I can't believe it's really over! This was so emotional. I really wasn't sure what to expect for this final double episode, but what I got was stunning. Let's go over the plot.
Basically, the whole gang comes together one last time to help repair a broken swing. They succeed, cutting through all the bureaucratic red tape to complete their goal. Along the way, Leslie laments the fact that everything is changing, and that she just wants everybody to be together and happy. Ben promises that some day all of these people will be reunited, even if it takes a while. Throughout the episode, as Leslie says goodbye to everybody, we get flash-forwards of what happens to each character's lives over the next several years. I'll quickly list some of the outcomes.
Donna and Joe move to Seattle. Joe struggles as a teacher, because so many programs are not being funded. Donna, who is very wealthy, decides that she wants to establish a program through April's company called "Teach Yo' Self," which would pay teachers for running after-school clubs and the such.
Craig ends up falling in love with Typhoon (the hair stylist). They live a long and happy life together.
Jean-Ralphio and his sister Mona Lisa fake Jean-Ralphio's death as a life insurance scam. They watch the funeral from behind a tree and then run off together to open a casino.
Garry, after his brief stint as interim mayor, gets elected as the actual mayor through a write-in ballot. For the rest of his life, he wins mayor again and again, until he dies surrounded by his still beautiful and young wife and children, at the age of 100.
Tom makes plans to expand his business by opening up a bunch of "Tom's Bistro" restaurants throughout the country. However, he loses everything. Lucy supports him as he tries to come up with a new plan for his life. He ends up writing a book about being successful through failures, which outlines different types of winners that you can be. You can be a "Leslie," a "Ben," a "Tom," a "Donna," an "April," or an "Andy." But at all costs, you should avoid being a "Garry." Tom's book is a bestseller.
April and Andy clash over whether to have children or not. Andy really wants kids, but April isn't sure. After talking with Leslie, April realizes that she does want to add more people to her "team," as it were. She and Andy have a baby on Halloween, and name him Jack. Later, April gets pregnant for a second time.
Ron continues running his construction company, until he abruptly decides to quit. He goes to Leslie for help in deciding what he should do with the rest of his life. Leslie gives him a job managing the Indiana National Park. He gets to walk around in nature and not talk to anybody. It's the perfect job for him.
Finally, there's Leslie and Ben. While at Joe Biden's home, Leslie is approached about running for governor of Indiana. At the same time, Ben is approached about the same thing. The two of them don't know how to decide which one of them will run. Ben arranges a surprise for Leslie, getting the whole gang together back in the Pawnee Parks Department, so that they can make the decision. Even Ann and Chris are there, with their kids!
Everybody happily reunites. Leslie decides that she and Ben should flip a coin over who should run for governor, but Ben realizes that it should be Leslie - it's her dream. A further flash-forward shows Leslie making a speech at the University of Indiana, and we discover that she did indeed become the governor.
The last image is of the whole group getting a picture together, back in 2017 before everybody leaves to start their adventures. Ben asks Leslie if she's ready, and Leslie says she is.
Okay, so this was just absolutely stunning. I don't think I have a single bad thing to say about it. They did it. They really, really did it. Every plot thread was tied up, every recurring joke seemed to get its final send-off. It was so satisfying to see everybody succeed, and to see that they all remained more or less a part of each other's lives, even as they went on to bigger and better things. The balance here was really lovely - Leslie is quite the overachiever, as we all know, and she really does manage to have it all. She gets to keep Pawnee and go to DC. She gets to move up in her career but still have all her old friends be a part of her life.
The overall concept of this episode was amazing. What a great idea, to give us a taste of what's to come, but still keep everything grounded in one last Parks Department job. It brought the simplicity of the early days back, while still pushing things forward in an exciting new way.
A few of my favorite moments (although there are too many to list, really):
- Leslie helps Chris come up with some compliments for Ann, because apparently Chris isn't very good at them. My favorite suggestion was "Ann, you opalescent tree shark."
- Leslie and Ann watch as their children sit next to each other, and Leslie gets all excited about the possibility of their children falling in love.
- April has a baby with Andy! And she still stays weird. It's absolutely perfect that they would have the baby on Halloween. If you think about it, that's the holiday that most accurately sums up their relationship. It has all the weird, gory, grossness that April loves, and all the candy and cute kids running around for Andy to enjoy.
- Recurring characters like Shauna Malwe-Tweep, Brandi Maxxx, Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa, and Typhoon all make hilarious final appearances here. I particularly loved the fact that Ron was the best man at Typhoon and Craig's wedding. Ron was serious when he said that a man's barber is one of the most important people in his life.
- I loved the scene when the triplets came running in and devoured their food while all talking over one another. Super funny, super cute. It felt real.
- Tom's different ways of being successful. I just adore the idea of him being inspired by all of his friends and using them to describe different ways of being a winner. It was a nice way to sum up everybody's strengths. Also, I loved it when Tom freaked out at Ben, since Ben told him that he got "Tom" last time he took the quiz. Those two are so funny.
- Just seeing Ann and Chris again made me really happy. I liked the balance here, as they didn't go too far with it, but still gave us enough to remember why we loved them so much. It reminded me of Michael's cameo in The Office finale, actually.
- Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa are nauseating characters, and I've never been the biggest fan of them, but this exit was perfect for them. Of course they would run an insurance scam. Of course they would sing loud nonsense fifty feet away from the funeral they staged so they could get away. Of course.
- Garry got the most hilarious sendoff. After all the crap he's gone through, of course he would end up being mayor of Pawnee for the rest of his life. Of course he would die on his 100th birthday, surrounded by his friends and family. It was absolutely hilarious that Gale and the kids didn't age at all, so they look unnaturally young and beautiful when Garry was 100 years old. As a final nudge towards the Garry that nothing good ever happens to, we see that his name has been misspelled on his tombstone.
- Leslie's speech. She talks about how lucky she has been to work hard at something worth doing, and to work with people that she loves. It's a perfect way to sum up her character, and her journey over the past seven seasons. Then, of course, there's the last joke about hating libraries. Leslie is disturbed to find that the University has named the library after her. Uh oh!
I think that's all I have to say. This show really, really impressed me for seven years. I'm sad to see it end.
10/10
Parks and Recreation is one of the best shows I've ever seen on television. It has a diverse cast and an amazing and strong female protagonist. I laughed a lot, but I also felt compassion and pride for these characters. I'm going to miss this show so much! Overall, because of a sort of shaky beginning in the first season, I'm going to give this show...
9/10
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