Just Do It Online

Parks and Recreation, S05E16

Leslie wanted to keep a failing video store going by using the government's help, but her good intentions only made others want payouts too and turned the video store into an adult establishment. Ann forced April to hang out with her as friends in exchange for a vetenarian school letter of reccomendation.  Chris gave Tom some advice in order to test how well he'd be a father.

Leslie's attempt to save Videodome was amusing for three main reasons.  One was because the owner of said store was played by Jason Schwartzman. He was really oblivious to how his depressing attitude and niche-audience selection of goods were damaging his business. He didn't have all that much screen time, but he's a funny guy simply to look at.

Leslie also made an enemy out of Ron with her bailout plan, adding another interesting element.  He was so against her plans that he actually came to a town council meeting to speak against what she was doing. You hardly ever see him get so involved on his own, so I liked seeing his rare passion. Ron didn't have many good lines in this story, but Iiked when he spoke about Dennis without sparing his feelings:

This man is a failure. He is not up to snuff.  His business is failing, and you're bailing him out. 

It's funny how Dennis didn't make one sound or expression even that disagreed with Ron.  Maybe this was because he agreed with him wholehearted or that he was just terrified to argue with Ron.  Either way I liked how honest Ron was being at Dennis' expense.

The last part of the story that I loved was the random guy who kept aptly pointing out that video stores and the like were a bit outdated now that there are some many outlets available on the Internet. I liked how  he asked why would he bother to rent anything from Videodome when he was watching a movie for free on his phone.  My favorite line from this guy was when he spoke out against the guy from the hardware store after the random guy had already been kicked out before:  

[Store Owner] And people need places to buy tools. 
[Online Guy] Uh, you can just buy tools online.
[Leslie] Bailiff, why is he back in here?  How did you get back in here?

He cracked me up with his unsolicited comments and how he frustrated Leslie. 

It was weird that Leslie's plan caused Dennis to start renting porn videos.  He refused to sell Pixar films, but he had no problems supplying dirty wares.  Also, strange enough, the renewal of the store contributed to a porno about Leslie bailing out the store. It was funny in the bit we got see that Ron was played a black guy. Wow.

In Ann and April's story the only thing I really liked was when April felt awkward hearing about Ann's worries about Chris agreeing to be her sperm donor.  They started singing together like they were besties, and the icing on the cake was when Donna joined in too. They all were pretty good singers and that scene was adorable.

I didn't like the introduction of Jean-Ralphio's psycho twin sister who eventually became Tom's girlfriend.  She actually made her brother look ten times less annoying.  I was glad Tom chose to be firm with her even if it didn't calm her ass down.  Someone needed to at least try to stand up to her.  I just hope that Tom doesn't find himself in trouble messing with an unstable girl like that.  He could do better.

What I liked best was Chris taking up Tom as his " bag of flour " and how Tom had little clue that Chris was trying to parent him.  I loved when he first spoke to Tom and sat right next to him on the couch at the far end, despite all the other seating available:

[Chris] Tom, I have something to talk to you about.[Tom] Do we need to sit like this?

Chris had another funny moment when he told Ben about his uncertainty to Ann's request:

I am one hundred percent certain that I am zero percent sure what I'm going to do. 

 Finally, I loved when he talked about how he had failed Tom as his father:

If Tom were a bag of flour, that flour would never grow up to be a happy, well-adjusted loaf of bread.  Much less a bran muffin, which is the highest honor that flour can achieve.

Chris' test run of being a father was wonderful.  I wish that he could continue to look after Tom.  With Mona Lisa in his life, he could probably use the help.

This was an unexpectedly good episode.  I didn't think I would have enjoyed a story about Leslie trying to save a little business, but it was as good as Chris' story.  I enjoyed the guest star, Ron opposing her, and of course, the guy who wouldn't be quiet about how some businesses were irrelevant with the internet available.  Ann and April ended up being very cute when they got the chance to bond, especially when singing was involved.  Finally, Chris kept making me laugh with his numerous good lines and moments.  He was surprisingly a decent "flour" dad to Tom.  I sort wish that it were possible for Chris to adopt Tom, so their father-son relationship could go on.

Peter's Cheating Helps Their Marriage

Family Guy, S11E14

Peter got sued for stealing someone's property and the financial loss made it necessary for Lois to take up a job.  She thought she was getting an opportunity to do voice-over work, but it was only a job for phone sex.  Lois eventually got used to it, but she was shocked and hurt when Peter became one of her customers and seemed to get emotionally attached to her persona "Classy."

Somehow Lois getting into the sex industry didn't seem outrageous.  After all, being married to Peter is expensive with all of the random damages and fees that he builds up from his day-to-day mischief.  She basically needs to do whatever she can do to keep the family afloat, even if it's catering to people who need sexual relief over the phone.  Naturally, Lois didn't take too long to get the hang of it, nor even let her family know what she was doing.  I guess that's why she couldn't bust Peter right away because she would have to admit that she was doing phone sex in the first place.

As for Peter's infatuation with her over the phone, I felt like it did dance the line between cheating and being completely linked to Lois for life.  I would probably just call it a technical cheating because Peter was subconsciously falling for his own wife.  I do think it's weird that he would so quickly want to meet the woman and commit adultery, though.  Even if he felt strongly about her, he should have given it some time.  No wonder Lois wanted to fool him when he was being so impulsive about throwing their marriage away (as far as he knew).  Sure Lois was being distant lately, but that was no excuse for him to prepare to leave his family after what seem like a few phone calls.

However, I liked how Lois and Peter came to terms with the odd situation.  Sometimes, because Peter is always making jokes about Lois being old and unattractive, I forget that Peter loves Lois at all.  They have been married for over a decade, so they shouldn't be without their quarrels or complaints about one another.  Still, I liked seeing them reaffirm their feelings for each other in this story, no matter how twisted it was that Peter thought he was actually cheating on her.  For this show, it was sort of sweet that Peter fell in love with her voice and knew deep in his heart that the owner of the voice was the one that he was meant to be with.  It makes me wish that they had more sweet moments like that more often.

As for the jokes in this episode, there weren't many that I liked.  One that did work for me was when there was a cutaway to a man on a plane who decided to go back to coughing in a very annoying way when his magazine had a toenail in it.  It was funny that he grabbed a random baby and coughed in its face too.  I like how this was an exaggerated version of those types of people who seem to have coughing fits just when they happened to be trapped in a plane for a few hours.

Another that I liked was when Lois talked about Peter being in his anime phase.  It's not the first time that I've seen a cartoon poke fun at anime, but I still liked seeing Peter being drawn in a different way.  He had those too-shiny eyes and his body was all shaped like a big block.  He looked ridiculous, and I liked it.  I guess I enjoyed it because it was just so random for what was going on, like most good cutaways.

The last joke that I liked was when Peter was saying goodbye to his kids.  When he got to Chris he was unexpectedly abrupt with him:

Chris, people are gonna tell you you're stupid and that you're no good.

He totally left him hanging just like that.  Wow.  If those were the last words my father said to me, I'd be so struggling with that the rest of my life.   It was even funnier because he wasn't as mean with the other two (I mean, him farting on Meg is basically how he shows his love for her).

This was a pretty good episode.  There wasn't anything too gross and irritating about it, so I liked it a lot better than most stories I've seen.  Also, this was an unusually sweet story between Peter and Lois that involved being unfaithful.  It's strange that their night started off as Peter planning to go to bed with a woman he just met and Lois coming to see if her husband was going to go that far.  Instead of having a horrible and depressing ending, it turned out to make Peter and Lois stronger for the experience.  They may not be the sweetest couple in the cartoon world, but at least they do take the time every once in a while to remind us why the two of them have bothered to get married in the first place.

Leslie Hacked, Ann's Request, And Andy's Charity

Parks and Recreation, S05E15

Leslie had her jokes stolen by an enemy at the Pawnee Sun, and she asked her friends to help her fight against the woman hacking into her emails.  Ben asked April, Andy, and Tom to help him pick a charity at his new job, and April got angry at him when he didn't choose Andy's pick, which could have cheered him up about failing the police academy.  Ann asked Ron for help on how to ask Chris to be sperm donor.

Leslie's jokes for the Correspondence Lunch weren't that great, but it was still annoying that Kim had hacked her email and stolen all her ideas.  What a bitch.  I don't know what Leslie's done to her to make her the butt of every joke in her paper.  Actually, opposed to Leslie's jokes I liked the one that Ron suggested to her that she didn't use:

[Ron] I have a joke for you.[Leslie] OK.[Ron] The government in this town is excellent and uses your tax dollars efficiently.[goofy laugh]
[Leslie] That's not really a joke.[Ron] I disagree.  I find it hilarious.

I liked at the end, thanks to Donna's plan, Amy brought up a rumor from a fake email Donna had sent, revealing Kim's guilt.  That stupid bitch.  It  was funny that they had brought up a fictional thing from Stars Wars, making Kim look like an even bigger idiot.  It's too bad that people there didn't boo her or something.  She couldn't have enough humiliation in my book.

One of my favorite parts about Ben's story was when he told April and the others why he had brought them there.  April quickly let him know she hadn't come to help:

[April] Pass.[Ben] You came down here to pass on helping me?[April] Yeah, I wanted to see what your face looked like when I said no.  It was totally worth it.

Ben's job at Sweetums Foundation is insane.  I can't believe how fancy it is around there with the expensive food, massages, and office space as if Ben was the CEO of a global corporation.  Tom was soaking it up like he was duck in a pond (no surprise there), but I can't believe that Ben didn't feel the irony of having to settle for one charity while they wasted so much money on fringe benefits.  What I did like is that Andy, even in his depressed state, could see that as plain as day.  He's pretty sharp when it comes to certain things.  Since Ben eliminated all of the wasteful spending on pampering the employees, I wonder if there will be enough money to do the music program that Andy wanted.  It was so cute when Andy hugged Ben after he finally realized that Ben was hiring him as his assistant at the foundation.  Yay!  Andy might have found a new calling.

Ann made an awkward mess out of asking Chris to be the father of her baby.  She could have easily just pulled him somewhere private at work and asked him, yet she beat around the bush so much that Ron forced her to do it where someone like Perd could listen in.  Luckily, Chris wasn't repulsed by the idea so much as he was a little shocked.  However, he seems like he may eventually say yes to her.  Here's hoping--I think they would have a really adorable child together.

What I liked most about Ann's story best was her talking to Ron in his office.  I loved what he said to her when she first ran into his office for help:

 I wish this office had only walls.

You really got a sense that he didn't like anyone just stopping by his office, no matter what their business was.  Ann later came to praise Ron for his advice, but he didn't even want to hear that:

[Ann] I gotta tell you Ron.  You were absolutely and totally right.[Ron] I know.  Stop talking and get out.[Ann] Yep.

Ann barely sat down before Ron essentially kicked her out.  I wish I could cue people to leave with just a few words like that with no further questions nor complaints.

Oh, I also liked at the very beginning where Leslie and Ben were dishing out presents from their honeymoon.  They gave Ron a Hawaiian god of anger who looked like Ron when he was at work.  It really did look a whole lot like him, even though Ron doesn't bare his teeth like that.

This was a good episode to follow that amazing one before it.  It helped get the excitement of their wedding out of your system and return to the usual stories of lesser importance, but still with the usual comedy.  Chris might be soon fathering Ann's child, and Andy will soon be working for Ben to help people in a different, but still useful, way than he would have if he became a police officer.  I'm not so sure how well Ben and Andy will work together, but it could turn out to be funny.  After all, Ben is a riot when working with April and Tom, so him and Andy might be another hilarious pair.

Yay--Best Wedding Ever!

Parks and Recreation, S05E14

Leslie and Ben scrambled to get their friends to help them prepare for their last minute wedding.  They had some trouble at first, but they managed to get it together within two hours.  However, the wedding was ruined when Jamm stepped in  with jeers and stink bombs and Ron had to go to jail for punching the councilman in the face.  When it looked like Leslie would have to wait until their planned wedding date, her friends surprised her with an even more intimate wedding at her old City Hall office.

One of the quick fixes that was impressive was Ann's contribution.  She really stepped up and created a meaningful and fashionable dress for Leslie!  I loved her dress.  It was fun, unique and also didn't make Leslie look like some old lady getting married for the third time.  It's not at all what I pictured her walking down the aisle in, so it was a wonderful surprise.  I don't know what her original concept was for her wedding dress, but I can't imagine it topping Ann's creation.  Who knew that watching Project Runway for so long could turn you into such a skillful designer?

I was also impressed by Ron making those rings from Ann's wall sconce.  He just ripped it out of the wall and next thing you knew he had two silver rings.  That was confusing until they showed an extra scene where Ron like melted that metal down and formed rings as if he does this sort of thing in his sleep.  It only took him about twenty minutes to make those.  Damn.  Let me get a friend like that.  He had a good comment after he finished making them:

People who buy things are suckers.

I wish I could not be a sucker and just make stuff out of raw materials.  Unfortunately, there aren't people like Ron everywhere you look.

Another good line was when Chris was watching Ben fix his tie.  Chris got emotional, but was trying to hold back:

I promised myself I was not going to cry tonight, and I have already broken that promise five times.

Chris and Ben had a little touching moment then, but it didn't get to quite as much as later when Ron was walking Leslie down the hall of City Hall for her second attempt for a wedding ceremony.  I don't know why, but I teared up when I heard Ron say to Leslie:

You are a wonderful person, your friendship means a lot to me, and you look very beautiful.

I think this was so heartful because Leslie refused to have her wedding without Ron there to walk her down the aisle as her father figure.  It's so rare to hear Ron speak from the heart, but when he does it's emotionally amazing.

That part was my second favorite part.  My absolute favorite part was when they were having the wedding initially at the gala.  Jamm's ass was acting a fool (I don't know why Leslie gloated to him about the wedding in the first place) and he had the balls to hit Ron.  It was an awesome moment when Ron hit him in the face once and Jamm was down on the floor instantly.  April conveyed my feelings about that perfectly:

Yay--best wedding ever!

Any ceremony when Ron can assault a jackass is a great event to me.  It's just too bad that he couldn't have literally thrown Jamm out of there on his ass.

Still, the little wedding ceremony they had in the office was just as great, if not better.  It came as another surprise and it was more than Lesile and Ben could have asked for.  I'm really happy that it all worked out in such an amazing way.

It's unfortunate that Andy was bummed about him failing the police academy, but at least Chris was there to comfort him and assure him that all was not lost.  Plus, Ann realized that she should have considered Chris as a sperm donor all along.  I don't know why she was looking for strangers when Chris has always been nearby.  Not sure if he'll be up for that, though.

This was a beautiful episode.  It was heartwarming yet funny, so it didn't just feel like they overwhelmed you with just Leslie and Ben mushiness--you also got to see the joy and feelings of her friends in seeing them unite.  Everyone had a little part to play, and in the end it was the people who were most special in her life that made her wedding possible.  I feel relieved that they are finally man and wife, so I don't have to worry about someone sabotaging it for them.  I just wish that Andy would soon feel like his life has come together.  Chris has to be right that sooner rather than later they will figure out the next step, and Andy will have found his place in the sun.

Chris Runs To Herbert's

Family Guy, S11E13

Meg saw Chris steal money from their mom and began blackmailing him to do her bidding.  When Chris got sick of being treated like slave, he ran to Herbert's house to live.  Stewie also got hooked into Anne Murray's music and turned Brian to her music as well.

I wasn't sure what would become of Chris being at Meg's beck and call.  She didn't really do anything too shocking or twisted (save maybe wanting him to call girls and pretend to be their dead babies), but I knew that Chris couldn't possibly tolerate being her slave forever.  I thought he might just come clean to his parents, but he surprised me by running away to Herbert's house.

I was scared what might happen to Chris under that pervert's roof for a few days, but after trying to jump into Chris' bed the first night, he didn't seem to make any other big moves.  He might have been working up to that had Chris not driven him crazy with his slovenly ways.  Chris got kicked out at the right time because in a cabin relatively alone with Herbert miles away, Chris probably would have been in some real danger there.  The collection of tapes he had spying on kids was creepier than anything he really did to Chris, so I guess I was glad about that part.

Chris made a good point that he and Meg need to stick together, growing up in the house they do.  Lois and Peter didn't even notice that Chris was missing for a few days.  That's crazy.  Even if Meg was covering for him, the fact that they didn't physically see him for a while didn't bother them at all.  Great parents they are.

The funniest thing about this story, I guess, was when Chris had to put in Meg's contacts.  It was freaky how her pupils rolled back into her head, but Chris' reaction to that was entertaining.  He first compared her eyes to ping pong balls.  Finally, he said that she looked like some blind jazz man--I really liked that comparison.

Another interesting moment was when Peter and Lois were at a restaurant.  He made a call to someone named "Damone" and asked him to help him pay for their bill.  It was a clip from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but I have never seen that movie, so I didn't get the reference.  The joke there might have worked for me had I seen it.

In Stewie's story, I liked that it commented on that fact that people listening to music can get very different impressions/meanings from the lyrics.  I think they did a good job about speaking to the fact that arguing about differing opinions is pointless.  There is no right or wrong.  Stewie and Brian thought they would settle their argument by getting the "true" interpretion from Anne Murray, but she had sung "Snowbird" in her own interpretation and hadn't written the song at all.  Somehow Stewie thought that made her a fraud and he felt like he had been deceived, which made him seem all the more ridiculous.  Regardless of who wrote it, the way it made him feel was the right answer for himself.

It was concerning that Stewie tied up Anne Murray and pointed a gun at her.  There was no resolution of that--they just ended it with him harassing her like that.  We can just add that to Stewie's list of messed up things.

I think what I liked best about this story was when Brian first got into Anne Murray's music and imagined when he was a puppy.  It was cute to see him frolicking with his siblings and nuzzling with his mother.  Sometimes I forget how sensitive Brian is because he's often so insensitive and narcissistic.

I liked this episode because Meg and Chris were able to have a pretty sweet ending.  Meg started off treating Chris horribly, but in the end she showed that she appreciated him, and they bonded.  Stewie's story wasn't so sweet, but it at least it brought up an interesting topic.  It really made me think about how there's just no wrong way to feel about music.

It Wasn't Just A Calzone

Parks and Recreation, S05E12

Ann decided to have a child through a donation at a sperm bank, and Leslie tried to stop her before she let her child be fathered by someone of ill-repute.  Ben enlisted the helped of Ron, Chris, and Tom to sample food for the wedding.  April thought that the only way she could handle the public forums was by acting like Leslie as much as possible.

I wasn't on board with Ann's decision to have a child.  I don't think there's anything wrong with any woman going to a sperm bank when they are ready for that, but I don't believe Ann is ready.  Ann's a little all over the place, and I wouldn't even feel comfortable letting her babysit kids, even as good as she was with Diane's girls.  It's a good thing she has a friend like Leslie that has way too high expectations for her and isn't bothered by meddling in other people's business.

I don't remember Nick Kroll's previous appearance on the show, but it didn't take me long to see that his character is repulsive.  I can't believe that Ann was able to look past his "Douche" side and still take his sperm for her baby.  Ugh.  It was horrible that, thanks to Leslie, Ann was ridiculed on the radio about her personal business, but at least it helped her change her mind.  I'd much rather her have a baby by a total stranger than that guy.

My favorite story was about Ben's catering review council.  He basically gathered my three favorite guys.  Together these guys couldn't be more mismatched.  Ron and Chris are like opposites, and Tom is just on some psuedo cool level of his own.  There were so many good lines from the story, starting with Ron's reaction to getting a salad:

There's been a mistake.  You've accidentally given me the food that my food eats.

Then Tom delivered his opinion about the caters that was equally as funny:

[Tom] Cater number one's presentation was simple yet exhausting.  Number two's was subtle and provocative.  Like a coy Dutch woman guarding a dark secret.

[Ben] Nothing you're saying is helpful.

[Tom] But number three's told a story.  A story from a book I wouldn't read, but I would watch the movie of.

[Ben] That's nonsense.

The laughs kept coming when Ben described the mini calzones he sampled with excessive details as if they were some kind of magical, new dish he had never had before.  I loved Ron and Chris' responses to that:

[Ron] It was a calzone.

[Chris] It was literally just a small calzone.

I like that Ben's calzones are kind of like Leslie's waffles.  Except even with food poisoning I doubt she would ever give them up.

The last line I liked was when Ron was talking about the condition of his food poisoning:

I did not sleep one for second last night.  And I cracked the bottom of the toilet bowl.

It's ironic that the one food that Tom avoided was the one that made them all sick.  Especially because his reasoning for not eating it was that he doesn't eat food that needs to be dipped.  Apparently it's above him to put sauce on things.  Wow.

In April's story, I loved that it was Andy who tricked April into seeing that she didn't need to be Leslie to have a successful forum--she just needed to be herself.  He's a great husband.  My favorite line from the story was when April was herself again and she dealt with Harris:

[Harris] Yeah, I wanted to talk more about that topless park idea that a local hero brought up yesterday.

[April] Yeah, there's not going to be a topless park, Harris.  Nobody wants your creepy, stoner eyes staring at them while they're enjoying a park, OK?  Stop being gross.

What made that even greater was that the entire forum clapped to hear April tell that guy how it was.  April's the greatest.

This was a good episode.  I wish that Leslie and Ann's story was a little funnier.  It was just sort of stupid to see Ann wasting her time on something that would be big mistake.  She's really lucky she has Leslie to help her see the light.  I really loved the guys trying out the caters.  Ben needs to assemble the same team to do something else.  It doesn't matter what--it would be hilarious.  April is also hilarious when she is herself.  Even to pacify idiots for her job, I don't see why she would want to be anyone but her tell-it-like-it-is self.

Ron Loves Diane

Parks and Recreation, S05E11

Leslie wanted to initiate more goverment jobs for females, so she started by tackling the sanitation department.  She and April tried to prove that female garbage collectors could do the job just as well as males.  Chris was confused about where he stood with Shauna.  Tom asked Andy and Ben to teach him about basketball, so he could relate to his costumers.  Ron had Ann look over Diane's girls when he had exhausted himself watching them.

Besides the fridge business, I think Leslie and April had no problems really picking up trash.  It was cute to see something that Leslie had dragged April into that she actually enjoyed.  Even if it was to invade people's privacy.  I also liked that April was the one who convinced Leslie to think of another way to handle the fridge, so they wouldn't lose to the jerks setting them up to fail.  However, my favorite part of this story was when Leslie and Chris were having the meeting with the gender equality commission.  April pointed out there were only men present and Leslie spoke out:

[Leslie] Excuse me, everyone, did anyone notice that there are no women on the gender equality commission?

[Milton] There's a lady right next to you.  Oh, wait, no--it's just a very beautiful man.

I loved Chris looking offended for a second before he smiled at the compliment at the end.  Man, even guys like Milton can admit to Chris' good looks.

I could understand why Chris is a little confused about his standing with Shauna, but I was glad that Leslie gave him some advice about it:

[Leslie] I know you're not used to this, but maybe you should just try to keep it chill and see what happens.

[Chris] Great advice.  Impossible to follow, but great advice.

It's great that Chris can make his negativy sound positive.  It's not just his words, but his peppy, fast-paced voice.

I was surpsied in Tom's story that he doesn't know more about basketball than what he knows from the Kardashians' show.  Wow.  I knew he was sort of a non-traditional kind of guy, but I didn't know he was this bad.  After watching him play basketball like he had never heard of the sport in his life, he summed up his ignorance in one line:

Did I do basketball?

It was just a sad sight to watch him try to dribble and throw worse than what a preschooler would, and it got worse when the very type of customers he was trying to impress joined him on the court and schooled Tom and his friends in a game.  Tom's got some good friends who would put up with that and not call off the game before it even started.  But it was funny to see kids dominate them so hard.

Ron's story was just adorable.  To see someone like him just sitting like a statue while two little girls played with him as they pretty much wished was hilarious.  I admire that he loves Dianne so much that he would put up with that torture for as long as he did before he tried to pawn them off to Ann.  It's weird, though, that Ron still doesn't know her name (actually, no it isn't because Ron is like that):

[Ron] I thought your last name was Hanson for some reason.
[Ann] Nope, it's Perkins.  Always has been.
[Ron] You seem more like a Hanson.

The funniest thing about Ron asking Ann to watch over the kids was how bad and uneasy she was with the girls.  When she told them the scary story and the girls screamed, I loved how Ron forced a laugh and asked Ann:

What is wrong with you, woman?

It doesn't really surprise me, though.  Ann is sort of a hit or miss type of person with people.  She doesn't universally click with everyone and sort of easily gets on the bad foot with people.  It makes sense that with people out of her generation (not unlike April), she stumbles to connect and speak to them naturally.

The best thing about this story and possibly the whole episode was when Ron admitted to Ann that he loved Diane.  Aww!  Then to make it even better, Diane told him that she loved him and Ron said the same in the tiniest voice possible.  Yay!  Ron and Diane forever!

This was a pretty good episode, but I can't say that any of the stories were really that stronger than the other.  After that phenomenal last episode, I feel like I'm still expecting every story to be of the same caliber.  There were a few funny lines, and Tom's first try at basketball was one of the best jokes in there, but Ron's declaration of love for his girlfriend was the most awesome event of the episode.  Best of all, it wasn't anything I was expecting at all, making it a wonderful surprise.

The Greatest Party Night

Parks and Recreation, S05E10

Leslie's bachlorette party celebration was sidetracked when Leslie was stuck on Jamm building on the park site ahead of their agreement.  She spent the night not enjoying herself, but trying to recover some Native American artifacts she had planted that she mistakenly thought would help.  Ben and the guys also held Ben's bachelor party, which started out as a board game and beer and turned a night that fulfilled all the guys' dream parties that they were never able to celebrate before they got married.

I liked how I envisioned Leslie's party to be non-stop fun and Ben's to be boring as hell, but it was the complete opposite.  Leslie really had no chance for fun when that bastard went back on his deal and pushed forward with his plan for the lot with that lady (don't remember her name).  Should have known that guy wouldn't be good to his word.  Even though his ass tactics made Leslie do something really inappropriate like plant artifacts, I was happy to see that she realized her mistake right away.  It didn't help her celebrate her night any better since she exhausted herself and her friends (save Donna who was chilling in a lawn chair with a drink like a boss) retrieving as many as she could, but it helped her remain a better person than Jamm.  I think I would have been really disappointed if Jamm was turning her into some kind of monster who would exploit another culture just to suit her own agenda.

My favorite part of Leslie's story was when she came clean to Ken.  He ended up being impressed by her honesty and covered for her mistake.  I liked that he took a liking to her, but I loved when he started using "white man guilt" upon Jamm: 

[Ken] I would like to go on record, speaking as a citizen of Pawnee, I do not like the way you went back on your deal with Councilwoman Knope.  It reminds me of what the settlers of Pawnee did to my ancestors: taking their land without permission.

[Leslie, in interview] He really plays white people like a fiddle.  Wow.  It's amazing to watch.

[Ken] You and Leslie had a deal.  If that deal is not restored, well, I believe there are six Paunch Burgers in the Wamapoke casino.  Perhaps it's time that we re-visted those contracts.

[Lady] Is that a threat?

[Ken] Why, yes.  I thought that was obvious.

[Lady] Take the sign down. We'll wait until everything is official.

[Leslie] In the spirit of fair play, I suggest we put on these authentic Wamapoke headdresses and dance around the table.

[Jamm] Absolutely not.  That sounds highly offensive.

[Ken] Does it, white man?

[Jamm] No.  It's not offensive, so let's do it.  

[Ken] You first.

[Jamm] So clearly this is not offensive.

[Ken] It is offensive.

[Jamm] I'm very sorry.

Leslie made a new friend, and Jamm was sweating in his seat like someone had found porn magazines in his desk.  Love seeing Leslie win like that, especially when she does it by being completely honest.

Ben's story was really cute.  I loved how everyone had their little moment to enjoy something, and how amazing Chris was to organize it all.  Especially when he was able to make Andy's dream with the Colts come partially true.  He was the ultimate best man for each and every one of them.  And in the end after he graciously accepted his friends' award for his efforts on that night, I was impressed that Chris didn't get hung up on the fact he was the only one he hadn't ever been married.  He was just happy that he was enjoying life with his friends.  As a bonus, now that Chris has more internal peace with himself, he gets introduced him to a new girl who might be Chris' new girlfriend down the road.  He deserves it.

Of course, some of my favorite lines in this story came from Ron.  He was particularly funny when the guys went to Essence via Tom's suggestion.  I loved how quickly he realized that this bar was not for him:

[Ron just before they left] Son, there's no wrong way to consume alcohol.

[Waiter] Here's your Bud Light.

[Andy] I ordered a beer.

[Waiter] That is a beer.  And here's your nimbus martini.  May I go ahead a chisel your rhombus sphere?

[Tom] Please.

[Ron] This is the wrong way to consume alcohol.

The conversation was only made more hilarious by the bizarre drinks they were handed.  Tom couldn't have picked a funnier place for them to go.  It was completely excellent.  It only got better when Ron was given his "drink," asked to hold out his hands, and the waiter rubbed lotion on them:

[Ron] What's happening?

[Tom] Oh, this is sort of a play on scotch.   It's a whiskey-infused lotion.

[Ron] Can I ask if this entire establishment is a practical joke of some kind?

Not only Ron's reaction to that was priceless, but Andy's face too was hilarious.  I could have just had the episode about them ordering stuff from that bar all night long.

Ron also had this cute moment when they were doing Jerry's thing.  He was eating ice cream and it was totally all over his mustache, but he didn't even seem to notice.  I sort of wished he had stayed like that throughout the rest of the night.

When they were doing Ron's thing, I like how he made it seem he was going to confess something personal about his relationship with Diane, but all he said was that he liked her.  I also liked Chris' toast to Ron that he made very short to cater to Ron's style--that was really nicely done.  The best part of them being at the steakhouse, though, was when Roy Hibbert showed up and treated the guys to dinner.  When he saw Tom, he was still bitter about his former employment with him:

[Roy] Hey, Tom.  I am not paying for that guy.  He owes me a lot of money.

[Tom] It's true.

I love reminders of Tom's failed business.  It was so ridiculous that it doesn't deserve to die quietly.

Tom also had a good moment when he interrupted Jerry who was about to tell a story of why he didn't get his bachelor party:

[Tom, after bopping Jerry on the head] Boop! That's me hitting the snooze button.  Don't talk again for another ten minutes.

Really, there was just too much goodness packed in this episode--I loved it.  I laughed really hard and I also felt warm inside by the guys bonding and by Ken helping out Leslie even though she messed up.  I think I could watch this episode over and over again.  If only everything I watched was this great even half of the time.  It'd be TV paradise.

Just Stop Writing, Brian

Family Guy, S11E10

Brian finally had success with his writing when his play become popular in town, but after seeing the incredible play that Stewie had written, Brian was devastated and tried to sabotage Stewie's play by saying it was terrible.  Stewie figured out what he was doing and later got his show on Broadway, to Brian's dismay.

This was another depressing story about how Brian is never going to get anywhere with his writing.  I thought something was up when Brian was having people excited about his play--the few bits that we got to see were like the worst sitcom ever.  Plus, as Stewie had pointed out, Peter was really engaged in the whole thing.  If that wasn't a red flag that he was writing crap than nothing else is.  Still, I could have been content to see Brian enjoying the thrills of being semi-famous in town if one, he wasn't always an ass about his "genius," and two, he didn't decide to listen to Jasper and try to crush Stewie's aspirations.  I hate that I feel both bad for Brian and hate him for his selfish actions and cocky attitude.  Why can't Brian be either humble or not be jealous of someone else?  I'd settle for him just being one of those things.  I wish he didn't have to constantly be so insecure and desperate to be great (or even good).

One thing that was obvious in this story was how Stewie is absolutely Brian's friend and biggest supporter, even though Brian's deceitful and untalented.  Stewie did bring him to a party where people made fun of him and he sort of threw his own possible success on Broadway in Brian's face, but in the end he threw away his chance to be a big playwright to please his friend.  Brian does not deserve Stewie, as crazy as that baby is.  That's what makes it a little less touching because I'm still angry at Brian for trying to ruin Stewie when Stewie would sabotage his own play for Brian.  When has Brian ever sacrificed himself like that for Stewie?  It's times like this that I love Stewie and wish that prehistoric bird that got them would just swallow Brian and end his miserable life.

I wish there were more jokes to offset Brian moping and crying about how brilliant Stewie would be and how mediocre he was and will always be.  My favorite cutaway was when Chris was stuck in the seats and he met another guy in the same boat:

[Guy stuck in chair] She's not coming back, you know.
[Chris] How do you know that?
[Guy stuck in chair] Cuz she's my mom too.

More than be funny, this was just sort of shocking.  But I can totally see Lois doing that because while she seems to love her kids, she also has this side where she would abandon them if they were too troublesome for her tastes.  I mean, she once told Meg to stop crying or go ahead and kill herself.  She's not always the best mother around.

A little more shocking and unnerving moment was when Brian snapped the neck of the squirrel that he was yelling at.  But from the beginning I had a feeling that Brian was going to do something bad to that squirrel, so I wasn't taken aback that much.

There weren't any jokes that I loved, but some of them were okay.  One of such was when Peter went crazy from tasting real butter, but thinking it was I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  I don't know why it would encourage him to kill three kids, but it was almost funny enough to make me laugh.  Another was when Peter was trying to figure out Stuart Little and he commented that he felt "old and in the way."  I've had a moment in life where someone was having a revelation about a movie where there was none to be had (because it wasn't complicated or trying to create mystery). So I suppose that's why I liked that scene.

I think I'm about done with these sort of stories with Brian hating himself and Stewie barely being able to keep him afloat from drowning in his own self-pity.  Brian's not ever going to get anywhere with his writing, so it'd be nice if maybe he tried to do something else with his short life.  Or at least if we have to see another pathetic chapter in Brian's short-lived fame there should be adequate jokes to distract us.  If I wanted drama without comedy relief, I'd go watch something like Mad Men.

Yes, Chris Is An Idiot

Family Guy, S11E09

Chris caught Peter and Lois talking about how dumb he was, and they tried to rebuild his self-esteem by sending him to a camp.  Chris picked Space Camp, which was mistakenly put in his brochures to choose from, and he quickly found out that he was miserable there.  The family came to bring him home and got trapped in space when they toured an active space shuttle before leaving.

 Chris being dumb is nothing new.  There's been many episodes about him struggling in school and such, but this time he just got sent away to camp.  Even though he went to Space Camp, it still wasn't very interesting, overall.  I mean, it didn't even help that the family got sent into space by mistake.  That part just seemed really unlikely and too much of a stretch for me (which is saying a lot because Peter sent himself up into space at one point when he got free gasoline).  But I realize that their problem was just an excuse to show that Chris had learned something and wasn't as dumb as dirt.  That's all well and good, but it didn't do much for me in the comedy department.

The jokes didn't have much impact on me, but there were a few that stood out to me.  The first was the one about Nathaniel Hawthorne.  I did like that he remarked that he was writing stuff to ruin the ninth grade for everyone.  I'm pretty sure anyone who completed high school could relate to that.

The second was when Chris called from Space Camp and wanted to come home and Peter also called.  Apparently Stewie was bullying him at the gym.  I didn't expect it to be his own son, so that joke wasn't too bad either.

The last I thought that was semi-funny was when Peter was being passive-aggressive about his annoyance to come pick Chris up at camp:

We spent thousands of dollars to send you here and made two trips to Florida in four days.  I'm glad we had you.

Usually I don't like when Peter's being a backhanded asshole, but in this situation it worked.  I think because I can sort of imagine a lot of parents who think this sort of thing when they agree to retrieve their kids from camps and whatnot.  Personally, I would make his ass stay.  Or at least say something worse than Peter to make Chris feel bad about it.  Haha.

They poked some fun at two things that I approved of.  One was Bob's Burgers.  They were horrified that the picture of Bob was turned in for Chris's art project.  Sometimes I forget that they're on the same network because the shows are so different.  But it's nice that Family Guy can get around to mocking all of the cartoons on FOX and not just The Simpsons.  The second that they mocked was Russell Brand.  Can't stand his ass, and they made his success seem dependent on simply an accent rather than his talents.  Even if they were just kidding, I agree with that.

There were also some racist jokes that I didn't care for.  The one about not being the black guy to stay alive wasn't too bad, but I think the one about the Chinese guy in the Japanese company was as bad as I was hoping it wouldn't be.  Really?  We have to show a guy with the hat, the teeth, and the water buffalo?  But I guess if they want to make sure that it's seen as a joke, they needed to go a little over the top.  Still, it would have been nice for them to do the opposite of what I was thinking they would do.  

Last, I just wanted to say it was kinda gross that Chris wanted to watch Peter and Lois have sex.  Uh, eww!  Even if he was curious, it's so freaking creepy.  And he was being obvious about it by listening by the door (which they should have closed if they were going to bad mouth any of their kids--they should know by now that they don't have any privacy with kids floating around).

I didn't care for this episode too much.  The jokes weren't that great and it focused too much on Chris.  He's not particularly boring, but we have seen a few stories already about him being an idiot and proving that he's probably not as bad as at least his father.  I'm just thankful it wasn't a Meg episode--the last one made me content not to see anything about her for a good while.

Meg Can't Let Go Of The Fantasy

Family Guy, S11E07

Meg finally went out with the boy she's been fantasizing about, Kent, to find out that he was gay and liked Chris.  Wanting to live through Chris, Meg schemed to roofie Chris so that Kent could have sex with him and Meg could hear the details later.

Well, for an episode about Meg, this one wasn't too bad.  I think that's mainly because even though she still couldn't catch a break, the one who made things worse for her was Meg herself instead of someone victimizing her.  Yeah, it sucked that Kent ended up being gay after she finally asked him out, but her refusal to accept reality was really pathetic.  She could have easily been Kent's friend, at least--that was better than him hating her like he did at the end.  Meg was also pretty selfish, wanting to disregard Chris's feelings just to fulfill her fantasy.  I don't know.  Meg should really take the small victories when she can.  She wanted the gold prize (a real relationship with Kent), when she could have been really content with bronze (friendship).

Also, Meg was really rude when she kept denying that Kent was gay because he didn't act like a stereotypical gay man.  I would think that she would be smarter to know that you can't cook-cut people like that.  But maybe she was too blinded by her desire for Kent to use her brain.  Just one more reason that Meg looked like a horrible person who sort of deserved to be bullied upon like she always is.

Anyway, there were a few moments that I liked.  My second favorite was when Meg was squealing with joy about successfully asking out Kent.  Stewie came to the door and before closing it said:

I’m gonna go ahead and shut this for you.

Stewie's irritation at her loud voice just made me laugh.  It's like he was doing something so important that Meg was interrupting or something.

My favorite part, though, was when Meg told Kent that Chris had a dark side.  I wasn't sure if she was making it up (because she was lying about Chris being gay in the first place), but that cutaway was so creepy!  Chris was sitting in their room in the dark, sitting in a rocking chair or something.  Then he got up started to gently stroke Peter's face while Peter was trembling in the bed.  I don't know what the hell was going on, but it was so uncomfortable that it was hilarious.

I also thought it was kind of funny that one of Meg's teachers informed her and her friends that he would be in the park later, which was one of his technically not illegal invitations.  That teacher is like intentionally being the bare minimum sleaze-bag that he's allowed.

There were some disturbing things as well in this episode.  The number one thing was the plant that kept raping things.  First it raped a roofied plant, and then it raped a roofied Stewie.  Eww!  It was almost funny because you wouldn't expect a plant to do that, but instead it was just a frightening thought to imagine a plant attacking a person like that.

Another thing was when Meg went to get roofies from Quagmire.  That wasn't too weird because it was Quagmire, but his comment after she left was a bit unsettling:

That’s what it’s all about, Glenn.  Don’t rape it back, rape it forward.

Yeah, let's not rape it forward or back or at all.  I can see why Quagmire would be willing to be Meg's contact if she got arrested for those roofies because he has no business having them nor giving them to unbalanced teenagers.

There was this moment when Peter was on the slip-n-slide and a giant spider was pulling him away wrapped in a web.  That wasn't disturbing, but more like what the hell was going on??  I almost wish that it had come back later in the episode to sort of answer that question because it was so random (but not unwelcome).

Finally, the last thing I wanted to comment on was how I was a little annoyed with that cutaway about how women and men differ in friendships.  I don't think that the difference is as simple as women use half-insult compliments to their friends, while men are straightforward.  I guess what bothers me the most is that whenever there are gender-difference jokes, it's always to paint women in a worse light than men.  I can't think of time when it was the other way around.  Just gets a little tiring to see that constantly.

I liked this episode, even though Meg was being an obsessive jackass. It's not the first time she's let her fantasies run wild, nor will it be the last.  For someone who is so desperate like her, these sort of stories are kind of a given.  She doesn't get affection or positive attention, so if she has a chance for it, she's definitely going to use unorthodox methods to get it and not give up easily.  Luckily, there were quite a few jokes to distract you from Meg trying to help someone unknowingly date rape her brother.  I can't imagine how horrible it would have been if there wasn't some good comedy to shift the focus away from that.

Lots Of Love All Around

Parks and Recreation, S05E09

Ron brought Diane and Leslie to an award event where he would be honored for a chair he built.  Leslie was worried that Debbie showing up would cause the couple problems, but Diane was most worried about Leslie's involvement in Ron's life.  Ann refused to let the others in the office attend Jerry's Christmas party because they had intended to spend the night celebrating how much they laughed at Jerry over the past year.  Ben also looked after Chris at the party, making sure that he didn't fall apart emotionally.

I really loved how excited Ron was to attend the woodwork event.  He was giggling at the sight of someone he said was famous, who Leslie and Diane had no idea about.  I actually wasn't too worried about Debbie showing up because I noticed early on that Diane seemed worried about how well Leslie knew Ron.  It doesn't seem odd that she would because no one knows Ron like Leslie does, except maybe his ex-wives?  But it was sweet that Leslie would take on Debbie by herself just so that Diane and Ron could spend the rest of the night alone.  She's such a great friend!  Cuz that Debbie bitch is crazy (but at the end when she was in cuffs, I would have killed to see Lucy Lawless kick her ass like she suggested).

Ron obviously loves Diane because he revealed one of his biggest secrets to her--that he is Duke Silver!  Wow!  I was really impressed that he did that!  It was also funny that one of Ron's fan said she was going to kill Diane!  Damn.  Didn't know he had such dedicated fans!  Great scene.

I didn't expect that Ann would condemn the mean party that the others were having concerning Jerry, but I'm glad she did.  After all, they should be a little nicer to the guy after he had a brush with death.  It was nice that Donna had a change of heart and wanted to include Jerry in the dinner instead of just using it as a time to make fun of him behind his back because they all got to see that Jerry was throwing a big ol' Christmas celebration.  I freaking loved seeing them peeping into the window, dying to get in there.  It was kind of like Scrooge peeking into his nephew's house and seeing how much of an ass he had been to his only family member.  It was nice that they took all the money that they had collected to remember Jerry's fumbling at work to instead donate to his medical bills.  And they learned that Jerry always sent them nice emails congratulating them on their achievements and birthdays.  He's such a sweetheart and it was great they had a moment to remember that behind his Charlie Brown-esq personality, there is a heart of gold.  Way to get into the Christmas spirit.

I was also impressed with Chris's progress.  I didn't think that his 15 times a week with his therapist were really helping, but they were.  He could drink non-fat egg nog, let someone point out his gray hair, and speak to his ex-girlfriend and her fiance without spiraling into his usual dark place (although I think it's hilarious when he gets so negative).  I also loved that Ben was doing his best to support him and make sure that he kept it together.  I sort of forgot until they had this overly long hug that they are such good friends.  I love their bromance, especially on Chris's end because he needs all the love he can get.

I just got this warm, happy feeling from this episode--it was great.  This is one of those stories about Christmas that didn't make me hate the overall spirit of this holiday.  We got to see Leslie be there for Ron and Diane, Diane and Ron become closer, Tom and the rest give Jerry a break, and Ben and Chris reconnect as friends.  I have nothing bad to say about it.

Wreston's All Right

Parks and Recreation, S05E08

Leslie and Ben got a decent person to build their new park, but because he was  from Eagleton, Leslie resisted hiring him against obvious proof that he was superb in his work.  Tom had his friends helped him set up his Rent-A-Swag store, but he was so focused on being responsible and frugal that he was neglecting his style and flair that was necessary for his business to succeed.  Andy found his security guard work to be boring and April came to play with him.

I think most people were wanting for Wreston to turn out to be a bad guy after all, but luckily he was a genuinely nice guy.  It's funny to see someone as sweet as Leslie fighting a nice guy tooth an nail to prove he's a scumbag.  Maybe I sort of wanted her to be right so she wouldn't seem so crazy.  But logically after Wreston's employees had sent Ben and Leslie that horrible model for the park anyone would have thought they had been duped.  Thank goodness Ben had a major man-crush on Wreston and refused to believe he was that much of a snake.

I loved how much Ben fell for Wreston.  He even slipped in an invitation to their wedding, having only known the man for a few hours.  It's weird because Ben doesn't really seem to take a shine to people so easily, unless they're related to something nerdy like accounting or maybe comic books or something.   It was also funny because Leslie was annoyed by it.

I'm still a little worried that Wreston being from Eagleton is going to bring some trouble somehow.  I don't know.  If his employees can go behind his back and send a fake model, who knows what else his staff might do when his back is turned?  I think that Leslie's suspicions sort of rubbed off on me.

I'm not too worried about Tom's store, though.  First all, he had all his friends working there, so at least he can count on them working to their best abilities.  His first penny-pinching version of the place was a little drab, but after using the investment from his friends and pieces from his house, it looked more like a place you would buy swag.

My favorite thing about that story was Chris learning woodwork from Ron.  I love when these two get together because they are such opposites!  Chris was so eager to learn, while Ron sounded like he couldn't be bothered to tell Chris the simplest thing to do.  I loved when Ron tried to give Chris busy work to keep him from bothering him with millions of questions:

[Ron] Here. I have designed something very important.  Why don’t you start work on that right away?
[Chris] Yes, sir!
[Ron to the camera] It’s a flight of stairs that leads to nowhere.

Ron, the master of getting overly enthusiastic people to be distracted.  It was nice that the stairs, though, ended up being a nice display piece to use in Tom's store.  Chris assumed that was Ron's plan all along and Ron didn't correct him.

My second favorite line from Ron was when Tom had set up a pathetic pizza party with a small toppings-less pizza, two drinks, and had turned off the majority of lights.  Only Ron was the one who seemed impressed by this:

If there were more food and fewer people, this would be a perfect party.

Chris also had a good line concerning the first version of Rent-A-Swag.  Everyone was commenting on how bad it had looked, but Chris almost was the sole voice of positivity:

[Chris] I think what’s important is we all had a goal, and we achieved it.
[Ann] So you like the place?
[Chris] Oh, no, it’s quite terrible.

I love how honest Chris is.  He might try to see things in the best light, but he's also not going to straight up lie when asked his opinion about something.

 In the April and Andy story, I wasn't that surprised that Andy was bored out of his mind.  I thought it was adorable that April came and they were playing around like kids.  It really reminds you how perfect they are together.  It's almost a shame that April had to make him realize that he had to retire the fantasy version of himself as an FBI agent for the real version of himself who helps lost kids find their mothers.  April's a really good wife to not just make him see his potential, but also give his imaginary character a final decommissioning session.  That was over the top, but really cute.

 I hope that Wreston continues to be the dream come true that saves the new park idea from being squashed before it's even started.  It would be pretty disappointing if Ben's new best friend turned out to be one of those evil Eagleton jerks.  I can't wait to see what kind of customers come to Tom's store and maybe he could move out of his store sooner rather than later with good sales.  I think that Andy will like his security job a little more, even without playing make-believe.  But there probably needs to be a robbery or something soon because he's too ADD to be kept content forever by the "glory" of saving one little boy.

Distraction Waffles

Parks and Recreation, S05E07

Leslie and April fought over using lot 48 for a dog park and ultimately had to stop Jamm from using it for a burger place.  Andy tried to investigate the disappearance of his computer and learned that police work might not be as exciting as he was imagining.  Ben went back to his old accounting job and tried to help Tom with his new business, but kept getting job offers.

I really liked that April sort of took the role of Leslie and Leslie had to slip into Ron mode a bit when the two were butting heads with each other.  My favorite part was when Leslie went to Ron for help:

[Leslie] Ron, thank you for agreeing to see me.

[Ron] I didn't.  You just walked in here and started talking--

[Leslie] I don't have time for a history lesson.

Ron continued to be hilarious when he explained how he got Leslie to cool her jets when she would be overly excited about a project.  He brilliantly used waffles as his best tool of distraction:

[Leslie] Those were distraction waffles?  I thought they were friendship waffles.

[Ron] Breakfast food can serve many purposes.

 I don't know how one man can be so wise and hilarious, but Ron Swanson does it.  I would love to get advice from him, especially if he could work the subject of breakfast into it.

Besides Ron being brilliant, as usual, there was a touching moment in this story when Ann got Leslie and April to make up.  Leslie grabbed April's hands and they both said they loved each other and it was just so damn sweet!   Particularly because April was being sort of shy about gushing with emotion like Leslie can do at the drop of a hat.  Leslie really is like more of a mother to her than her own mother and I love that they have that kind of relationship.  But I can't say that I didn't also laugh at them battling each other because they're both strong, opinionated women who don't back down easily, so watching them fight was pretty entertaining.

Also, Jamm is such an ass.  But he made the mistake of making not just an enemy of Leslie, but also of April and Ann.  He may have a lame catchphrase, but I don't think he's prepared to take all 3 of them on (which sort of reminds me when April suggested they all do a 3-way with him--what??).  They better take that jackass down.

I loved that Ben and Tom are set up to work together again.  It was cute that Tom was being jealous of Ben getting offered job after job.  And how funny was it that there was this pigeon next to Tom after he was feeling down about being rejected left and right while everyone seemed to want Ben to work for them?  It was like that bird was his only friend.  Haha.  But even though Tom felt bad about Ben's high demand, their little business trip made Ben see that being an accountant was a waste of his talents and life.  He might be worried about the job security thing and all, but I'm sure he'll one day thank Tom for leading him on a much more interesting career path.

Andy was pretty cute, too, while trying to figure out who took his computer.  What I liked best was when Chris got involved.  I love that everyone seems to be pointing out how good Chris looks, but Andy stating it so naturally really makes me laugh:

Don't play stupid and handsome with me.

Followed by a little later:

You're as guilty as you are sexy.

It was nice to see Chris in this story end up pumping someone else up instead of the other way around like it has been lately.   He not only suggested that they investigate who stole the gruff policeman's positive attitude (loved that), but offered Andy the job as city hall security to give him a taste of being a cop before he took the test.  I sense a little bit of a disaster with that as Andy is prone to an overactive imagination, but I love that Chris believes in him and is willing to take the risk.

Finally, Ben is just the best fiance ever.  I mean, first of all he wanted to go back to his boring accounting job so he could ensure he had money to pay for a wedding and a future with Leslie.  Second, he gave her the best engagement gift by letting her meet Vice President Biden.  Leslie was acting like such a dorky fan.  She even was feeling all up on his face and threatening secret service!  Wow.  I bet she would have put Biden into her purse and kidnapped him if Ben had left her there long enough.

The more I watch this show, the more I can't imagine it not filling my Thursday nights with happiness!  Like this show has so many characters I heart who are always making me laugh in unexpected ways.  I have to say that once Ron Swanson is no longer on the air it would take more than distraction waffles to help me cope.  Haha.  I guess next time I'm most looking forward to what Ben and Tom will accomplish together.  Last time they did business it was just too funny.  Even though Tom is a little smarter this time, I still anticipate that Ben and Tom are going to mix up some great comedy again.

Bitch Would Have Gotten A Quilt Up Her Ass

Parks and Recreation, S05E06

Leslie and Ben held an engagement party and tried to mend fences with Ben's hateful parents.  Chris was distraught after hearing the beautiful speech Ann gave at the party.  Tom had to prepare for a presentation for his new business to show to Ron.

I had a lot of good laughs from this episode, which I will discuss shortly.  First, I just gotta say how much I hated Ulani.  No question that Ben has horrible parents, but that little bitch was too rude for words.  Her ass wasn't even invited, yet Leslie welcomed her to the party with open arms.  She didn't have a sliver of gratitude and dared to question why she didn't have a square on the unity quilt.  Bitch, please!  Leslie is better than me because I would have handed her a big serving of attitude.  She had me boiling when she went on further to say that it was mean that Leslie hadn't made her a real square, when Leslie had graciously tried to squeeze her in there at the last moment.  That bitch ain't even family yet!  I don't care if she's carrying Ben's sibling in her belly--she needed to be slapped.  I'm so glad we will not see her again until the wedding, I hope.  She's one of my least favorite people that have popped up on this show.

Anyway, onto all of the great laughs I had.  My favorite part was after Ann gave her speech at the party and everyone pitched in to warn Ben:

[Ann] Ben, don’t you dare hurt her.
[Laughter]
[Ben] I won’t.[Andy] Don’t laugh.  She means it.
[Ben] Okay, I-I won’t.
[Ron] Seriously, son, don’t hurt her.
[Ben] Okay, I’m not planning on hurting her.
[Jerry] You better not be.
[Ben] I’m not!
[Donna] Hey, Ben, you best watch yourself.
[Ben] Why would any of you think I would hurt Leslie?

 I love when they all team up to show love for Leslie!  And anytime Ben can be made nervous, it's all the better.  I think Andy's addition was the best because you know it's no joke when he's being serious.  Such a great scene.

Chris was also being pretty funny in the episode.  I liked when he was hugging Leslie and Ben at the beginning because Ben's face was so uncomfortable at that time!  And Ben's expression was just as funny when Andy hugged them and Chris joined in a little later.  But Chris' best moments were when he was moping around at the party.  Rob Lowe is so good at making me sympathetic but also chuckling at the same time.  I liked his reaction when he reached the end of the tissues:

There’s no more tissue--everything ends.

With him crying over that, I wanted to hug him, while laughing into his shoulder.  Poor Chris and his overly emotional self.  He was funny, too, when eating shrimp:

[Chris] Wow, that’s amazing.[Ann]  See? There you go.[Chris]  This one’s not as good.

A grown man getting depressed over shrimp not being that good just tickles me.  It also reminds me of that great moment when Ron and Stephen Wyatt eyed each other when both approached the last piece of shrimp at the same time.  Loved it.

What I also loved concerning Ron was that he decided to give Tom a chance without even listening to his pitch.  Tom had proven himself by cutting his business ties with Jean-Ralphio and that was enough.  I just liked Ron's general contempt for J-R in the first place.  Tom couldn't have done more to impress him if he had cut his own lumber and built a table out of it.  Thanks to Ron, we'll get to see how "Rent-A-Swag" will fare as a business.  It couldn't be any worse than Entertainment 720 (which was a hilariously money-down-the-drain failure).

 This episode only could have been made better if Leslie had shoved Ulani's makeshift square down her throat the second time she dared complain about it.  Can't take such ridiculous bitches, but the PAR crew is so hilarious that her existence couldn't bring down the overall quality of the episode.  Ron didn't really say anything great in this episode, but he was great in the way he decided to take stake in Tom's future.  And perhaps there's a happy future for Chris soon.  I want to hope for that, but I also get a kick out of his overly dramatic misery as well.  Whether sad or happy, gotta love Chris!

Leslie And Safe Sex, Tom and Technology

Parks and Recreation, S05E04

Leslie wanted to teach the elderly community about safer sex, but was shut down by some morality watchdogs of Pawnee.  Tom, after a car accident, was ordered to spend time away from his technology and sought help from Ron to get through his hardship.  April and Ben also wondered if the congressman they worked for was a robot.

Instead of speaking much about each of the stories specifically, I'll mostly just mention my favorite lines.  I did, however, like the story about Ron and Tom the best because Tom was going crazy without being able to text and all of his other things.  One of my favorite moments was when he was trying to recreate his favorite internet venues and devices, such as pinterest.  He just looked so pathetic tapping pictures he had put on a real board and hoping that something cool (like on the actual site) would happen.  However, his best recreation had to be when he tried his hand with his iPhone:

[Tom] I made an iPhone out of paper.  It's not the same, though.

[Ron] This is the work of a lunatic.

It was equally as funny when Ron was able to make progress with Tom's addiction when Tom admitted that he needed some help:

I'm proud of you.  But also a bit fearful that we're verging on what I call "feelings territory."  So let's stare at the fire in silence.

I also love when Tom went to apologize to Ron for damaging his car and Ron silently stood up:

What are you doing?  Are you going to kill me?

 I really love when Ron and Tom get together because they are really like opposites at times and it can't be a better setup for some comedy there.

Donna also had a great line (she usually does, but she's usually beat by even funnier lines) when commenting on Ann's clothes:

It's not my favorite shirt, but it is my least favorite shirt.

I love her tell-it-how-it-is attitude.  I would totally be friends with her.

Finally, I liked when Leslie was still acting like Chris was her boss:

[Leslie] You’re my boss, what do I do here?
[Chris]  Actually, you’re my boss now.
[Leslie]  That’s right! Why am I still weirdly scared of you?
[Chris] I’ve very confident and I make a lot of eye contact.

God, I can't imagine if Chris wasn't around.  He is always saying great things like that! He's a mess, but he somehow makes it work.

I think I really loved this episode because Tom's struggle without his Twitter and Facebook and such was just too funny and the other stories with it were funny as well.  I just wish there were some funnier lines from Ben and April's story (which was funnier in what was happening more than what was being said), but I'll not let that really affect my overall wonderful opinion.  Love this show!

A Toilet, A Pothole, And A Road Trip

Parks and Recreation, S05E03

Leslie tried to get a bill passed by doing things her own way, but saw that sometimes she has to do things the "easier" way.  Ron and Andy went to fix a lady's pothole after being unable to solve the woman's problem over the phone.  April and Ben tried to drive to Pawnee to see their loved ones, but got stopped in the parking lot for several reason until it was too late for them.

I think the best thing about the Leslie story is that all she had to do to get her bill to pass was to pacify her fellow councilman by giving her his office, which he only wanted so he could have his own toilet.  To think that decisions are made over something as simple as a toilet is pretty funny.  But I like that Leslie resisted giving into Jamm's demands, until the very end after winning over Milton had failed.  I can't be mad at her for making some concessions when it came to her own policies, especially when it made a bunch of kids happy.  Plus, she got to shove Jamm into a pool before he told everyone how she got the bill passed.  So all, in all, a victory for her.

There were also some good lines in that story.  My favorite was when Milton was offering Leslie and Tom the salad and Tom didn't want to eat it because Milton had already said some offensive things to him:

[Leslie] Tom, eat some.
[Tom] I’m not eating racist salad.
[Leslie] The more we eat, the faster we talk.
[Tom] You can really taste the ignorance.
[Milton] It’s pronounced “anchovies.”

I'm really glad that Tom is by Leslie's side not just for the support, but for the much needed laughs.

I also thought April and Ben's story was really good just because it involved the "Odd Couple" stranded together in a car.  It's too bad that we didn't get to see more because I think the tension would have been crazy funny.  I especially liked how April made fun of his choice in music and gave him a look when she heard what he had on his "summer jam" CD.  Ben is such a dork, which makes him the best person to showcase April's coolness.  They could make a spin-off of them working in D.C., for real.

What I liked best about the Ron story was, of course, that Ron began to like a woman named Diane, who was played by Lucy Lawless.  That seems like a great match!  It was really sweet how Andy made sure that Diane came to see him by writing a note for her on the fixed pothole.  Otherwise, I think Ron would have been too embarrassed to ever show his face again.  It will be nice to see Ron dating someone who can match him on his powerful level, yet not be crazy like all of his evil ex-wives.

Also, at the beginning of that story when Chris was explaining about starting therapy, I loved how he wouldn't let Jerry share anything about his own therapy, suggesting that it was too much.  But I think I liked best when Chris was sort of talking to himself in an attempt to thank himself and admitted that he sounded insane.  I knew that him starting therapy would make him more insane!  I'm glad that Chris just doesn't disappoint.  And if he has any other crazy ideas like the 311 line, I can continue to be pleased by his new path for mental health.

Great episode.  It could only be better if April and Ben's story were extended, but we simply didn't have enough time.  I'm pretty excited to see how Diane and Ron's relationship goes, especially since it seems like Diane is about his equal.  Looking forward to seeing more of Lucy Lawless next time!