Parks and Recreation - Episode 6.14 & 6.15 - Anniversaries & The Wall - Review

I can’t believe it’s been a year since Ben and Leslie’s fantastic wedding - it’s gone by so quickly, though at the same time it kind of feels like they’ve been married for forever. They both promise not to get gifts for their anniversary, though it’s clear their insistence on following this self-made rule just a façade. There’s no way that Leslie Knope, the woman who gives gifts for Breakfast Day and Talk Like a Pittsburgh Pirate Day, would NOT give a gift for her anniversary, especially because she wants to see her husband’s adorable surprised face.

Ben tries to outdo Leslie, but gets stuck with Larry for an “Enchanted” day, as Leslie’s busy with an impromptu project. This gives him the chance to explore the question that he’s been contemplating since he met Larry’s wife - how on earth did that relationship happen? Turns out the answer’s really simple - Larry’s just a great person. Of course Leslie didn’t get to experience what appeared to be a very expensive day, but Ben didn’t seem too bummed, so I’m not worried. In the end, Leslie got him the perfect present, the Iron Throne, and in turn got her favorite thing - Ben’s ridiculous surprised face. Ben’s absolute glee upon seeing his gift was so fun, and I’d have to imagine indicative of several of the writers and cast who share a similar love for Game of Thrones.

April struggled between the passive person she used to be and the slightly more passionate boss that she’s become. While she’s upset that Donna skipped out on her work, she doesn’t feel comfortable confronting her, and instead posts a bad Yelp review for her. This story really showed her transformation throughout the series so far, as she really is the most-changed character, and how she’s still moving forward. She does eventually confront Donna and becomes a little more assertive with her, while recognizing that there are still times when it would NOT do to mess with Donna.

Meanwhile, Leslie fights hard to get a Pawnee/Eagleton couple to represent how the two disparate towns can come together with love, though it severely backfires because the couple actually hates one another. So Leslie does what she always does when one plan fails spectacularly - she comes up with a new one. Instead of looking to the past to set a precedent she looks to the future, assembling a team of young-ish folk from both sides. This is a pretty impressive example of Leslie Knope delegating, not something she does too often when it comes to her projects. Instead of putting all the pressure on herself, such as after the Harvest Festival, she trusts that her youth team will come up with something themselves. Which they do - a unity concert for the newly merged towns. It almost seems as though she’s prepping the town to manage more on its own, harkening back to Ron’s comment in “New Beginnings” that Leslie’s made the department run so efficiently it no longer needs her. Which brings us to this week’s episode…

Leslie Knope has a job offer to run a branch of the National Parks Service, in CHICAGO! All this because of her proposal to clean the Pawnee River from back in 2012 when Ben was working in DC. This show is spectacular at continuity, even just bringing back the Pawnee/Eagleton wall (“Eagleton”), or the question mark stickers still peppered around the Parks department (“Gin It Up!”). Not only was Leslie’s proposal well-liked by Grant Larson (“The Liam Bonneville of the Midwest”), but Liam Bonneville himself, the Department of the Interior’s resident bad boy, showed it around to embarrass staffers. It’s nice to see Leslie recognized for her talent and passion, something that’s rarely happened this year as her beloved town continually rebuffs her efforts to help. Leslie’s in an abusive relationship with Pawnee right now - she just wants to try and fix it, but it keeps resisting her and hurting her (sometimes clocking her in the eye) and she can’t let go.

It’s always exciting when Parks sets up a new arc to follow - I’m sure we’ll see Leslie flip-flopping over this decision over the next few episodes, but is there any real possibility of her taking the job? In real life it would be a much easier decision to make, but in a show called Parks and Recreation, set in the Pawnee Parks Department, it might be difficult to have the lead character not only leave the department completely, but leave the entire town. Is there any way to make it work, or would it be at the best a multi-episode Chicago arc?

This whole episode focuses on passions -- making a choice between what you should do and want you care about. Tom ditches Ben’s financially responsible and incredibly boring idea about acting as the middle man for laundry chemicals, and instead pitches his own idea for a restaurant. Leslie gets an incredible offer, but can’t say yes yet, because her heart is still in Pawnee. And Ron just has a ball fixing up the third floor of City Hall “with” his infant son. Oh yes, and Ron has a son now - John [MIDDLE NAME REDACTED] Swanson. Not only that, but he has a FISH now too! Life just changes so fast, you know?

Parks always works to combat the stagnation that can so easily happen, especially in a comedy, by reshuffling things and giving characters new avenues to explore. I only hope that the show can figure out a way to actually follow through on some of the new set-ups, instead of being limited by the conceit/setting of the show.

Hopefully this Eagleton/Pawnee arc gets wrapped up soon, though it’s hard to see a happy end in sight. I hate to break it to Leslie, but I think the only way these towns are going to come together is Romeo and Juliet style - lives sacrificed for a forbidden love. Either that or a Hatfield/McCoy thing where they all just kill each other. Get out while you can Leslie!

What did you think of these episodes? Do you see a way for Leslie to take the job in Chicago, or will that offer leverage her to a better job in Pawnee? What were your favorite moments? Let us know below!

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