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| Amy Poehler |
Welcome to Parts of Rec, a new column that will attempt to take the weekly brilliance of NBC show Parks and Recreation and cut it into the bare essentials. After all, time is precious and sometimes you cannot read pages and pages of reviews. While it will be impossible to bottle all of the highlights, I will do my best to cover the plot, as well as memorable moments and just what makes it great in general. Make sure to look for Parts of Rec every Friday following the episode.
Seasong 5, Episode 8
"Pawnee Commons"
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| Aziz Ansari |
"I think one of the mannequins tried to commit suicide."
-Donna (Retta)
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| Left to right: Chris Pratt and Aubrey Plaza |
As Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Ben (Adam Scott) work on preparing designs for the new park, they open the floor to suggestions. They get a great idea from Wreston (Brad Hall), who is neighboring town Eagleton's top designer. Leslie immediately hates him due to a long standing rivalry between the counties. However, Ben coaxes them into accepting his idea. Meanwhile, Tom (Aziz Ansari) is leading everyone into helping to build Rent-A-Swag, which he hopes will not end up like his old business. He grows weary with power and starts doing ridiculous things. Meanwhile, April (Aubrey Plaza) is helping Andy (Chris Pratt) practice for his police exam by making up a fake investigative thing where she plays Judy Hitler (Adolph's only daughter) and forces him to catch her. The park designs are going well, even though it take Leslie most of the episode to accept Wreston's service. Ann (Rashida Jones) pulls Tom aside and talks to him about calming down his maniacal power. Andy manages to win the game, even though he just gets a paper saying that he was in the F.B.I.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
MVP: Andy (Chris Pratt)
I will admit that this episode had a lot of great moments, but I didn't care overall for most of the stories. However, if anyone brought consistent fun to the episode, it was Andy and April. The way that they managed to interfere with Leslie and Wreston's negotiations was priceless. It may have been a very throwaway plot, but I really enjoy their chemistry and the role playing was equally endearing. Still, Andy has proven in this episode that at very least, he would make a charming police officer, and one with cunning abilities to take down Hitler and get a necklace with all of the Nazi secrets.
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| Left to right: Brad Hall, Poehler, and Adam Scott |
Best scene: After Leslie and Wreston argue over Leslie's choice to call Eagleton "Evilton," she attempts to apologize. The best that she can do is a long, groaning "I'm..." The scene is so well edited that it cuts from her attempting to say that word, and her frustrated in an office earlier that day. The fact that all she can say is "I'm Leslie Knope" and seeing Ben groan is excellent proof in how Parks and Recreation is capable of finding the humor in the simplest of scenes. Amy Poehler nails it and while I doubt that this is the end of their rivalry, it does set up some great hostile tension between the two characters.
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