I’m going to come right out and say it; this was the epitome of a perfect Christmas episode for a TV show. It focused on the holiday but wasn’t overshadowed by it, the overall plot of this season was driven significantly forward, it was sappy but not too sappy, and of course the most important trait of all is that by the end of the episode you felt warm and fuzzy inside! What else could you want, jokes? There were plenty of those too, and a special appearance by Jean-Ralphio, whose afro length appears to be an indication of how funny he is in the episode. Despite an amazing episode I only have one minor complaint; tonight we focus on three and a half storylines, and the half storyline did not need to be in there.
The first storyline is of course Leslie. After being suspended she predictably goes insane looking for something to do so she forms a citizens group, ropes in some rabid followers, and embarks on a mission to essentially harass her coworkers to do the work she would have done normally if she hadn’t been suspended. This all goes down the drain however when the latest poll results come in, she’s down to 1% in the polls thanks to the scandal, so her staffers quit on her. They really should know that you never ever bet against Leslie Knope, especially when her friends at the Parks Department are ready to take over and help her get to those city council chambers or die trying.
The second storyline is the aftermath of Ben Wyatt resigning in disgrace. The downside; he is now unemployed and his resume has sex scandal on it under Ice Town. The upside; he and Leslie now get to act like a normal regular couple, and it was refreshing. We’ve never before seen the two of them eat dinner, casually chit chat, etc. For me it makes them a more realistic duo than their previous portrayals. His hunt for a job was also a highlight of the episode for me, it’s incredibly relatable and there was so much room for comedy between the likes of Dennis Feinstein and the accounting office. Ben also had a happy/sad ending; he is still unemployed, but that’s a good thing because he’s going to pursue a career that he might actually be happy in. My vote is for masked vigilante; after all he already has the Batman costume!
The third storyline I already touched on in the introduction; what should the gang get Leslie for Christmas? Ron comes up with the perfect idea, a wooden model of the Parks Department. Ann jumps off that idea and takes it to the next level; make it out of candy. And BAM, the perfect gift for Leslie Knope. Or the second-most perfect gift, the most perfect gift comes at the end of the episode when the gang volunteers to take over her campaign, and I’ll admit I did get a bit teary eyed.
The half storyline comes from Ron’s apparent inability to build anything out of gingerbread. Sorry, but I’m calling bullshit on this one. This is Ron Fucking Swanson that we’re talking about. He built a wooden canoe, I’m sure he can build a gingerbread house. Glue and frosting are applied in an identical manner, and gingerbread is just a softer wood. It just seemed like a strange cop out to have him instead make the nicer wooden model of Leslie in the council chambers. Instead of besmirching Ron’s good name the writers could have just had Ron continue on with the idea that he only works with wood, and just let the rest of the office focus on the gingerbread. A small complaint in an otherwise perfect episode.
Random Thoughts:
- Not sure why Leslie thought she could stand a chance at outrunning the real life superman that is Chris Traeger.
- I’m pretty sure that salger, like bacon mayonnaise, is another sign of the apocalypse.
- Does the mouserat logo on the gold CD have a picture of a taco on it? Why?
- Who wouldn’t want ‘You can get it’ as their catchphrase? I guess it’s the Donna equivalent of wearing sweatpants that say ‘juicy’ on your ass.
- YES! The Quick-Books Pro teacher is back as Ben’s interviewer. At least I’m 99% sure that’s him, he’s not listed on IMDB so I can’t verify, but he was also in two episodes in season two.
- I’m pretty sure an accounting office is the only place where Ben’s lame jokes would be hysterical.
- The Leslie word-cloud is available online and in wallpaper size, my only question is where on earth can I buy a print of April’s Black-Eyed Peas massacre painting? Come on NBC.com, you sell pretty much everything else on the show!
- Really Ben, a calzone? I thought we were done with those. And how on earth does Leslie still have all her teeth after eating all that sugar which she apparently puts on everything, including pasta?
- Poor Eddie, having to sit in on the interview for his replacement, which was an amazing addition to that already funny scene.
- Loved Chris giggling like a little girl when he got his special Leslie Knope present.
- There was a little too much detail in Jean-Ralphio’s waxing story, hilarious naturally, but kinda icky.
- I feel the need to point out that Jean-Ralphio’s closing sequence was filmed in one shot, which I’ve seen at least ten times by now. I wonder how many takes that took?
Favorite Quotes:
- “I have bumbleflex!” I was really hoping this was a real thing, but google let me down.
- “It’s like, why didn’t I resign in disgrace twelve years ago?”
- “Well… calcu-later!”
- “It will be… cute.”
- “BOOM! Rock and Roll Candy Andy!”
- “Treat him like you would treat someone in another country that you paid $25,000 to hunt.”
- “The fact that Yahtzee is not in the Rec Center is a tragedy on par with human trafficking.”
- “There’s nothing we can’t do if we work hard, never sleep, and shirk all other responsibilities in our life. Are you with me?”
- “Awww my pleasure. See you in hell!”
- “I heard somebody resigned in disgrace!”
- “I’m the one that needs to apologize. I got you involved in PCP. But I’m starting a new group now, LSD, Leslie Sorry Division.”
- “You wanna talk about spreading those sheets we can go back to my place and I will rock your world.”
- “You’re fired!”
- “That makes sense, so I just go out the same way I came in?”
Leslie’s New Campaign Crew:
- April, Youth Outreach and Director of New Media
- Tom, Image Consultant and Swagger Coach
- Ann, Office Manager and Volunteer Coordinator
- Andy, Security/Sweets/Body Man and Javelin if need be.
- Donna, Mercedes Benz Transportation
- Jerry, You Guys Didn’t Tell Me You Were Doing This!
- Ron, Any Other Damn Thing You Might Need
