[7.6/10] Another very solid episode. I love the addition of Kathryn Hahn as Jennifer Barkley to this season. She has such a great characterization as an outsider who is as friendly and genial as all get out off the campaign trail as she is ruthless and effect it on it, and bemused and bewildered at all the details of Pawnee. This is her coming out party, and the way she is willing to buy Leslie waffles at J.J.’s and then excoriate her on live television makes for a great dynamic.
It’s also a nice excuse to pair Ben and Leslie up for the episode. We haven’t gotten a lot of time to see them as a couple taking on challenges since they got together, so it’s fun to see them trying to solve this seemingly intractable challenge and being cute together. It also creates both a win and a loss for them. The fact that Barkley was brought in means that Ben was succeeding as a campaign manager and Leslie was connecting with voters, but her arrival means there’s a difficulty they might not be able to overcome.
Still, the back and forth of ramps vs. lifts (with Carl Reiner doing his usual funny schtick) and the hilarious “Final Word with Perd” create for some fun comedic setups. Jennifer is a believable and funny obstacle for Ben and Leslie that also nicely parodies political spin.
The B-story is enjoyable too. I love Ron being between a rock and a hard place -- not wanting to actually do a government project, but also not wanting to hire someone new to fill-in for Leslie, forcing him to choose the lesser of two evils. The whole water fountain thing is such a nice absurd touch for a project to solve to boot. It’s one of those weirdly specific things that makes Pawnee seem like a collection of loonies.
It’s also a bit easy, but such a great comedic scene when Ron assures Chris that everything’s going great, only to open the door and see the manic water balloon fight taking place. Andy’s kamikaze balloon pack is a particularly great bit. But I also like where they take the story in terms of character, with April coming up with the actual cost-effective idea, and Ron putting her up to take on Leslie’s responsibilities. It’s a nice trajectory for April, and it’s a nice character touch for Ron, showing that despite his personal preference for her as his assistant, it’s not letting her achieve her greatest potential, even if it has to be in the public rather than the private sector.
Overall, a very nice episode with the introduction of a fantastic recurring character and a great April-Ron story baked into a wacky comedy plot.
Review by Andrew Bloom
VIP9BlockedParent2017-03-24T22:12:34Z
[7.6/10] Another very solid episode. I love the addition of Kathryn Hahn as Jennifer Barkley to this season. She has such a great characterization as an outsider who is as friendly and genial as all get out off the campaign trail as she is ruthless and effect it on it, and bemused and bewildered at all the details of Pawnee. This is her coming out party, and the way she is willing to buy Leslie waffles at J.J.’s and then excoriate her on live television makes for a great dynamic.
It’s also a nice excuse to pair Ben and Leslie up for the episode. We haven’t gotten a lot of time to see them as a couple taking on challenges since they got together, so it’s fun to see them trying to solve this seemingly intractable challenge and being cute together. It also creates both a win and a loss for them. The fact that Barkley was brought in means that Ben was succeeding as a campaign manager and Leslie was connecting with voters, but her arrival means there’s a difficulty they might not be able to overcome.
Still, the back and forth of ramps vs. lifts (with Carl Reiner doing his usual funny schtick) and the hilarious “Final Word with Perd” create for some fun comedic setups. Jennifer is a believable and funny obstacle for Ben and Leslie that also nicely parodies political spin.
The B-story is enjoyable too. I love Ron being between a rock and a hard place -- not wanting to actually do a government project, but also not wanting to hire someone new to fill-in for Leslie, forcing him to choose the lesser of two evils. The whole water fountain thing is such a nice absurd touch for a project to solve to boot. It’s one of those weirdly specific things that makes Pawnee seem like a collection of loonies.
It’s also a bit easy, but such a great comedic scene when Ron assures Chris that everything’s going great, only to open the door and see the manic water balloon fight taking place. Andy’s kamikaze balloon pack is a particularly great bit. But I also like where they take the story in terms of character, with April coming up with the actual cost-effective idea, and Ron putting her up to take on Leslie’s responsibilities. It’s a nice trajectory for April, and it’s a nice character touch for Ron, showing that despite his personal preference for her as his assistant, it’s not letting her achieve her greatest potential, even if it has to be in the public rather than the private sector.
Overall, a very nice episode with the introduction of a fantastic recurring character and a great April-Ron story baked into a wacky comedy plot.