In February of this year, Parks and Recreation ended its seven season run on NBC. Universal brings all 13 episodes to DVD in this 2-disc set, which includes alternate Producer’s cuts of three episodes, behind the scenes featurettes, commercials, and a gag reel.
Studio: Universal
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 480P/MPEG-2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English 5.1 DD
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Rating: TV-PG
Run Time: 4 Hr. 40 Min.
Package Includes: DVD
Clear 2-disc DVD keepcaseDisc Type: DVD-9 (dual layer)
Region: 1
Release Date: 06/02/2015
MSRP: $39.98
The Production Rating: 3.5/5
The sixth season ended with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) as the Mid-West Director of the National Parks Service, which relocated to the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. The seventh and final season opens three years later, with Leslie so consumed in her new position that she has neglected her friendship with Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), who becomes her adversary when he sides with tech company Gryzzl, who wants to purchase some prime, untouched real estate for their new corporate headquarters while Leslie wants the land for a new National Park. Unbeknownst to most of the town, Gryzzl has more or less taken control of the town’s lives, secretly data mining everyone’s communications thanks to the free wi-fi and cell phones they provided to the town. It is this controversy that brings the old Pawnee Parks and Recreation team back together, as Leslie’s husband, Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott), uncovers the scheme and leads an outraged town against the big tech company, eventually brokering a deal to make Leslie’s National Park a reality and keep Gryzzl in Pawnee, providing jobs and revitalizing a dilapidated section of town.
Meanwhile, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) finds success with his restaurant, Tom’s Bistro; April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) realizes she doesn’t want to work for the government anymore and goes in search of a new career path; April’s husband, Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt), continues to be the kid inside a man’s body, finding some success with his local public access show The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show; Donna Meagle (Retta) settles down and marries Joe (Keegan-Michael Key); and Jerry Gergich (Jim O’Heir) finds his true destiny.
Parks and Recreation was filmed in a mockumentary style, similar to The Office (its lead-in during most of the series’ run), with situations playing out and becoming awkward, often inserted with talking head shots of a cast member discussing the situation. It’s a formula that is something of an acquired taste, which probably explains why the series was a critical success but with moderate Nielsen ratings. What is interesting about this final season is that the formula is almost abandoned during its final three episodes. Episode 10, The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show, abandons it entirely, and plays as a farewell episode of Andy’s public access show (giving Pratt the opportunity to go all out and be a complete goofball). The following episode, Two Funerals, has fewer talking heads segments, and the series finale, One Last Ride, does away with the talking heads almost entirely, instead cutting away to flash forwards to let the audience see where each character’s path ended up. The last two episodes also have some surprise guest stars, including the return of Rob Lowe, Rashida Jones, and Paul Rudd, plus an unbilled cameo by Bill Murray as the never-seen but often-mentioned Mayor of Pawnee, Walter Gunderson. The final season also marked the directorial debut of the show’s Director of Photography, Tom Magill, on the episode William Henry Harrison.
Episode List
Disc One:
2017
Ron and Jammy
Ron and Jammy (Producer’s Cut)
William Henry Harrison
Leslie and Ron
Gryzzlbox
Save JJ’s
Donna and Joe
Disc Two:
Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington
Pie-Mary
Pie-Mary (Producer’s Cut)
The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show
Two Funerals
One Last Ride
One Last Ride (Producer’s Cut)
Video Rating: 3.5/5 3D Rating: NA
The series, which was broadcast on NBC in 1080i, appears here on two DVD’s and downconverted to 480p, retaining the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1. Although the episodes have been compressed at a very low bit rate (3-4 Mbps average), compression artifacts are not an issue. The image is overly soft, though, but colors are natural and consistent, with decent contrast.
Audio Rating: 3.5/5
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is pretty much what one would expect from a series of this type, very front-heavy with minimal surround and LFE activity. Dialogue is clear and consistent. The Producer's Cut episodes are presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo.
Special Features Rating: 3/5
Disc One:
Deleted Scenes: 2017 (3:46)
Deleted Scenes: Ron and Jammy (1:21)
Deleted Scenes: William Henry Harrison (3:56)
Deleted Scenes: Leslie and Ron (3:16)
Deleted Scenes: Gryzzlbox (4:57)
Deleted Scenes: Save JJ’s (3:40)
Deleted Scenes: Donna and Joe (3:49)
Behind the Scenes of the Farewell Season (47:08): The seven-part documentary is viewable as individual segments or in its entirety via a Play All option.
Disc Two:
Deleted Scenes: Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington (1:53)
Deleted Scenes: The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show (2:25)
Deleted Scenes: Two Funerals (4:04)
Gag Reel (27:52): A compilation of audition tapes and gag reels from all seven seasons.
The Story of Mouse Rat (3:18): A mockumentary within a mockumentary, taking a look and Andy Dwyer’s band.
Commercials: Fake commercials that appeared on The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show, including Very Good Building and Development Company (0:31), Wamapoke Casino (0:42), Paunch Burger (0:38) which is a great sendup of the Carl’s Jr/Hardee’s TV commercials, and Verizon/Chipotle/Exxon (0:42).
The Wisdom of Mayor Gunderson (2:54): The complete video will by Mayor Gunderson, played by Bill Murray.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
its storyline, even though it almost abandons its formula during the final few episodes. Fans will likely appreciate the bonus features as well as the extended cuts on three of the episodes.
Reviewed By: Todd Erwin
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