In which Parks and Recreation reduced me to a big ol' ball of FEELINGS.
- 30 Rock: Only a sitcom in its lame duck, we-have-nothing-to-lose final season could get away with being as explicitly political as 30 Rock has been the past few episodes. It's made for some great stories and gags so far, too, including Tracy and Jack analyzing which parts of the country will vote for Barack A-Llama, and which will go for Baseball Mitt Romney. As always, it's gonna come down to the penis of America, Florida, with its bus passengers who ran out of money and Parrotheads, I mean, Crab Catchers. I loved pretty much everything about “Unwindulax” (Amy Sedaris sighting!), but my biggest laugh came from Jack's Romney endorsement video, starring America's two favorite black celebrities: Don Cheadle, sans bed of rice, and Jazz from Transformers.
- Up All Night: Nope.
- The Office: OK. Favorite Office costumes through the years? In no particular order, my list goes something like: Two-Headed Michael, Book Face Jim, Osama Bin Laden Creed, Hitler Pam, and Charlie Brown Kevin.
- Parks and Recreation: I am deeply, ridiculously in love with you, Parks and Recreation. And above everything else, I just, I want to be with you forever, and I hope NBC never cancels you. In a single episode, you were able to both stage one of TV's funniest fart jokes ever (now there's a list idea), AND write an incredibly touching, surprising final scene between Leslie and Ben, which I won't discuss here, but YAY. The thing about me is, Parks and Recreation, I'm glad you exist, and I'm going to watch "Halloween Surprise" again right now. Brb.
Welcome to the Sexy Toby-free zone.
(Via)
(Via)
(Via)
(Via)
(Via)
(Via)
(Via)
(Via)
(Via)
(Via)
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/photo/679/thumb)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/patton-oswalts-star-wars-filibuster-animated1-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/Screen-shot-2013-05-17-at-3.08.24-PM-150x150.png)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/both-the-great-gatsby-movies-combined-nbcs-she-ra-other-mashups-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/the-office-series-finale-recap-150x150.jpg)
I like Parks & Rec more than Community. THERE. I said it.
agreed!
I’ve liked Community since the beginning, but in terms of storytelling brilliance, P&R has it beat by a mile.
Parks is consistently better, but Community has higher highs (though lower lows, too.)
P&R had a rougher first season but its storytelling and heart has surpassed Community.
Seconded.
I want to see the return of Mark… It’s funny how many people leave there tv work because they think their movie career is picking up and then disappear completely.
@Duchess, naaaah Mark was the worst.
Mark was the needed “straight man” for the show a role Ben is now. He was needed to contrast the eclectic nature of everyone else and I don’t mean a full time return just a one off call back.
tbh, I never really got the intense hard-on for Community. I mean, the show is great but it isn’t AD level like people make it out to be imo.
I think P&R is way funnier
You are entitled to like whatever more than whatever else. But c’mon. P&R is more consistent, sure, but Community has just as much heart and far more elaborate jokes mixed in. On a week by week I can see how P&R might edge ahead (especially in these weeks with no new community to compare) but Community is infinitely better for rewatching. On the whole, Any Season of Community > Any Season of P&R
Ben > Mark, is that even a reasonable question?
@tuggernuts
I would be more prone to give your opinion weight if you didn’t have a username and pic from Tropic Thunder.
I like Community better because I started watching it when it first came out and that was my first semester of college, so I was aging along with the show (“gayyyyyy” in Chang voice). It kind of throws things off with this delay.
Watch the extended producers cut of this episode on NBC.com – its much better, y’all. We had to cut so much good stuff to make it to air. I mean, the major points stayed, but theres a better arc to Anne’s story and Donne and Chris get a little more air time as well.
You’re only saying that because Community is cancelled and P&R is the next big thing. You are like Ali Larter in Varsity Blues. You are like… like, ummm Ali … uh something whipped cream. And, I forget the point I was trying to make.
Mark massively sucked.
Community is the more ambitious of the two by far. P&R is a hilarious love-fest but they’re playing on a lower difficulty level.
Yeah, I’m a bit conflicted with this one. I love Community, but P&R makes me feel feelings.
Easily. Though I’ve watched Community since the beginning, I’ve never really liked it as much as I wanted to for some reason. It is extremely inconsistent, and I don’t care about the characters as much as I do on P&R. P&R is my favorite show on TV right now.
I don’t like parks and Rec that much anymore. It’s gotten way too sweet for me. It’s becoming dangerously close to Modern Family sweetness now. I have to watch both It’s Always Sunny and The League after it just to get all that awful sweetness out of my mouth. I’m such a bitter person.
The difference between P&R’s sweetness and Modern Family’s sweetness is that P&R is not predictable or cheesy. That proposal came out of nowhere, and it was awesome. It’s the least cynical show on television, and I love that. Meanwhile, Gloria’s pregnancy in the Modern Family finale last season was so telegraphed throughout the whole episode, it was absolutely cheesy and lame by the time she said, “I’m pregnant.”
I started tearing up again watching that Leslie and Ben gif. And NO ONE at my work watches Parks & Rec. They are all jerks and I need a new job.
I have a framed picture of Ron Swanson above my desk at work. No one knows who he is.
I’m very happy for it but slightly wary of what a true wedding will bring to the show. April & Andy never had that standard story arc which is befitting their perfect crazy relationship. I have faith in the writers but I also had faith in The Office when it had its fastball too.
@Burnsy I have a framed Swanson Pyramid of Greatness at my desk. Same reaction.
“Dammit Jerry did you eat some farts for lunch?!”
Didn’t Leslie call it a “fart-attack” at the podium?
I like Parks & Rec pretty well, but I’ve had just about enough of Aziz Ansari on his best day. Making him the standard bearer for asinine fart jokes does not help his performance.
@Duchess…yes she did
I love how they made Ben and Leslie’s engagement a total surprise. It was the best thing ever. Can’t wait for the wedding and the inevitable giant cake!
Also, the faux Parrotheads were amazing. I’ve been to a Jimmy Buffett concert, and they nailed it.
I’m hoping that they go with Leslie’s favorite food and make a stack of wedding waffles instead of a cake.
Wedding Waffles with a Lil Sebastian waffle topper
For a minute, I thought they were gonna go with the “Jennifer makes a pass at Ben” route, but then that ending came up and I was suddenly in a glass case of emotion.
Nah I never suspected that. Jennifer is all business all the time. She has nothing to gain from Ben. She also knows Ben would never do that to Leslie.
Love from 30 Rock. No show on TV puts out so many lines of such high quality. Also, there was something about The Office that I couldn’t stand but I’ve already forgotten it.
Probably the singing.
Why does the Office have so much singing?
@WCPhils
I blame Glee.
Mmm good point. Probably to make up for the lack of writing.
I know Up All Night was sub-par, but did no one else get a little giddy at the “What’s up my brother?” between Buster and Gob Bluth??
I almost jumped off the couch
I prefer my comedy without the politics. I find that Im not as left leaning as every single person in television.
No mention of Tony Hale making a “MILF” joke on Up All Night? “A mother I’d like to floss!” COME ON!
Extremely dissapointed they wasted the bulk of the Office’s final Halloween episode on Andys fucking a cappela group. What a bunch of bullshit. In short, the Office was way down, P&R was way up and It’s Always Sunny blew my fucking mind.
While I mostly agree, Creed saying “That’s what she said,” was terrific.
Also, in Parks and Rec at Jerry’s auction, they had a “Jerry’s Kids” banner, which is Jerry Lewis’s charity for kids with muscular dystrophy, but under the “Jerry’s Kids” it said “Dad”. Jerry’s Kids Dad. Blink and you missed it!
I’d heard people got all teary at the end of Parks & Rec before I’d seen it. When I was watching the episode, I was fretting it building to a Ben and Leslie “reluctant break-up” thing, but I’m so glad it’s the exact opposite.
Dammit, I’m too connected to these fictional bastards.
I literally tell everyone I know to watch P&R. I would shout it from a mountaintop if I could, but unfortunately all I have is Facebook. It’s really the only comedy that is good at pulling off SINCERE endearing moments like that (much like Scrubs was able to do in its day) and the only show that can make me cry like the sensitive little girl that I am. *sigh*
Damn you, Mike Schur! You magnificent bastard! Amy and Adam nailed that scene.
Just watched P&R. IT WAS SO GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!