Parks and Rec – Can’t Hold ’Em Down

Parks and Rec is quickly building a name for itself as one of the funniest shows on TV. I feel like this show is the little comedy that could. It had a rough start—everyone was comparing it to The Office, people said Amy Poehler’s character was too abrasive, and even I had complaints (for the first two seasons, Rashida Jones had no purpose whatsoever). However, Amy Poehler and NBC know how to make things happen. They fixed all the problems, but didn’t stop there. They brought in Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, and ever since, it’s as though every episode is better than the last. Last night’s episode (March 1^st) fit this mold quite well. I really enjoy this new rival campaign manager. She is a breath of fresh air on a show that didn’t even really need one. Somehow, this show is doing a spectacular job of telling a campaign story in the universe that is Pawnee, Indiana. Only on Parks and Recreation would the rival team be nice enough to buy Leslie a round of pancakes, but cutthroat enough to take her down at every turn on the campaign trail. If there’s one thing that Parks does well, above and beyond its peers, it’s utilizing guest stars. From Will Arnett to Megan Mullally to Will Forte to Paul Rudd to our newest campaign manager, it never seems contrived. In other words, it’s not overtly obvious that the thought process was “Hm…Megan Mullally wants to guest star. Let’s make something up for her.” The writers of Pawnee know better than that. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that I am very excited to see how this campaign ends up. Will Paul Rudd return? Will the rival manager become a recurring character? It’s all very exciting, and there’s only a few episodes left before we figure it out! .