Parks and RecreationCanvassing
Original Air Date: Apr 16, 2009
JD - Associate Staff Writer
JD@thetwocentscorp.com
It's Easter in Pawnee, and in our opening scene, Leslie is participating in the town's eggs hunt, hanging out with the kids. Of course, Tom continues to prove his everlasting commitment to his his job yet again; he forgot to hide them. Oh, life in the little city of Pawnee. Every day is an adventure for Leslie Knope... even when it's not.
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[photo: nbc.com]
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It's Easter in Pawnee, and in our opening scene, Leslie is participating in the town's eggs hunt, hanging out with the kids. Of course, Tom continues to prove his everlasting commitment to his his job yet again; he forgot to hide them. Oh, life in the little city of Pawnee. Every day is an adventure for Leslie Knope... even when it's not.
ReplyDeleteAfter what was surely a trying morning full of crying toddlers, Leslie goes to tell mother she has her own subcommittee regarding the pit, and she invites her mother to the town hall meeting the next night. Her mother just barely manages politeness when she says no--such a warm relationship they have!--so Leslie backtracks and says she fake invited her. Her mother gives in at that and grudgingly says she'll try to be there.
Leslie meets with Tom, Ann, Mark and April about the upcoming meeting, and Mark thinks Leslie may be moving too quickly by holding it so soon. If it comes to a vote and they vote against the park, she's finished, but Leslie reveals she has a secret weapon: canvassing, "good, old-fashioned, door-to-door campaigning".
They set off in teams, Leslie and Ann together, and Mark, Tom and April together. Leslie then proceeds to make an utter mess of the job she and Ann are doing. Even when Ann is on the right track, Leslie manages to bring each meeting with the residents to awkward silences and dead ends. Meanwhile, Tom ditches Mark and April and goes back to his office to start working the phone. In the whole process, Tom and Leslie both show a little of their shady sides, as Tom calls in favors to fill the meeting, while Leslie begins insulting people. Her first definite attendee is a woman who is definitely not happy.
Ron is back at the office when he gets visited by the City Manager, who wants Leslie's committee on the fast track. Ron doesn't like it--in fact, he hates the idea (privately)--but he agrees, and when Leslie comes back to the office, he does his best to make it seem like it was his idea. After a day of canvassing, Leslie is convinced they need to cancel the meeting, but Ron says absolutely not, and Leslie is forced to pull something together. I bet you can all guess how this winds up going.
I'm really liking this show so far. I've been impressed with Amy Poehler since the days of the Upright Citizens Brigade, and it's nice to see her front and center in a format that really lets her showcase what she does best. This episode let us get a little deeper into the rest of her co-workers too, and I'm really digging how well rounded the relationships are between the cast members. It's not just sitcom formula, or at least it doesn't feel that way to me.
I'm sure all you hardcore Office fans out there are familiar with the formula already, but speaking as someone who didn't follow The Office closely, I am really looking forward to seeing where this show is going to go, and already enjoying the slow episode to episode progression.
What did you guys think? Give me your two cents!