Parks and Recreation: Ann and Chris (6x13)

Awwww. I know I've been complaining the past couple of weeks about all the Ann and Chris plots, but now that they've left, I'm really going to miss them. I'd say let's take a look at the plot, but in reality not much really happened in this episode. It was more of a character-oriented story.

Basically, Ann and Chris are getting ready to move away from Pawnee. So, Leslie, in true Leslie Knope fashion, throws an elaborate goodbye party for them. The party includes aspects of every holiday for the next year, just in case Leslie doesn't get to celebrate them with Ann. She also tries to fulfill her promise to Ann from when they first met, and break ground on the Pawnee Park. Things get complicated when she is blocked by another government official, but eventually she - sort of - manages to get the groundbreaking to go forward. Gifts are exchanged, and the guys feel bad for not getting anything good for Chris, while he gives them very thoughtful presents. Eventually, they find a good gift - a memory box for Chris to put memories of his new life with Ann into. Ann and Chris say their tearful goodbyes, and leave Pawnee.

See? Not much of a story. There's no real central conflict, other than the fact that Leslie almost can't get the groundbreaking to go through. Mainly, it's all about Ann and Chris, as the title would suggest. This was a very fitting goodbye episode for them. Honestly, I don't have much in the way of complaints. All of this stuff was very good. Cheesy, but ultimately satisfying, and I think it was just what we needed at this point in the show. Here are some of my favorite bits:

- Ann once went on a date with Perd Hapley! This cracked me up, particularly Ann's impersonation of what he sounded like when requesting to kiss her.

- April says "I love you" to Ann! Not audibly, of course... but they hug, and everything! This was such a lovely culmination to their relationship. They've always been so funny to watch on screen together, and I'm glad April was able to let her guard down a bit.

- Along the same vein, Andy's goodbye to Ann was hilarious. He basically just goes up to her and says something like: "you know what I just realized? We used to date." It was a very funny reference to earlier in the show, because it does seem like a hilarious oddity that Andy and Ann could ever have been in a relationship. Their characters have moved so far beyond that dynamic that it's funny to be reminded of it.

- Leslie's scrapbooks for Ann. So funny. And indeed, all of their friendship as exhibited in this episode. I love how they worked together to make the groundbreaking happen. I love the fact that they promise to stay close. I would really love it if they would follow up on that - even if Ann can't be in the show anymore, they could still put tons of references in about Leslie talking to her on the phone, or whatever. That's my hope, anyway.

- Ben and Chris's goodbye! It was so touching! My addiction to bromances is clearly getting out of hand, but their moment of farewell was one of the most emotional in the whole episode for me.

- Another particularly emotional spot was when Ann and Ben exchange advice about how to handle each other's romantic partners. Ann knows Leslie very well, and so gives Ben a few tips, and Ben in turn gives tips to Ann about Chris. They commiserate over how high maintenance their partners are, but it's clear that Ann and Ben have formed quite the bond because of it.

- Ron's goodbye to Ann was a simple "I enjoyed some of the time we had together," but it caused her to tear up. Larry/Jerry/Gary, on the other hand, made a very emotional speech, which Ann had no reaction to at all. Poor guy.

So, I could go on. There were a lot of adorable little moments in this episode. It was sentimental and cheesy, but what more could you want, when you think about it? The pacing was solid, as well - these moments all had time to breathe, and nothing felt too crowded. In all, I'm very pleased!

9/10