Parks And Recreation - Season 7 [*Spoilers*]

TarfHead

Do you remember the ads, back in the day, featuring the lad on the bus saying "I don't know what a tracker mortgage is ?" ?

Well, I think of that when I say, I don't know who Werner Herzog is. And have resisted the temptation to find out.

Does his cameo make sense only if you know who he is, or does the part he played work, regardless of who played it ?

On the other hand I enjoy when John Hamm pops up, like on 30 Rock, and think the character he plays works, regardless of him being John Hamm / Don Draper.

phasers

I don't really know much of Werner Herzog either, but I liked that part purely because it was some creepy old German guy who wanted to go to Disneyland.

I think he's a pretty eccentric guy, he makes these serious documentaries but then pops up randomly in shows like P&R and The Simpsons

Diabhal Beag

Watch Grizzly Man guys. It's a serious doc but you'll be gripped and the Herzog cameo will make more sense in it's context.

Machismo Fan

The Leslie and Ron episode this week was top quality. Up there with the best of the series. Brilliant episode.

Thargor

I don't like it anymore, its all a bit tame and the cliched storylines and the usual old sitcom tropes are all being rolled out now as the writers struggle for something new. Without Ron it would be nothing. I miss The Office

phasers

I enjoyed the Leslie Ron bottle episode even of it was a bit cliched. I just love seeing them interact.


The other episode was horrible.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

The first episode wasn't great, but I would definitely visit that William Henry Harrison museum... I think he may be my favourite US president now...

I really liked the Ron and Leslie episode. Yeah, it was cliched as mentioned, but Ron being hurt for being stood up for lunch was true to his character development over the previous 6 seasons...

johnny_ultimate

I think what Parks & Rec has going for it - apart from the funnies - is the strength and consistency of the characters, and the weird affection they all have for each other. So I think the bottle episode worked really well for that reason - it was just a perfect encapsulation of Leslie and Ron and their odd but loving friendship. Yes the episode was sentimental, but it felt sentimental in a way that was true to the characters and their history (revealing a bit of that in the process).

Frankly, I thought it was a terrific episode, and that beneath all the zaniness, idiosyncrasies and straight-up comic exaggeration, what elevates Parks is the strength of its characters and how they interact (stick any two of them together and it's pretty much bound to work - except for the shouty guy). And Ron and Leslie have always been two of the strongest (if for very different reasons), and put them in a room together and you can't help but get a wonderful half hour of television. It would have been a shame to have Poehler and Offerman (both great in this episode, some of their strongest performances in the whole run) hating each other for the whole season, as it's the love/hate aspect of their relationship that make them such compelling opposites.

Oh, and the jokes were great too.

mrkite77

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

The first episode wasn't great, but I would definitely visit that William Henry Harrison museum... I think he may be my favourite US president now...

The humor was very subtle in that episode.

Like the throwaway line about Elton John buying Chick-fil-A. That's only funny if you knew that the family that owns Chick-fil-A are evangelical christians who are publicly against gay marriage.

Kilkenny14

I'm going to miss Ron

"It's f****ing Milk!"

AnonoBoy

mrkite77 wrote: »

The humor was very subtle in that episode.

Like the throwaway line about Elton John buying Chick-fil-A. That's only funny if you knew that the family that owns Chick-fil-A are evangelical christians who are publicly against gay marriage.

I thought that was a great line.

Boom_Bap

"Put that down Andy"

The dynamic between Ron and Leslie was great in that episode.
Terry's notary tales were also great. But any fans of The League knows that there is only one El Notario

Sirsok

Finally after about 3 weeks I have watch all parks and recs and have caught up to it now. It's an amazing show, Andy and Ron being particular highlights.

But if I take anything away from parks and recs it's that I straight up love Aubrey Plaza.....

iguana

It was all worth it for Leslie's We Didn't Start the Fire. Loved that it was Gary/Jerry/Larry/Terry's favourite song as his onscreen wife Gail is played by Christie Brinkly who was Billy Joel's wife when he released that song.

Basq

Sirsok wrote: »

But if I take anything away from parks and recs it's that I straight up love Aubrey Plaza.....

Mmm-hmm.. no one does sarcastic quite like her!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acxXJz7gQnE

jack presley

Boom_Bap wrote: »

"Put that down Andy"

The dynamic between Ron and Leslie was great in that episode.
Terry's notary tales were also great. But any fans of The League knows that there is only one El Notario

Thank God you posted that. It was wrecking my brain trying to remember which show I'd seen a notary in recently

pixelburp

That's more like it: I wasn't mad gone on the first batch of episodes, but the third and fourth felt like the Parks of old; full of humour and warmth. To be honest I had expected the 'Morningstar' plotline to rumble on towards a reconciliation further into the series, so kudos for not dragging that out. Lesser shows would have made it a 22-episode arc.

It is funny how as zany and overtly ludicrous as this show can be, its beating heart is ... well, a beating heart. Leslie and Ron can be daft as brushes, but deep down they're both supremely written, personable characters you can't help but like, warts n' all. Rons an openly hostile Libertarian, about as far from my perspective of the world as a person can get yet he draws me in. The same goes for the rest of the cast. I'm not sure any one of them could support a spin-off on their own merits, but equally they have more potential than most casts from sit-coms.

Suffice to say I'll genuinely miss the characters when they're gone, and that's a very very rare feeling for a fictional TV show.

pixelburp

Perdples Court

Going by this weeks episode(s), it's clear the writers took on-board some of the comments about Craig, given his very deliberate attempts to curb his shouting.

Also, anyone else find those holographic UIs for Gryzzl a little distracting? Seems like a bit too much of an affectation towards a future vision...

Boom_Bap

'not a judge'

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Back on form this week, with both episodes I thought.

Hamuel L. Jackson

Precious flower

Episode 5 was poor in my opinion. The episodes are still missing that key element that I can't quite pin down that they used to have. Episode 6 was a lot better Ron, Tom and Andy and Donna are probably the strongest characters and have remained largely unchanged. Also, I loved those child ninjas! So cute!:D

Boom_Bap

Precious flower wrote: »

Episode 5 was poor in my opinion. The episodes are still missing that key element that I can't quite pin down that they used to have. Episode 6 was a lot better Ron, Tom and Andy and Donna are probably the strongest characters and have remained largely unchanged. Also, I loved those child ninjas! So cute!:D

I think the problem that you are trying to identify is that there is too much happening in each episode. As each character has grown over the years, their screentime has too so they are trying to squeeze in alot into 22 minutes.

Penn

pixelburp wrote: »

Perdples Court

"Who will win?... I don't know yet."

Diabhal Beag

Things were better now

squonk

I enjoyed both Episodes 5 and 6. It felt much more like good old P&R Amazingly Craig appeared in scenes without me wanting to kick his face in. It was so damn good to see Tom back husteling. Having him be Andy's manager was a good move. It's nice to see the old Tom back talking a big game but ending up crying and begging in the end. It's classic Tom and it's why I love his character.

I loved mini April! I'm seriuosly going to miss Aubrey Plaza on my screen after this hsow wraps. She's absolutely gorgeous! Seeing her new recruit though reminded me of just how uninterested and bored she was in the beginning. It was very funny!

I'm glad the show is back to what it was. It'll make me a bit sad to see it finally finish. Isn't there just 8 episodes this season? I guess next week is the last then?

Also Starring LeVar Burton

squonk wrote: »

I'm glad the show is back to what it was. It'll make me a bit sad to see it finally finish. Isn't there just 8 episodes this season? I guess next week is the last then?

13 episodes... 4 more weeks - finale is an hour long.

mrkite77

"After 30 years, my co-workers are finally going call me by my real name. I'm so blessed"

AlmightyCushion

mrkite77 wrote: »

"After 30 years, my co-workers are finally going call me by my real name. I'm so blessed"

Look at his wife. That man is blessed.

pixelburp

mrkite77 wrote: »

"After 30 years, my co-workers are finally going call me by my real name. I'm so blessed"

I dunno, the Garry/Larry abuse always left a slightly sour taste in my mouth; the show is otherwise so chirpy and upbeat with its worldview, the bullying tended to feel like the polar opposite to the tone of the rest of the show.

In fact, I think the show openly called itself out once, by way of the now long-gone Mark Brendanawicz, remarking that Garry feared going into work because of his co-workers. It never came up again, but it's always there in my mind.

Still though, very funny episode and a lovely rounding-off of what was arguably the shallowest character in the original Parks & Rec. cast. Leslie and Ben's interactions are also adorable and hilarious I love how in any other sitcom a wedding episode would be utterly saccharine and indigestible, yet here it's simply sweet, funny and genuine.

squonk

Yeah it was a great apisode! I'm starting to wonder if they're giving themselves room now for a sequel show about Ben & Leslie in Washington? It'd certainly be a good idea. The pair have great chemistry and are actually a lovely cute and adorable couple. I'd certainly watch.

I thought Donna's wedding came out of nowhere but I don't mind too much. She was always more of a catalyst character in the show anyway. Who was the guy looking to step up to the mic at the end? When Craig mentioned "We've a very special guest here this evening", some guy looked like he was stepping up. I figured he had to be a well known singer or rapper doing a cameo. Then Craig just completly blew him off and took the mic himself! Very funny! Actualy the 8675309 gag had me in stitches! They really just threw it in there for great effect! I'll miss that about the show!