Episode 2 - Ron and Tammys
6 March 2012
This was a disappointment. Each of these plots was a rerun and none of them was consistently funny.
I believe the writers do too much with Ron Swanson. I firmly believe he would be best used as the Mayor was in Spin City - the absentee boss. I bought into the idea that Tammy Two could unleash his wild side but to see him go the exact opposite way was a leap too far.
The idea that he would become buttoned down and childlike was a bit dull. By making it the exact opposite of what Tammy Two did to him felt like lazy or at least easy writing. Now we know how the formula works I felt like I was sitting around waiting for him to snap out of it. It felt like a waste of his origin story to bring in his mother as an afterthought who didn't even really save him. I think underlining my issues with this story is the idea that Ron's identity is so fragile that he can be brainwashed in a day. That seems to undermine both the strength of the character and the sense of reality the show is presenting.
Then we had Ben trying to teach Tom how to run a business. This was a repeat in two ways. First it hit almost all the same beats as Ben teaching Andy and April how to live from last season (311). Then we had to sit through basically the same jokes which we saw in the season finale (316) with the expensive and pointless Entertainment 720 offices. Again what bothers me more is that we are asked to believe that Tom is really this stupid. The writers seem unable to strike a balance between reality and silliness. They always veer to hard into the absurd.
Speaking of which we got a plot all about Chris being...Chris. Occasionally I have found Chris Traegar funny but more often than not he is a cartoonish exaggeration. This was another easy plot, just stick a camera on him and have Ann roll her eyes. Once more it was too much silliness and a bit dull.
Parks and Recreation is still the warmest comedy on TV. Leslie standing up for Ron is always sweet and Andy and April had nice moments reacting to Tammy One. Even Leslie playing drunk was pretty fun. But the writers need to find the line between reality and silliness and ride it if they are going to be consistently funny.
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