Parks and Recreation Coverage: The Best of the Season?

“Parks and Recreation” Recap: “Lucky”

Leslie Knope and alcohol have a remarkable synergy. Whenever they meet, “Parks and Recreation” becomes something more than a story about a sleepy town in Indiana, but instead an absurdist micro-saga of the limits of human rationality. “The Fight” and “Ron and Tammys” come to mind, and “Flu Season” deserves inclusion even though it does not include alcohol, but instead delirium. No matter: Leslie Knope losing control of her faculties is not to be missed.

Therefore, “Lucky” has the right premise: Leslie finds herself inebriated but obligated to do an interview with a major Indianapolis media personality, one who’s approval could mean a guaranteed win in her race for Pawnee City Council. In Leslie Knope fashion, she does her best to pull it together. This time, alas, she doesn’t manage as well as she did in, say, “Flu Season,” and breaks into a million pieces on camera. Ben, Ann, Tom, and she race downstate in the hot tub limo Tom rented for Entertainment 720 to stop the interview from airing.
This is one of the more whimsical episodes of “Parks and Recreation” in quite a while. The script is light on its feet in a way that’s been missing at times this season. In a funny quirk, the writer this week is Nick “Ron Swanson” Offerman.

Unsurprisingly, Ron does well for himself. Andy passes his Women’s Studies class at the community college, and he, April, Ron, and Linda—the professor who caught Mr. Swanson’s eye earlier this season—go to dinner to celebrate. A lonely, mooning Chris Traeger joins their party and tries to romance the progressive professor. Ron patiently eats three steaks until Chris leaves, at which point he and Linda march off into the sunset.

Ann and Tom’s relationship continues to hover in the background. It’s confusing—this feels like a major development for the show, but is not being handled that way. The longer it goes on, the more natural it seems, yet it’s not clear whether it can be taken seriously. Donna and Jerry get a funny subplot of their own, where Jerry finds what he was born to do. Chris Traeger continues his spectacular fall from grace, yet manages an impressive poise the whole time.

It all works this week. This is one of the best episodes this season—possibly the best. Nick Offerman needs to scribble more often. He has the magic touch.