Weeknight (parks and) recreation
/Fell into an unplanned Parks and Recreation binge last night and somehow completed Season 4 by watching episodes 8 through 22...and then slid into Season 5 a lil bit
At this rate, instead of checking something off my to do list, it feels like the right time to explain why Parks and Recreation is so binge-able. I envy you if you haven't already watched the entire series.
But before I get into that, a quote from the Season 4 finale (aired in 2012) that is still eerily pertinent. Without context, it's hard to tell if this is from a sitcom or Virginia
"I will certify the results after all the precincts have reported. A final tally within 1% would trigger an automatic recount.
In the event of an exact tie, the seat is awarded to the male candidate, and the female candidate is put in jail."
Now back to the reasons why Parks N Rec is always on my list...
PARKS AND RECREATION (2009-2015)
It's one of the most consistently funny series given it ran for 125 episodes and luckily managed to retain its core cast through the entirety of the series. Just as importantly, the show doesn't fall apart when a few major characters do depart and the few additional characters they bring on feel fully developed and integral in the story. Although the show focuses on the progression of the main character, Leslie Knope, the relationships with and between the supporting characters are complex and only strengthen over time. By the end all their storylines are fully developed so in the final season their fates feel organic and well deserved and not tacked on like a bow.
I hate to keep comparing it to The Office, but seeing as they ran on the same night for 4 years, it's near impossible. Parks N Rec avoids all the problems I have with The Office and its characters by keeping its overall positive vibe every episode, but also in the following ways (you can start to deduce the problems I have with The Office, but that'll be in a later post)
The core characters are never competitive with or jealous of each other. Of course there's lot of interpersonal conflict and competition from external forces, but the characters deal with their conflict directly and challenges presented only serve to galvanize the core team
The one debbie downer of the group was the initial love interest/Jim Halpert character, Mark. He was always too snarky compared to everyone else so when he did attempt to be genuine he just sounded kind of like a boring dick. He was replaced with Adam Scott and Rob Lowe's characters towards the end of Season 2 which is when the series really stepped up its game
The characters evolve and grow their careers and lives together as genuine friends who support each other
The characters are actually very competent at their jobs and care about the success of their department
All the characters are equally goofy and no one is judged for that goofiness
Nothing overly dark or tragic befalls the characters
The main story arc follows Leslie's rise from local to federal government and the challenges she faces as a competent woman working in a world of rampant misogyny and overall lack of civic engagement from the town she loves so dearly. Since it originally aired from 2009 to 2015, it premiered at the beginning of the Obama presidency and ended before we started descending into the current madness we are trying to wake from. It stands as a time capsule for an optimistic period where it seemed like the good guy or gal actually would win and everyone finds success and happiness.
But with the recent groundswell of feminism and the unprecedented number of women running and winning office, the show takes on a renewed relevance. Maybe now, more than ever before, we as a nation need to be binge watching a universe where people rally behind an intelligent, compassionate, and competent female and the world is better for it.
Watch from beginning to end, friends, it’ll make you feel good, I promise.