Thursday, January 29, 2015

Parks and Rec


Recently I've come across a string of older shows that I never watched when they were on live television. And once again, I asked myself "why didn't I watch this before?" So now I'm watching each season texting and talking to other people about the unbelievable happenings of each episode and their reaction is usually, "I know." And thats pretty natural, because I'm years late to the party on how amazing and entertaining some of these series are. My excuse that I tell myself now is that I couldn't have watched them all! I would have been a couch potato! ... So does that make me one now? Yikes!

Well, one of my favorite shows through college was The Office. I used to watch it with my room mate and then we would quote it endlessly to each other. Little did I know, there is a similar show in humor called Parks and Recreation. Its the kind of humor where its a bit of stupid, but innocently hilarious. There will never be another Michael Scott, but Leslie Knope can most definitely carry on his tradition with the most unorthodox leadership and management style imaginable. While Scott was managing a paper company branch in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Knope heads the parks and recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana. And if there is one thing Leslie loves, its Pawnee!

Knope and her band of misfit employees have trudged through six seasons of service to the parks and are now in their seventh season. Their corky office camaraderie is constantly tested by Knope to make Pawnee the best place for people to live. You have the pop culture inspired and sarcastic Indian guy named Tom. The bodacious and feisty black woman, Donna. The cynical and obviously underachieving, April.  The dimwitted yet likable, Andy. The libertarian and a man's man, Ron (played by an actor from Minooka, IL, by the way). And the characters continue... Oh, did I forget Gary? Or is it Jerry? Who cares! No one likes him.

With great strides, their current season is in flash forward three years with many changes for each character. And here I thought when I watched season six on Netflix that was the series finale. They wrapped everything up so wonderfully, I thought it had to be the end. I was wrong, but I've seen the flash forward done before with One Tree Hill. I'm going to keep watching to see how the lives of the parks department evolve. I have no doubt the humor will be just as dry, yet heartwarming as the previous six.

TREAT YO SELF to some Parks and Recreation Tuesdays on NBC.


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