Parks and Recreation: One Last Ride (7x12/13)

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.

Parks and Recreation: Two Funerals (7x11)

A little bit less unified and therefore less impressive than the episodes we've had recently, but I did really enjoy it nonetheless.

It seems like everybody is moving on all at the same time. Leslie and Ben have started looking for a place in DC, April and Andy are leaving, Donna and Joe are planning to move to Seattle, and Garry is retiring. As they are all discussing these changes, they learn that the mayor, Walter Gunderson, has died. It is up to Ben as city planner to find an interim mayor until an election can be held. Ben and April go around trying to find someone who would be suitable. April tells Ben that he would make a great mayor, but Ben says he can't go through with it. He doesn't want to erase his memories of Ice Town. He's glad that his first disastrous attempt at being mayor happened. It was what led him to Pawnee, to Leslie, and to the wonderful life he has now. He decides to make Garry the mayor, to April's horror. Leslie throws a little inauguration party for Garry, complete with a throne and a hot air balloon, and, of course, a banner.

Meanwhile, Ron discovers that his barber, Salvatore, has died. He is devastated, because Salvatore was a big part of his routine. Donna and Andy both help Ron to move on, going with him to the service, and later finding him a new barber. At first he is horrified by the flashiness of the new guy, but then he starts to enjoy himself, as the guy starts talking about how much he hates Europe, and bicycles.

Parks and Recreation: The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show (7x10)

Aww! Well that was fun! Let's briefly go through the plot, although really this episode wasn't so much plot-oriented as it was... joke oriented. In a good way.

The entire episode takes place during Andy's very last Johnny Karate show. He and April are getting ready to move to DC, so it's time to say goodbye. The show involves all sorts of fun segments, such as April teaching the kids about animals, Ron teaching everybody how to build something, Ben teaching the kids something, and Leslie encouraging everybody to try something new, even if it's scary.

Leslie and April surprise Andy by turning the rest of the show into a tribute to Andy and all of his wonderful years in Pawnee. They take him through his journey from a loser with two broken legs, a shoe shiner, a candidate for a police officer, a member of the band Mouse Rat, and finally a beloved children's entertainer.

April is upset because she sees how much Andy loves this job, and she doesn't want to take him away to DC and ruin his dreams. Andy says that he loves April more than anything, and that he wants to move to be with her. They'll discover the next part of their adventure together!

Parks and Recreation: Pie-Mary (7x09)

OH MY GOD. This is my favorite episode ever. Yes, yes, yes! Good job, Parks and Recreation. Seriously. Good job. Let's go over the plot, yeah?

Ben's campaign gets under way, and Leslie immediately comes under fire for not being a good wife. She refuses to participate in a pie contest traditionally done by all the congressional wives. People have lots of different opinions. Women's rights organizations applaud her for not participating, while most people turn on her for not being a good wife. They come up with a solution - Ben will enter the contest instead, therefore showing their willingness to participate in tradition, while still getting rid of the sexism. It doesn't go as planned, as a men's rights activist group shows up and says that Ben is being repressed by Leslie. Leslie is told that she must publicly apologize. Right before she does that, Ben decides he can't let her go through with it. The two of them tear down this whole ridiculous sexist thing, calling out the men's rights activists for their ridiculousness, and just in general bashing down the criticism. They get about 50% cheers, 50% boos.

Meanwhile, April breaks the news to Ron that she'll be moving to start her new job, and Ron requests that April give him back the key to his house that he gave her years ago in case of emergencies. April goes to get the key out of the hiding place, but then she remembered that she set up a scavenger hunt to keep the key well hidden. April and Andy tell Ron what happened, but he's not upset - he's excited to try and solve the puzzle! April, Andy and Ron all run around trying to solve the mystery. They go to Donna, then down to the old shoe shine station. The key is nowhere to be found. Ron eventually tells April that he changes the locks on his house doors all the time, so the key is useless anyway. April realizes where it's hidden - she buried it under a tree that reminded her of Ron.

Parks and Recreation: Mrs. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington (7x08)

Aww! April is all grown up. Let's take a look at this episode. This might be my favorite of the season so far. It all clicked together very nicely, and it had a lot of funny jokes!

April and Leslie are all set to go to Washington DC to talk to some senators about a Parks Department budget proposal. Ben suggests that April tell Leslie that she wants to leave her job, but April doesn't want to because she knows Leslie will freak out. In DC, Leslie and April have successful talks with several important politicians. Leslie gets offered a promotion that would mean moving her to DC. She wants to accept, and she's excited about the next step in her life. She also talks to April about her five-year government plan. April, finally fed up, tells Leslie that she doesn't want to work in government anymore. Leslie is upset, and runs off to have lunch with Madeleine Albright to console herself.

Later, Leslie and April talk again. Leslie apologizes for getting mad - she wants all of her friends to be happy together, but more importantly she just wants them to be happy. April tells Leslie that it's all thanks to her that she has ambition and dreams in the first place. Leslie takes April to a consulting company that helps place people in jobs. After April talks to a woman about her goals, she realizes that she wants to work there - at the company. It hits all of her requirements. Creative problem-solving, telling people what to do, etc. Leslie is so proud of April for following her dreams.

Back in Pawnee, Andy has decided to use April's absence to track down the perfect job for her. He gets Ben involved. First, they go to see if Ron's company has anything that April would want, but that turns out to be a dead end. Ron does agree to help them in the search, though, because he says getting a good person out of government is a noble goal.

Parks and Recreation: Donna & Joe (7x07)

Awww! Donna and Joe! I'm so happy for the two of them. Also, we finally saw the triplets! Thank goodness! Let's take a look at what happened.

Donna's wedding day has arrived. April is the maid of honor, and Craig is the wedding planner. The Meagle family is crazy, so April and Andy spend most of the wedding and reception trying to keep all of the Meagles from yelling at each other and causing drama. Donna says that she misses the drama a little bit, so April lets Donna's estranged brother come in and cause a scene. Donna is grateful.

Also at the wedding, Tom tells Ron that he really likes Lucy, and that he "would marry her tomorrow." When Ron repeats this to Lucy, she is understandably freaked out. Tom tells Ron to make it better, but Ron makes it worse. Lucy thinks that Tom is going too fast, but then Ron eventually smooths things over and tells them that they should be honest with each other about how they feel. Tom says that he's all in with Lucy, but he doesn't want to rush her. Looks like things are going to be okay between them.

Ben and Leslie take the night off from the kids, staying in a hotel after the rehearsal dinner. They leave the kids with a very frazzled nanny. Jen Barkley shows up and says that Ben should run for the House of Representatives. Ben isn't sure, so Leslie decides to help him with his decision. First, he'll pretend that he's decided to run, and act like he's campaigning for the day. The next day, he'll act like he's decided not to run, and see how that feels. While Ben is at the rehearsal dinner, he gets quite drunk, and enjoys himself a little bit too much with his shmoozing of the wedding guests. Leslie also has a lot to drink.

Parks and Recreation: Save JJ's (7x06)

Okay. Following the whole deal about data mining in the last episode, Gryzzl is determined to push ahead and buy the Newport land. They increase their bid. Leslie and the others had a plan to try and get Gryzzl to buy half the land and donate the rest, but they are too late - the Newports accept the $125 million offer.

Leslie and the others all go to JJ's Diner to commiserate over the loss of their goal. Turns out, JJ's is closing down. The lease on the location was purchased by Dennis Feinstein. Andy, posing as Johnathan Karate (Johnny Karate's serious older brother), tries to talk to Dennis about the deal, while Leslie, Ron, etc. host a rally to try and save JJ's. All is for naught, however. Dennis is determined to tear JJ's down.

The next idea is to move JJ's to a new location - in the old, rundown part of Pawnee where Andy and April are moving. The owner of JJ's says that it will never work to have his restaurant in this area, because there is no real commercial activity and he wouldn't be able to sustain his business.

Suddenly, all of these different problems coalesce into one single solution. Leslie and the others convince Gryzzl that they should build their new headquarters in this rundown area, because they would save tons of money on buildings and plumbing, etc. That would turn the area into a thriving capitalist spot, which would make it a viable location for JJ's Diner. At the same time, Leslie convinces Gryzzl to donate the Newport land to the National Parks Department, in order to get back public approval in Pawnee, after their bad decisions with data mining.

Parks and Recreation: Gryzzlbox (7x05)

I'm just going to get started.

Leslie and Ben despair of finding any way to beat Gryzzl. They think they've found an answer when they find out that Gryzzl has been "data mining," aka looking through their personal information. People all over Pawnee start getting personalized "Gryzzlboxes" sent to their doors with presents meant especially for them. Donna is horrified to find out what Gryzzl has been up to, so she abandons their side of the debate and joins Leslie and Ben. Ron, however, says that he doesn't care what Gryzzl gets up to, because he does not mess in the affairs of private corporations, he just builds their buildings.

Leslie and Ben try to get proof about Gryzzl's data mining, but they find out that it's actually legal - Ben signed a contract with a loophole in it that allows Gryzzl to data mine, as they provide free wifi for the town. Uh oh! Leslie holds a town meeting, and learns to her surprise that the rest of the town is on her side. They are also angry at Gryzzl for the invasion of privacy. Leslie decides to go on TV to expose Gryzzl's bad behavior. In the end, Ron joins Leslie in wanting to bring Gryzzl down, because his son gets a Gryzzlbox, and Ron is horrified to discover that they know things about his child.

Meanwhile, Tom is upset because Lucy is off visiting her boyfriend. He decides to take on a new project - namely, becoming Andy's agent. He finds out that Andy only gets $100 a week for Johnny Karate, even though he created the show, acts in it, writes all of the stuff, and pretty much just does all the work. Tom wants to renegotiate Andy's contract for him. Andy only really cares about one thing: he wants to own the rights to the Johnny Karate character. At first it looks impossible, but Tom begs and pleads and gets Andy more money, plus the rights to the character. Lucy comes back and tells Tom that she went to visit her boyfriend in order to break up with him.

Parks and Recreation: Leslie & Ron (7x04)

Okay! In this episode we finally get the truth about what happened between Leslie and Ron. Ben and the others all lock Leslie and Ron up together in the Parks Department, and refuse to let them out until they've worked out their issues.

Thus, the two old friends (now enemies) must remain locked up together all night. That's basically the only premise of the episode - there are no subplots or anything, just a detailed scene between Leslie and Ron, and some flashbacks to explain what happened. At first, both just try to find a way out of the room, but Leslie quickly decides she wants to fix what's going on between them. Ron is resistant, and continually refuses to talk to Leslie. It takes a lot of coaxing, but eventually the whole story gets out.

So. From Leslie's perspective, the story goes something like this: Leslie got her new job, and she and Ron see each other less and less. Then, after Ron comes by to see Leslie in her new office for the first time, way after the fact, suddenly they don't see each other anymore. Leslie finds out that Ron quit his job at the Parks Department and started his construction company, and she's upset that Ron didn't even tell her. The final nail in the coffin? Morning Star. Ron's company helps to bulldoze the lot near the Pawnee Commons (Leslie's pride and joy, the former-ditch-now-park). Even Ann's house doesn't escape the bulldozing, and an apartment complex called "Morning Star" rises up. Leslie is furious that Ron would go against everything they'd worked so hard for over the years.

Parks and Recreation: William Henry Harrison (7x03)

I was really torn about whether to put this episode in two parts or not... but I decided to stick with that formula for now. After all, even though the episodes run into each other, they do each have different themes.

In this episode, Leslie and Ron continue their battle for the Newport land. Each one takes on a different angle. Leslie and her team try to find historical grounds for keeping the space as a park, and they seem to be on their way when they find the remains of an old lodge owned by William Henry Harrison. The embarrassingly short-lived president actually has a descendant in the area, so Leslie exploits the heck out of this poor guy, and all the stuff in the William Henry Harrison museum, to try to make a case for the historical importance of the site.

Ron's side of things (including Tom, Donna, and the rest of Gryzzl) goes for a different approach. They want to get a celebrity to endorse the Gryzzl bid. They get Annabel Porter to come in and talk about how Gryzzl is "in." Each side presents their case, but Ron and his team outshine Leslie with their flashy presentation.

While this is going on, Ben just wants Leslie and Ron to both sign a form that needs to be notarized. Terry (formerly Larry, Jerry, Gary) is a Notary, so he comes along. Each time they try and sign the forms, something goes wrong. There's a page missing, or Annabel Porter signs by mistake, or what have you. Ben gets more and more frustrated until he turns into a nervous wreck. Terry, meanwhile, is just having fun being a Notary.

Parks and Recreation: Ron & Jammy (7x02)

Disclaimer: I watched the Producer's Cut for this episode, which is available at the NBC website. So, I might comment on things that you didn't see. I honestly don't know which parts were not in the TV-release version... sorry. Let's get started!

It looks like Councilman Jamm is the deciding vote about whether the land owned by Newport can be a commercial area or not. Ron obviously wants this, because of his contract with Gryzzl, while Leslie wants to stop it. It turns out, Jamm is going to vote the way his new girlfriend tells him to. Who is this woman? It's Tammy II! Oh no! Leslie and Ron band together to save Jamm from her evil clutches. Jamm eventually manages to break up with her, and he then decides to abstain from voting altogether so as not to choose between Leslie and Ron. The vote remains at a tie, so nothing can move forward.

While this is happening, April is delighted to see her favorite crazy person: Joan Callamezzo. She went completely off the rails, and April finds it hilarious. However, when Joan says that the only way to live is to be extra passionate about your work, April starts to question her own life. Does she even like her job? Ben helps her to follow her passions, but after discovering that working as a mortician isn't as cool as it sounds, she is left without any real answers. However, she does hug Ben and thank him for his help, and she knows she'll have to keep looking to find her next dream.

Parks and Recreation: 2017 (7x01)

It looks like for the first few weeks, Parks and Recreation is going to be running two episodes back to back. I'm still going to review them separately, though, because these are not two-part episodes. Okay! Let's get started.

It's three years later, and things are very different. Leslie is the Regional Parks Director, Ben is City Manager. A lot of the characters have moved on - Ron now owns a construction company, Donna runs a real estate firm and is engaged, and Tom owns multiple restaurants. April and Andy are still working for Leslie, but Andy now has his own TV show based on his "Johnny Karate" character.

It looks like Leslie and Ron are no longer close, due to some incident referred to as "Morning Star." We so far have no idea what that's about, but in any case, Ron is working closely with Gryzzl, a tech company. Gryzzl and the Parks Department are the two main contenders looking to buy a parcel of land from the Newport family. Gryzzl can offer all sorts of money, and the Parks Department can't. Leslie tries to come up with money, but in the end she offers to name the new national park "Newport Park," and tries to get the Newports to consider donating the land. It looks like this fight with Gryzzl will be one of the main tensions of the season.

Parks and Recreation: Moving Up (6x21/22)

I know that Parks and Recreation is renewed for at least one more season, but honestly... this would have been such a great series finale. I sort of wish it was over now, because I loved this episode, and it would have been such a nice way to go out. Let's take a look.

Leslie, Ben, and Andy go to San Fransisco for a National Parks Conference. Leslie gets to meet Michelle Obama! Ben helps convince her to take the job in Chicago. Back in Pawnee, Tom tries to open his restaurant much earlier than planned, to take advantage of the celebrities coming in for the Unity Concert. His first attempt goes very poorly, but April refuses to let him give up on his dream.

The Unity Concert is a big hit. Andy plays as Johnny Karate, but he admits to April that he misses playing in a band. April arranges it so that Mouse Rat can reunite and close out the show with a song about Little Sebastian! Tammi shows up and tries to harass Ron, but he has truly moved on and is happy with his new family. He even gets up on stage and plays the saxophone, finally outing himself as the mysterious Duke Silver.

Parks and Recreation: One in 8,000 (6x20)

The cuteness in this episode is overwhelming. In a good way. My goodness gracious. I'm under a time crunch - aren't I always? - so let's breeze through this.

Leslie and Ben go to the doctor and discover something exciting, but also terrifying - they're having triplets! They want to keep it a secret for now, but Andy already knows that Leslie is pregnant. He's horrible at keeping secrets, but he agrees to try his hardest. Leslie is told by the doctor that it is very important for her to avoid stress. Since she is in the middle of trying to raise money for the unity concert, this is proving difficult. Ben tries to take on the extra stress, but the financial burden of raising three kids starts getting to him, and he freaks out. In the end, Leslie and Ben tell their news to everyone, and they all chip in with different ways they'll help out once the babies come.

Andy spends the entire episode trying to avoid telling April what the secret is. She keeps pushing him, and he finally says that Larry is sick. This causes April to actually be nice to him for once, and she is furious when she finds out that Andy was lying about him dying. Andy finally decides to tell April the secret, but just at that moment Leslie and Ben announce it to the group, which means that Andy actually kept a secret for once!

Parks and Recreation: Flu Season 2 (6x19)

Ahhhh! I'm so excited. Even though I'm not all that surprised... I'm very excited. Let us take a look at what happened in this lovely episode.

Apparently, it's flu season, and Jerry/Gary/Larry has been infected, so Leslie makes him stay in quarantine in the office. Leslie feels herself getting sick too, but she must power through. Leslie and Andy have to go find a leading act for the unity concert. Their first choice is a young country artist who ends up being a total jerk. Next, they go to a member of an old band that's broken up. Leslie and Andy convince him to get the band back together to play at the unity concert! Also, Leslie finds out that she doesn't have the flu - she's pregnant!

Meanwhile, Tom is trying to find a wine expert to hire for his new restaurant. While there, Tom must compete for the best wine guy with other restaurateurs. Tom loses out, but he ends up hiring Craig, who is equally knowledgeable about wine, even if he is wildly over the top.

Parks and Recreation: Prom (6x18)

Cute episode. Especially for Andy and April. It had one plot thread that was a bit eye-roll worthy, but other than that, it was pretty great!

Due to budget cuts during the merger between Pawnee and Eagleton, the senior prom at the local high school got cancelled. The Parks Department decides to throw the prom. This allows for the following little subplots:

Leslie and Ron fight over a high school girl. Leslie wants the girl to take an internship in the department over the summer, but Ron wants her to take a paying job. Things get more and more out of hand, as they each try to convince her to go their way. In the end, she says she isn't sure what she wants to do with her summer, but she appreciates both options. Leslie admits to Ron that she's nervous about leaving Pawnee, and wants to mentor young people to take after her when she's gone.

Parks and Recreation: Galentine's Day (6x17)

Ann! We saw Ann! But not Chris. Still, it was exciting! Besides that rather exciting little detail, this episode was somewhere in the middle for me. It had some pretty high moments and some pretty low ones, but mostly it sat comfortably in the so-so region, at least in my opinion. Let's get started.

Leslie is excited to talk with Ann on the phone, but something comes up and Ann can't make their phone date. Leslie realizes that she needs a new best friend who lives in Pawnee, although of course she'll keep Ann as her best friend as well. She throws a "Galentine's Day" brunch and asks survey questions, trying to rank her friends and figure out who's the best. Donna and April find out what she's doing and get upset with her. Leslie goes up to see Ann upon the birth of her baby boy, Oliver, and after talking with her best friend, Leslie realizes that it was wrong to try and replace her. She goes back to Pawnee and apologizes to Donna and April. She says that they're good friends just the way they are.

Parks and Recreation: New Slogan (6x16)

I feel entirely apathetic about this episode. I know, that's not the most auspicious way to start one of these reviews, but it's true. I have no big problems, but also no big praise. Let's get going.

Ben revamps the Pawnee website, and the new site also includes a new vote, for a town slogan to commemorate the merger between Pawnee and Eagleton. When Leslie talks more about her new potential job in Chicago, she's disappointed to learn that she'll be doing more big picture stuff, and less hands-on, which is the part of Leslie's job that she's always really enjoyed. Leslie goes a bit crazy, and goes overboard on trying to promote voting for the new slogan. This plan backfires when she goes on a radio show and "The Douche," the host, gets his followers to do a write-in vote for the slogan to be about Douche Nation. When Leslie tries to fight it, the top slogan becomes about the "Stick Up Leslie's Butt."

Parks and Recreation: The Wall (6x15)

Great episode. I am very pleased with the direction things are going. I still miss Ann and Chris a little bit, but the show is chugging on just fine without them. Let's take a quick look.

Leslie tries to get things under way with the Pawnee/Eagleton Unity Concert, but everyone is still so antagonistic to the idea of the merger. Leslie decides to try and host an announcement of the concert in the field that used to separate the two towns. She plans on ceremoniously tearing down the wall between them. When the Eagletonians take the first swing, a swarm of bees rushes out from the cracked wall. Everyone from Pawnee thinks that Leslie planned an elaborate bee prank, no matter how much she says otherwise. During an important meeting, Leslie is offered a job running a National Parks office in Chicago. After getting some advice from Ron, Leslie says she can't accept the offer right away. As much as Pawnee drives her crazy, she loves helping it.

Parks and Recreation: Anniversaries (6x14)

This is our first Parks and Recreation episode after Ann and Chris's departure. It was a decent episode... cute, fluffy, with a few great jokes. However, one of the plot lines was pretty shrug-worthy, and this isn't the type of episode I feel like I'll ever re-watch. Let us dive in.

It's Leslie and Ben's one year anniversary, and Ben is determined to get Leslie a great gift. Usually, for all gift-giving holidays, Leslie totally beats Ben, but this time, Ben want it to be different. He decides he'll surprise Leslie by giving her surprise gifts all day the day before the actual anniversary. He plans a couples massage, a carriage ride, ballroom dancing, and more. The only trouble is, Leslie ends up too busy working to participate, so Ben ends up going on all the dates with Gary/Jerry/Larry. Ben presents a scrapbook to Leslie that chronicles his adventures with Larry. Leslie is touched by the gift, even if she didn't get to enjoy it firsthand. However, her gift still wins: she presents Ben with a replica of the iron throne from Game of Thrones.