Episode 7 - Harvest Festival
6 March 2012
I thought this was pretty good and everything it needed to be. Leslie saves the Parks department, the Harvest Festival is a success and everyone seems happy.
Ben played an important role in this episode as the voice of the audience. His incredulous reaction to both the curse and Lil Sebastian made both those stories work better than they otherwise would have. I wonder if the show can install Ben as the co-main character so that he can become the Jim to Leslie's Michael Scott and give the audience a sane character at the centre of the silliness.
The usual crazy Pawnee stuff was present with Indian atrocities and a too-hostile media circling the Festival like vultures. However for once I thought the writers covered themselves well. I liked that Ken Hotate was played straight and only spread the curse rumours to protect his people's dignity. That made the whole animation of Leslie being cursed easier to swallow. Similarly the power goes out at the Festival and the cause is determined as the assembled media vans putting too much demand on the existing generators. That was a lovely believable detail.
It was easy to love Ron Swanson too as he told off his bickering staff for their various arguments as they all sat trapped on the Ferris Wheel. So this was all thumbs up with Leslie and Ben moving toward an interesting relationship and Ann trying to move on just as Chris is about to return to the show.
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