Parks and Recreation: Season 5 (1 Viewer)

So, so happy to have this show back. I haven't cried over a dead animal on TV this much since Lil' Sebastian.
"This just says, 'I can do what I want'."
"They're nature's candy!"
"Haverperkins™"
"Chris Traeger Feelings-Update!!"
"It's hilarious, but that is his given Christian name."
"Shrimp-Claw!!"
"Handgun! I call it!"
Did the Japanese tourists mean Beverly D'Angelo now, or from 1983?
I thought it was meta-hilarious in the way they spent the whole episode just shitting all over Leslie's grand accomplishment from last season. I like a good bit of sadness mixed in with my comedy, and it really is the logical move for Leslie to feel upset about Ben rocketing into the D.C.-stratosphere.
For all her achievements in Pawnee, Leslie is still very small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, and it was good that they allowed the character to become aware of that fact.
Finally:
"I also brought Tom."
(...Cue expression of absolute, utter horror from Tom.)

I'm a Parks and Rec fan here also.
Glad this is back.
Still hasn't lost it's touch or humor.
After the Beverly D'Angelo joke, I kept seeing Leslie as her.
When at the Smithsonian, andy is checking out the historic train.
"Is this the train from Back to the Future 3?"

JohnS said:

When at the Smithsonian, andy is checking out the historic train.
"Is this the train from Back to the Future 3?"

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Is there any doubt that Pratt tried a take where he did the 'kid pointing at his privates' bit from the movie.

Haha...probably, yeah. Wouldn't surprise me one bit. He's like a pop-culture-literate version of Don Quixote. Plus, having practically memorized that movie as a kid, I found it hugely endearing.
("Can we, by any chance, stop at a place that has free pants?")
"Tommy's got the tum-rums!" Is it just me, or did Amy Poehler get seriously hotter over the summer?
I think it's the Julianne Moore-syndrome, where an actor seems to be the same age for their entire career, but there's a period where they have a certain confidence and maturity, and just seem hotter at that point.
Also, the McCain-cameo was fun, but the gag would've gone into the stratosphere had it been Hillary.

Andy Dwyer is one of my very favorite characters. His appalling shortcomings when it came to basic understanding of civics and American history are matched with a child's infectious enthusiasm.
Nothing, though, matches the already quoted "Handgun! I call it!" line.

That gum April and Andy were sharing near the end of the ep...that wasn't the "clue" from the Lincoln Memorial, was it?? Ewwww.
And if this is the beginning of Ron's season-arc, it feels like a very strong one.
"If you do a good job, I will give you the bladder, and you can blow it up like a playball."
"Ron, what about the kids?"
"There's a water fountain over there, which they can use. To water down the beer."

joshEH said:

Is it just me, or did Amy Poehler get seriously hotter over the summer?
I think it's the Julianne Moore-syndrome, where an actor seems to be the same age for their entire career, but there's a period where they have a certain confidence and maturity, and just seem hotter at that point.

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Couple other things, she's another6-8 months past baby making season, and she and Will Arnett are apparently splitting up. So she's probably in that 'I am going to work out EVERY DAY and I WILL get the good stylist EVERY TIME!!' mode.

April's threat to the spoiled intern at the end was full of so much win.

The episode was good overall, but the face Adam Scott made after the line about Devo made me laugh for a full ten seconds. It was pretty obvious that it was April who made the drawings. That said, I still like April, because I find sarcasm sexy.
My other ten-second laugh was Chris's meltdown on the track: "I'm running for...nothing...doesn't really matter..." *plop*
The way Ann delivered the line about "child-size" being the size of a liquified child was stated with a very cold and authoritative delivery, as if field research had been conducted towards this question.
Also, the line of guys who wanted to tax vaginas, and then got up and left in unison. I died.

Tonight's episode had alot of funny stuff and made a great point. I realize that the real world of politics isn't quite as easy to manuever as Pawnee's political landscape but I wish more elected officials tackled issues the same way that Leslie does.
Marcia Langman's 'vivacious' husband was fun too.

I also loved that the Congressman that Ben works for was more or less literally an empty suit.

Just when I thought they'd run out of places to take Ron Swanson, he finds himself up against small, giggling children.
One of the things I love about this show is that it brings out the best in all of its cast members. Lucy Lawless is no exception. She's absolutely great here. I believe her as a woman formidable enough to attract Ron Swanson. I believe her as a mom to two small children.

Very funny and very sweet episode. I liked that the Jerry auction banner said "Jerry's Kids' Dad".
There's a producer's cut of the episode (running about 5 minutes longer) up at nbc.com.

No episode this week because NBC has rejiggered their schedule tonight so they can rerun The Voice.

"...For those of you who don't know, she is referring to a children's character called 'the Bat-Man,' a strong gentleman who fights crime, nocturnally."

Judy Hitler has to be one of the funniest names I've heard in a long time.

After Breaking Bad this past summer, I've taken to calling most douchecanoes I come across, "Ricky Hitler."
"Dammit, Hitler, you sexy bastard!!" I could have watched an entire episode of just April using that broad French accent as Judy Hitler.
Castellaneta's public radio bit was a delight. Just so spot-on. The aforementioned "Batman" quote, and of course, "Coming up after the break, movie reviews with Ken Tucker, filling in for Ben Cooley, who is in New York, filling in for Ken Tucker." (Also: "Dolphin lactation.")
The two-sides-of-the-sign gag, by itself, was terrific ("Good Luck With That"), but the backgrounds were perfect. Lush trees and parks on the Eagleton side; burned-out cars, sirens, and the dilapidated overpass on the Pawnee side.

Leslie's hate of Eagleton is so wonderful.

Another terrific installment in a great season. How does this show not get all the Emmys?

I wonder if Andy and April with the little boy was foreshadowing them maybe having a kid in the near future. Either way, one of my very favorite TV marriages.