Parks and Recreation: Animal Control (5x18)

Parks and Recreation often has competing subplots, and I think that can sometimes hurt the over-all episode. I long for the days when all of the threads come together for a collective episode. This one didn't do that exactly, but it had more of a collaborative feel, which I did enjoy.

So, the Animal Control department is being run by two losers who cannot manage the place, and Leslie insists that they find someone new. The town council, however, wants to let Jamm just pick the replacement because it's his turn. Leslie says she will try to track down a candidate as well.

Right off the bat, you might see two of my problems with this episode, especially if you read my review of the last one: I don't think Jamm is funny, and people being high all the time rarely makes for comedic gold. It didn't this week. The two high guys were not entertaining to me in the least. They only had one funny moment, but it was due to their situation and not their individual humor. They enter the room to apply for the job they've just been fired from, and I'll admit there were a few chuckles. Mostly, however, they came from the other characters reacting to the situation, and not the two idiots themselves

The plot about finding a new person to head the Animal Control department was funny for several reasons. One, it brought back the excellent jokes about Pawnee's general ineptitude and uncleanliness. Two, it gave us an opportunity for teamwork, and three, there was a focus on April. I love April so very much. She's always so funny with her expressionless gaze and her awkward appreciation of Leslie's enthusiasm. She actually had a really great idea at the end of the episode, and now is the head of a sub-department of Parks and Recreation. Her questions to Leslie about her new position were great: "Can I hire an intern?" "Not yet." "Can I hire a Mexican elf?" "No." "Can I buy a child bride?" "No!" "Then how is this even a promotion?"

Chris, though playing a minor part here, did have some funny lines. He's in a cast, and feeling sad about not moving around. Leslie tells him that he can do more with one foot than most people can do with three, and he replies with: "I'm not going to lie, I needed that." He also ends up enjoying having people sign his cast, but not enough to break the other foot for the good of the team: "I like the idea of double signings, but I think the negatives outweigh the positives."

The other two plots in this episode did very little for me. Ben, Tom, and Andy trying to shmooze Dennis Feinstein was actually quite boring. The jokes were lackluster, and even though I love these three characters, I just wasn't feeling it from them this week. 

Ron's illness and Ann's attempt to help produced a few smiles but there wasn't a lot here, either. Ron describes how he got sick from his girlfriend's kids. He had noticed that they were sniffling during a movie, but he thought it was due to the film being sad. His description of said film was that it was a movie "in which an orange fish is separated from his father." I laughed! His responses to Ann's medical history questions were also humorous: "Sexual history?" "Epic and private." "Any history of mental illness? "I have an uncle who does yoga." I also liked how the doctor announced that Ron was a good patient because he didn't ask any questions. However, the ending, in which Rom tries to eat a banana in order to improve his health, was a little too focused on physical humor for my taste, and most of Ann's role in this plot was just to nudge Ron in the direction of jokes. To me, it could have been a lot funnier.

I liked some things about this episode, but ultimately it wasn't one of my favorites.

6.5/10