Grab your waffles and gather ’round children because it is time to discuss the first two episodes of Parks and Recreation season 7: “2017” and “Ron and Jammy.”
In case you don’t remember how the sixth season ended (because you aren’t insane/awesome like me and watched the series the entire way through about a dozen times in one month), I’ll help you catch up. It began with Leslie Knope’s Unity concert where Mouse Rat and Duke Silver performed on stage together as a tribute to the beloved Lil’ Sebastian. If you missed that, ho boy, you are missing out. I’m sure YouTube could help you out should you need it, you slacker. Anyway, after that, the show unexpectedly jumped ahead three years to 2017, probably to skip all that baby triplets nonsense. All my parents in the audience will agree it would be nice to have such a button at their disposal. It was a brief flash forward in time before the elevator doors closed and we were forced to wait an agonizing year for our friends in Pawnee to return.
And last night they returned and all was right with the world. But some things have changed. The core group from the Parks Department have gone separate ways, getting new jobs and being responsible adults. Here’s what we’ve learned so far:
- Leslie, as you may remember from the sixth season, has become director of the Midwest Parks Service.
- Ben is Pawnee’s City Manager, which means he’s not making Cones of Dunshire II: The Trapezoids Attack and I am disappointed.
- April has a Leslie-like job at the Parks Dept. where she doesn’t know what she does but she knows it’s boring and she hates it.
- Andy has his own kids’ TV show starring Johnny Karate.
- Jerry is Terry and no one cares.
- Tom is a business mogul who wears flashy jackets.
- Donna now owns Regal Meagle Realty and inexplicably wants a Shia LaBeouf dress for her wedding.
- And finally, our beloved Ron Swanson has left the Parks Dept. for his own business, Very Good Building and Developing Company.
Things all seem to be heading in the right direction for the Pawnee-ans, except they aren’t. Tom is looking for fame and a girl to love, which means he hasn’t changed at all in seven seasons. Tom continues to be adept at stealing Ben’s spotlight and no one expects him to act differently. After being taunted by a slow cooker, April begins struggling with being an adult, so she searches to find something she loves, like dead people. However, the most important conflict in Pawnee is the rift between Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope. It seems that the two had a falling out in the jump forward and the only explanation as to why is references to a mysterious “Morningside.” No matter how much it pains me to see the two fighting, it does make for some hilarious arguments.
All in all, I’m incredibly happy with what the show has given us so far. Even in its seventh year (forty-ninth in dog years), Parks and Rec continues to be one of the best shows on television.
A few quick thoughts on the first two episodes:
Andy was, by far, the funniest character in last night. (And he and April continue to be the best couple on the show. Sorry Leslien. Benslie? Whatever.)
April remains my favorite character on the show and a woman after my own heart:
Councilman Jamm as Ron Swanson was the most horrifying thing I’ve seen on TV in a long time.
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2017?
