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annakovsky) wrote2012-02-02 04:11 pm
annakovsky) wrote2012-02-02 04:11 pm
Entry tags:
Parks and Recreation and Mediocrity
I wrote this whole thing after last week's Parks episode, and it might be a really unpopular opinion but whatever, I'm going to post it now before tonight's because I am pretty concerned about the direction the show is going and I don't knowwwwwww, you guys. There hasn't been an episode I super loved and instantly wanted to rewatch since The Treaty back in November, and even before that there was a lot more mediocrity than last season, and with the campaign I'm worried they've painted themselves into a corner they won't be able to get out of. HOPEFULLY TONIGHT'S EPISODE WILL BE BETTER, BUT I AM WORRIED.
First of all, established relationships are boring, and all this focus on Leslie/Ben has been super boring. I thought once they were back together we could all move on with our lives and get back to the regular ensemble show, but Leslie is still spending most of her time interacting with Ben and ughhhhhhhhhhh. THEY'RE LIKE THE SAME PERSON, THERE'S NO TENSION HERE, LET HER TALK TO RON OR ANDY OR SOMETHING.
Then to GET tension in that relationship they keep -- like, okay. Full disclosure, I HATED Ben in the episode with the negative campaign ad. I did not see both sides. Most people did, and that's fine, but I REALLY DID NOT. I feel like going negative as the FIRST THING a campaign does is a shitty thing to do in the first place (especially when you're spending all your money on it, so it's the ONE THING that people will see about your candidate), and then wanting to go negative for LESLIE KNOPE is just like, have you ever met Leslie Knope? And then when Leslie said she would never do that in a million years, to keep pushing it? Uh, it was a pretty clear statement of what she wanted, and she's the candidate -- it's her name on the ad. So if she doesn't want to go negative, YOU DON'T GO NEGATIVE. And it didn't help that his first ad sounded like Gob Bluth's negative ad against Steve Holt. Like, I was fine with the compromise ad they eventually got to, but omg, so unacceptable before that.
Last week's episode wasn't as bad, because obviously Leslie was being obsessive (which was adorable as always) -- but. Basically Leslie was being the way she always is in that kind of situation, and Ben spent the whole episode being like, "BAD DOG. NO." It's not HELPFUL. You're never going to stop Leslie by acting like that! Ron Swanson would know never to act like that with her because it's pointless! And I just feel like lately Ben thinks things are wrong with Leslie ALL THE TIME. You're a steamroller, Leslie! No, wait, you have to be tougher, Leslie! Stop being so fixated, Leslie! That's not sexy fighting, that's just being kind of awful, even when you have a point. YOU'RE HER BOYFRIEND AND YOU USED TO THINK SHE WAS GREAT, WHY AREN'T YOU ON HER SIDE ANYMORE. And why is it always Leslie who has something wrong with her to manufacture tension between them? I CAN THINK OF A LOT OF THINGS WRONG WITH YOU, BEN, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO START ENUMERATING THEM. 1) YOU'RE A WET BLANKET AND A NEGATIVE NELLY.
I mean, whatever, sometimes I still like them, and the kissing last week was super hot, but overall, Leslie/Ben is just getting old and there's too much of it and Ben is going to have to be a lot nicer/more delightful to win me back.
So that's a problem. And then overall I seem to come out of every episode feeling like the whole thing just didn't quite hang together, in a way I can't put my finger on. I think maybe with the campaign they just have too many balls in the air? Everyone feels scattered and not that funny, and I don't know what they should do to fix it, but it's just not quite working.
I think also maybe a lot of characters have gotten kind of one-note, so it feels more repetitive than great. Like... Tom hasn't done anything new and delightful since Treat Yo Self, just the same old schtick. April has had barely any storylines, and they all seem to revolve around her and Andy as a unit. Andy is sometimes literally too dumb to function. Donna NEVER gets storylines. Chris for some reason is still around, being a shallow insincere dbag and taking up screentime that should be given to Donna, who is funnier and more interesting.
And I am REALLY worried about the campaign issue. I feel like they brought the campaign into the mix as an obstacle for Leslie/Ben, without thinking through the implications. And now I worry that we're in a Pam Beesly situation, where we have brought up Leslie having big dreams, and raised the possibility of her getting those dreams, but because of the PREMISE OF THE SHOW, AS SEEN IN ITS TITLE, she cannot get those dreams while remaining on the show, so she will have to fail at them. And I swear to God, if Leslie fails at her dreams, I am going to burn Utica to the ground. IT WILL BE TEN TIMES WORSE THAN PAM FAILING AT HER DREAMS, AND THAT IS QUITE POSSIBLY MY #1 TV DISAPPOINTMENT OF ALL TIME.
And it's not going to be better if Ron gets to be assistant city manager so Leslie can be promoted, because if Ron and Leslie and April aren't in the same department I am going to SCATTER UTICA'S BURNT ASHES TO THE WIND AND PEE ON THEM, and so then I don't know how they're going to get themselves out of this one in a satisfactory manner, and if I think about that I basically go into a depression spiral. DDDDDDDDD:
Ugh, I might be stating this all a little strongly, because the episodes, with the exception of the negative ad one, have mostly been... fine. And maybe it's too much to ask that I should have a joysplosion every week like during season 3. But it is really sad to me that the show is going from joysplosion to just fine! It being Parks Day doesn't cheer me up anymore! BUMMER CITY. It's only season 4, and two of those seasons weren't even full seasons, WE SHOULD NOT BE HITTING THE SITCOM DECLINE YET.
First of all, established relationships are boring, and all this focus on Leslie/Ben has been super boring. I thought once they were back together we could all move on with our lives and get back to the regular ensemble show, but Leslie is still spending most of her time interacting with Ben and ughhhhhhhhhhh. THEY'RE LIKE THE SAME PERSON, THERE'S NO TENSION HERE, LET HER TALK TO RON OR ANDY OR SOMETHING.
Then to GET tension in that relationship they keep -- like, okay. Full disclosure, I HATED Ben in the episode with the negative campaign ad. I did not see both sides. Most people did, and that's fine, but I REALLY DID NOT. I feel like going negative as the FIRST THING a campaign does is a shitty thing to do in the first place (especially when you're spending all your money on it, so it's the ONE THING that people will see about your candidate), and then wanting to go negative for LESLIE KNOPE is just like, have you ever met Leslie Knope? And then when Leslie said she would never do that in a million years, to keep pushing it? Uh, it was a pretty clear statement of what she wanted, and she's the candidate -- it's her name on the ad. So if she doesn't want to go negative, YOU DON'T GO NEGATIVE. And it didn't help that his first ad sounded like Gob Bluth's negative ad against Steve Holt. Like, I was fine with the compromise ad they eventually got to, but omg, so unacceptable before that.
Last week's episode wasn't as bad, because obviously Leslie was being obsessive (which was adorable as always) -- but. Basically Leslie was being the way she always is in that kind of situation, and Ben spent the whole episode being like, "BAD DOG. NO." It's not HELPFUL. You're never going to stop Leslie by acting like that! Ron Swanson would know never to act like that with her because it's pointless! And I just feel like lately Ben thinks things are wrong with Leslie ALL THE TIME. You're a steamroller, Leslie! No, wait, you have to be tougher, Leslie! Stop being so fixated, Leslie! That's not sexy fighting, that's just being kind of awful, even when you have a point. YOU'RE HER BOYFRIEND AND YOU USED TO THINK SHE WAS GREAT, WHY AREN'T YOU ON HER SIDE ANYMORE. And why is it always Leslie who has something wrong with her to manufacture tension between them? I CAN THINK OF A LOT OF THINGS WRONG WITH YOU, BEN, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO START ENUMERATING THEM. 1) YOU'RE A WET BLANKET AND A NEGATIVE NELLY.
I mean, whatever, sometimes I still like them, and the kissing last week was super hot, but overall, Leslie/Ben is just getting old and there's too much of it and Ben is going to have to be a lot nicer/more delightful to win me back.
So that's a problem. And then overall I seem to come out of every episode feeling like the whole thing just didn't quite hang together, in a way I can't put my finger on. I think maybe with the campaign they just have too many balls in the air? Everyone feels scattered and not that funny, and I don't know what they should do to fix it, but it's just not quite working.
I think also maybe a lot of characters have gotten kind of one-note, so it feels more repetitive than great. Like... Tom hasn't done anything new and delightful since Treat Yo Self, just the same old schtick. April has had barely any storylines, and they all seem to revolve around her and Andy as a unit. Andy is sometimes literally too dumb to function. Donna NEVER gets storylines. Chris for some reason is still around, being a shallow insincere dbag and taking up screentime that should be given to Donna, who is funnier and more interesting.
And I am REALLY worried about the campaign issue. I feel like they brought the campaign into the mix as an obstacle for Leslie/Ben, without thinking through the implications. And now I worry that we're in a Pam Beesly situation, where we have brought up Leslie having big dreams, and raised the possibility of her getting those dreams, but because of the PREMISE OF THE SHOW, AS SEEN IN ITS TITLE, she cannot get those dreams while remaining on the show, so she will have to fail at them. And I swear to God, if Leslie fails at her dreams, I am going to burn Utica to the ground. IT WILL BE TEN TIMES WORSE THAN PAM FAILING AT HER DREAMS, AND THAT IS QUITE POSSIBLY MY #1 TV DISAPPOINTMENT OF ALL TIME.
And it's not going to be better if Ron gets to be assistant city manager so Leslie can be promoted, because if Ron and Leslie and April aren't in the same department I am going to SCATTER UTICA'S BURNT ASHES TO THE WIND AND PEE ON THEM, and so then I don't know how they're going to get themselves out of this one in a satisfactory manner, and if I think about that I basically go into a depression spiral. DDDDDDDDD:
Ugh, I might be stating this all a little strongly, because the episodes, with the exception of the negative ad one, have mostly been... fine. And maybe it's too much to ask that I should have a joysplosion every week like during season 3. But it is really sad to me that the show is going from joysplosion to just fine! It being Parks Day doesn't cheer me up anymore! BUMMER CITY. It's only season 4, and two of those seasons weren't even full seasons, WE SHOULD NOT BE HITTING THE SITCOM DECLINE YET.
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It seems like this is that one thing that really sucks about perpetual sitcoms that just go on and on for indefinite seasons. Not that P&R has gone on that long, but now that it's in its, what, 4th season? Around 50-75 episodes? It's hitting that pothole. Because either you have comedy with no real character conflict and no real character investment, or else you have comedy with characters who have goals and a central conflict and THAT'S WHAT MAKES PEOPLE CARE. But if it becomes evident that the conflict is going to remain a conflict for the entire length of the series... you can't care anymore. I'm not even thinking about the other women comedy protagonists like Pam or Liz Lemon (because I do tend to care about them more), but virtually any other comedy I've really liked (Spaced, Extras, idk, Louie). You either have to have a premise that allows for changing circumstances without losing the characters and conflicts themselves, or you're stuck. The only person who seems to get out of this scot-free is Ricky Gervais, and that's because he has enough creative control (and enough self-control, it must be said) to stop his tv shows after two short seasons. And so his shows are kind of awesome.
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Even thinking about something like How I Met Your Mother or Friends, that aren't based around a workplace -- like, either they start having babies and the show changes, and it can't hold it together anymore, or else they stay exactly the same, which just gets depressing. I can't think of any perpetual sitcom that managed to keep the interest going, because they really are stuck between that rock and hard place. Haha, maybe this should teach me to stop getting invested in sitcoms. Or, um, television.
(Though on the plus side, I've been pretty into 30 Rock since it's been back, more than I was before the break, so maybe shows can pull me back in later?? Haha especially if they have Jack being super inappropriately into Liz.)
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As mad as I might be about Leslie deciding she'd rather serve her town/country as an employee instead of an elected representative... unless she stays in a shitty job with a bunch of people she hates in a town she doesn't like and Ben buys his parents' depressing and terrible house and they get knocked up twice in two years by accident and Ben also hates his job and they just make smug jokes about their coworkers (who they hate) all day...NOTHING could be as bad as the Pam Beesley travesty.
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unless she stays in a shitty job with a bunch of people she hates in a town she doesn't like and Ben buys his parents' depressing and terrible house and they get knocked up twice in two years by accident and Ben also hates his job and they just make smug jokes about their coworkers (who they hate) all day...NOTHING could be as bad as the Pam Beesley travesty.
Ahahahahaha, y-you make a depressingly accurate point. And you didn't even add that the show was character assassinating her and ret-conning that she's not funny and she's bad at pranks!!! UGH. STILL SO ANGRY AND SO SAD.
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I haven't actually watched The Office since -- wow, I think since Jim proposed? It's been forever, anyway. They got married and had a baby, that was all I'd heard, and I don't know what I was hoping for, but it was something a hell of a lot better than that.
I am legit bummed out now. :(
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Yeah, I have to agree. But I guess this is four seasons in? I loved The Office (US) but I still dropped it after the fourth season (decline).
Also, Donna not getting storylines is really sort of striking and terrible at this point.
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Seriously, the Donna thing is UNCOOL. And when it's pointed out people will apologize for it like it's not due to racism/sizeism! Like, one of my friends made a post about how she'd like to see, you know, ANYONE BE ROMANTICALLY INTERESTED IN DONNA, and a bunch of morons were like, "But Donna likes to date around and have casual sex and that's great!" Uh, yeah, that would be great, if we EVER SAW THAT ONSCREEN??? Pics or it didn't happen, Parks and Rec. Pics or it didn't happen.
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I wrote earlier about how Parks day hasn't been innately making me happy, too, and then I deleted it from tumblr because tumblr has a weird attitude today. But you're right. Things should be on like an upward climb, and it feels really steady lately. Like just this straight line of "Leslie needs something for the campaign, Ben disagrees, other people are in the background, everything is resolved, the end." Which is why I'm glad tonight is a break-out from that.
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I actually saw your post earlier, aww, you shouldn't delete it, it's so legit! I've seen a lot of people feeling like they're losing enthusiasm. And the plotlines have been seriously repetitive -- they got really repetitive before Ben and Leslie got together, when it was over and over "Ben doesn't want to spend time together and Leslie does and then they have a fight about" and now with the campaign. Oh dear.
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And I've been really concerned about Leslie and Ben becoming dull, honestly the main plot of the last episode bugged me a little and so did campaign ad because Leslie is apparently doing everything wrong and can't do this without Ben which doesn't make sense to me? Hopefully as they get more into the campaign it will be less manufactured fighting, though there is still Dave's Return. I do love this show I just hope this is a weird phase it is going through.
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And totally, I don't see why BEN is suddenly some campaign expert because he won one campaign when he was 18 and then totally flamed out, especially when he doesn't know anything about Pawnee! Leslie can do this better without him! GET YOUR OWN THING, BEN, THIS ARC IS LESLIE'S. And ugh, I'm excited about Dave coming back because I love Dave and think Louis CK is so funny in that role, but if it devolves into Ben being a little bitch as usual and Leslie having to apologize to him or something I'm going to lose my shit. DDD: NERVOUS.
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Ben drove me nuts in the negative ad episode, and I don't think Leslie should've compromised her beliefs at all! I'm actually really mad that she did make that ad at the end, because it felt more like stupid smarmy Ben was getting his stupid smarmy way and less like Leslie was basing up on her own about what's-his-Paul-Rudd's-face's douchiness and being roused to fight back in a meaner style. She didn't want to make a negative ad, she expressed that numerous times, and still dumb ol' Ben steamrolled right over her as if she was not capable of determining the direction of the ad herself. And I get that he is her campaign manager but she is THE ACTUAL CANDIDATE, NOT THIS WHOMP THERE IT'S NOT BOY-MAYOR, SO SUCK IT BEN WYATT!
Anyway, those are my calm feelings about that.
I probably would not care so much that he's such a jerkass a portion of the time, because I do like Ben/Leslie in I would say a good half of their scenes (like you, I super approved of Ben punching out that dude who called Leslie a bitch, because: SAY WHAT, DRUNK DUDE?) if the show did not treat their romance so... ugh, I don't know, so epic, like they're Pawnee's Jim/Pam. WHAT'S NEXT, MIKE SCHUR, THEY GOING TO MOVE INTO THE CLOWN HOUSE BEN GREW UP IN? BO-RING.
I miss the days where Leslie interacted with EVERYONE! And, sure, for a while she got single-minded about the Pit, but so many fun and interesting storylines sprung from that, whereas everything centered around the campaign (and Ben/Leslie) feels redundant. You know what I want to see more than I want to see Ben and Leslie argue about Leslie's campaign for the kajillionth time? ANN DOING SOMETHING, ANYTHING, OR DONNA HAVE MORE TO SAY THAN RANDOM ZINGS.
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And I think the thing that STILL TO THIS DAY KILLS ME SO MUCH about Pam Beesley is that they had an opportunity for her dreams to change and instead decided to just napalm them into the ground. Because there's nothing inherently wrong with growing or changing or realizing, hey, you know, I've always wanted to be a famous artist, but that's not in the cards, and I do have a guy I'd like to marry and have a family with, but you have to show that. And have them not be completely separate things. You can draw and be married, Pam. It is a thing that's possible. And, even if you give up on something entirely, you have to be able to be sad about it. To regret things even if they're for the best. You don't just settle for no reason with no repercussions. And if they go that way with Leslie, I will maybe die.
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Because it's such a narrow focus and they've tracked it out for so many episodes, and I'd really just like some good ol' whatever the sitcom equivalent of a Monster of the Week episode is and for people to be able to ride out the full rainbow of their personalities in loving color instead of: Andy says something that indicates a disconnect with reality, Ann is beautiful and there for Leslie, Ben has to ostensibly balance Leslie, but really no balancing is happening, and ugggh, seriously, have you seen David Tennant's face? It's good, but I wouldn't think it would take me from ALL OF PARKS, but just Parks is in a rut and eating Chinese food and changing into its pajamas every day right when it gets home from work and maybe Parks should force itself to go out to the pub quiz one night, or at least go to that knitting class at the library.
This Party Down joke better be epic, is what I'm saying.
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But yes, exactly, all the repetition and caricature and the stuck in a rut! I enjoyed last night's episode more, but I feel like that might've just been that I've finally lowered my expectations and as long as Ron and April and Leslie are being delightful I don't care what other bullshit is going on or how shitty of a boyfriend Ben is. D:
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And I mean... I'm a really boring person who likes boring, established relationships, but obviously that's not going to do it for everyone. I didn't have as big of a problem with the Leslie/Ben interaction as some have expressed, though I will say that I had enough of reaction where there is a part of my brain that is like "OK this is fine, but if you do one more episode where Leslie is wrong and Ben is right and stuff we are going to have words, show." And I really don't want "Dave's Return" to be a prop to their relationship, because they don't need that! So. Nervous for next week. And I am DEEPLY CONCERNED about the outcome of this election. I don't want it to be a Michael Scott Paper Company thing, except on a bigger scale because I care ten million times more about Leslie's dreams than Michael Scott's. I want to trust these writers, but I'm so anxious about how this storyline is going to be resolved.
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ALSO YES CAN DONNA SERIOUSLY GET MORE STORYLINES??? I am so fucking tired of Chris, I'm actually glad that he got dumped so we can stop hearing about how he was boning Millicent because honestly that's not something I want to think about.
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ME TOO, EXACTLY, I NEED THAT SO MUCH. And ugh, I seriously thought P&R was going to buck the trend too, I hope it comes back really strong, but ughhhhh, so nervous!
AND FOR REAL ON DONNA AND CHRIS RIGHT? At least Chris was funny last night, but the him/Millicent storylines were the worstttttttttttttttttttttttt. DONNA IS SO MUCH FUNNIER WITH JUST THE ONE LINE SHE GETS PER EPISODE.
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BEN IS A COOL GUY WITH COOL IDEAS
I actually didn't notice him coping more attitude because frankly I tend to tune out B/L a lot of the time, I REALLY LOVE THEM SEPARATELY, but together it's just like, SNORE, and Ben has always been an Eyore, except in this episode it's like he cranked it up to 11!!!! "This is the woman I've chosen to love." Okay Mr. Low Cal Calzone Zone?
Definitely think everyone is more of a caricature. Aziz just delivers bits from his stand up, I don't even see Tom anymore, it's just Aziz. Andy went from lovably daffy to possibly needing professional help and April is more of his guide/someone who thinks of him as a fun science experiment vs. how sweet and on a similar wavelength they used to be. The way the writers treat Donna is egregious and Chris really needs to fuck off. I mean, I am basically just repeating your true words, but I used to get so excited for Parks night that I'd make myself nervous and now I forget it's on until I'm spoiled by Tumblr. SUCH A BUMMER MAN.
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Ugh, yes, amen to everythingggggggggg you just said. I USED TO GET SO INSANELY EXCITED TOO, ON PARKS DAY I USED TO BE KRISTEN BELL WITH THE SLOTH COMING TO MY PARTY, BUT NOW I AM MORE LIKE YAWN.GIF.
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BUT having not seen many of the campaign episodes, I have to agree with you. I liked them bringing up this conflict at the end of last season, but since then, my interest in the campaign has waned. And I WANT Leslie to win the election and fulfill her dreams, like you said, but we know that can't happen. And maybe that's part of the reason I can't watch it. I find it so depressing.
Also, I confess I was never a huge fan of Andy and April getting married. I think some of the stuff they've done with them is funny--Ben moving in with them for instance--but I really miss them being sweetly awkward around one another and I ALSO miss things happening like, Ron showing up at April's parents house and April's sister.
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Ahhh, the more I think about this, the more my brain is sad.
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I typically refrain from commenting on LJ or Tumblr, but I stumbled upon this post and wanted to jump in because I pretty much completely disagreed with most of it. I personally have loved Season 4, particularly from End of the World on. I was worried earlier in the season because the show did feel a bit off (Ron and Tammys and Pawnee Goddesses are probably my least favorite episodes this season). Looking back, I think it's because I prefer episodes where the A/B/C plots are related or if separate, find a way to intersect at some point. This wasn't happening in some of the early season 4 episodes.
But the reason I'm posting is this. I honestly think that nitpicking and overanalyzing shows to death is what takes the joy out of watching them. Look, I like talking about my favorite shows too and interpreting various things and speculating on what may happen next, but sometimes, I think people take it too far. Especially the speculating part. People spend a lot of time thinking about how they think Ben and Leslie's relationship should be, or what should happen in the campaign storyline, or whichever other characters/arcs they're interested in, and then if plays out differently on screen, they get upset.
I also don't get the Ben criticism or the criticism of his relationship with Leslie. First of all, as I recall, lots of people were up in arms last summer about them potentially breaking up and then when they did, people couldn't stop talking about how they wanted them back together. And now that they are together, people are complaining about how they're boring or the tension is gone. Early in the season, people complained about the lack of screen time the two characters had together. And now? It's all about how the show is TOO focused on them. With the exception of the 3-episode arc leading up to them reuniting, it's not like every episode is all about them. I don't know what it is that people want.
Getting back to Ben specifically, how is he not on Leslie's side? How is he being a wet blanket/negative Nelly?? Ben WANTS her to win this election. And he is on HER side. But they're different people who are not always going to see eye to eye on things. It's great that Leslie is an optimist and she wants to run a positive campaign without resorting to negative campaigning. But her campaign ad was terrible. In recommending a different approach, Ben wasn't showing that he doesn't get her. And saying she needs to get tougher isn't a knock on her. As her campaign manager, he is simply advising her on what he thinks she needs to do to win this election. I was happy with the compromise they reached. No one steamrolled anyone else. They listened to each other's opinions and found middle ground.
As for the scavenger hunt in the last episode, I was really surprised to see that turn into an opportunity to dump on Ben both here and on Tumblr. I did not at any point see it as Ben being annoyed. If anything, he was flustered and frustrated. We've seen how easily Ben can crack under pressure. He wanted to get to Leslie and was worried he's never figure out the clues in time, and was probably also beating himself up over not being able to solve the puzzle. I also didn't see his "woman I have chosen to love" as a negative thing. All of season 3, I sort of felt like Ben had Leslie up on a pedestal and he saw her as perfect and someone who could do no wrong in his eyes. Well, now they're in a relationship and that "bubble" Leslie spoke of last season has burst. They're getting to know each other better, flaws and all. But despite those flaws, they're still choosing to be together. Couples are going to argue and get annoyed with each other from time to time. That doesn't mean they love each other any less.
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Anyway, getting back to the scavenger hunt, the fact that Ron enjoys and is skilled at solving riddles doesn't make him Leslie's soulmate and has been suggested. I'd actually like to look at this from a different angle. Ben feeling frustrated doesn't mean he didn't appreciate Leslie's gift to him or that he doesn't get her. I could easily turn the tables and try to make the argument that Leslie doesn't get Ben. Solving riddles requires a certain kind of skill and the ability to think figuratively. Ben is a smart guy, but more of a math whiz and probably someone who takes more of a literal approach. So I could say that while very thoughtful, Leslie created the type of scavenger hunt that she would like to solve without thinking about how Ben would feel about it. I'm not saying this though. And in the end, what does it matter? At the end of the episode, they both looked genuinely happy to be together and to be sharing their first "weird" Valentine's Day together and as a view, that's enough for me.
Lastly (and then I'll stop venting), I really think the election could go either way. Personally, because I don't want Leslie to turn into Pam and I don't want Parks to become The Office, I really hope Leslie wins. The fact that the show is called Parks and Recreation is irrelevant. If everyone stays in the same department and never gets promoted, then there is a definite risk of becoming The Office. Having Leslie in City Council would open up more stories and allow her character to grow. And her absence in the Parks department may allow other characters to grow and shine as they have to step up and take on new responsibilities. So, I have to say, I honestly don't get the point you were trying to make. You don't want Leslie to become Pam. You want her to win the election and have her dreams come true. But not having her work in the same department as April and Ron is apparently going to lead to some kind of emotional meltdown. You can't have it both ways.
And with that, I am now done reading LJ and Tumblr. These could be fun places to talk about a show I love with other like-minded people, but instead, it too easily turns into a toxic environment leading to anxiety and negativity.
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I want more hijinks and fun and silliness. I want less of this weird dynamic where Ben is awesome and tolerant because Leslie is so crazy stuff. I don't think Ben is awesome anymore; I think he believes he's better than Leslie, and that is one way to guarantee I don't like the guy.
I actually think Chris was hilarious last season, but he is boring the hell out of me this season. The flu episode and the hamburger episode KILLED ME DEAD, and about 60% of that was Chris.
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