Parks and Recreation - the Rewatch thread

Fr Tod Umptious

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

I'm currently watching this for the first time on Amazon prime! Didn't think much at first, but I read the reviews which basically said ignore the first series and stick with it.

I feel from midway through the second series is when it really took off and now I'm properly invested. At just 21 minutes an episode it's such an easy watch. Highlights so far are Ron getting shot, his 'pyramid of manliness' and April scheduling 93 meetings for one day because she didn't know March 31st existed :pac:

Should probably avoid this thread from now on for spoilers, but I hope the best is yet to come!

What's equally brilliant is Lesley suggesting that they find another 7 to round it up to the full 100.

Just watched season 1 there..

Really don't know why people say it's not great..

cashback

Deleted User wrote: »

Just watched season 1 there..

Really don't know why people say it's not great..

It's worth it just for Mouserat's 'The Pit', if that is season 1.

cashback

cashback wrote: »

It's worth it just for Mouserat's 'The Pit', if that is season 1.

They were "scare crow boat" I think for that gig..

Yeah, though, that whole series was quality..if anything I think nearly better than the jean ralphio kind of craic later.. we'll see..

Yeah, don't think I saw much past season 5, so there's a season or two that will be new this time.. nice..

yerwanthere123

Yeah I don't find Jean Ralphio funny in the slightest, his schtick is all very cringe imo.

I'm nearing the end of series 4 now. One of the things I like best about the show is that whilst it's first and foremost very funny, it's also got a lot of heart. Love Ron and Lesley's relationship, whilst she obviously annoys the hell out of him it's clear as day he also really cares about her. Love that he stood up for her when the government were considering sacking her.

titan18

Finished it off all last night (was a fair binge). Season 1 and 7 are so much weaker I find. 3,4 and 5 though are wall to wall gold I think.

Joe_ Public

Jean Ralphio was great i think and they wisely fed him to us in small doses. The sister was a step too far though, i just found her pointless and annoying.

Guess its all down to opinions, april was always my favourite character though inevitably it did stray a bit down the sentimental route by the end.

Joe_ Public

Just rewatching S1 for maybe the 5th time, as an introduction and scene setter, it does its job pretty well i think. I like that bit in E2 where one of the guys harrassing leslie at a public meeting shouts, "hey park lady, you suck" and next thing you see a beaming leslie addressing the camera, "you hear that? He called me park lady!" Maybe the first moment you could look at that show and see there was some real quality about it.

cashback

I can't remember when Craig (I think that was his name) entered the show, but I really couldn't see what he added apart from shouting at everyone in a very loud voice.

Favourite episode will probably always be the Snake Juice one. Drunk Lesley and Anne arguing and the montage of characters off their heads, Ron dancing and wearing some sort of fez never fails to make me laugh.

Wrongway1985

Deleted User wrote: »

Just watched season 1 there..

Really don't know why people say it's not great..

Ya me an all, perfectly fine introduction.

Started this sometime just after the summer on Prime having never watched before, will be going onto season 6 soon found season 2-4 to be fairly consistent. Season 5 was the first time the odd dud episode became noticeable to me like for instance the penultimate episode in it the A-story sees Leslie butter up council man Jamm at mini-golf, it played out the very same formula as the Bowling episode (which was fantastic) they just changed the setting, it was so much better the first time round!!

gmisk

cashback wrote: »

I can't remember when Craig (I think that was his name) entered the show, but I really couldn't see what he added apart from shouting at everyone in a very loud voice.

Favourite episode will probably always be the Snake Juice one. Drunk Lesley and Anne arguing and the montage of characters off their heads, Ron dancing and wearing some sort of fez never fails to make me laugh.

Angry Craig....I actually loved him!
He had some great lines I especially like the scene with their dog equivalents....ha

Hercule Poirot

gmisk wrote: »

Angry Craig....I actually loved him!
He had some great lines I especially like the scene with their dog equivalents....ha

One of the reasons I really liked that episode was the way Donna kind of stepped up and showed she was more than the "sassy black woman" she had pigeon holed as in her earlier days

Fr Tod Umptious

Wrongway1985 wrote: »

Ya me an all, perfectly fine introduction.

Started this sometime just after the summer on Prime having never watched before, will be going onto season 6 soon found season 2-4 to be fairly consistent. Season 5 was the first time the odd dud episode became noticeable to me like for instance the penultimate episode in it the A-story sees Leslie butter up council man Jamm at mini-golf, it played out the very same formula as the Bowling episode (which was fantastic) they just changed the setting, it was so much better the first time round!!

The epilogue to the bowling episode where Ron goes back to the bowling alley on his own is just brilliant.

Greyjoy

cashback wrote: »

I can't remember when Craig (I think that was his name) entered the show, but I really couldn't see what he added apart from shouting at everyone in a very loud voice.

Right from his introduction I couldn't stand Craig he was so one-note. All the other Eagletonians felt like proper counterparts to the Pawnee staff (with Sam Elliott as Eagleton Ron being perfect). Craig just felt like the writers wanted to crowbar Billy Eichner into the show.

deisedude

Craig reminded me of this

Jean Ralphio sucks ass..


Really, the one weak character in the whole thing..

gmisk

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Jean Ralphio sucks ass..


Really, the one weak character in the whole thing..

Would you say he is..."theeee woooorrrrssssttt"

Ah he is alright not in it too much, I do prefer Mona Lisa though.

gmisk

gmisk wrote: »

Would you say he is..."theeee woooorrrrssssttt"

Ah he is alright not in it too much, I do prefer Mona Lisa though.

I'm currently watching the first episode she turned up in..

Nah, the two of them are way less funny than anyone else in it..

Hercule Poirot

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'm currently watching the first episode she turned up in..

Nah, the two of them are way less funny than anyone else in it..

Technically I'm hooooomeleeees!

Money please! Moneeeeey pleeeease!

I love them both

Craig is pretty annoying too..

Not as bad as the other two, but not good..

Noo

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Jean Ralphio sucks ass..


Really, the one weak character in the whole thing..

I love him if only for the single shot accountants office scene - "so i just go out the same way I came in?"

yerwanthere123

Currently nearing the end of series 6. I feel this was an improvement on what was a pretty tepid series 5. One think I really don't like is the continued beratement of Gerry, or Larry as he's now known. I know it's simply a long running gag, but as someone else alluded to a couple of pages back it just feels very mean spirited and out of sync with the otherwise feel good nature of the show.

Joe_ Public

Just watching episode on Sky Comedy right now, Leslie getting Ron and ex wife Tami back together, Rons britches hanging off as they dash into the motel! Fckin hilarious.

yerwanthere123

Finally finished the entire thing. Overall I didn't think much of the series finale, I'd have preferred if it was a bit more sentimental and less about looking ahead at their extravagant future lives, a lot of which didn't appear to be entirely realistic. Didn't like how the final series opened with a Lesley-Ron feud either, but thankfully it didn't last for too long and the episode where they made up was one of the best ever. Overall it's a highly enjoyable, very watchable show, but would've benefitted from shorter/more compact series imo. Best episodes are 'Harvest Festival', 'Leslie and Ben' and 'Leslie and Ron'.

yerwanthere123

Also, my favourite line of the entire thing



:pac:

gmisk

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Just watching episode on Sky Comedy right now, Leslie getting Ron and ex wife Tami back together, Rons britches hanging off as they dash into the motel! Fckin hilarious.

I think that is Tammy 2?
Lol love all those scenes

Joe_ Public

gmisk wrote: »

I think that is Tammy 2?
Lol love all those scenes

Yeah thats tammy 2, ex wife no.2 i think. Just love the whole second series, from the "i bested you" episode the whole show really does kick up a gear.

BOSTIK

The “Flu Season” episode in Season 3 is just comical. My wife & I had to pause it for about 5 minutes so we could finish laughing.

ShineOn7

I'm upto around Season 2 Episode 8 and two things stand out:

• There's absolutely no way the bullying of Gerry would work in today's Generation Snowflake climate. It's not comfortable to watch now and - if memory serves - the bullying ramps up in later seasons
  
  
  
• The writing from around this point on in the show is hilarious. The Ron And Tammy episode had me proper laughing out loud

Morgans

Not sure I loved a program that I loved as much as this.

Found its feet when Brandonowitz quit
Need to watch out for Larry's 'bullying' of Kyle - always funny
Cant see why Jean Ralphio gets hate on here - maybe favourite character - Jeremy Jamm is brilliant and the public meetings recurring characters dont get enough love.

Started to become a parody of itself as lots of long running shows do - everyone becoming more extreme versions of themselves but was a genuinely lovely programme at its peak - seasons 2 to 4.5

https://decider.com/2015/04/09/parks-and-recreation-saved-me-from-depression/

Ashbourne hoop

Watched it for the first time. Overall I enjoyed it, but there were episodes that were a struggle to watch. As others have said, the bullying of Garry/Gerry was way too much. Jean Ralphio was an awful character, but his sister, my god, added nothing, as did Craig.

Leslie and Ben were brilliant but Ron was my favourite character in it. So funny at times.

I enjoyed it, and would recommend it, but not sure if I'd watch it again.

Sudden Valley

Rewatched up to middle of season 5. Forgot how funny and devious councilman Jam was. The mistreatment of Jerry has been mentioned a lot but yeah realyonly Anne P didn't act the maggot with him. The supporting characters were very entertaining but the main storyline is starting to lag at this stage. I liked the treatment of the native American tribe - they acknowledge the past wrongs and allowed the chief to have some funny moments.

Luke774

I just finished the last episode the other day very funny well worth the watch. I started it after watching the office.

I'm now watching superstore

Luke774

Ashbourne hoop wrote: »

Watched it for the first time. Overall I enjoyed it, but there were episodes that were a struggle to watch. As others have said, the bullying of Garry/Gerry was way too much. Jean Ralphio was an awful character, but his sister, my god, added nothing, as did Craig.

Leslie and Ben were brilliant but Ron was my favourite character in it. So funny at times.

I enjoyed it, and would recommend it, but not sure if I'd watch it again.

I agree Ron was very funny alot of great quotes haha

It’s one of my favourite comedies. However things will naturally change if you allow two main characters (Anne and Chris) to leave and replace them with Craig. Craig was the only guy who survived the eagleton merger, which should have been about replacing those two, if anything. I mean Leslie was even looking for an Anne character. We ended up with Craig. ( I didnt mind john raffaello in small doses but Craig brought nothing).

And season 7? Sit coms should stay put in situation they start with. Also their guesses for the very near future bugged me at the time and more so now. Devices will never be transparent - they need electronics.

But 2-5, excellent and 6 was good.

Sudden Valley

Anne Perkins was one of those characters that didnt seem to add much to the show when she was there, probably why she left, but the show wasn't the same without her. A thankless task being the straightman/woman.

Joe_ Public

I thought Anne was an ok character, but maybe stronger earlier on in terms of storyline. I always thought too the real relationship, female wise, was between Leslie and April and so maybe that began to be more prominent as the show wore on. Just the sense i remember anyway. I loved April from the start, possibly my favourite character overall, those lovely saucer eyes and the way they glared into the camera. Bit mawkish towards the end but you expect that.

yerwanthere123

Mark from series 1 and 2 seems to be somewhat of vilified character, and I'm not sure why. Seemed like a nice guy to me, liked that he drew up a plan for Leslie's park as a going away present too.

ShineOn7

Sudden Valley wrote: »

Anne Perkins was one of those characters that didnt seem to add much to the show when she was there, probably why she left, but the show wasn't the same without her. A thankless task being the straightman/woman.

She was the wholesome centre of the show for me. I'm upto early Season 4 on my rewatch and I actually forgot she left until I read this thread :pac:

Rashida Jones was very easy on the eye in the show too

ShineOn7

Watched another 4 episodes last night, upto Season 4 episode 11, and I found myself literally laughing out loud more than once

It's been years since a show made me do that and made me want to rewind those hilarious moments

The show has a huge heart as well. Last night's episode had the bit where Leslie and Ben tell each other "I love you" for the first time, but through a third party

Only thing is I never fully bought into Leslie and Ben as a couple you'd see getting together in real life

ShineOn7

Upto around Season 6 episode 5 and there's a noticeable dip in quality

That's ok though, even mediocre Parks & Rec is a decent watch and I may as well finish the re-watch in full. I think it bounces back in Season 7?

Oh and Andy and April are probably my fav TV couple of all time

The slow burn to them getting together was really well done and Chris Pratt and Aubry Plaza have amazing chemistry together

It's easy to tell they must've been great mates off screen

ILikeBoats

https://entertainment.ie/tv/tv-news/mouse-rat-album-parks-and-rec-484502/

Looking forward to this. The Pit is a modern classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxX9BvaJxOw

FortuneChip

ILikeBoats wrote: »

https://entertainment.ie/tv/tv-news/mouse-rat-album-parks-and-rec-484502/

Looking forward to this. The Pit is a modern classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxX9BvaJxOw

Ugh, never really liked Mouse Rat.

Much preferred "Everything Rhymes With Orange" & "Just The Tip". Hope they release something.

ShineOn7

This guy has shown up during my re-watch

He's surely up there with the most loathsome TV characters of all time

deisedude

ShineOn7 wrote: »

This guy has shown up during my re-watch

He's surely up there with the most loathsome TV characters of all time

Up there with Catherine Tate/Nelly in the US Office as most annoying character for me

ShineOn7

I've reached the final season on the re-watch this weekend

If memory serves it's a lot better than season 6 and finishes strong?

Sudden Valley

To be honest I thought it was one of the weakest finales out like the writers wanted all the characters be successful which is a bit unrealistic. Struggling through the final season myself at the moment.

secondrowgal

I agree. The last few episodes are pretty disappointing to be honest bid even skip the finale and you wouldn’t be any worse off.

ShineOn7

Season 7 has about 90% less laughs so far compared to Seasons 2-5

Best seasons: 2-5

Meh Season: The first one

And Season 6 was ok but nothing compared to 205 for quality