yvans Jourdain as Councilman Howser (2 episodes)
Jim Meskiman as Martin Housely (2 episodes)
Natalie Morales as Lucy (2 episodes)Pamela Reed as Marlene Griges-Knope (2 episodes)
Kevin Symons as Councilman Bill Dexhart (2 episodes)Cooper Thornton as Dr. Harris (2 episodes)
Colton Dunn as Brett (1 episode)
Darlene Hunt as Marcia Langman (1 episode)Megan Mullally as Tammy Swanson (1 episode)
Susan Yeagley as Jessica Wicks (1 episode)
Harris Wittels as Harris (1 episode)
Leslie's stunt to have penguins marry at the zoo turns into a fiasco when it turns out it was two male penguins and Leslie faces opposition from a conservative group and praise from the gay community.
After it's so-so first season, Parks and Recreation really figured things out over the summer and opened season two with its strongest episode to that point. It starts right at the beginning with the cold open and is hilarious all the way through. Some highlights include Leslie at the club, the first appearances of Joan Callamezzo and Marcia Langman and Andy's hilarious attempt to be more mature. The show was smart to start doing stories not about the pit and this was a hilariously clever take on a major political issue at the time. It really is incredible to watch this episode right after episode six and see how much they've figured things out.
RATING: 9.5/10
8. The Stakeout (9/24/09)
After discovering marijuana growing in the community garden in the pit, Leslie sets up a stakeout with Tom to find the culprit on the same night Ann and Mark go on their first date. Ron has a hernia but won't seek help for it.
I was always kind of mixed on Louis C.K. even before his whole #MeToo scandal so I was never the biggest fan of his episodes on Parks and Recreation though he does have a funny monologue at the end of the episode. This episode is still more sure of it than any of season one's episodes but it's not nearly as strong as the season two premiere. The best story is Ron's hernia because it starts to showcase the relationship between Ron and April and has the iconic line "I'm Ron F***ing Swanson."
RATING: 6.5/10
9. Beauty Pageant (10/1/09)
Leslie and Tom judge a local Miss Pawnee pageant. Ann discovers that Andy has been living in the pit.
Nick Offerman is absent from an episode for the first and only time in this one. Even without Ron Swanson, it's a pretty strong entry. The Miss Pawnee pageant is a great example of the local Pawnee community being such a funny part of the series. There are some very funny moments with the different pageant contestants (including April) as well as the way Leslie and Tom view their roles. April has such a funny line at the end of the episode about being glad she didn't make any friends. The Andy-April-Mark story is decent thanks in large part to Chris Pratt.
RATING: 8/10
Leslie goes on a practice date with Ann to prepare for a date with Dave. After a sex scandal of a local congressman, the Parks Department plays a game to try to dig up dirt on the others.
There's a couple notable firsts in this episode. This is the first time we meet Perd Hapley, although he's not really the character he becomes. We also see Ron's altar ego, Duke Silver, as we start to understand what an enigma the Ron Swanson character is. This is also the first episode where they start to really make clear what a loser Jerry is. All these notable firsts help make an episode with two so-so plots much better. Without knowing what some of these characters became, I wonder if it would have seemed as strong but it definitely does when you know the series as a whole.
RATING: 7/10
11. Sister City (10/15/09)
Leslie and the Parks Department welcome delegates from a sister city in Venezuela to Pawnee but they turn out to be very difficult to deal with.
This is a funny concept and its bolstered by a terrific guest appearance by Amy Poehler's SNL pal Fred Armisen. But the problem with this episode is it's sort of a one-trick pony. The joke keeps being the same pretty much all the way through - the Venezuelans are horrified by Pawnee and think it's a terrible place. Then they basically just re-tell the same joke in different ways through the rest of the episode. That was common in older sitcoms but not too common in more recent shows. I think the lack of a second, perhaps unrelated, story makes the main plot feel redundant.
RATING: 3.5/10
12. Kaboom (10/22/09)
Inspired by a program to build a playground in a day, Leslie wants to fill in the pit but ends up injuring Andy in the process and he threatens to sue.
Parks and Recreation moved forward so much in season two in large part because they got away from the pit story that consumed season one. This episode has some really funny moments (Leslie's frantic attempts to reach Andy and the dueling lawyers) but the biggest problem is it gets back to being all about the pit. It was almost like they boxed themselves into that story and had to revisit it once in awhile and this episode does that. But it feels like it belongs in Season One. This is also the only episode in the series without Aubrey Plaza.
RATING: 4/10
On Halloween, Leslie attempts to track down a teenager named Greg Pikitis who she thinks is vandalizing the town. Ann throws a Halloween party that is lame until Tom arrives.
The first Halloween episode of Parks and Recreation is a good one that introduces Andy's FBI alter ego, Burt Macklin. This is a very funny and clever story with Leslie going toe to toe with a punk high school kid. The dynamics between them are very funny especially when he makes Andy cry. The twists and turns in the story are fun too. The Halloween party story is not as strong aside from some fun costumes but it's serviceable for a Halloween episode.
RATING: 7.5/10
14. Ron and Tammy (11/5/09)
Leslie and Ron have to deal with Ron's ex-wife at the library over a dispute with the empty lot. Andy gets a job as a shoe shiner at City Hall.
I'm just going to say this now, I'm not a big fan of Megan Mullally in anything. I think she tends to overact and I find her characters unbearable, including on Parks and Recreation. However, what I do like about her episodes is the effect she has on Ron and the constant put-downs of the library by the parks staff, which becomes a recurring gag right through to the very last episode. So while Tammy herself is a lot to handle, she provides good comedy for Ron. Getting Andy into City Hall on a regular basis is a bit of a stretch but they make it work and now he gets to interact with the rest of the cast more.
RATING: 6.5/10
15. The Camel (11/12/09)
City Hall holds a contest for each department to come up with a new mural and Leslie tries to get the Parks Department excited about it. Ron and Andy have an awkward moment when Andy is shining Ron's shoes.
This episode brings a lot of the parks staff together on a project. While the premise is a little flimsy and maybe doesn't quite work enough to be an A story, it is not without its moments. In particular, the show has very clearly started to decide how to treat the Jerry character with the staff seeing his mural entry (clearly the best one) but not able to get over the fact that he called it a "murinal." The Ron-Andy story is just OK but well executed by Nick Offerman and Chris Pratt.
RATING: 5/10
Leslie insists on the girls and Tom joining Ron, Mark and Jerry on their hunting trip. April and Andy bond while stuck on hold with the state at the office.
There's a ton of comedy in this episode and some great performances all the way around. This is a good example of Leslie being both infuriating and endearing and I love when the show gives Amy Poehler a chance to riff. I always feel like those quick cuts involve a fair bit of improv but I'm not sure. Either way, she nails it. The sweetest part of the episode is the first real foray into April and Andy as a potential couple. There's instant chemistry between Aubrey Plaza and Chris Pratt.
RATING: 8.5/10
17. Tom's Divorce (12/3/09)
Leslie discovers that Tom and Wendy are getting divorced and tries to cheer him up. Andy tries to hustle Mark in pool.
Although not one of my favorite episodes, this episode is good character development for Tom and the relationship between Leslie and Tom. It also has a hilarious moment for Ron when he discovers the strip club has a breakfast buffet. There's also some funny orders at the dinosaur restaurant and Andy's attempts to embarrass Mark. The ensuing Andy-Mark-Ann story is not very interesting or funny and I can't even totally blame wet blanket Mark. It's just not a funny story in an arc that is lacking.
RATING: 4.5/10
18. Christmas Scandal (12/10/09)
Leslie finds herself caught up in a scandal with a horny councilman. Andy tries to help April think of a gift for her gay boyfriend. Ron covers for Leslie's meetings.
The first Christmas episode of Parks and Recreation is not all Christmas-themed but has some surrounding holiday details. The main story is Leslie getting wrapped up in a scandal. It highlights something Parks and Recreation does really well which is take tropes from national stories and put it into a small city like Pawnee. That's what makes the relentless media coverage of the non-scandal so funny. The Ron story is funny too with a little shout out to the Swine Flu which very clearly puts the show in 2009. My only wish is that the plot was a little more Christmas-themed.
RATING: 7/10
Ann sets up Leslie with a friend of hers to help her get over Dave but not with her friend Justin who seems like a more natural fit. Ron tasks Tom with hiring an assistant for him.
This episode might have been billed as primarily being about Will Arnett's guest appearance as Arnett was married to Amy Poehler at the time. But this episode goes down in Parks and Recreation lore as the first appearance of the great Jean Ralphio. One of my favorite recurring characters in the history of TV, Ben Schwartz's Jean Ralphio may not be as wild as he becomes but he's already got a pretty good grasp of the character in a hilarious scene with Ron. Although I'm not always a big fan of Arnett, he has some pretty funny moments here too.
RATING: 8/10
20. Leslie's House (1/21/10)
Leslie invites everyone to her house for a dinner party to impress Justin and enlists teachers from the community center whose courses are in danger of being cut.
Dinner parties are usually a ripe topic for sitcom hilarity but that doesn't quite happen on Parks and Recreation. I think there were perhaps too many characters and too much going on for anything to really land from a humor standpoint. There are some funny moments (including another Swine Flu reference!) but it just doesn't actually all come together despite being the first episode with scenes at Leslie's house. There's a lot of iconic dinner party episodes in TV history, this is not one of them.
RATING: 3.5/10
21. Sweetums (2/4/10)
The Parks Department teams up with the Sweetums Candy company but Ann and Leslie become concerned about how unhealthy their products are. Tom enlists Mark, Jerry, Donna, April and Andy to help him move.
This episode is the first introduction of Sweetums as a major industry in Pawnee. Of course it will be more important to the story later on during Paul Rudd's arc. This episode has probably the best town forum scene yet with such gems like "if sugar is so bad, how come Jesus made it taste so good?" The B-story with the moving is also pretty funny even with Tom being everyone's worst nightmare when you volunteer to help them move.
RATING: 8/10
Leslie and Justin try to find a long lost lover of Leslie's mom for Valentine's Day. April gets frustrated with Derek and Ben as she spends more time with Andy. Tom tries to win Wendy back.
Another Parks and Recreation tradition is born here with "Galentine's Day," which has transcended the show although it's really only discussed in the opening scene. The biggest development in this episode is the continued connection between Andy and April. Whoever decided that they should be a couple was a genius because they have such great chemistry and April is so sweet with regards to Andy compared to how she approaches the rest of life. I also am a big fan of Mouse Rat's rendition of "The Way You Look Tonight." The story with Leslie, Justin, Leslie's mom and guest star John Larroquette is just okay but it does move the show on from Justin, which is a good thing.
RATING: 7/10
23. Woman of the Year (3/4/10)
Ron wins an award from a Pawnee Women's Organization that Leslie was hoping for. Tom looks for someone to invest in the Snakehole Lounge with him.
The Leslie-Ron story at the center of this is not one of the stronger ones because it's a little bit of a preposterous plot. It's both a little too on the nose with the satire and also too blatant an attempt at some sweet moments between the two main characters whereas that usually occurs more organically. However, Tom's attempts to invest in the Snakehole Lounge has some really good moments. Most notable is the second appearance of Jean-Ralphio and a hilarious scene between him and Donna. But there's also Tom's sales pitch and a more organic sweet moment between April and Andy.
RATING: 5.5/10
24. The Possum (3/11/10)
24. The Possum (3/11/10)
Leslie forms a task force to get rid of a possum on the golf course but then worries she got the wrong one. Ron and Mark argue about Ron's wood shop not being up to code. April housesits for Ann.
I remember really liking this episode the first time I watched this episode. It's still funny but maybe not quite as strong as I remembered it though Andy tackling the possum on the golf course is a great sight gag. It seems like by this point the show knows that Mark is not really a valuable character because he is being saddled with being a side character in a B or C story. I wonder at what point the show decided they were going to move on from him. It seems like it was definitely by this episode.
RATING: 5.5/10
25. Park Safety (3/18/10)
25. Park Safety (3/18/10)
After Jerry gets mugged in the park, Leslie meets with the park ranger Carl to come up with a plan. Ron teaches a self defense class.
This episode includes a great guest turn by Andy Samberg when was still an SNL cast member at the time and a few years before some of the Parks and Rec people gave him his own show in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The best thing about Samberg is, while the character is designed to be annoying, Samberg just commits so fully and so ridiculously that it works. The best scene in the whole episode though is when Jerry comes back to work and Leslie insists that the office does not make fun of him before Jerry proceeds to do every embarrassing thing possible. It's such a pitch perfect ensemble performance.
RATING: 7.5/10
26. Summer Catalog (3/25/10)
Leslie organizes a lunch for all the living Parks Department directors as part of her summer catalog feature. Tom tries to do a photo sheet with Ann and Mark for the catalog.
This episode has a good concept and a sweet ending (with Andy and April) but it never quite lives up to its promise overall. I like the idea of Leslie bringing back the Parks Department directors and they each had their own quirks but they were sort of one joke types and the scene with all of them together felt like it left some comedy on the table instead of seizing it all. This episode also suffers from an unfortunate B story with Tom, Ann and Mark that really goes nowhere. Just another example of how they had absolutely no idea what to do with Mark before canning the character.
RATING: 4/10
27. 94 Meetings (4/29/10)
27. 94 Meetings (4/29/10)
April accidentally schedules 94 meetings for Ron for March 31 because she didn't realize it was a real date. Leslie tries to save a gazebo at a mansion from being torn down.
I absolutely love the premise to this episode and the reason behind it The idea of Ron having to deal with that many meetings because April thought March 31 wasn't real has become famous in the Parks and Recreation lexicon. It also gives the ensemble a great chance to work together. If anything, I would have scrapped the Leslie story and put Tom and Leslie (and Donna and Jerry) in the office and made it all about them dealing with the ramifications of the meetings. The idea of April's parents being warm and a little goofy is also hilarious (as her little sister who is exactly the same as April).
RATING: 8.5/10
28. Telethon (5/6/10)
28. Telethon (5/6/10)
Leslie gets assigned the 2-6am shift for a diabetes telethon and enlists everyone to help her. Tom takes a celebrity guest for the telethon to the Snakehole Lounge. Ann considers breaking up with Mark.
This is a hilarious episode with so many great moments (how did I forget Perd Hapley doing the worm on stage?) But the clear MVP is Amy Poehler. Leslie's relentless energy and enthusiasm is hilarious when she has to fight to keep it up (in this case, because she is tired). She has a lot of great lines and scenes such as scaring Ann from behind but the part that makes me laugh out loud is when she's describing one of her favorite Friends episodes on air. The "Although is Phoebe there?" moment is brilliant.
RATING: 9/10
29. The Master Plan (5/13/10)
29. The Master Plan (5/13/10)
Auditors from Indianapolis come to the Parks Department to look at their spending. April celebrates her 21st birthday at the Snakehole Lounge.
Parks and Recreation entered a brand new era with this episode and the arrival of Rob Lowe and Adam Scott to the cast. It's not immediately apparent how important the two characters will become but they do make an immediate impact. It's also interesting that they immediately pair them up with Leslie and Ann given what happens in the long run. I wonder how much the writers already thought about. Although Scott will become the more important character, Lowe is the one with a funnier and more clearly defined character from the jump although both are strong. Interestingly, Scott was conceived as a new series regular while Lowe was originally only slated to make eight appearances.
RATING: 8/10
30. Freddy Spaghetti (5/20/10)
Leslie tries to figure out how to have a Freddy Spaghetti concert when the government gets shut down. Chris wants to date Ann. Andy asks April out but she worries he still has feelings for Ann.
The season finale marks the continued inclusion of Chris and Ben into the story and the departure of Paul Schneider from the cast. No offense to Schneider but I'm glad the Parks team realized his character just wasn't working at all and they cut bait. This episode also has a great physical comedy bit from Nick Offerman when he slips on the lawn (maybe it was an accident that stayed in the final cut?) This is a nice episode showing the Parks Department coming together but it seems to lack a little bit in the humor that was so strong over the last stretch of episodes (aside from that Ron Swanson fall).
RATING: 5/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON TWO:
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON TWO:
6.5/10
The Best Episodes
1. "Pawnee Zoo" (#7) - 9.5/10
2. "Telethon" (#28) - 9/10
3. "94 Meetings" (#27) - 8.5/10
4. "Hunting Trip" (#16) - 8.5/10
5. "The Master Plan" (#29) - 8/10
The Worst Episodes
1. "Sister City" (#11) - 3.5/10
2. "Leslie's House" (#20) - 3.5/10
3. "Kaboom" (#12) - 4/10
4. "Summer Catalog" (#26) - 4/10
5. "Tom's Divorce" (#17) - 4.5/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week!
Thursday in Three Weeks: A look at the third season of Parks and Recreation!
No comments:
Post a Comment