Parks and Recreation rarely disappoints, but ‘Ron and Tammy II, Part Two’ was a real treat. As shows tend to go on in seasons characters tend to get overused and plots repeated. Not so with Parks, which has masterfully crafted a sequel to one of the funniest episodes from season two. And the main reason why this episode was so funny? Because we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Ron Fucking Swanson. The image of Ron in cornrows and a kimono is hilarious, regardless of whether or not you’ve seen the show. But if you have, then the idea that Duke Silver himself could have gone so off the rails elevates the comedy to a new plateau. This scene would not have been as funny in season one or two, because we really had to get to know Ron for the type of visceral reaction that I and I’m sure many of you felt. And it was glorious.
The gist of the main plot is this; Tom is upset at Ron dating his ex-wife, so Tom decides to date Ron’s ex-wife Tammy II in an attempt at revenge. Tammy II, played by Nick Offerman’s real life wife Megan Mullally, is to quote Leslie a “manipulative psychotic library book peddling sex crazed she demon.” Who has the ability to turn Ron into a similar male version of herself. Luckily this time around Ron was armed with a stable relationship, that is until Wendi decides to move back to Canada. Broken and alone, a calm Ron decides to try and talk things out with Tammy II. In the next scene we see the two in Jail, Tammy II in a wedding dress, and Ron in aforementioned cornrows and kimono. Also with the middle of his mustache missing. From friction. In an episode filled with unbelievably funny moments, this scene alone easily shines through as the funniest moment in the episode, and dare I say possibly the best from all Parks that we’ve seen so far. The gimmick of going from a sane Ron to an insane Ron with no explanation until later was a perfect transition, and filling in the holes later in the quick montage was equally amazing although far too short for my tastes.
Which brings us to the intervention scene. Now Jerry isn’t used very often, but when he is it is always pitch-perfect and a great addition to the group dynamics. So of course when everyone else is trying to convince Ron to leave Tammy II, Jerry comes in all excited, congratulates Ron, and then gives him a wedding gift. And naturally Tom thinks nothing is wrong with Ron and compliments him, naturally still embittered about the Wendi situation. The video of Ron trying to talk himself out of Tammy IIs claws was bested only by cornrow-Ron’s solid and unaffected gaze at his former self. And even worse, Tammy returns and they announce plans to start a family, by having sex non stop at their cabin in the woods. The need to split these two up before bringing an unholy baby demon into the world is now more important than ever.
The last time Ron and Tammy II reunited it was Leslie’s fault, and Leslie had to save the day. This time around it was Tom who unleashed the force that cannot be controlled, so after a little guilt tripping from Leslie Tom heads to the library where the other librarians are holding a party for the insane couple. In a scene that to me perfectly mirrors the ending battle in Return of the Jedi, Tom/Luke tries to convince Ron/Vader to come over to the light side, and Tammy II/Emperor tried to kill Tom/Luke, until Ron/Vader saves the day and turns to the good side. Poor Aziz Ansari must suffer again with the physical comedy, as he receives a thorough beating. We appreciate the sacrifice, as the image of Tammy throwing Tom into a bookshelf was priceless. A now sane Ron has to yet again carry his small friend to safety, and all is right again in the Parks and Rec world. That is, until Ron and Tammy II part three? We can only hope.
Leslie this week was back into Harvest Festival mode, and her mission was to try and convince the police to donate their time as festival security. This accomplished two things; we were able to see a little more of the Pawnee police force than we had seen previously with the Dave storyline, and we got to see Leslie and Ben paired up as a team with the obvious intention of continuing the slow build to their eventual relationship. The brief interviews with the police officers concerning the bar fight was a fun joke, if a bit old by the fourth or fifth police officer. I enjoyed it in the second season when Dave would talk to the camera as if he was dictating a police report, and this was similar but still funny, and it’s nice to see more of the Pawnee Police than just the one cop. We also were introduced to a new dynamic in Ben’s character; he’s kind of bad at friendly social interaction. Sure, good at slashing budgets, but bad at small talk. This led to some funny moments, and I hope it turns into a running joke for future episodes. Also we learn, and big surprise here, he’s interested in Leslie! Totally did not see that coming. Sorry, Aprils sarcasm is rubbing off on me. Speaking of April…
The other minor plot this week was pairing of Chris and April, and of course the effect of that on Ann. I believe I said last week that one of Parks strongest suits is when characters are paired together. Well opposing forces clashed in this episode, with the overly optimistic Chris working with the overly pessimistic April. This is another brilliant odd couple pairing, and I hope we see more of it to come. April could use a little but of optimism to rub off on her, if she stays this way too much longer her character won’t be very dynamic. She has already been noticeably smiling more this season, which is a start. What I loved most was her reactions to being lavished with praise for every little thing she did for Chris, clearly out of her comfort zone, Aubrey Plaza did an amazing job in this episode. A new April and Ann triangle of drama was also formed, when Chris emphatically asked April to move to Indianapolis in front of Ann, who had been wanting Chris to say something similar to her. More fun to come here I’m sure, as Ann unhinged is a welcome change for her character.
- “And do you imagine he’s wearing a cape? When he’s plowing her?”
- “I’m going to tell you what I tell all my girlfriends when they get dumped. Men are dogs.”
- Whatever gutteral noise that was that came out of April after Chris gave her the ‘Good Job!’ post-it.
- “Real piece of work.” “Real piece of work.” “Real piece of work.” “Real piece of work.” “Real piece of work.”
- “Ron I really do not understand what is going on right now. But, no matter what, you must keep going. You must, stop. I love you buddy. Follow your dreams.
- “If you are watching this it means once again you have danced with the Devil. Right now you’re probably thinking, Tammy’s changed, we’ll be happy together. But you’re only thinking that because she’s a monstrous parasite who entered through your privates and lodged herself in your brain. So you have two choices. One, get rid of Tammy. Or two, lobotomy and castration. Choose wisely.”
- “We bought ten cases of Gatorade and a forty pound bag of peanuts. For energy.”
- “A new library card? Tammy Swanson Swanson!”
- “Seeing you pick on this pathetic defenseless man reminded me what kind of a monster you really are.”
- “Tom women like scars. It shows you survived an attack. And they’ll assume the attack was from a man.”
