Season 5: Eps. 1- 11: Dom and Theo
Theo & Dom
12-2018
Parks and Rec season 5 episodes 1-11
Episode 1 Reflection: With Leslie gone from the office she leaves Ron in charge of all the employees. This is already triggering as Ron has no intention or drive at all to manage people in a federal workplace. So for viewers we immediately get some foreshadowing into how this episode is going to turn out. Also Leslie has taken Andy with her to Washington D.C. which is not her smartest decision as Andy is not the smartest fellow. Actually, Andy is in fact the least intelligent person in the entire show. So as Leslie and Andy take on D.C. Ron has to dost the annual office barbecue.
We know Ron is a huge meat eater. His diet is very strict and we know this by prior episodes where he explains his hate for vegetables and fruits and his love for all things meat and breakfast food. For viewers this is hilarious. All the office characters are here and in full fledged nagging, as Ron would see it. Ron cant handle this kind of antagonistic atmosphere for very long so he wraps the entire barbecue up in a matter of 30 seconds and drives away. Its hilarious as Ron has the barbecue attached to his car hitch so he drives around the park with a still flaming barbecue as he gets red hot mad and the co-workers all star at him like he’s a crazy man, cause he is. The gravity of this episode is to show that when Leslie is gone, the office is chaos.
Oppositions: The opposition here is hierarchy conflict, because the Hero (Leslie) is trying to talk to a higher political official for some plans she has to improve the Pawnee but she is quickly denied.
Episode 1: Summary: In the season opener Leslie and Andy go to Washington DC to meet with a political official. During their trip they encounter Ben and go to a party to meet her favorite women but she is quickly overwhelmed. On the other hand, Ron is in charge of the employee appreciation barbecue but it quickly berated for wanting to cook a pig and the demands of the employees.
Actors: Hero: Ron, Leslie
Villain D.C, the employees
Hero: Andy, Chris
sequence : 1) Ron plans barbecue, Leslie visits DC for meeting
2) Employees grow upset with Ron because of lack of food/drinks, politician refuses to meet leslie and is overwhelmed by the party guests
3) Andy helps Leslie realize she is capable of cleaning the river, Ron finds another way to appreciate employees
Episode 2 Reflection: While Sugams and Paunch burger make the town one big fat cell, Leslie has come up with a plan to tax soda heavily so that way people of Pawnee won't be so as unhealthy. The people of Pawnee are huge, more importantly they are unhealthy. With this plan we can see how Leslie cares of the people of Pawnee while she is still merely a the head of parks and recreation in city hall.
Sugams doesn't understand what is wrong with the giant sodas they are serving to people as the PR rep for them is a complete idiot and is only in her job for the money. The people in this town suffer from a lack of good restaurants which Tom will soon plug them with. Tom has plans to do anything big and he finds his calling when it comes to managing and owning his very own restaurant.
Oppositions: In this episode we can see the common struggle of hierarchy as Leslie once again is trying to convince a political official to get a vote on soda tax.
Episode 2: Summary: Leslie is trying to tax soda because the whole time has become obese and she is pushing for a healthier push. Ben is having a hard time in his office because of his new interns. Leslie is afraid of getting fired, Ben realizes his interns are related to high officials and is trying to get on their good side.
Actors: Ben, Leslie
Hero: April, Ana
Sequence: 1) Leslie wants to propose a new tax, Ben has issues with his interns
2) Leslie realizes her job is at stake, Ben realizes his interns are related to high officials and can help him
3) Leslie votes to have the tax, and Ben gains the respect of his interns
Episode 3 Reflection: The story here has a lot going on. We have Ron and Andy trying to fix potholes in the city as public work agents. Leslie is behind on votes from the city to be the new city manager, and she also wants her bill to pass on opening the city pool to the public. As all of the is going on it is hard to follow one at a time yet the layout of the show helps us do so when we are confronted with one act at a time. The people of Pawnee are fat and because of Sugams, a candy company that owns a huge amount of candy that is produced in the area. Sugams also owns Paunch Burger. Paunch burger is the most unhealthy chain restaurant ever and is making the people of Pawnee huge.
Leslie’s idea to open the pool will help people become healthier when they are living there lives. Also Andy and Ron aren't too bad at fixing potholes. Ron is basically really good at anything he does with his hands. This episode really transpired to be a huge “gettr’ done” type of attitude. Most of the people in the show are inclined to help Leslie and Ron ion whatever they are doing. The office makes it there priority too in an act of teamwork when deciding on things to do.
Oppositions: Leslie has found herself once again going to higher political officials to get her vote. A hierarchy in the workplace is what I have been noticing as the opposition.
Episode 3: Leslie wants to pass a bill to have the local pool open for the city, Ron and Andy take on the job of the city public works to fix a pothole. Leslie has herself in a situation because she does not have all the votes.
Actors: Ron, Andy, Leslie, Tom
Hero: Leslie
Helper: Tom
Sequence: 1) Leslie proposes a new bill
2) She is told she can only get the vote if she gives her bathroom
3) Tom says she should take the proposal and let him take the bathroom
Episode 4 Reflections: This episode is actually one of the more funny ones. The best episodes are when they hold public hearings to hear from the local citizens of Pawnee. Some of the citizens are hilarious! When Leslie has a mission to teach old people about sex things turn into something much weirder than we thought. The group called the Watch Dogs, a church group ran by a couple of crazies who believe that sex is sacred (which it is) but in a very Christian extremist way. They believe against Leslie teaching about safe sex and say she is being inappropriate. They also do not believe in condoms as it is a sacred act to have sex and kids and wearing a condom is evil and kills kids before they were even born.
People of Pawnee, especially the elderly, have no idea how to perform safe sex obviously so who's going to teach them? The head of the parks and recreation department at there local city hall. This is very weird that Leslie of all people wouldn't have anything better to do than teach sex education to senior citizens...Yes it’s also as far fetched as we should think it is due to all the other previous episodes it’s almost normal now.
Oppositions: Just like the other episodes Leslie is looking to higher political officials to get her point across and has to ask higher powers to get her vote.
Episode 4: Leslie wants to educate elderly on sex education because they are having a chlamydia problem in Pawnee. She finds a roadblock because the watch dogs are trying to intervene.
Actors: Andy, Leslie, Ann
Hero: Leslie
Helper: Ann
Villian: Watchdogs
Sequence: 1) Leslie wants to stop the chlamydia problem
2) The villain watch dogs try to intervene and stop the sex ed
3) Leslie is able to find a way to get her point across
Episode 5:
Episode 5 Reflection: When Ron inclines to go to Dianne's for Halloween he accepts the task of managing her kids for the night. This is already a huge foreshadowing of what is to come because Ron has no kids, nor does he want any. Rather he plays it off like a champ and proceeds with the task of helping out Dianne with the kids for the night. Ron takes the kids out for the night to go trick or treating in the neighborhood. This goes exactly as you would think for a man watching over three girls who has no kids and nor does he want any.
Ron immediately loses control and makes them cry. They are upset with him which in turn makes Dianne upset with him as well. The story is a load of bull because what mother trusts her kids with a man who has never had any. I mean she easily could’ve called for a babysitter or something. And don't try and tell me she doesn't know any baby sitters when she is the Principle of a middle school. The entire story seems a little far fetched at this point as there is so many things with Ron that don’t add up or simply never happen in real life. But who are we to judge the fiction with reality. As do all episodes the acts play out ass they should.
Oppositions: Just like the other episodes Leslie is looking to higher political officials to get her point across and has to ask higher powers to get her vote.
Summary: In this episode the main plot is Ron getting invited to spend Halloween with diane and her daughters. At first he disagrees but is convinced. He goes but it all goes bad as he does a bad job taking care of the daughters.
Hero:Ron
Villain: Ron?
Helper: Andy
Sequence 1: Ron decides to not spend Halloween with Diane
2) He is convinced by Andy to go and spend time with Diane
3) Dianne is upset with Ron
4) Andy tells Ron he should try to win her back
5) Ron wins her back
Episode 6:
Episode 6 Reflection: So Leslie and Ben are finally getting married. They are the nerdiest, wackiest, and most disgusting couple ever and their entire relationship is a cringe compilation off youtube. It has to be one of the shows least appealing aspects and they add it because it’s funny but in reality I find it to be more of annoying than funny. Sometimes this shows goes too far out of the park for me. However, when Ben and Leslie announce they are going to get married the whole office is very happy for them and is excited they are finally doing so.
When Leslie and Ben decide to invite his parents that he hasn't seen in awhile he is set with the conflict that they too haven't seen each other in a while. It’s a common theme in a lot of films. Parents who are way too old to have an real impact on their offspring yet they somehow manage to still be very intimidating regardless of the fact that both of the people getting married here are well above the age of consent and both have really strong careers. The plot of this narrative is to exploit Ben’s parents as being ugly expecting of there son. Yet, they never appear again in the entire show so I don't know why they are built up to be so much as they are.
Oppositions: The opposition here is the struggle between deciding if inviting Ben's parents is a good idea. So it would be doing what is “Morally” right or right for the relationship.
Summary: Leslie and Ben have decided to get engaged and want to have a party to celebrate, ben decides to invite his parents but they have not seen each other in over 30 years.
Hero: Leslie
Helper: Ben
Sequence: 1) Engagement happens
2) Party is planned and happens
3) Ben’s parents fight
4) Ben and Leslie sit them down and everything is well
Episode 7 Reflection: Leslie and her park plans for lot 48 have been in the works since the day the show aired. She has been wanting to put her park there for a long time and in doing so she will have made her mark on Pawnee forever. That is one of her main goals right next to being the first woman president of the United States. However, when April wants to make lot 48 into a dog park she is extremely stressed and angry at April because she’s been trying to make a park there for a long time now and April just comes in a says I want it to be a dog park.
Knowing this show fairly well now you can assume how this got blow out of proportion from all ends. Most of the show revolves around Leslie and she is in fact the main character. So we see first hand how it is when something doesn't go her way. She gets angry and will plot on the people she wishes the out do. It gets a little out of control sometimes when you think of how this one woman and her problems become such a huge priority. I for one can not stand Leslie Knope as her character grows more and more annoying as the plot of the show unravels.
Oppositions: We go back to the hierarchy struggle of Leslie trying to convince higher officials to get something done for her city of Pawnee.
Episode 7: In this episode Leslie and April clash ideas because of a proposed dog park. April wants to have her dog park in lot 48 where Leslie has wanted a park for a while. April then tells Leslie she got the vote of Jeremy only angering her.
Hero: Jamm
Villain: Leslie
Helper: Ron?
sequence : 1) April says she wants a new dog park on lot 48
2) Leslie disagrees and gets angered after April gets vote from Jamm
3) Leslie tries to distract April
4) Jamm saves the day by saying “parks are stupid” and vote on a restaurant
Episode 8 Reflection: Leslie is a very stubborn person. As is most of the characters in this show. We can see her ultimate stubbornness come from the never ending rivalry between her town of Pawnee and the neighboring town of Eagleton. The entire show began with this one lot that they want to transform into a park, lot 48. Now Leslie has been searching for a chance for someone to build the park as there is no new city planner that can draw the blueprints. She receives a submission for a park design yet it’s from a citizen in Eagleton.
Most of this story revolves around her ridiculous tantrums she has when she is talking about how she hates Eagleton. As the viewers see it, the story presents Eagleton as the nicest place ever where everyone is rich and Pawnee is a dump in comparison. It’s hard to relate to the hatred that Leslie has for the people of Eagleton. However, when were introduced to these Eagleton people we are quickly reassured that they are in fact who Leslie portrays them as. It’s almost to a fictional degree the way they laugh and smile and think everything is so pompous but they’re not far off from some people in real life. Yet the story goes on with this feud continuing and the park never settles.
Opposition: Leslie once again is trying to get her plan to execute to help improve Pawnee but higher powers are trying to deny her.
Episode 8: In this episode Leslie is looking for park ideas to have on lot 48. She has no luck but gets a submission from someone that is from Eagleton, a town which she hates. But Ben tries to convince her to at least meet with the person.
Hero: Ben
Villain: Wreston/Ben's employees
Helper: ?
Sequence: 1) Leslie is looking for park ideas
2) she receives one from eagle rock
3) The villain (Wreston) submits a park mocking Pawnee
4) Angers leslie and sprays on Wreston
5) The hero (Ben) tells her it was not Wrestons idea
Episode 9 Reflection: As Ron is esteemed to be winning this woodworkers award he is introduced to the audience as somewhat of a new character. As we never see Ron in such a happy joyful state it is odd for us to see him like this now. Something new for the audience to digest. Also Ron is in the middle of seeing this new woman, Dianne, who he has grown to actually love as he continues to see her. She, along with Leslie, accompany Ron to the award ceremony where he will be collecting his award.
During this time where Ron is suppose to be collecting his reward he is confronted by Tammy, his toxic ex-wife. Tammy and Ron’s relationship in the show is hilarious as they are like two sex addicts that bring out the worst sides of each other. They are freaky and make you feel weird watching them yet you kind of like it. This makes the viewers happy again to see a familiar side of Ron. One we have seen in previous episodes when it comes to the evil Tammy. Although it seems like we are more familiar with Ron and his happiness for the award it seems that when Tammy comes around we know exactly how things are going to play out and can’t wait for the chaos to begin.
Episode 9: In this episode Ron wins an achievement and is actually very excited, he invites dianne to his important event. Leslie basically invites herself so she can finally get to know dianne. But tammy (Rons ex) shows up and tries to ruin rons night.
Hero: Ron
Villian: Tammy
Helper: Leslie
Sequence: 1) Ron gets invited to get an achievement
2) Leslie invites herself to get to know Dianne
3) Tammy shows up
4) Leslie tries to get her out
5) Ron shows Dianne a side of him no one knows and it reassures her that Dianne is special to Ron
Episode 10: This episode is one of those filler pieces that help bridge the gap between the real plot of the story with the end of the season. As this season does not finish as strong as others I see that the writers use these little episodes about the office employees relationships to add some substance to the bigger plot. Watching all the previous episodes and then seeing ones like these you can really tell that the writers had to use some backup plan to incorporate how they were going to tell the rest of the story without missing the air date for the next episode.
Ann and Chris are a cute couple and it’s really nice to see a normal couple for once in this very diverse Hollywood. However, the amount of effort and time this show spends on there single relationship is a huge turn off. It make sit really hard to get into the show when Leslie Knope the main character is down Ann Perkins throat about a task as little as walking up and talking to Chris. It’s annoying to the viewers to see this too because where this show lacks comedy the most is when they involve these little bridge episodes of relationships. The only relationship that is funny is Andy and April and since they are SO funny all the other relationships seem flat compared to theirs.
Episode 10: Ann and Chris are trying to plan their bachelor parties, but some unexpected turns
have happened.
Hero: Chris
Villain:?
Helper: The co workers
Sequence:1) The party is planned
2) The party is a success but Chris is still miserable
3) At the party Chris realizes he wants something different in a partner
4) He gets a date with a reporter
Episode 11 Reflection: Here we have a classic Leslie Knope move where she points to lack of gender equality in the current political standings in Pawnee. Most viewers, if not all, would agree with this point as the show being a politically themed theatrical there are many real world problems presented in these episodes. However, in this case Leslie is striving for equality to a ridiculous degree. She is informed that most of the inequality is in sanitation and that most of the garbage collectors for the city are men. So leslie being who she is takes this opportunity to rope April in with her to become garbage collectors for a day to prove a point to the city that women are just as capable as men.
This begins alright when Leslie and April start picking up trash yet they come to a huge problem when trying to move a big refrigerator. The plot of this story is a little annoying as it seems to be somewhere in between comedic satire and realism. It’s hard to tell whether the writers of this episode were trying to make a real point or make fun of the equality chasers for being over zealous when it comes to issues pertaining to feminism. As the entire show is one big joke because its developed to be a sitcom, we can’t take it too seriously when watching yet the show brings up some rather relevant and serious topics that we discuss today in our real life society.
Episode 11: In this episode Leslie points the lack of gender representation in government, Chris quickly agrees and she says it's mostly in sanitation. So Leslie sees this as a challenge and pairs with April to be garbage collectors for a day.
Hero: Leslie
Villain: The mall garbage workers
Helper: April and the soup kitchen workers
Sequence 1) Leslie says women need more representation
2) Chris agrees
3) Leslie and April take on the challenge
4) Unable to pick up the fridge
5) But the hero (Soup workers) help them load it and take it back to the restaurant