Dear Tina,
As I mentioned yesterday, today’s post would be part II in my epic analysis of the NBC Thursday lineup. I began to fret that yesterday’s post was getting a bit lengthy for generation Y as we have the attention span of Mandy Moore. That and the fact that my computer battery was low and I wanted to go eat dinner. Nevertheless, I have returned and so we begin with Parks and Recreation.
I have been watching Parks and Recreation since it premiered mid-season last spring. Parks and Recreation co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Shur are also executive producers on The Office which led to initial confusion as to whether or not this show was a spin-off. Set in Pawnee, Indiana in a city government office, the show is clearly not a spin-off, rather it appears that the show was created as a vehicle for Amy Poehler. I agreed with the show’s critics who said in the beginning that it focused too heavily on the style (mockumentary) that made The Office a hit with little concern for the characters themselves who generally lacked likability.
Amy Poehler’s character Leslie Knope was equally clueless to Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott, yet she seemed to take herself so seriously that her obliviousness felt more pathetic than goofy. With the characters around her, it was hard to know where the relationships would be developing as no one seemed to relate to one another. The show lacked chemistry and focused almost entirely on the quippy dialogue.
In it’s second season, Parks and Recreation has discovered it’s rhythm which I think lies in Leslie’s infectious passion for government. While most of the employees are unwilling to offer anything beyond the minimum to their work, Leslie is a big picture thinker. She sees her role as deputy director of the Parks and Recreation department as a stepping stone to eventually becoming President of the United States. This season rather than making fun of Leslie, the writers have allowed her passion to be infectious. It is the common thread that now ties this group together so for the viewer it seems feasible that their relationships don’t end when the office doors close. The lines between co-worker and friend are not blurred entirely, appropriate because it is still a workplace comedy, but unlike Michael Scott, Leslie is inherently kind. Rather than undercutting Leslie with foolish antics, the writing now emphasizes a competence that is comedic in its youthful enthusiasm and occasional lack of foresight.
Some critics complained that there was no “Jim and Pam” relationship that could offer the show some longevity. The show’s interpretation of the “will they or won’t they, they eventually will” cliche relationship is more complicated than you might see on other shows. Meaning, one could conceive that the writers solved this problem with Rashida Jones and Paul Schneider who play Ann and Mark respectively. However, since the pilot episode we know that Leslie has been in love with Mark for many years. So are we rooting for Ann and Mark or Leslie and Mark? Ann breaks up with her boyfriend Andy during the course of the show and he is still fighting to get her back. Are we rooting for them? But oh wait now we see young love developing between Andy and the intern April. Rather than closing in on one relationship, that we know will eventually lead to marriage and babies (and once a television character has a baby it is a slippery slope to mundane plot lines), Parks and Recreation leaves the door wide open for season after season of new matches that we as the audience are not settled on opposing.
Briefly, I really should have dedicated more time to this, but Aziz Ansari, who plays Tom Haverford, is a delight to watch on screen. Tom’s personality and agenda are the antitheses of a Midwestern small town. Tom is quick to patronize his fellow Hoosiers but Aziz does so with brilliant pace that you feel like you are watching a choreographed song and dance. So fun. Below is my personal favorite moment from season 2 so far. Leslie is taking the heat for someone else who accidentally shot a co-worker during a weekend hunting trip. Her excuses run the gamut of female weaknesses.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/110482/parks-and-recreation-im-just-a-girl#s-p5-sr-i1
Now, as I mentioned at the end of my last post, I would like to explain why I accept The Office‘s decision to have a clip show after a six week hiatus. Sure I was thinking, did you guys interpret that six week vacation the way college students interpret their winter breaks? A time to spend lounging around in clothes freshly laundered by your mothers until around 9 pm when you leave the house to go drink Keystones in someone’s basement? Because at least one person should have made the sacrifice to write a new script and then wrangle the team together to film an all new episode. I mean, 30 business days. That’s longer than some rehab stints. So yes I am not going to lie it was a tad disappointing when the first clip of Michael crashing a lift in the warehouse was followed by another clip. And then another. This wasn’t my first time at the rodeo so I knew what was coming. More clips. Although it is a fan favorite, critically speaking, The Office has fallen out of the limelight with shows like 30 Rock that now receive resounding acclaim year after year. I myself had fallen slightly out of love with the show. Pam seems almost mean-spirited since getting everything she ever wanted. Jim is now a clueless co-manager. Even the writing doesn’t seem as strong as it once was. The Secret Santa episode this past December was entertaining but it doesn’t hold a candle to season two’s Christmas episode:
So Phyllis is basically saying “Hey Michael, I know you did a lot to help the office this year, but I only care about you an oven mitt’s-worth.”
For me, the clip show served as a tool to emphasize the show’s strengths. The producers took advantage of this episode to link The Office‘s finest writing and physical bits with the history of the characters. Remember how Ryan got the nickname fire guy? Remember when Michael kissed Oscar? I do now! It reinvigorated my excitement for the second half of the current season and sometimes after five and a half years we need that. The Jim and Pam montage brought me back to my junior year of college when I watched the second season on DVD and for a week couldn’t bring myself to watch the last disc because I didn’t want it to end. It reminded me of screaming in the room I’m sitting in right now when Jim returned from New York and asked Pam out to dinner. And as much joy as it has been to follow Jim and Pam, personally my favorite relationship on the show is the one Michael has with his office. I think the show’s most satisfying moments are when we experience Michael’s sentiment for his work and the people he works with. It is sometimes sad, often sweet, but it is always sincere. It is that dynamic that gives the writers the leeway to make Michael racist, sexist, and blithely unaware of social norms, because we get to see the side of him that is compassionate, dependable, and loyal. If one episode can recreate all of those memories and all of those laughs for their fans then I say let the production team have their six weeks. Just don’t do it again.
30 Rock Quote of the Day:
Tracy: Liz Lemon, I would like to recommend Kenneth the page for NBC medal of excellence.
Liz: Ok that doesn’t exist, but you can write a letter for his file!
Tracy: I’ve got a lot on my plate!
Dear Tina 