Throwback Thursday - Parks and Recreation - Pilot

Throwback Thursday, a weekly article in which we look back at our favorite TV episodes from over the years.

Parks and Recreation premiered on April 9th, 2009, and next Tuesday is the series finale. Six years ago it was constantly compared to The Office, even considered as its spin-off but through its first season, Parks found its own rhythm and scence.

In the pilot, we get a glimpse of how things work in the department of Parks and Recreation in Pawnee, Ron Swanson is the head of the department, but he doesn't believe in government at all. Leslie can be described a little ball of fierceness and determination that things can be better, Tom doesn’t care much, and April who doesn’t feature a lot, stands there with a ‘whatever’ and odd portmanteau. Gary and Donna, barely speak.

Leslie optimism and hard work leads her to a community meeting where she meets Ann, whose boyfriend, Andy, has fallen into a pit, that’s behind her house, and broken his two legs. After Ann’s speech, Leslie immediately pinky promises the community she will build a park where the pit is. And Parks and Recreation's plot unfolds. The fight of one lady helped by her friends to make the town a better place. Amy Poehler’s portrayal of Leslie is probably one of the reasons why the mockumentary style is effective during the pilot, the way she talks to the camera, always excited, and the faces and the way Poehler delivers the one liners might be one of the ingredients of success.

During this episode  many of the characters we have grown to love are missing or barely appear, but we can see what the show really is about. It’s about the sense of community, about values, about going forward no matter what. Parks and Recreation is a show where characters that don’t have anything in common, except that they have a good heart, can be the best of friends. That embracing those differences can make people grow, and that working together is the way to make things happen.

Parks and recreation was a happy TV place since its pilot, a bubbly sit-com that had potential and clearly reached it with some bumps through its run.

I’m sure, I’m gonna miss this show. (I’m not crying, you’re crying)

Laura is a proud nerd, TV and movie enthusiast. She's a teacher, producer and does different free lance gigs in her country. In her free time she likes to write and hear what other people think about the media surrounding us.

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