Parks and Recreation - Ms. Ludgate-Dwyer Goes to Washington & Pie-Mary - Review

April's search for meaning a job is finally over! She decides she wants to work for the American Service Foundation, helping young folks like herself figure out what they want to do, and then sending them far away. But she only figures this out AFTER Leslie draws up a Five-Year Plan Binder, and Ben, Ron and Andy work full-on to get her a spot at the consulting branch of the accounting firm -- leaving Ben to ONCE AGAIN break Barney's lil heart. Leslie takes the news of April’s departure hard at first, but after a chat with her forced-bestie Madeleine Albright, she gets some perspective and switches from betrayed to full-on supportive. Because while it’s hard for Leslie to let go of her friends, there is nothing she wants more than to see them succeed. And April’s gratitude for all of Leslie’s guidance over the years is evident in an uncharacteristically heartfelt speech -- no eye contact of course. Her speech is about how Leslie helped her find direction, and once again, an example of how far she's come since her college internship. I mean, I definitely wasn’t crying or anything after that… April may not have found a position in government like Leslie hoped, but Leslie's constant guidance, encouragement, and belief have helped April to find her own passion. And bonus -- they're both going to move to DC! So they can hang out on their bench all the time!

In "Pie-Mary," after April breaks the news to Ron of her impending departure from Pawnee, he asks for her to return the key he gave her as an intern. Which, due to April's odd tendencies, is buried in an unknown location with only a string of 8-year-old clues to find it. A seemingly impossible scavenger hunt for Ron! Hooray! Although they eventually reach a dead end, April remembers that she buried the key under a tree -- prompted by her own note for Andy ("woof woof"), which reminded her of bark, and then her “Ron tree.” April and Ron's similarities made them a good team in the past when April was working as his assistant, and it turns out they have both buried things under the Ron tree. April buried the key, and Ron buried gold. Which he has since moved. Or HAS he?... (Also Ron Swanson has THREE BROTHERS. WHAT?!)  Although Leslie has really taken April under her wing over the past decade, when April was in Parks, she was really working for Ron.  Or rather, not doing much work for him -- just the way he liked it.  She's come a long way in terms of her career and personal development, but that sullen, stubborn anarchist is still in there, and her and Ron will always remain kindred spirits disposition-wise.  Their vaguely father/daughter relationship is full of hidden emotions and subtle support.  This was a quiet goodbye worthy of their minimalistic sensibilities.

Who's got a waffle addiction and just accepted the position of Deputy Director of the Interior? Leslie Knope, that's who! Leslie gets offered the new job, and takes it without a second of hesitation, even though it means a move to DC. Though with her husband running for congress, DC makes sense for them. Leslie's at a different place than she was three years ago when she was reluctant to leave Pawnee. First of all, it probably helps that she's not pregnant with triplets. Second of all, she's gotten used to working with new people, and the old Parks gang has all gone off in different directions. By 2017 Leslie's got the experience to feel confident enough taking a MAJOR position without worrying about leaving Pawnee -- things in Pawnee will work out just fine. Is she going to try and give Pawnee a special goodbye? Maybe get that National Park up and rolling as her farewell gift?

I was expecting maybe SOME talk of the position and the move between Ben and Leslie, but that happened off screen (I'm assuming). And now everyone that was worried Leslie was putting aside her own career development can calm down. I mean, she's going to be Deputy Director of the Freakin' Interior! (Although that doesn't seem to be a real position...there is a Deputy Secretary? But either way, she's up for a good gig.) And she has no problem committing to the job or the move. She's in it to win it my friends. And with Leslie and Ben taking over as the newest power couple in DC, I'm going to start taking bets as to which one(s) of their children become President someday -- anyone have any guesses?

In “Pie-Mary,” the IOW, the organization which granted Ron the Woman of the Year award back in season 2, returns. And this time Elise Yarktin is mad at Leslie for giving into the patriarchy and deciding to join the 'Pie-mary' in order to avoid trouble. Sick of all the trouble surrounding the pie-baking contest, Leslie and Ben really let the citizens and the media have it over the generally sexist attitude surrounding the congressional campaign. Ben starts the rant at an “apology” press conference, and Leslie brings it home, calling out the inequality in the questions men and women are asked by the press, the ridiculousness of the male rights activists, and the reality that there is no "right" choice when it comes to women's lives -- except to not judge others for what they choose. Obviously no discussion of feminism (a surprisingly explosive topic) can make everyone happy, but episode did a great job of really calling attention to the media's interaction with women, and the idea that there's one right way to be a woman. Leslie Knope chooses to be a career-focused politician, a mother of triplets, a rabid waffle-eater, and someone determined to make the world a better place. And that's what works for her. Some women choose to bake pies and campaign for goosebump prevention -- and that's what works for them.

Sometimes Parks does thinly-veiled satire, but with "Pie-Mary" there was no veil. That was about as blunt as I've ever seen Parks get, and yet it was still completely hilarious. It sounded a lot like some of Amy Poehler's sentiments in her book "Yes, Please" -- "Good for her, not for me." Which is a fairly straightforward way of approaching life, that somehow proves too difficult for society as a whole. But with Leslie Knope on the case, who knows? Maybe everyone will get on board. Also, major props to Chris Gethard on his fantastic job as the leader of the Male Men -- it was full of misguided and somehow lame enthusiasm. Ben winning the IOW Woman of the Year Award was just icing on an absolutely delicious cake.

Donna and Garry have a really sweet and simple story in "Pie-Mary" as she stumbles upon him trying to retrieve his keys from a grate. As he eventually goes on to lose just about all his belongings in pursuit of said keys, the two reminisce a bit about their time working in Parks together. Donna even orders dinner for the both of them as they settle in for the long haul, and then brings him all of his lost belongings in addition to a bag of oranges the next morning. As Donna mentions to Garry, they are "very different people," but it's clear they still care about each other, even years after working together.

Another solid one-two punch from Parks. It’s sad to think that the show’s ending in a just a couple weeks, but it’s great to see how much thought has gone into crafting these final arcs for all the characters, and it truly has been a super fun season to watch so far.

As always, there’s plenty from the episodes that I didn’t manage to cover here, but feel free to talk about it down below! Parks is just jammed to the gills every episode, which makes it difficult to review, but loads of fun to watch and discuss. So go ahead! Any predictions for the final four episodes? Let us know below!

About the Author - Kimberly

Kimberly is 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.

Recent Reviews (All Reviews)