On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven (the final season) of Parks and Recreation!
PARKS AND RECREATION: SEASON SEVEN
2015
13 episodes
The final season of Parks and Recreation takes a three year time jump into the future to the then-distant year of 2017. Time jumps are always a risk for a show but it pays off for Parks in its final season as it launches the characters forward. The season also does a great job of allowing us to say goodbye to all our favorite characters, large and small. It's an exceptionally done season. Some of the best episodes of the entire series are in this season and that's not all that common for final seasons.
Starring
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope (13 episodes)
Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson (13 episodes)
Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate (13 episodes)
Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer (13 episodes)
Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate (13 episodes)
Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer (13 episodes)
Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt (13 episodes)
Jim O'Heir as Jerry Gergich (13 episodes)Retta as Donna Meagle (13 episodes)
Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford (10 episodes)
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins Traeger (1 episode)
Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger (1 episode)
Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks (6 episodes)
Natalie Morales as Lucy (6 episodes)
Jay Jackson as Perd Hapley (4 episodes)Mo Collins as Joan Callamezzo (3 episodes)
Kathryn Hahn as Jennifer Barkley (3 episodes)
Mara Marini as Brandi Maxxxx (2 episodes)
Kathryn Hahn as Jennifer Barkley (3 episodes)
Richard Burch as Herman Lerpiss (2 episodes)
Andrew Burlinson as Burly (2 episodes)
James Greene as Councilman Milton (2 episodes)
Marc Evan Jackson as Trevor Nelson (2 episodes)
Joe Mande as Morris (2 episodes)
Will McLaughlin as Officer Killnose (2 episodes)
Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (2 episodes)
Jenny Slate as Mona Lisa Saperstein (2 episodes)
Helen Slayton-Hughes as Ethel Beavers (2 episodes)Henry Winkler as Dr. Saperstein (2 episodes)
Alison Becker as Shauna Malwae-Tweep (1 episode)Colton Dunn as Brett (1 episode)
Andy Forrest as Kyle (1 episode)
Jon Glaser as Councilman Jamm (1 episode)
Darlene Hunt as Marcia Langham (1 episode)
Eric Isenhower as Orin (1 episode)
Yvans Jourdain as Councilman Howser (1 episode)
Jim Meskiman as Martin Housely (1 episode)
Megan Mullally as Tammy Swanson (1 episode)
Mark Rivers as Rivers (1 episode)
Kevin Symons as Bill Dexhart (1 episodes)Harris Wittels as Harris (1 episode)
Alan Yang as Chang (1 episode)
Susan Yeagley as Jessica Wicks (1 episode)
In the year 2017, Leslie and Ron are no longer friends and feuding over a land acquisition. April and Andy worry that they have become boring.
Parks and Recreation begins its seventh and final season with a unique time jump a few years into the future. I mentioned this at the end of season six but I think this was a really great choice for the show to give it a jolt for the end of its run. I also like the feud between Leslie and Ron with the origins not known yet in this episode. As an individual episode, this one is only alright - nothing special. But the concept for the whole season was a winning one.
RATING: 6/10
114. Ron and Jammy (1/13/15)
Leslie and Ron put aside their differences temporarily to help Councilman Jamm deal with Tammy. Andy convinces Tom to go to Chicago to try to rekindle things with Lucy. April feels stuck in her job.
One of the coolest things in this episode is that Parks and Recreation correctly predicted the Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in over 100 years. This aired in 2015 and the Cubs won in 2016, a few months before this episode is set. There are some fun things in this episode even though it relies a lot on two characters I don't really care for - Councilman Jamm and Tammy. I actually think it's fitting that they would be together. I'm not sure I would have made as much of an effort to break them up as Leslie and Ron did. There's also some great one liners from Andy in this episode.
RATING: 7/10
115. William Henry Harrison (1/20/15)
As Leslie and Ron continue their battle, Leslie tries to tap into the history of William Henry Harrison to help her cause. Ron and his team try to get a boost from lifestyle guru Annabel Porter. Andy tries to help April find a career.
The love for William Henry Harrison in this episode is such a perfect Pawnee and Leslie Knope project. Her forced enthusiasm and the complete lack of exciting things about the obscure president is a fun one for people who like presidential history (and I count myself in that company). This episode marks the return of Erinn Hayes as Annabel Porter. She's really funny as a character but I'm sure she would have been annoying if she was on too much so the small doses are nice. I love April as a character but I feel like this is the third episode in a row where she basically has the same story.
RATING: 7.5/10
The group locks Leslie and Ron in the Parks department office overnight to force them to talk through their differences.
This is a famous episode in the Parks and Recreation canon and with good reason. It's a master class from Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman and it focuses on the best relationship in the show and pretty much exclusively on that relationship. It's also a break from form with the entire episode following one plot with just two characters instead of a myriad of plots and characters. Honestly, this could have served as a series finale except that it didn't service the other deserving characters. It's such a unique and wonderful episode.
RATING: 10/10
117. Gryzzlbox (1/27/15)
Ben and Leslie go after Gryzzl for data mining. Tom helps Andy renegotiate his Johnny Karate contract. April is asked to help train new parks department interns.
I like that even though the final season has a lot going on with the time jump, there is still a through story of Leslie and team fighting the good fight for something as there have been so many other seasons. This episode moves that forward and it was a little bit ahead of its time with privacy issues that have only become more of an issue than they were when this episode was made or set. However, it's only a so-so episode. April's character once again seems stuck in neutral this season and is stuck in a story with Craig while Andy and Tom's story has a few funny moments but isn't as fun as it could be especially with guest star Dax Shepard joining in.
RATING: 4/10
118. Save JJs (1/27/15)
After losing the land bid to Gryzzl, Leslie and her team try to save JJ's Diner after the property is bought by Dennis Feinstein. Tom and Donna go to Beverly Hills for their Treat Yo Self day.
I think Parks and Recreation should have had a yearly episode devoted to "Treat Yo Self" because Tom and Donna in Beverly Hills is just such a delightful and fun B story. The main story continues the Gryzzl story and while it's always fun to see Leslie go to work, the resolution they find with Gryzzl is a little bit too convenient. This is one of the better Dennis Feinstein appearances. He's a character I don't really love but he is strong in this episode and there's a very funny resolution with Andy's Johnny Karate.
RATING: 6/10
119. Donna and Joe (2/3/15)
Donna and Joe get married and April has to deal with her drama-filled family. Jennifer Barkley asks Ben to consider running for Congress. Ron tells Lucy that Tom is interested in marriage.
Several past guest stars are in this episode: Keegan Michael-Key, Kathryn Hahn, Christie Brinkley and Ginuwine as well as first time guest star Rachel Dratch and a cameo from QuestLove. They all have fun moments but especially Kathryn Hahn, who is just such a force every time she's on the show. It's also a nice story for Donna, who's a very underrated member of the ensemble. I would have 100% supported a spinoff about the Meagle family led by Retta. The episode also catapults the show down its final arc with Ben running for Congress. It's a strong episode all the way around and definitely feels like a "final season" episode.
RATING: 8.5/10
April goes on a business trip with Leslie and doesn't know how to tell her she doesn't want to work in government anymore. Andy, Ben and Ron try to help April find another job while she's gone.
The April story, which has been pretty stagnant in the final season, finally moves forward in an episode that certainly feels like a closing for her character. There's a really wonderful scene that plays off the occasional story of Ben spurning the accounting firm that involves April and there's a gazillion cameos from DC figures including John McCain and Madeline Albright. It feels a little unnecessary but there's a solid bit featuring Corey Booker and Orrin Thatch. It's hard to imagine any of those jokes and bits landing the same way now. The final scene with Leslie and April is truly touching though and a great way to wrap up the odd but enduring friendship.
RATING: 7.5/10
121. Pie-Mary (2/10/15)
Leslie gets herself in a controversy while Ben is running for office over a piemaking contest among candidates' wives. Ron, April and Andy try to find a key April hid for Ron years ago. Donna and Gary bond when Gary loses his wedding ring again.
The main story of this episode is a good one for Parks and Recreation to do as Ben runs for office because it's very fitting for the two main characters but also a larger commentary on real life figures like the Clintons. It's also a great chance for one final "Pawnee outrage" episode with old favorites like the Langmans and Brandi Maxxx returning. The episode also ties up Ron and April's story an episode after tying up Leslie and April an episode before. There's also a sweet story between the two characters who started the series as after-thoughts - Donna and Jerry (now Gary). It's a solid episode as Parks marches to the finish line.
RATING: 8.5/10
122. The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show (2/17/15)
Andy's final "Johnny Karate" show airs before he and April move to Washington DC and Leslie includes a "This is Your Life" type segment.
This is the second very experimental episode of the final season and just like "Leslie and Ron," it is very effective. I love that the show was still taking chances and love even more that the chances were working. This episode serves as a send-off to Andy but is treated like a complete episode of his show from start to finish. There are many great moments in the episode within the episode and it's a great showcase for Chris Pratt but also the rest of the main cast (except Aziz Ansari, who's absent for a third straight episode). There's also a wonderful touch with the commercials, which highlight some great callbacks to established Pawnee businesses we have learned about over the years. It's a really fun episode to watch.
RATING: 9.5/10
123. Two Funerals (2/17/15)
After the Mayor of Pawnee dies, Ben is tasked with finding a temporary replacement. Ron laments the death of his barber. Leslie helps Tom plan the perfect proposal for Lucy.
Parks and Recreation had so many tremendous side characters and recurring characters throughout its run, maybe more than any other sitcom in history. So it's very fitting that they give some attention to all these characters as the show winds down. We get tons of cameos in this episode from a whole bunch of side characters who didn't appear two episodes ago. They were all great but the highlights are Mona Lisa Saperstein and Ethel Beavers. Tom also reappears finally and gets a closure of his own although it doesn't feel quite as satisfying as some of the other closing stories. If anything, it's a better finale for Jerry/Gary/Larry. Finally, there's a great cameo from Bill Murray as the never before seen mayor.
RATING: 8/10
As the former Parks department works on one last mission to help a resident, it is revealed what happens to each character in the years to come.
The final episode of a beloved series is a tall order for any creative team. Expectations are sky high for fans and for every piece of brilliance like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, there are ones that qualify as major disappointments like Seinfeld. Parks and Recreation is one of those shows that nailed its finale. It's even more impressive because it's a finale that is very ambitious and tries to touch on every character's future. There were some fun callbacks and it was so satisfying to see every character wind up happy in the short and long term. From the funny moments (like Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa) to the sweet ones (Ron finding his bliss), each character had a fitting end. Most important though was Leslie's story. It's never clear what exactly happens - does she become President? - but it's clear she did a lot more with her life and I love that it ends with her back in the present time saying she's "ready." The entire episode is a love letter to public service much like the series was and it's a winning ending.
RATING: 9.5/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON SEVEN:
7.8/10
The Best Episodes
1. "Leslie and Ron" (#116) - 10/10
2. "One Last Ride" (#124/125) - 9.5/10
3. "The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show" (#122) - 9.5/10
The Worst Episodes
1. "Gryzzlbox" (#117) - 4/10
2. "Save JJs" (#118) - 6/10
3. "2017" (#113) - 6/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
Next Thursday: A recap of Parks and Recreation including the best and worst episodes!
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