The strength of “Parks and Recreation” has always been the interpersonal relationships between its greatly varied cast. It is interesting to watch how this set of characters interacts with one another as we witness the office politics of a group of people that all care for one another. This is where “Parks & Rec” really found its stride and deviated from “The Office.”
The first season of “Parks & Rec” was too similar to “The Office” and for good reason. The show was initially conceived as a spin-off by Greg Daniels, who adapted “The Office” for American television and focused too much on the town of Pawnee. Eventually, around the middle of season two, the writers realized that this show is really about a group of unlikely friends, brought together by their work.
Now in its fifth season, I began doubting “Parks and Recreation.” The long distance relationship between Leslie and Ben wasn’t working for them and was also detracting from the show’s strengths. While Ben’s (and by extension, April’s) future is still in question after returning from their political work in Washington, for now they are home in Pawnee. This is important because of the dynamic the Ben/Tom and April/Ron relationships bring to the show. The cast of “Parks & Rec” is too funny to keep apart.
While the absence of two of Pawnee’s finest has been a problem, so has Leslie’s election to city council. It limits her interaction with the Parks Department, which is starting to feel somewhat abandoned. While I like Rashida Jones, her Ann Perkins character serves little purpose within the context of the Parks Department. The black sheep role she’s in is already filled by Jerry and is often times much funnier. Also, Chris Traeger’s shift from the eternal optimist to his depressed current self is odd and often out of place.
The show is not perfect, yet it has plenty of time to work out some of these minor kinks. “Parks and Recreation” is too funny to get hung up on its imperfections. Andy and Ron are two of the funniest characters on television and Leslie is the perfect mixture of humor and charisma. The show’s only real problem is that they set the bar so high with seasons three and four and now they are competing against themselves. Here’s to hoping they win.
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