Parks and Recreation

[Assuredcw]

I am a huge fan of this (comedy) show, and of its star Amy Poehler. I also thought she was hilarious on Saturday Night Live! It has won any number of award nominations (as has Amy Poehler) and is a lot of fun to watch if you keep up with politics and current events. Nick Offerman is also funny in a way that you rarely see on television anymore - this is truly comedy for grownups. It comes on Thursday nights on NBC.

Do you watch it? Describe a funny scene or episode that you particularly enjoyed!

I'll start it - I laughed and laughed when Ann Perkins (played by Rashida Jones - she's composer Quincy Jones' daughter BTW) finally begins to see how neurotic, obsessive compulsive and just plain wierd her health nut ex-boyfriend is! We spent the entire season thinking this, and laughing at her for not being able to see it. Her ex-boyfriend is played by Rob Lowe, who pulls out all the stops in being just as discordant and self-centered as any woman's worse nightmare, and I just laughed and laughed at the look on her face when she said to the camera, "I can't believe that I dated this man, and that he broke up with me!" Folks, if you missed that, you missed some of the best moments in television IMO.

 

[Assuredcw]

But women don't have a monopoly on bad relationships, which we know. Take the character played by Nick Offerman, a conservative guy who loves meat and potatoes and guns, who also has any number of psychotic ex-wives who come out of the woodwork. (Does anyone know how many ex-wives this man has had? So far I've seen 2. Are there any other ones?)

 

[FredVB]

I am a huge fan of this (comedy) show, and of its star Amy Poehler. Nick Offerman is also funny in a way that you rarely see on television anymore - this is truly comedy for grownups. It comes on Thursday nights on NBC.

I laughed and laughed when Ann Perkins (played by Rashida Jones - she's composer Quincy Jones' daughter BTW) finally begins to see how neurotic, obsessive compulsive and just plain wierd her health nut ex-boyfriend is!

But women don't have a monopoly on bad relationships, which we know. Take the character played by Nick Offerman, a conservative guy who loves meat and potatoes and guns, who also has any number of psychotic ex-wives who come out of the woodwork. (Does anyone know how many ex-wives this man has had? So far I've seen 2. Are there any other ones?)

I am glad to see someone here in CF post how they also enjoy that show.
(Yes it was just the two exes...with the same name, also the same name as his mother.)

 

[Assuredcw]

The look on Leslie's (Amy Poehler's) face when the Ron Paul lookalike with the hideous haircut told her that he cuts his own hair...was priceless! (Run-on sentence, there!)

It reminded me of a combination of Ron Paul (who really did have a ridiculous haircut at the debates back in 2007) and Herman Cain, who as we know cuts his own hair. LOL!

 

[FredVB]

The look on Leslie's (Amy Poehler's) face when the Ron Paul lookalike with the hideous haircut told her that he cuts his own hair...was priceless!

Saw that. There was talk earlier in the episode of his bad haircut. He was clueless, he thought he was looking great.

 

[Assuredcw]

Saw that. There was talk earlier in the episode of his bad haircut. He was clueless, he thought he was looking great.

The haircut was ridiculous, true. But the tears came down my cheeks when Amy Poehler looked into that camera for just a second or two, when he said that! LOL!

But Amy Poehler is a comedic genius.

 

[Assuredcw]

They gave us a big hint tonight - a group of "religious people" preparing for the end of the world, who happened to be in the park, "camping." LOL!

But it was nervous laughter. I'm a little embarrassed...

 

[FredVB]

They gave us a big hint tonight - a group of "religious people" preparing for the end of the world, who happened to be in the park, "camping." LOL!
But it was nervous laughter. I'm a little embarrassed...

It was fun, worthy of a lot of laughs, but embarrassment? Why?
Camping and what he was teaching was worthy of being poked fun of. He even went to revising the date that he set after the first time failed the same way. But most Christians knew better than to follow what he said, it was so unbiblical. Camping did not represent us.

 

[Assuredcw]

Thanks - LOL!

 

[Assuredcw]

The only thing that comes to mind with the whole UN members at war with one another thing, is Palestine wanting to join Israel as a UN member nation. Which could well result in one member of the UN at war with another.

But what really cracked me up is the tension that results in the office when people who thought they were being discreet, date (or have affairs with) coworkers. Usually the whole office knows about it, and it's because the tension usually turns the whole office upside down.

 

[Assuredcw]

Leslie broke up with Ben awhile ago, so that she could run for public office (since their office romance would be an embarrassing skeleton in her closet). So this week Ben told her that their current project would be the last one that he would work on with her, because working with her is too painful for him. So Leslie decided that the project needed to take FOREVER so that she could continue to spend time with him. She obstructed, and obstructed, and obstructed some more, and stirred the pot and then had a town hall meeting, after having planted ideas for things that citizens could complain about (the "project" is a new park - LOL!) so that it would take still longer. But perversely, the citizens choose not to complain and then lose interest, and get up and leave the town hall meeting. Leslie pretty much admits to the camera that when she wants them to complain, they have nothing to say - LOL!

Ben gets the project done and tells Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) that this is his last project with Leslie, and cuts the ribbon on the "park" that is about the size of a closet (LOL!) and walks away. Leslie sees that he isn't going to let her drag the project out. She tells Ben she doesn't want to end their relationship, and they kiss and make up.

But doesn't the ridiculous obstruction and the pot-stirring remind you of anyone? Congress, maybe? Hmmm....

Here's a link to this week's show. I'm not sure how long it will stay on the NBC site:

http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation/video/smallest-park/1369101/

 

[Assuredcw]

Oh, and on watching this a second time, there's also a recurring theme of sexual harrassment / retaliation that is likewise suspiciously timely.

 

[FredVB]

Leslie tells Ben she doesn't want to end their relationship, and they kiss and make up.

But doesn't the ridiculous obstruction and the pot-stirring remind you of anyone? Congress, maybe? Hmmm....

Parks and Recreation - Smallest Park - Video - http://www.nbc.com

Their intensity and the superficiality of deciding that they needed to break up their relationship made it apparent IMHO that they would be back together, probably soon.

Assuredcw, you make note of a few themes being timely, relating to current issues. So they are, but this is found in other TV shows as well.

 

[Assuredcw]

Hi Fred!

I like Saturday Night Live, too (oh, that's right, Amy Poehler was on that show also, wasn't she?).

Yes, other shows do it, too. But this show is special to me. I like to encourage people who stick their necks out, rather than hanging back so somebody can chop it off, you know?

 

[FredVB]

I like Saturday Night Live, too (oh, that's right, Amy Poehler was on that show also, wasn't she?).

Yes, other shows do it, too. But this show is special to me. I like to encourage people who stick their necks out, rather than hanging back so somebody can chop it off, you know?

I really like the show, too, and I like that you started a thread that promotes it. It is I think out there on the cutting edge referring to issues, using very entertaining humor, which is one thing I find is making it that likable.

You kind if lost me with your meaning when saying "hanging back so somebody can chop it off", though.

 

[Assuredcw]

The show's ratings could be better, is all. More's the pity...

 

[Assuredcw]

Here's the link to this week's show (it will only be available until sometime in January):

Parks and Recreation - The Trial of Leslie Knope - Video - http://www.nbc.com

The themes are internet privacy and romantic relationships between government officials. You might have to watch it twice to catch everything.

 

[FredVB]

I pretty much knew, as I had said, that Ben and Leslie would be together again. The makers might have figured out it was foreseeable, though, they threw a loop, Ben losing his job for it. I did not see that coming. Now I wonder if it will change the dynamic.

 

[Assuredcw]

I'm impressed with the writing on this show. If Ben really is leaving, they've got something up their sleeves to fill this in, I'm sure. I really, really enjoy this show!

 

[FredVB]

I enjoy it a lot and I want to keep up. But my VCR is not going to work for me and I will need to be involved somewhere such that I will miss it this time. That is a big disappointment to me, I don't like that I will miss out on anything in it.