Leslie Knope has a big industrial sized oven y’all, and that oven’s got three little buns in it right now. I’ve got to say, this lady doesn’t do anything
by halves - go big or go home. In keeping with the zen Leslie of last week, after finding out the news that she hit triple cherries in her uterus, she
stays calm and focused and even excited to become the mother to a brood that could one day be 1/3 of the Supreme Court. Ben, on the other hand, not so
much. Coming off of Drunk Ben last week, we transition right into Crazy Ben, the accountant who knows too much about the cost of raising three kids, and
who tries to get a refund from the Louvre.
As Dr. Saperstein counts up the number of kids on the ultrasound, Ben’s confusion sets in as he assumes their baby has two bodies, as opposed to coming to
the more logical conclusion that they’re having twins. The look on both Leslie and Ben’s face when Saperstein mentions a fourth (cream cheese) baby is
priceless -- Ben’s so shocked that he jumps backward, away from the ultrasound and his extremely fertile wife. I get it Ben, facing the idea of impending
parenthood is probably big enough without adding
three extra babies to the mix. Good thing it’s just triplets.
Since Leslie’s carrying triplets, Saperstein commands them both to be stress-free; Leslie like Buddha on Quaaludes and Ben like Matthew McConaughey in a
hammock on the beach (“Alright, alright…alright.”). As opposed to her town-child (Pawnee) that she’s spent the past half year freaking out about, Leslie’s
not so worried about her real children. One of the sweetest scenes of the episode is Leslie calming down Benjamin Wyatt (“The man of my dreams, the one
that I love”). She laughs at his craziness as he freaks out with the massager on top of his head, and reassures him that they’ve handled a bunch of big
projects before -- they can totally manage this too.
Obviously the transition into parenthood is a crazy time for most people, but I’d imagine going from zero to three right off the bat is a little
overwhelming. Who knows what Leslie Knope will choose to do about her future now that she’s got to consider raising three kids. During one of his crazy
rants Ben laid out a couple pros for each, saying that Chicago would mean more money but Pawnee would be cheaper, and obviously finances are something to
consider when it’s gonna take two million dollars to raise your kids. Also, the sweet scene at the end where all the Knope-Wyatt’s co-workers offer to help
out shows the benefits for these two to stay in Pawnee, though Leslie wants to make it to the White House one day, and she won’t be able to do that until
she moves onward and upward at some point. Man, the writers really put her in quite the pickle.
I’ve got a hunch that there might be some sort of time jump at the end of this season, perhaps moving further into or after Leslie’s pregnancy, to see
where she ended up. If that’s in Chicago at her dream job, then it leaves the question of how she’ll end up in Pawnee for the next season of the show,
because it could be awfully difficult to have
Parks and Recreation if Leslie’s in Chicago for an extended period of time.
Ron recruits Donna to come volunteer at his daughters’ elementary school, because he’s a
dad now! Something that I forget sometimes due to the
absence of his family onscreen. Though Donna warns him that her “Tammy” is there, when Ron meets Joe (played delightfully by Keegan-Michael Key) he
realizes that he’s just the nicest guy ever. He’s good with kids, he goes out of his way to be helpful, he bakes delicious muffins, and he even knows
woodworking. Donna says that she doesn’t like who she becomes around him, a boring person, and Ron hits her with this gem of advice: “Live you life how you
want, but don’t confuse drama with happiness.” I would like to go around to high schools and post this on all the walls -- don’t confuse drama with
happiness, kids. This story is a nice reminder of Ron Swanson’s recent change over the past season. Although he was the most constant character in the
show, sitcom-style resilient to change, giving him a family has allowed him to reach out more to people he cares about, in a good way. Although he refers
to himself as “Donna’s work proximity associate” instead of her co-worker. Got to maintain some distance, at least on the surface.
April and Andy’s story was fun but simple -- Andy can’t keep a secret and April really wants him to tell. It’s probably fine that the story wasn’t much
more, as it surely would have been overshadowed by the triplet revelation regardless. It always amuses me to watch April behave like a human with feelings,
so seeing her try to be nice to Larry was a treat. Also in this story is the reveal of Andy’s one true talent: painting camouflage on his face. Seriously,
that looked much fancier than just a fingerpainted smudge. I think he’s got a gift, though certainly not for keeping secrets. It’s nice that Andy lives so
openly. He’s just so honest and says every single thing that he thinks or feels, without any deception. That’s probably part of the reason April loves him
-- she hates BS.
A couple people pointed it out before I had the chance to watch the episode, but no Tom this time. I’ll be honest, I didn’t totally notice until the last
scene when the group of co-workers seemed smaller than usual. I’m sure Aziz Ansari was off doing something cool, and he’ll be back for the double-sized
season finale next week.
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: I love the continuity in this show. From the little remark from Will Arnett’s crazy character in season 2
regarding Leslie and triplets, to Councilman Dexhart's brood of illegitimate love children, to Jamm being a giant…buttface, to the question mark stickers that
still cover pieces of city hall.
What did you think of this episode? Is the triplets development exciting or too much? (And who knew that all it takes to calm Leslie down is apparently the
thought of three newborns in less than a year?) Are you excited for the season finale? Let us know below!
By the way, if you guys are looking for a good t-shirt, Ben can hook you up with his newest design, “You’re Stressing for Two Now.”
About the Author - Kimberly
Kimberly is a college student studying Writing for Film & TV, and a big TV nerd - willing to talk any show, any time. Her tastes are various and sundry, but she’s got a soft spot for comedy. She currently writes the SpoilerTV reviews for Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and About a Boy.
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