15th
While it’s taken a while to find its own voice and rhythm, Parks and Recreation really fires on all cylinders in its season finale. Amy Poehler is finally making Leslie Knope her own (non-Michael Scott-clone) character, Aziz Ansari is pitch-perfect with the old man in the club, and Nick Offerman really shines in a few gags.
But the winner of the episode (and perhaps of the series so far) is Chris Pratt, particularly when describing his band’s sound as “Matchbox 20 meets the Fray.” The best part: they really do.
The real problem with the show: Rashida Jones and Paul Schneider are not playing funny. Having two thirds of the main cast play straight (even if the latter is skeezy while the former remains too much of a saint) keeps putting a damper on the proceedings. Every character in The Office, even if they mainly react dumbfounded off Michael, can be quite funny, and Parks needs to reach that balance here to find and keep a rhythm.
