I started watching P&R on the 6th March 2013. It was the pilot and it was very, very funny. My brother Sam enjoys American TV and we are massive 30 Rock fans so anything with Tina Fey's best friend Amy Poehler in it was going to be watched by us.
The show is a fly-on-the-wall style mockumentary that follows the Parks and Recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana. The director of the department is the deadpan, slightly morbid Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman) whose life is made complete by "beautiful dark-haired women and breakfast food". Ron is my dad's favourite character and I think it's because he can empathise with Ron's desire to lead a stress free life adorned with simple pleasures.
The deputy director is Leslie Knope (Poehler) a quirky, larger than life park-enthusiast in her late thirties. Leslie annoys the audience with her naivety and ignorance but those are the qualities that make her the most lovable. She has a tendency to over-analyse situations and she often seeks help from her best friend Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones). Ann started off as a mildly-peeved nurse who wanted something doing about the giant pit outside her house. She appealed to the P&R department and Leslie and her became close friends. The way that friendship is developed over two seasons is an incredible bit of scriptwriting. At no point does one think "Oh how come Ann and Leslie are so chummy?" The relationship seems effortless and makes for excellent TV.
Ann, at the beginning of season 1, was nursing her boyfriend Andy back to health after he broke both his legs when he fell down the pit. Initially, Andy is the burden and the audience has no sympathy for him. He treats Ann like his slave and appears to be a disgusting slob- I'm sure Chris Pratt had a fantastic time portraying Andy in the period where he is sitting down and munching on nachos in every scene he is in. Andy makes a transformation in the later part of season 1 when Ann begins dating Mark. Andy makes it his mission to win her back which leads to some seriously hilarious rumours.
The P&R team include April Ludgate, the surly and complex intern; Jerry, the unassuming fat-guy that for some reason nobody likes...; Tom Haverford, (my brother's favourite character) the happy-go-lucky Asian guy that seeks women and money and is very happy to take "the low road"; Mark Brendanawicz, the city planner and general good-guy and finally Donna who, although doesn't have main part in a similar way to Jerry, joins in with the P&R banter with extreme enthusiasm and can often be found googling her co-workers and bullying Jerry. They are played by Aubery Plaza, Jim O'Heir, Aziz Ansari, Paul Schneider and Retta.
Particular highlights from season 1&2 for me include DJ Roomba, Tom's robot DJ, the relationship that blossoms between my two favourite characters (sshhhhhh! no spoilers) and finally when April schedules 94 meetings with Ron Swanson on one day.
P&R is extremely well conceived and laugh-out-loud funny. It's quotable and the characters are acted superbly. It's must-see tv. Soon you'll find yourself singing "This is how you eat it!" in the shower.
In my praise of the show I seem to have forgotten one VERY funny chracter: Jean Ralphio Saperstein. JP is Tom's friend and a complete creep. Ben Schwartz must have endless energy because JP just doesn't stop. Most of the scenes he's in make you cringe but they also make your sides ache. I read somewhere that alot of Jean Ralphio's lines are improvised. Ben Schwartz is a genius. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlLyZEfGQIU WATCH!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rlxxp
If, like me, you have a long summer ahead of you then a boxset of P&R is definitely the way forward.
nERD
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