Tag Archives: parks and recreation

The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (2/22 – 3/1)

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This was one of the hardest “Best Thing on TV This Week” posts I’ve done in a long time. Sunday’s Oscar telecast was filled with inspiring speeches and two great musical numbers: Neil Patrick Harris’s opening and Lady Gaga’s powerhouse Sound of Music medley. Monday’s Castle took us on a trip to “Mars,” and it also featured a beautiful moment from Martha that allowed us to reflect on how much that character has grown since the show’s early days.

Tuesday’s episode of The Mindy Project tackled the morning sickness sitcom cliche, but the night was really about two big finales. On Agent Carter, Peggy said one last farewell to the love of her life and reminded us that we need to know our own value rather than relying on others for validation. And on Parks and Recreation, we took one last ride into the future with these characters in a series finale that reflected everything that was good and special about the show as a whole.

Wednesday night featured a trifecta of 10 p.m. dramas that brought their A-games this week. On Nashville, Rayna proved why she should ultimately be remembered for the way she defends and protects the other women around her. On The Americans, Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell broke my heart once again with their vulnerability and honesty in the final scene of a very painful hour. And on Suits, the possibility of Donna going to prison forced Harvey to confront how much she means to him, leading to a moment I doubted we’d ever see: Harvey admitting to Donna that he loves her.

Deciding between the endings of The Americans, Suits, and Parks and Rec was one of the toughest choices I’ve had to make for one of these posts. In the end, though, this is my last chance to choose a Parks and Rec moment, so I had to follow my heart.

The entirety of “One Last Ride” was beautiful, but if I had to single out my favorite moment, it had to be Ben telling the whole gang that Leslie was running for governor. In that moment, I was given one last chance to fall in love with Ben Wyatt all over again. I’ve found so much hope in the way this character was written, and it was wonderful to see his story end with one final moment of support for his wife and her dreams. From that scene on, I couldn’t have stopped crying if I wanted to. It’s a rare thing for a series finale to leave a diehard fan completely satisfied, but I can honestly say Parks and Rec ended perfectly. I’m still so sad it’s over, but I’m also still so happy it went out on such a high note.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

Miss You in the Saddest Fashion: Farewell, Pawnee

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Parks and Recreation - Season 7

“What makes work worth doing is getting to do it with people you love.” – Leslie Knope

In the past, when I’ve written about series finales, I’ve used a format very close to the one I use to grade season finales. But as Leslie hugged Ann during Tuesday’s Parks and Recreation series finale, it hit me: That format wasn’t going to cut it this time. “One Last Ride” wasn’t just the first series finale of I show I actually wrote about weekly; it was the series finale of what I will now say is my favorite TV show of all time. (Sorry, Alias.) How could I fit something so huge into such narrow categories? How could I even try to slap a grade on something that was more of a life moment than a TV episode? (For the record, though, that grade would have been an A+.) How could any of us who’ve been so personally inspired by this beautiful show find a way to coherently talk about its finale?

Parks and Rec has always been more than a TV show to those of us who love it. It’s a way of life and a way of looking at the world with hope, positivity, and a desire to make a difference. In a television landscape that’s becoming increasingly dark and nihilistic, Parks and Rec was a bright light—a show that was unafraid to wear its heart on its sleeve in the form of likeable characters who genuinely cared for one another. And to the very end, Parks and Rec was true to itself. “One Last Ride” will be remembered as a series finale that was unashamedly hopeful, genuinely emotional, and—above all else—a joyful celebration of the love we feel for the people, places, and work that matter to us. As such, it was the perfect reflection of the series as a whole. The most you can ask for as a fan of any TV show is for a series finale that honors the soul of the show you love so much. Parks and Rec gave its fans exactly that, and I’ve never felt prouder to be a fan of a specific TV show than I am to be a Parks and Rec fan today.

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You Have All the Strengths: A Letter to Leslie Knope

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Source: glamour.com

Source: glamour.com

Dear Leslie,

I’m not ready to say goodbye. I know all good things must come to an end, but that doesn’t make it easier to think about tomorrow’s series finale of Parks and Recreation. I’ve spent a long time thinking of the right way to bid farewell to a show that’s meant so much to me, and I decided to approach it (like I approach most things in life) the way you would: with positivity, with optimism, and with appreciation for the power one woman—if she’s the right woman—has to inspire those around her to be their best selves. You might not be real, but the impact you had on me is as real as it gets. So before I say goodbye, I wanted to say thank you.

Thank you, Leslie, for your passion. As we grow, we’re often led to believe that it’s cool to be apathetic; it’s cool not to care, or at least not to show you care. Because openly caring about things asks for a kind of vulnerability and honesty that scares people. So thank you for being brave enough to let the world see how much you care. Thank you for reminding me that a life well-lived is a life lived with passion and intensity. And thank you for never apologizing for feeling as strongly as you felt about the things that mattered to you. Women often feel a need to apologize for their feelings, especially if they’re strong, but you were allowed to own your passion unapologetically. And you were surrounded by characters who supported that passion and were inspired by your ability to care. The depth with which you cared about things was never mocked; it was celebrated, and it made me feel proud to be someone who only knows how to feel things strongly.

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Because I Care: My Top 10 Episodes of Parks and Recreation

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Source: eonline.com

Source: eonline.com

This is it, friends—the countdown to the series finale of the happiest show on television, Parks and Recreation. Over the next few days here at Nerdy Girl Notes, there will be several posts dedicated to saying goodbye to this show that has impacted both the television landscape and so many people (myself included) in such a positive way.

Today, I wanted to take a look back on my fondest Parks and Rec memories by counting down my Top 10 episodes of the series. This was the toughest Top 10 list I’ve ever created because there were so many phenomenal episodes to choose from. It was a Herculean task, but I settled on the 10 episodes I return to the most often, the 10 episodes that make me the happiest—because that’s what Parks and Rec is all about.

This is by no means a definitive list of the best of Parks and Rec, but I hope it inspires you to share your favorite episodes with us in the comments!

10. Soulmates (Season 3, Episode 10)
This episode was filled with fun elements: a classic Chris/Ron showdown over their culinary skills, Ann helping Leslie create an online dating profile, the awkward hilarity of Leslie going on a date with Tom without him knowing it was a date…But the real reason this makes my list of favorite episodes is twofold. First, it gave us the brilliance of Aziz Ansari’s monologue about his nicknames for food, which I can (and often do) quote word for word. (I can’t be the only one who now uses “sammies” and “chicky-chicky parm-parm” in everyday conversation.) Also, it gave us Leslie and Ben’s first meeting at what would become their wildflower mural. The final moments of this episode—with Ben suggesting he and Leslie eat lunch together at her favorite place in the world—felt so real in their simplicity. Watching it unfold for the first time felt like watching two real people slowly falling in love, and it was then that I knew I’d found a new TV couple to love with all my heart.

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TV Time: Parks and Recreation 7.10/7.11

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Source: vulture.com

Source: vulture.com

Title The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show/Two Funerals

Two-Sentence Summary As Andy prepares to move to Washington for April’s new job, he hosts one last episode of his beloved children’s TV show. And two deaths in Pawnee lead to major changes for the town and many of its residents.

Favorite Line “You’re what keeps me going. You’re my Verizon/Chipotle/Exxon.” (Andy, to April)

My Thoughts This final season of Parks and Recreation has been filled with such strong episodes that it almost made me forget that we were in the middle of the process of saying goodbye. However, this week’s pair of episodes went about as meta as it gets in terms of reminding the audience that the end is near for our beloved show. One episode was entirely devoted to a TV show’s final episode, and the other featured two scenes of characters saying goodbye at funerals. Through all the winks and nods to the audience, though, the show’s trademark sincerity remained. And in this penultimate pair of episodes, it was the supporting characters who were given the spotlight, reminding us of how much they’ve grown over the past seven seasons before we have to say goodbye to them for good next week.

My only complaint about this pair of episodes is that I would have switched their order, which is the first time I thought that all season. While I loved both episodes, “The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show” (which I am going to just call “Johnny Karate” to save myself typing time) was so meta that it felt weird going into a more “normal” episode right after it was done. It would have felt more fitting as the immediate warmup to the series finale.

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TV Time: Parks and Recreation 7.08/7.09

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Source: nbc.com

Source: nbc.com

Title Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington/Pie-Mary

Two-Sentence Summary While on a trip to Washington, Leslie and April both find themselves facing new career opportunities. After returning to Pawnee, April and Ron embark on a scavenger hunt to find his house key, and Ben and Leslie struggle with how to handle the sexism inherent in political campaigns.

Favorite Line “The Male Men? Where are you? You’re ridiculous, and men’s rights is nothing.” (Leslie)

My Thoughts Sometimes Parks and Recreation is an idealistic, feel-good show. Other times, it’s a satirical force to be reckoned with. And on very rare, very wonderful occasions, it’s able to be both at the same time. My all-time favorite Parks and Rec episode, “The Debate,” is one of those rare episodes that was able to walk the line between satire and sincere emotion perfectly. And the second episode of this week’s double-header, “Pie-Mary,” is another.

The one-two punch of “Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington” and “Pie-Mary” had something for everyone—unless you only like Tom Haverford, and then you were probably disappointed because Aziz Ansari was absent from this hour of the show. (For as much as I love Tom, I actually didn’t notice his absence until reading some things about these episodes this morning.) All of the things that make Parks and Rec special had a moment in the spotlight: character growth and relationship development for all of its characters, supportive female friendships and male/female friendships, great guest stars, recurring characters stopping by for some fun, emotional beats, big laughs, smart social and political commentary, plenty of hugs, and more feminism on display in one half-hour than most shows are brave enough to show in entire seasons.

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TV Time: Parks and Recreation 7.07

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Source: screencrush.com

Source: screencrush.com

Title Donna and Joe

Two-Sentence Summary Donna’s wedding brings the Meagle family to Pawnee, and April is tasked with keeping the drama to a minimum. Meanwhile, Jen Barkley returns to convince Ben to run for the House of Representatives.

Favorite Lines
Ben: You have never been neutral on anything in your life. You have an opinion on pockets!
Leslie: Yes! I think they should all be bigger!

My Thoughts No show does weddings like Parks and Recreation. After the excellent way this show handled April and Andy, Leslie and Ben, and Ron and Diane getting married, I had high hopes for Donna’s wedding. And, like everything that’s happened so far during this fantastic final season, Parks and Rec managed to create something even better than I could have hoped to see. “Donna and Joe” fits in beautifully with both the tradition of great Parks and Rec weddings and the tradition of great Parks and Rec episodes that feature a pair of names in the title (“Leslie and Ben,” “Ann and Chris,” both “Ron and Tammy” and “Ron and Tammys,” “Leslie and Ron,” …).

We’ve spent a lot of time here at NGN discussing the surprising benefits of airing these final Parks and Rec episodes in back-to-back pairs. However, “Donna and Joe” deserved to stand alone. It contained plenty of big moments for a variety of characters, and I am happy that those moments will get a full week’s worth of attention on their own instead of being followed immediately by another episode.

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TV Time: Parks and Recreation 7.05/7.06

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Source: screencrush.com

Source: screencrush.com

Title Gryzzlbox/Save JJ’s

Two-Sentence Summary Leslie attempts to turn the tide of the Newport land battle in her favor by exposing Gryzzl’s privacy invasion techniques. However, she finds an even better solution while trying to find a way to save her beloved JJ’s Diner.

Favorite Line “Was it Putin? Voldemort Putin? Of Russia?” (Andy)

My Thoughts “Gryzzlbox/Save JJ’s” had the seemingly unenviable position of following “Leslie and Ron,” which was described by many (myself included) as one of the best and most emotional episodes of Parks and Recreation in the show’s history. How do you follow that?

It turns out, you follow that with a pair of episodes that touched on nearly all the high points of seven seasons of Parks and Rec mythology over the course of one highly entertaining hour: town meetings, Perd Hapley, Leslie’s scrapbooks, Burt Macklin, Ice Town, Dennis Feinstein, Treat Yo Self, Dr. Richard Nygard, JJ’s waffles…

This pair of episodes honored the show’s history in its details, but it also honored the soul of the show in its overall theme of the power of a group of good people working together for a cause that means something to them—whether that cause is a new national park or the preservation of a great plate of bacon and eggs. Just like last season’s finale, this pair of episodes could have felt too neat, its conflicts too easily solved by the power of positive, creative thinking. But Parks and Rec is a show where the good guys win, where good things happen to good people. And in a television landscape that grows more cynical and antihero-driven by the day, I like knowing that I can watch Parks and Rec and feel good and happy and hopeful when all is said and done.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (1/18 – 1/25)

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While many TV shows took a little hiatus this week, there were still plenty of memorable moments to get us from Sunday to Sunday. The week began with playoff football, and the fallout from one of those games dominated much of the television landscape this week in the form of nonstop talk about “Deflategate.” On Monday, Castle featured a trip into the dramatic world of telenovelas. And Tuesday’s hour of Parks and Recreation offered plenty of laughs and even more tears.

“Leslie and Ron,” the second half of Tuesday’s Parks and Rec double-header wasn’t just the best thing I’ve seen on TV this week. It was the best episode of television I’ve seen so far this year (and probably this whole TV season). The phrase “instant classic” is often hyperbolic, but I honestly believe it’s the perfect way to describe “Leslie and Ron.” It was a series highlight for a series filled with highlights—that’s how special it was.

While it’s difficult to select just one moment in the episode as the best, I can’t stop thinking about the unforced emotion in the scene where Ron told Leslie what motivated him to leave the Parks Department. That scene was a testament to what happens when great writing over the course of an entire series combines with performances given by actors who love and understand their characters even more than their passionate fans do. Ron admitting to Leslie that he missed his friends so much that he was willing to ask for a job with the federal government only resonated the way it did because of who we know Ron Swanson to be as a character and the emotions Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler brought to that moment. It was sweet, it was sad, and it was simply perfect. Such a brilliant, effortlessly moving scene could only be achieved by writers and actors at their top of their game. I’m so glad that my favorite show on television seems to be going out on top creatively in a way few shows I’ve loved ever have before.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: Parks and Recreation 7.03/7.04

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Title William Henry Harrison/Leslie and Ron

Two-Sentence Summary As Ron and Leslie’s feud continues to escalate, their friends realize they have to take drastic measures, locking them in the Parks Department office overnight. As they realize there’s nothing to do but talk about their feelings, both Leslie and Ron discuss the events that led to the dissolution of their friendship, including the Morningstar incident.

Favorite Lines
Ron: Why does anybody in the world ever eat anything other than breakfast food?
Leslie: People are idiots, Ron.

My Thoughts I think most fans of Parks and Recreation expected to cry more than once during this final run of episodes. However, I’m not sure anyone expected the deluge of tears to start as soon as the season’s fourth episode. But there I was, sitting on my couch on Tuesday night, sobbing into my sweatshirt sleeve as Leslie and Ron bonded over breakfast food once again. And I know I wasn’t the only one moved to tears in that moment.

It takes something really special to unite people on the Internet in a positive way, but “Leslie and Ron” was something really special. I’ve never before seen the kind of unanimous love for and emotional response to an episode of television that I’ve seen with this one. “Leslie and Ron” was an instant Parks and Rec classic, and it was the best single episode of television I’ve seen so far this TV season. It was a brave episode for many reasons but especially because it wore its heart so openly on its sleeve, and, as such, it represented the very best of what makes Parks and Rec such a treasure.

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