Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Season premiere review: 'Parks and Recreation' - 'I'm Leslie Knope': Running or running away?

Leslie has a tough decision to make in the sweet season 4 premiere

By Alan Sepinwall Thursday, Sep 22, 2011 9:00 PM

Leslie (Amy Poehler) makes an announcement on the "Parks and Recreation" premiere.

Credit: NBC

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"Parks and Recreation" is back for its fourth season. I interviewed co-creator Mike Schur about one of the major developments of the premiere, and I have a review of the episode coming up just as soon as I have the toes I have...

"I'm Leslie Knope" was far from the funniest episode "Parks and Rec" has ever done. Like a lot of season premieres - particularly premieres following cliffhanger-laden finales - it has too much plot to power through to pack in as many jokes as the show is ordinarily capable of. There were definitely funny moments (Nick Offerman continued to display his physical comedy genius with the way Ron ran out of City Hall) and storylines (Ann gets entangled in Pawnee's version of the Anthony Weiner scandal, and has to try not to react to the constant penis photos), but the focus this week was more emotional, as Leslie dealt with the question of whether she could give up her dream to run for office so she could keep dating Ben.

The Schur interview is all about that aspect of the episode, and it's something the writing staff wrestled with all summer. And while TV couples abruptly splitting up due to outside forces is usually one of my pet peeves, I thought this was handled very, very well. The no-dating rule was established a while back last season (and is apparently a very real thing), and Leslie's desire to run for office has been part of the character going back to that shaky first season. Other aspects of Leslie's character have changed, but her main goal hasn't. If she wants to run for office, she has to break up with Ben(*), and though she stalls as long as she can, there's never some kind of goofy misunderstanding, never a moment where Leslie does something stupid or circumstance conspires to cast doubt on their suitability as a couple somewhere down the road. Instead, Ben is totally cool about it, cheers her on, and definitely lays the groundwork for them to get back together whenever the plot can allow it.

(*) Though the premiere doesn't really get into whether Leslie's campaign is already tainted from the month or so they were secretly dating.

And along the way to that resolution, we got a number of great little sweet moments between Leslie and Ben, and before that Leslie and Ron. Leslie and Ron's friendship is usually the source of the show's best emotional scenes, and his pep talk at the cabin - concluding, as it only could, with "I'm Ron Swanson and you're Leslie Fucking Knope" - was another terrific duet between Poehler and Offerman. (And had the requisite number of jokes about missing toes, emergency s'mores provisions, etc.)

Schur talks in the interview about how he likes it when he watches a show where he can tell the people in charge have a plan and aren't just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. Though he waffled on the break-up for much of the summer, it sounds like it's always what he intended to do (and only hesitated because he recognized how good Poehler and Adam Scott are together), and the execution of "I'm Leslie Knope" as a whole very much gives off the sense of a show that still has a plan, and should still be absolutely trusted to carry it out.

Beyond that, the premiere had more fun with the ridiculousness that is Entertainment 720 (I loved Donna wearing the bra with Tom and Jean-Ralphio's faces), more amusing creepiness from Joe from sewage (and Sarah Lawrence!), more obliviousness from Perd Hapley ("I don't know, but it had the cadence of a joke!"), and just enough of a taste of Patricia Clarkson as Tammy One (whose advice to April set up a great episode-ending punchline) to set the stage nicely for next week.

"Parks and Recreation" is back. Life is good.

What did everybody else think?

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: Parks and Recreation, Alan Sepinwall, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Rob Lowe, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Chris Pratt

Next 75 Comments

Mike

Chris's comment to Ann about her inbox literally being filled with penises might literally be both the funniest inappropriate use of the word literally in history, and the funniest thing Rob Lowe has ever said.
September 22, 2011 at 9:17PM EST Reply to Comment
- Casey Funnier than "Stop. Pooping!"?
  September 22, 2011 at 10:57PM EST
- leemats It was funny. But I thought it would hve been funnier if he had said 'filled with junk' instead.
  September 25, 2011 at 7:33AM EST
LukeB

You missed the funniest part.
"That man has the largest penis I have ever seen."
September 22, 2011 at 9:20PM EST Reply to Comment
- John Yes! A rare win for Jerry!
  September 22, 2011 at 9:35PM EST
- Jake And with that, Jerry is neck and neck with Ron Donald for saddest character with a huge dong.
  September 22, 2011 at 11:09PM EST
- mikerwilson In a night of fantastic comedy (including Sunny and Archer), that got the biggest laugh out of me. Classic.
  September 22, 2011 at 11:29PM EST
- J Being Jerry, it probably just served to distract the doctor from correctly diagnosing the mumps.
  September 22, 2011 at 11:49PM EST
- Truck The actor that plays Jerry did an AMA on Reddit a fe weeks/months ago. I never realized the extent of the "I have a fulfilling life outside of my job" gag until he came up with a list of them. A large penis is a natural evolution of his character. I get the feeling we're going to get a lot more of Jerry this year instead of him just being the butt of jokes.
  September 23, 2011 at 8:25PM EST
filaphresh

Can they just get back together if she wins? And does the show stop if she wins?
September 22, 2011 at 9:36PM EST Reply to Comment
- filaphresh Didn't mean to post that yet. I imagine Alan is right that the damage is done, because Ben has done a lot of favors for the parks department so it will look like a conflict of interest if their relationship is uncovered.
  September 22, 2011 at 9:39PM EST
Will C

Dang, my money was on "...just as soon as I cook this fish I shot."
September 22, 2011 at 9:40PM EST Reply to Comment
mike

I think Alan gives them too much credit. I find the no-dating thing contrived.
September 22, 2011 at 9:42PM EST Reply to Comment
- If that was contrived, then so was everything ever written on any show. Ever.
  September 22, 2011 at 9:50PM EST
- DonBoy It makes perfect sense. Ben's job at the beginning was to decide if these people get to keep their jobs, and now they have their jobs and one of them is sleeping with him. In real life, anybody would ask questions.
  September 22, 2011 at 10:35PM EST
- Greg I think they smartly dropped in a line from Ben about how people might perceive her qualifications if she was sleeping with her boss, and that makes it not solely about the rule.
  September 23, 2011 at 12:16AM EST
- Greg I think they smartly dropped in a line from Ben about how people might perceive her qualifications if she was sleeping with her boss, and that makes it not solely about the rule.
  September 23, 2011 at 12:16AM EST
- Mike Alan's correct - it's actually the law. Leslie would be fired if it came out she was dating a coworker.
  September 23, 2011 at 7:51AM EST
- Kevin I agree that it does seem like a contrivance that was initially meant to create tension under previous circumstances and now is supposedly a reason they have to break up. I'm not buying it. While Ben has helped Leslie as her boss, she already had the job before he arrived. I find it annoying that they built up to this relationship the whole last season then killed it so quickly.
  September 23, 2011 at 10:00AM EST
- mcsmith The interview with Michael Schur made me feel better about this decision. It is kind of irritating that they were broken up so quickly after only having just gotten together, but the justification is valid, and Ben's unflinching support of Leslie really reiterates why they are so perfect for each other.
  September 23, 2011 at 4:39PM EST
- mike I realize that every show does the make-up/break-up, will-they/won't-they thing, but this just doesn't feel very organic in this show. I much preferred how Community dealt with something similar in the teacher/student relationship, where all they had to do was fill out a form. And I understand that it's a real rule/law, but I shouldn't have to read an interview for it to seem even remotely believable - the show should have set it up better and made it seem more plausibile. I'm glad other people buy it, but for me it still feels contrived.
  September 24, 2011 at 11:22AM EST
Jeremy420lowe

-The whole bit with Ron and the survival kit in the vent was gold.
-Only Ron Effing Swanson can grow a beard like that (and his eyebrows back) in 3 weeks.
-Andy's reaction to realizing the penises were sent on purpose instead of it being an accident was pretty good too.
September 22, 2011 at 9:49PM EST Reply to Comment
J

I'm just happy to have this show back.

The nightmare cookies on the Hitfix site are freezing up my computer every time I click through from the RSS. It used to happen only occasionally, now happens more frequently, and this is the only site giving me such problems. I've got Vista (I know)/Firefox. Please make it stop.

Please make it stop.
September 22, 2011 at 9:58PM EST Reply to Comment
- paullu Yup, regularly hangs my browser (Chrome) every time I come here. I have to use Safari only for this one site.
  September 23, 2011 at 1:54AM EST
- sepinwall The issue is with an outside party, and it seemed to be fixed for a few days before returning. We should have our own fix for it up shortly. Thanks for the alert.
  September 23, 2011 at 11:01AM EST
srpad

My DVR messed up and I missed the first minute of this episode and now I find out I missed seeing Ron Swanson running. That stinks because him running may be one of the funniest things ever filmed but at least I did get to see that impressive beard and his retraction of Knope's Coffee privileges.
September 22, 2011 at 10:00PM EST Reply to Comment
Stan

I don't remember last season's finale exactly, but I could have sworn Tammy 1 was a brunette?

I'm also not sure what show Alan was watching, because I thought the premiere was hilarious.
September 22, 2011 at 10:00PM EST Reply to Comment
gladly

I'll admit it, I cried a little when Ben finally opened the box. I can absolutely believe all the parts of the Leslie campaign plot, but the sweetest touch is Ben being understanding and supportive of it.

I was spoiled for the Patricia Clarkson casting, but she's so great. The only sour not of the whole premiere for me was Rob Lowe's hair. His bangs aren't working.
September 22, 2011 at 10:23PM EST Reply to Comment
- Loretta_ i'm glad i;m not the only one. i had a moment tonight where I thought I'd turned into a total sap with the stray tear, but I guess that was just an effective scene.
  September 22, 2011 at 11:24PM EST
DB Cooper

What in the world was going on with Rob Lowe's hair? He looked like a disheveled Moe Howard. I kept waiting for the punchline.
September 22, 2011 at 10:27PM EST Reply to Comment
Matt

Wow, they have to run with this election storyline for a year and a half. November 2012 is a season and 8-9 episodes away. Unless, of coarse, she drops out of the race for Ben or something.
September 22, 2011 at 10:28PM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall Local elections don't work on that kind of calendar. I can easily see them having it take place by the end of this season.
  September 22, 2011 at 11:52PM EST
- Andy Maybe the election is February 2012 (that's when we have our local/municipal elections)?
  September 22, 2011 at 11:56PM EST
- Genna Nothing says every city must have elections in November. Many municipalities and counties hold their elections in the spring to coincide with primaries. Plus, there are circumstances where the incumbent is being recalled or has vacated the office so elections are held when possible. Not sure if that was the case, I just remember the committee mentioning that it would be a good time for Leslie to run.
  September 22, 2011 at 11:59PM EST
- DavidW Local elections in my city are in May - just in time for the season finale!
  September 23, 2011 at 3:27PM EST
Jake

It's fantastic to have this show back. Andy didnt have a ton to do, but Chris Pratt cracks me up every time he's on screen. April's looking very very thin to me.
September 22, 2011 at 10:30PM EST Reply to Comment
Mr. Snakehole

I enjoyed the episode even though it wasn't one of the stand-out episodes of the series, which I have seen, thanks to DVD, in the span of a month. Alan, your totally right, since it's the season premiere and season three ended on a cliff-hanger, they had to put less laughs in. Loved the Weiner references though.
September 22, 2011 at 10:31PM EST Reply to Comment
Loretta_

I know it's completely cliched to have the downtrodden unlucky guy on a show turn out to be well endowed.... but I was seriously tickled by he news that Jerry has a giant penis. The doctor's delivery of that line certainly helped.
September 22, 2011 at 11:21PM EST Reply to Comment
asarael

I watched the Office premiere and thought "meh".

Then I watched the Parks and Recreation premiere and thought "The Office premiere was AWFUL". This show is just so many streets ahead of the Office at this point. Even the moments that weren't laugh out loud funny still had me smiling just because these characters are back again. There isn't a weak link in the ensemble, and I can't think of any other show who has used previously-introduced periphery characters so well.

The scene with Joe from sewage had me laughing my ass off. Great episode.
September 23, 2011 at 12:18AM EST Reply to Comment
- Alex 'Just so many streets ahead' hahahah
  September 23, 2011 at 3:18AM EST
- Lisa I agree completely--Parks & Rec has completely outshined The Office for two seasons now. P&R is HIGHWAYS ahead. :)
  September 23, 2011 at 10:16AM EST
- DavidW clearly Daniels and Schur were the comic geniuses behind The Office's brilliant early seasons. That show's downhills slide began precisely when the two left to start Parks&Rec.
  September 23, 2011 at 3:29PM EST
tinad

I thought they did a nice job moving from the end of last season, but I did want to disagree with one point: Adam Scott and Amy Poehler are great and funny actors, but they have no chemistry onscreen whatsoever. It's been the weakest part of the show since the flirtation began, and I hope we'll get a nice, long respite.
September 23, 2011 at 12:26AM EST Reply to Comment
- RLH Seriously? Why does everyone on the internet have to state their opinion as fact? You don't think they have chemistry, but the P&R writers and most P&R fans do. It's going to come back, deal with it.
  September 23, 2011 at 1:13AM EST
- Col Bat Guano I don't find Any Poehler and Adam Scott to be a very compelling couple either. I thought Louis CK was a more interesting pairing for Leslie.
  September 25, 2011 at 2:04AM EST
tinad

I thought they did a nice job moving from the end of last season, but I did want to disagree with one point: Adam Scott and Amy Poehler are great and funny actors, but they have no chemistry onscreen whatsoever. It's been the weakest part of the show since the flirtation began, and I hope we'll get a nice, long respite.

September 23, 2011 at 12:27AM EST Reply to Comment
troopermsu

The revelation that Jerry has a massive crank might explain why he is able to take the constant razzing from the rest of the staff. He must be brimming with self-confidence!
September 23, 2011 at 1:03AM EST Reply to Comment
belinda

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!

Damn, Ben.
September 23, 2011 at 1:53AM EST Reply to Comment
leahblizz

I went half the episode thinking that it was Rob Lowe's dong based solely on his disheveled hair (it made him look stressed out). Turns out that's just the way his hair is.
September 23, 2011 at 3:12AM EST Reply to Comment
Jared

Was it just me or did they hint that there may be something wrong with the April-Andy marriage, when April was getting off the phone she was saying "I love you" to someone on the phone and then the camera focused on her a few seconds later when she wouldn't repeat those same words to Andy after he said it to her. Or was it April just being weird?
September 23, 2011 at 4:02AM EST Reply to Comment
- Mr. Snakehole I'm pretty sure that it was just April being weird. It would be heart-breaking to see their marriage fall apart.
  September 23, 2011 at 7:17AM EST
- papersitter I got that vibe, too. I like both characters a lot but I was not a fan of the marriage and I am not invested in them as a couple. I am interested to see what they will do with this or if it is nothing.
  
  September 23, 2011 at 9:37AM EST
- nombre I think you're concerned over nothing.
  September 23, 2011 at 11:03AM EST
- WeebeysPlasticFish I caught that, too. It seemed pretty blatant that she didn't return the "I love you."
  September 23, 2011 at 9:06PM EST
berkowit28

My DVR cut off the "great episode-ending punchline", whatever it was. What was it, please?
September 23, 2011 at 4:29AM EST Reply to Comment
Jonathan

The Ben/Leslie break-up was executed brilliantly in my opinion, as much as I wanted them to stay together it was the right thing to do and it was true to Leslie's character, as Schur said in the interview. I think it's also worth pointing out - and that wasn't quite mentioned - that it's also very true to Ben's. Having gotten to know Leslie pretty well, he knew they had to give up their relationship so Leslie could run for office, and he wasn't going to have her let go of that dream on his account.
September 23, 2011 at 6:26AM EST Reply to Comment
RFS

I hope Ron Swanson didn't really eat the fish he shot. Fishing is for sport only, not for food.
September 23, 2011 at 7:59AM EST Reply to Comment
- Rev. Slappy Also, fish is practically a vegetable.
  September 23, 2011 at 3:04PM EST
- Ben I am pretty sure Ron only said fishing because Leslie seemed to eager to shoot things. Also fishing for sport only, is ludicrous.
  May 31, 2012 at 5:39AM EST
Stormshadow4life

My DVR cut off what Tammy said to April at the end. What was it?
September 23, 2011 at 8:13AM EST Reply to Comment
- Dan3320 I don't have the exact quote - but something like "You should sit up straight - you are doing your boobs no favors." She sits up. Then Andy walks in, gets that goofy/happy expression on his face and says "April, wow, your boobs look amazing!"
  September 23, 2011 at 9:13AM EST
- laurence2174 That's more or less right, except Tammy says "breasts" not boobs, which made it all the funnier when Andy said "breasts" as well.
  September 23, 2011 at 11:33AM EST
joyce

I was realy disappointed, it was too broad. I am so sick of penis and breast jokes! And what city allows an employee to run for office, and then hires her an assistant so she can still do her job?!

September 23, 2011 at 9:42AM EST Reply to Comment
- Timm S A pretend, engineered-for-television one.
  September 23, 2011 at 12:04PM EST
- DavidW 1) It could be a situation like Ron was in before he hired April, where they've technically had the budget for an assistant but just never hired one for Leslie because she's such a go-getter.
  2) Tom no longer works there, so his resignation freed up budget money for Andy to be hired.
  September 23, 2011 at 3:32PM EST
- DavidW *maybe his resignation freed up money
  September 23, 2011 at 3:33PM EST
Jake M

Favorite moment was Andy and April's job advise exchange (paraphrasing), "As my manager, what should I do",
"Don't take it"
"but Tom said I should follow my dreams"
"Then take it"
"But this isn't my dream"
"Then don't take it"
"Babe, you give the best advice, I love you"
September 23, 2011 at 10:37AM EST Reply to Comment
- Loved all of April in this episode; if you watch carefully, she's even taking on aspects of Ron's personality in the office.
  September 24, 2011 at 6:20AM EST
jojo

I want to see a movie that pits Zach Galifianakis against Ron Swanson (from the cabin). Just for the sheer amount of facial/cranial hair
September 23, 2011 at 10:50AM EST Reply to Comment
Sam

The Perd Hapley line was genius.
September 23, 2011 at 11:19AM EST Reply to Comment

Next 75 Comments

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Season premiere review: 'Parks and Recreation' - 'I'm Leslie Knope': Running or running away?

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'Parks and Recreation' - 'I'm Leslie Knope': Running or running away?

Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Mike Chris's comment to Ann about her inbox literally being filled with penises might literally be both the funniest inappropriate use of the word literally in history, and the funniest thing Rob Lowe has ever said.

Casey Funnier than "Stop. Pooping!"?

leemats It was funny. But I thought it would hve been funnier if he had said 'filled with junk' instead.

LukeB You missed the funniest part."That man has the largest penis I have ever seen."

John Yes! A rare win for Jerry!

Jake And with that, Jerry is neck and neck with Ron Donald for saddest character with a huge dong.

mikerwilson In a night of fantastic comedy (including Sunny and Archer), that got the biggest laugh out of me. Classic.

J Being Jerry, it probably just served to distract the doctor from correctly diagnosing the mumps.

filaphresh Can they just get back together if she wins? And does the show stop if she wins?

filaphresh Didn't mean to post that yet. I imagine Alan is right that the damage is done, because Ben has done a lot of favors for the parks department so it will look like a conflict of interest if their relationship is uncovered.

Will C Dang, my money was on "...just as soon as I cook this fish I shot."

mike I think Alan gives them too much credit. I find the no-dating thing contrived.

If that was contrived, then so was everything ever written on any show. Ever.

DonBoy It makes perfect sense. Ben's job at the beginning was to decide if these people get to keep their jobs, and now they have their jobs and one of them is sleeping with him. In real life, anybody would ask questions.

Greg I think they smartly dropped in a line from Ben about how people might perceive her qualifications if she was sleeping with her boss, and that makes it not solely about the rule.

Greg I think they smartly dropped in a line from Ben about how people might perceive her qualifications if she was sleeping with her boss, and that makes it not solely about the rule.

Mike Alan's correct - it's actually the law. Leslie would be fired if it came out she was dating a coworker.

Jeremy420lowe -The whole bit with Ron and the survival kit in the vent was gold. -Only Ron Effing Swanson can grow a beard like that (and his eyebrows back) in 3 weeks. -Andy's reaction to realizing the penises were sent on purpose instead of it being an accident was pretty good too.

paullu Yup, regularly hangs my browser (Chrome) every time I come here. I have to use Safari only for this one site.

sepinwall The issue is with an outside party, and it seemed to be fixed for a few days before returning. We should have our own fix for it up shortly. Thanks for the alert.

Stan I don't remember last season's finale exactly, but I could have sworn Tammy 1 was a brunette?I'm also not sure what show Alan was watching, because I thought the premiere was hilarious.

Loretta_ i'm glad i;m not the only one. i had a moment tonight where I thought I'd turned into a total sap with the stray tear, but I guess that was just an effective scene.

DB Cooper What in the world was going on with Rob Lowe's hair? He looked like a disheveled Moe Howard. I kept waiting for the punchline.

Matt Wow, they have to run with this election storyline for a year and a half. November 2012 is a season and 8-9 episodes away. Unless, of coarse, she drops out of the race for Ben or something.

sepinwall Local elections don't work on that kind of calendar. I can easily see them having it take place by the end of this season.

Andy Maybe the election is February 2012 (that's when we have our local/municipal elections)?

DavidW Local elections in my city are in May - just in time for the season finale!

Jake It's fantastic to have this show back. Andy didnt have a ton to do, but Chris Pratt cracks me up every time he's on screen. April's looking very very thin to me.

Loretta_ I know it's completely cliched to have the downtrodden unlucky guy on a show turn out to be well endowed.... but I was seriously tickled by he news that Jerry has a giant penis. The doctor's delivery of that line certainly helped.

Alex 'Just so many streets ahead' hahahah

Lisa I agree completely--Parks & Rec has completely outshined The Office for two seasons now. P&R is HIGHWAYS ahead. :)

DavidW clearly Daniels and Schur were the comic geniuses behind The Office's brilliant early seasons. That show's downhills slide began precisely when the two left to start Parks&Rec.

RLH Seriously? Why does everyone on the internet have to state their opinion as fact? You don't think they have chemistry, but the P&R writers and most P&R fans do. It's going to come back, deal with it.

Col Bat Guano I don't find Any Poehler and Adam Scott to be a very compelling couple either. I thought Louis CK was a more interesting pairing for Leslie.

troopermsu The revelation that Jerry has a massive crank might explain why he is able to take the constant razzing from the rest of the staff. He must be brimming with self-confidence!

belinda awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!Damn, Ben.

leahblizz I went half the episode thinking that it was Rob Lowe's dong based solely on his disheveled hair (it made him look stressed out). Turns out that's just the way his hair is.

Mr. Snakehole I'm pretty sure that it was just April being weird. It would be heart-breaking to see their marriage fall apart.

papersitter I got that vibe, too. I like both characters a lot but I was not a fan of the marriage and I am not invested in them as a couple. I am interested to see what they will do with this or if it is nothing.

nombre I think you're concerned over nothing.

WeebeysPlasticFish I caught that, too. It seemed pretty blatant that she didn't return the "I love you."

berkowit28 My DVR cut off the "great episode-ending punchline", whatever it was. What was it, please?

RFS I hope Ron Swanson didn't really eat the fish he shot. Fishing is for sport only, not for food.

Rev. Slappy Also, fish is practically a vegetable.

Ben I am pretty sure Ron only said fishing because Leslie seemed to eager to shoot things. Also fishing for sport only, is ludicrous.

Stormshadow4life My DVR cut off what Tammy said to April at the end. What was it?

Dan3320 I don't have the exact quote - but something like "You should sit up straight - you are doing your boobs no favors." She sits up. Then Andy walks in, gets that goofy/happy expression on his face and says "April, wow, your boobs look amazing!"

laurence2174 That's more or less right, except Tammy says "breasts" not boobs, which made it all the funnier when Andy said "breasts" as well.

joyce I was realy disappointed, it was too broad. I am so sick of penis and breast jokes! And what city allows an employee to run for office, and then hires her an assistant so she can still do her job?!

Timm S A pretend, engineered-for-television one.

DavidW 1) It could be a situation like Ron was in before he hired April, where they've technically had the budget for an assistant but just never hired one for Leslie because she's such a go-getter.2) Tom no longer works there, so his resignation freed up budget money for Andy to be hired.

DavidW *maybe his resignation freed up money

Jake M Favorite moment was Andy and April's job advise exchange (paraphrasing), "As my manager, what should I do", "Don't take it" "but Tom said I should follow my dreams" "Then take it" "But this isn't my dream" "Then don't take it" "Babe, you give the best advice, I love you"

Loved all of April in this episode; if you watch carefully, she's even taking on aspects of Ron's personality in the office.

jojo I want to see a movie that pits Zach Galifianakis against Ron Swanson (from the cabin). Just for the sheer amount of facial/cranial hair

Sam The Perd Hapley line was genius.

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Parks and Recreation is updated

Mike

Chris's comment to Ann about her inbox literally being filled with penises might literally be both the funniest inappropriate use of the word literally in history, and the funniest thing Rob Lowe has ever said.

LukeB

You missed the funniest part.
"That man has the largest penis I have ever seen."

filaphresh

Can they just get back together if she wins? And does the show stop if she wins?

Will C

Dang, my money was on "...just as soon as I cook this fish I shot."

mike

I think Alan gives them too much credit. I find the no-dating thing contrived.

Jeremy420lowe

-The whole bit with Ron and the survival kit in the vent was gold.
-Only Ron Effing Swanson can grow a beard like that (and his eyebrows back) in 3 weeks.
-Andy's reaction to realizing the penises were sent on purpose instead of it being an accident was pretty good too.

Stan

I don't remember last season's finale exactly, but I could have sworn Tammy 1 was a brunette?

I'm also not sure what show Alan was watching, because I thought the premiere was hilarious.

DB Cooper

What in the world was going on with Rob Lowe's hair? He looked like a disheveled Moe Howard. I kept waiting for the punchline.

Matt

Wow, they have to run with this election storyline for a year and a half. November 2012 is a season and 8-9 episodes away. Unless, of coarse, she drops out of the race for Ben or something.

Jake

It's fantastic to have this show back. Andy didnt have a ton to do, but Chris Pratt cracks me up every time he's on screen. April's looking very very thin to me.

Loretta_

I know it's completely cliched to have the downtrodden unlucky guy on a show turn out to be well endowed.... but I was seriously tickled by he news that Jerry has a giant penis. The doctor's delivery of that line certainly helped.

troopermsu

The revelation that Jerry has a massive crank might explain why he is able to take the constant razzing from the rest of the staff. He must be brimming with self-confidence!

belinda

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!

Damn, Ben.

leahblizz

I went half the episode thinking that it was Rob Lowe's dong based solely on his disheveled hair (it made him look stressed out). Turns out that's just the way his hair is.

berkowit28

My DVR cut off the "great episode-ending punchline", whatever it was. What was it, please?

RFS

I hope Ron Swanson didn't really eat the fish he shot. Fishing is for sport only, not for food.

Stormshadow4life

My DVR cut off what Tammy said to April at the end. What was it?

joyce

I was realy disappointed, it was too broad. I am so sick of penis and breast jokes! And what city allows an employee to run for office, and then hires her an assistant so she can still do her job?!

DavidW 1) It could be a situation like Ron was in before he hired April, where they've technically had the budget for an assistant but just never hired one for Leslie because she's such a go-getter.
2) Tom no longer works there, so his resignation freed up budget money for Andy to be hired.

Jake M

Favorite moment was Andy and April's job advise exchange (paraphrasing), "As my manager, what should I do",
"Don't take it"
"but Tom said I should follow my dreams"
"Then take it"
"But this isn't my dream"
"Then don't take it"
"Babe, you give the best advice, I love you"

jojo

I want to see a movie that pits Zach Galifianakis against Ron Swanson (from the cabin). Just for the sheer amount of facial/cranial hair

Sam

The Perd Hapley line was genius.

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