Leslie and various members of Pawnee’s media have sparred in the past, and we as the audience are well acquainted with Shauna and Joan, but in the episode ‘Media Blitz’ we add two new elements. First is the much-needed addition of local radio shock jocks Ira and the Douche, complete with endless childish sound effects and an Asian sound engineer filled with silent contempt. The second new ingredient to the formula is Ben. In this episode we see him gradually crumble from slightly goofy straight man to a complete train wreck.
The transformation begins in the radio-recording booth, where the two hosts used AltaVista to Google Ben’s past. And yes, I worded that correctly. Side note here, how awesome was it that Tom loved every silly gimmick and fart noise that Ira and the Douche used? Classic Tom. Back to Ben, the look on his face when the Douche starts revealing his past is perfect, and the whole interview just goes downhill from there. Leslie tries to keep it on track by inserting information about the Harvest Festival, but the media narrative has changed to Ben and how he’s going to bankrupt Pawnee like he did with Partridge.
Tom tries to help him out by getting him a new suit, naturally from Brooks Brothers Boys, and then takes him to Perd Hapley’s brilliantly named TV show, “Ya’ Herd? With Perd.” The scene cuts before we see too much damage, and in what is becoming one of my favorite Parks gimmicks we later see a recording of the remaining melt down of Ben Wyatt, who swears he keeps seeing a bird in the studio! I like that they’re taking his past and making it a serious weak spot in an otherwise fairly normal character. Ben’s got a tiny bit of crazy in him just like Leslie, setting them up for a match made in local government heaven.
Ann, in an attempt to further woo Chris, has turned into a supplement and exercise machine. This does not seem to have any affect, because Chris still seems to have his sight set on April as his new assistant, and although mentions moving he never brings their future up at all.
April is only using this job offer though as a way to simultaneously torture both Ann and Andy. At this point April is starting to seem more like a villain than a scorned lover in her quest for revenge. Plus how could anyone be so mean to Andy? Ron takes Andy’s side and tries to help him accomplish the list of tasks that April wants Andy to do, a fun list that includes working the permits desk, which is apparently more of a work safety hazard than it sounds. Donna ropes in some foot massages, and then in the highlight of the episode, for me at least, April’s sister Natalie gets Andy arrested as a way to get back at April. The quote is below of what Andy said to the police officer, and is a continued testament to why this is my favorite character. But in the end the only thing that would change Aprils mind was Ron stepping in and telling her a fishing metaphor. Classic Ron.
Overall I would say this is another solid Parks, a show which is so solid in it’s consistency that I am beginning to think that one of the writers sold their soul to the devil, aka Tammy II. We marched forward towards the Harvest Festival, fleshed out Ben’s character some more, and tied up the April and Andy drama. In a rare turn of events, we see Ann bring up her relationship with Chris, but we do not see the conclusion in this episode. Parks doesn’t typically drag things out like this, so take that as a sign that there may be more to come plot-wise from those two. Also next Thursday, Tom will be launching his own cologne!
Favorite Screencap:
Favorite Quotes:
- “So much better than Tubby Tony and the Papaya, am I right?”
- “It’s where fun meets awesome. Meets agriculture.”
- “I just don’t want to lose April. I would never be able to find a worse assistant.”
- “You embarrassed me in front of the Douche!”
- “I’m not really attached to the way the stuff is arranged. Or the stuff itself. Or this house even, really.”
- “It’s art. Anything is anything.”
- “Who hasn’t had gay thoughts? Who?”
- “Boom. Sadness.”
- “Sweetums might cancel the fat coaster!”
- “Are you trying to lure this young lady into your van?” “Yeah! But she’s being really difficult about it. It’s actually not my van, uh I stole it. From a friend of mine. I technically shouldn’t even be driving, cause I, uh, my license is crazy expired.”
- “First of all, why does everyone in this town use Altavista? Is it 1997?”
- “I stole my gym teachers husband.”
- “More like Turd Crapley.”
