Sam's Review: Parks and Recreation: "Galentine's Day"

This week’s Parks and Recreation started as ominously as any Valentine’s Day sit-com episode could. Everyone on the show was getting ready for the big day with their significant other. But first there was a ladies only get together where the episode gets its title. At the Galentine’s event we hear a truly romantic story about Leslie’s mother meeting a lifeguard who saved her life. The story is totally romantic and schmaltzy until the end where it comes to an abrupt halt. This inspires Leslie’s boyfriend Justin to reunite the two lovebirds. The only problem is that the young lifeguard that saved Leslie’s mother’s life is now crazy, old John Larroquette.
There is no single B plot but rather a number of small love issues playing throughout the office in Pawnee. Tom is still trying to get over (and get back together) with his green card wife, Wendy. Aziz Ansari’s Tom is always a happy party bro, so seeing him as lovelorn and depressed is quite the 180. Ansari is handling it deftly while still remaining one of the most consistently funny characters on the show.

Anyone who watches the show knows that the most important romance on the show is between April (the oh-so hot Aubrey Plaza) and Andy (better known for his work in the band Mouse Rat). April has been giving Andy the ol’ fuck eyes for most of this season and it was a matter of time before she threw here two gay boyfriends to the side to focus completely on Andy. But there is a new hurdle for April to jump over-Ann who is now having second thoughts about dating Mark who is helplessly shitty at being a boyfriend no matter how many times he is reassured that he’s not. While all of this is going on Andy is completely ignorant, like the man-child he is, to the women paying heed to his slovenly ways.

What made this particular episode particularly enjoyable is that everyone either breaks up with their significant other or remains hopelessly alone. Leslie breaks up with Justin after the disaster that is crazy John Larroquette, much in thanks to a startlingly candid and insightful with Ron Fuckin’ Swanson (aka Duke Silver for the older folk). Swanson points out to Leslie that Justin is a tourist going from person to person trying to impress and take their stories. He’s inconsiderate to no one but himself and Leslie is not that person and that’s why she doesn’t like him. God this show needs more Ron. April drops her boyfriends after an evening of dealing with their obnoxious irony. Tom hatches the dumbest scheme ever to getting an ex-wife to go out with you-sue them. Obviously it backfires and he his left by himself. So everyone at the end of this Valentine’s Day is left single or days away from becoming single for better or for worse. That’s a Valentine’s Day episode I can get behind.

A-

Notes:

-Leslie on her mother’s story-“Makes The Notebook look like Saw V.”

-Leslie describing Galentine’s Day-“Like Lillith Fair minus the angst, plus frittatas.”

-Good to see Jerry’s been happily married for 28 years. Oh, Jerry.

-Ron Swanson + “Nooner” = AWESOME

-April telling the old couple how adorable they are is way more adorable than the old couple

-“Why does everything we do have to be cloaked in like 15 layers of irony?”

-Tom is sad