7th Season Sticks with Winning Formula

Parks and Recreation returned to television for its 7th and final season on Tuesday, January 14. The comedy series, which follows government worker Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her accomplices in their quest to improve the town of Pawnee, Indiana, is now set in the year 2017.

NBC has decided to air 2 episodes per week, which will put the finale of the 13-episode season on February 24. The first two episodes, which transport viewers three years into the future, certainly holds some surprises.

For one, intense libertarian and longtime mentor of Knope, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) now stands opposed to Leslie’s plan to turn a swathe of Pawnee land into a national park, having left government work and started a construction firm known as Very Good Building and Development Company. “I wanted to convey the quality of our work without seeming flashy,” Swanson says, with his signature mustache still in tact.

As a fan of Swanson’s deadpan humor- and an apologist of some of his libertarian views- I am sad to see him opposed to the series’s central character, but I am pleased that he has plenty of screentime in the season premiere. He is the best part of the first week’s two episodes.

Overall, I am a bit underwhelmed by the premiere. The humor is top-notch, as always, but, nothing really happens. Of course, such a time jump requires a full episode to introduce a changed Pawnee, but the exposition could have been more closely tied into a broader story line.

The second episode, which aired immediately after the first, assuaged my fears. With introductions out of the way, the show dives into the meat of the season. Episode 2 sees the return of Tammy, Ron’s domineering ex-wife. The thread of the up-for-grabs land continues, with the city council voting on the issue. Councilman Jamm now finds himself in Tammy’s clutches, and Leslie believes that if she frees him, his vote will sway the issue in her favor.

However, Leslie needs to contact Ron, who is an expert on Tammy’s methods. The enemies are forced to team up to free Jamm, leading to some hilarity. This episode is the stronger of the two. It seems as though the season has found its stride.

The two episodes featured many appearances by recurring characters, such as the aforementioned Jamm and Tammy, but also the hippie CEO of technology company Gryzzl, now based in Pawnee. For me, the guest appearances on Parks have always been one of its more appealing features and it seems as though this season will not stray from that formula.

Parks and Recreation is one of my favorite TV series, and I’ll be sad to see it go. However, so far I am impressed with the final season.