Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: 'Parks and Recreation' - 'Ann's Decision': In the belly of the Douche

Ann wants a baby, April wants to be more like Leslie, and the guys get food poisoning

By Alan Sepinwall Thursday, Feb 7, 2013 9:00 PM

Rashida Jones and Amy Poehler in "Parks and Recreation."

Credit: NBC

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A review of tonight's "Parks and Recreation" coming up just as soon as I stand trial for counterfeiting Euros...

Let's be honest: the rest of "Ann's Decision" could have been a test pattern, Jerry painting in silence, Aubrey Plaza staring at the camera without blinking, etc., and the scene with the three guys battling food poisoning would, by itself, have made this one of my favorite "Parks and Recreation" episodes ever. It's essentially a mash-up of two famous scenes from past seasons — Ron flipping the burger at himself after suffering the hernia, and Chris struggling with the flu — but one featuring a masterful trio of physical comedy performances from Rob Lowe, Nick Offerman and (especially) Adam Scott. Ron slapping the phone towards Ben so Ben could dial with his nose is easily the funniest thing the show has done since Andy acted out the plot of "Roadhouse," and may be the funniest thing since the original "Stop. Pooping." scene.

Fortunately, the rest of "Ann's Decision" was quite entertaining, even if nothing else was at the level of Chris contemplating the idea of dating Shauna after dying, Ron announcing that he had voided more than Tom's body weight in the last 12 hours, and Ben being horrified to realize that his beloved calzones had betrayed him. ("As God is my witness, they are dead to me!")

Ann stories tend to be a mixed bag, simply because her role on the show is as the straight woman and Leslie's confidante. (And it's been even dicier of late, since Ben handles both those roles just as easily.) In this case, though, "Ann's Decision" wound up being less about Ann herself than about Leslie's predictable but amusing reaction to the eponymous decision to get pregnant with a sperm donor. And it was also an excuse to revisit a wide swath of Pawnee male loserdom, from Sewage Joe ("If you're looking to buy some weed, I'm looking as well") to the triumphant and somewhat nuanced return of The Douche. Nick Kroll essentially shifted back and forth between Douche(*) and Howard at random, but I liked the idea that what had started out as a satire of bad radio had essentially taken over his career and personality, with only occasional glimpses of the original Howard peeking out.

(*) One minor complaint: I know Leslie was already disillusioned by The Douche (Douche-illusioned?) in "The Fight," but I still have a hard time tracking her reaction to the guy (and to Crazy Ira) now versus how hysterical she found the whole thing back in "Media Blitz." Feels like a gag where the writers at the time never expected to bring back Kroll and Matt Besser, and therefore didn't think through how Leslie Knope might actually feel about this show.

April's story, meanwhile, brought back some more weirdoes of Pawnee — notably "Parks" writer (and Humblebrag inventor) Harris Wittels as the guy pushing for a topless park — while illustrating how April can be just as effective as Leslie, but in her own unique way. It may turn on Andy to see April dressed in Leslie's pantsuits — which, based on his relationship with Leslie to date, says more about seeing his wife role playing than any specific feelings he has about Leslie — but erroneously quoting Eleanor Roosevelt and pretending to be cheerful just isn't her thing, while telling stupid people to shut up very much is.

The solution to April's problem, like Ben realizing he should have JJ cater the wedding, was a predictable one, but the stories leading up to both — as well as Leslie embracing Ann's quest, so long as it's conducted in a thorough Leslie Knope way — were very effective and funny.

But again, all I really needed this week was three men clutching their abdomens and trying to work a telephone.

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, Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Rob Lowe, Aziz Ansari, Mike Schur, Alan Sepinwall

Next 86 Comments

TheOneWhoKnocks

Thought it was an okay episode. Liked when they were judging the food. Didn't like the food poisoning scene.
They spent too much time on an Ann story, which is usually a waste of time.
February 7, 2013 at 10:11PM EST Reply to Comment
- Lee Harvey I'm just out of step with Alan's sense of humor sometimes. The food poisoning scene was probably my least favorite part of the episode. Enjoyed pretty much everything else, though. A little Douche goes a long way, so it was nice to see Howard. Him asking about the library on the way out was the single funniest line of the night.
  February 8, 2013 at 2:03AM EST
Stan

Oddly enough, contrary to Alan, I thought Community was funny and P&R was the show that was flat tonight. The Ann story wasn't interesting, most of the storylines were predictable, and I didn't really get invested in the food poisoning stuff.
February 7, 2013 at 10:18PM EST Reply to Comment
- Hank Scorpio Yes, yes, yes, they totally mailed it in on this Parks episode. The last few episodes have had fewer laughs than I can recall in any previous stretch. The Christmas episode was the last really good one. Even the Office has been more interesting / less predictable than Parks since the holiday break.
  February 8, 2013 at 1:54AM EST
- gsmith140 Yeah, the Office is definitely more interesting- if you enjoy watching train wrecks.
  February 8, 2013 at 8:55AM EST
- Hank Scorpio Note that I said more interesting, not funnier. Agree that The Office lost the plot many years ago
  February 8, 2013 at 11:44AM EST
- goodhorse I agree with Mr Scorpio - I think Mr Sepinwall's review tempered my expectations and I really enjoyed (most) of Community.
  
  I felt P&R took a while to warm up this week (but I have really high expectations for this excellent show)but I did love Ron voiding Tommy's body weight and that calzones are now dead to Ben.
  
  All in all these two shows, along with the recently departed 30 Rock, have made it a grand time to watch TV comedy.
  February 9, 2013 at 2:28AM EST
debbie

April coming into her own, maturing, taking an actual interest in her work is my favorite of the recent charater arcs.
February 7, 2013 at 10:35PM EST Reply to Comment
- Ansley they have done a fantastic job with April this year. very satisfying character development. I agree about the food poisening physical comedy...gold! also just happy Ann has a storyline. Parks is the best part of the week!
  February 7, 2013 at 10:43PM EST
Jeff G

I also thought the food poisoning scene was one of the funnier things they've done. It takes a lot for a show to make me double over in laughter and that did it. Well done.
February 7, 2013 at 10:44PM EST Reply to Comment
- Cy Totally in agreement. Adam Scott, especially, had me howling with laughter!
  February 7, 2013 at 10:53PM EST
- nic919 Having lived through food poisoning fairly recently, I really loved those scenes because they were pretty close to how you feel.
  February 8, 2013 at 3:05AM EST
- TR One of the best scenes ever.
  
  Ron willing himself to get up and storm across to the phone, only to have to slap it weakly to the ground was priceless.
  February 8, 2013 at 9:35AM EST
- goodhorse Totally agree with CY - Adam Scott's Ben has become one of my favourites of this show!
  February 9, 2013 at 2:30AM EST
- Gob's Frozen Pigeon I have never even warmed to Adam Scott until I saw him dial with his nose. Now I have a soft spot in my heart for him.
  February 18, 2013 at 5:54PM EST
rachel

loved this episode
February 7, 2013 at 10:49PM EST Reply to Comment
HeavyRaines17

Excuse me, there seems to have been some mistake. You accidentally brought me the food my food eats.
February 7, 2013 at 10:52PM EST Reply to Comment
- Craig My favorite line of the night as well! I had to rewind because I was laughing so hard!
  February 8, 2013 at 11:55AM EST
Mean Gene

The idea that Ann Perkins (well, Rashida Jones) would have trouble finding men interested in her is ludicrous. Though, not as ludicrous as the idea that she dated Andy for years and dated Tom as well. OK, my brain hurts now.
February 7, 2013 at 10:57PM EST Reply to Comment
- CJ I don't think that was the implication. She's always found men who are interested in her, but never ones for whom she is mutually interested.
  
  This episode wasn't "Ann can't find a guy, so she cuts them out of the equation completely." It was "Ann wants to start a family, but doesn't see a man as a necessary part of that process."
  February 8, 2013 at 1:46AM EST
- S I think it's also more of a reflection of how crappy the talent pool in Pawnee is.
  
  I think what was even more ludicrous was when Chris (Rob Lowe) couldn't find a date.
  February 8, 2013 at 10:53AM EST
- Sebrof Also, they live in Pawnee, Indiana. I can't imagine there are a plethora of single guys who Ann would be overwhelmingly interested in.
  February 8, 2013 at 10:56AM EST
Mike

Alan will always like this show, regardless of the quality. Still my favorite show on TV but tonights was flat.
February 7, 2013 at 11:03PM EST Reply to Comment
- Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich YES, sort of, and YES.
  February 8, 2013 at 2:31PM EST
rugman11

The second shot of the food poisoning scene, with Chris laying on the tabled washed out by a spotlight, deserves a cinematography Emmy. It was just beautiful.
February 7, 2013 at 11:20PM EST Reply to Comment
- goodhorse Absolutely - he looked like he'd died!
  February 9, 2013 at 2:31AM EST
Greg

My take on it was that we always laud Leslie for being awesome and perfect and amazing, but really, it's more that it's just Pawnee, and anyone can do that job.

Or they were suggesting that April's way is as good/amazing as Leslie's way, which I think is more of a stretch.
February 7, 2013 at 11:40PM EST Reply to Comment
- Richard It was definitely the latter. Nothing about this show has ever been about Lelsie not being the amazing woman she is. The April plot was 100% there to show that April can definitely do things her own way. That was the whole thing with Andy tricking her into doing it that way, which was one of the smarter things I've ever seen him do.
  February 8, 2013 at 1:02PM EST
ChampSkins

Best part of the episode was everyone's key points on the different caterers on the whiteboard in the background. The first one Ron's response was "Bad Meat" and the second one was "No". Hahaha sometimes its the little things.
February 7, 2013 at 11:46PM EST Reply to Comment
- Ed Johnson-Ott Post a comment...
  February 8, 2013 at 12:08AM EST
- Ed Johnson-Ott I laughed out loud more tonight than I have in a long time. Great episode!
  February 8, 2013 at 12:10AM EST
thejoshbaker

All Chris Traeger sick everything.
February 8, 2013 at 12:23AM EST Reply to Comment
dead souls

Even allowing for the diminished quality of the fourth and fifth seasons of P&R, this episode was a total clunker.
February 8, 2013 at 12:52AM EST Reply to Comment
- jprichard I agree. P&R is one of my five favorite TV comedies of all time, but when it falls flat, as this episode did, it falls completely flat. I couldn't wait for it to be over, and that has never happened.
  February 8, 2013 at 1:29AM EST
- ghoti I can't imagine ever wanting this show to be over.
  February 8, 2013 at 3:16AM EST
- Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich I like this show and love Community, my GF is the opposite. Even she thought tonight's episode of Community was twice as good as this. But of course, she has no idea who Dan Harmon is so her judgement wasn't biased
  February 8, 2013 at 2:34PM EST
nath

"It may turn on Andy to see April dressed in Leslie's pantsuits — which, based on his relationship with Leslie to date, says more about seeing his wife role playing than any specific feelings he has about Leslie"

I dunno; he did code name her "I'd Be Lying If I Said I Hadn't Thought About It" last season.
February 8, 2013 at 12:59AM EST Reply to Comment
- Parker He wasn't turned on by the pantsuits - he was turned on by April, 'cause, honestly, she'd be hot naked.
  February 8, 2013 at 1:27AM EST
- Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich He was turned on by the pantsuits and I thought of that quote instantly. second favorite line of the night after the weed guy
  February 8, 2013 at 2:51PM EST
lazy iggy

I could have watched them be sick the entire time.

And I will be really impressed if they follow through on Ann's plan when so many shows have the character fall in love just in time.
February 8, 2013 at 1:09AM EST Reply to Comment
- amg Ditto. I was glad they didn't go that way--yet anyway--or the other predictable route of having her find a sea of harvard-rocket-scientist sperm donors as so many tv shows portray (yeah--that is not the overwhelming population of the pool of men who donate sperm for money!)
  
  I do worry they'll take that path eventually. Would be so much cooler fresher if they indeed just have Ann become a "choice mom." Would make for lots of great Ann/Leslie plots now and later, as well.
  February 8, 2013 at 11:01PM EST
- Emily I think this would be rather unfortunate. Parks has been a largely non-political light comedy. To purposely bring a child into the world to be raised by baby sitters without a father is an incredibly selfish decision. As a one-off episode to showcase Pawnee's douchy men it was funny, but it would be a shame if Parks took this further and portrayed it as a funny, non-controversial decision.*
  
  The alternative is to present it in a more nuanced way, having characters address the weighty considerations involved, but that would certainly not fit the tone of this particular show.
  
  *sorry Alan, I know we're not suppose to talk politics (well, not exactly politics, since I'm not arguing there should be a law or anything against what Ann want to do, just that I have moral issues with it); however, I think the original comments arguing that the show should make a statement on this topic are worthy of response.
  February 10, 2013 at 10:30PM EST
Hank Scorpio

Disagree with everyone on the outrageously funny food poisoning scene - thought it was funny at first but diminishing returns after Ron's dented toilet bowl remark.

Can this show please abandon the A-B-C story structure? Especially when B is weak and C contains one joke.
February 8, 2013 at 2:00AM EST Reply to Comment
- Michelle I agree completely about the A-B-C story structure. It's really been bugging me this season. That said, I loved this episode and was laughing so much during the food poisoning scene that I had to pause and rewind.
  February 8, 2013 at 3:00AM EST
Gajic

Haberford rule #6: Never eat any food with a sauce I have to dip myself. Drizzle it on for me. I'm not your maid.
February 8, 2013 at 2:47AM EST Reply to Comment
- jw2s yes! but it's not really the line... it's the delivery. Like much about this episode, it's far less interesting on paper, but when they do it, it can be greatness.
  February 9, 2013 at 7:36AM EST
Jaxemer11

This is avtually the first episode in a long time that I found to be pretty meh. Maybe it is just that I don't really get into physical comedy that much.
February 8, 2013 at 3:14AM EST Reply to Comment
Cracked Toilet

Okay, first up, The Douche's license plate: "8OO8IES". Classic.

Next up, two words: Sewage. Joe.

Ron had a lot of good lines, and I enjoyed TOm's inputs on the caterers. I too thought the food poisoning bit was gold (although I knew Tom was going to be fine, but I assumed he had eaten nothing).

As for Ann's story, I *really* thought this was the door opening for Mark Brendanawicz's surprise return. Foiled! Again! I just can't stop thinking he's going to come back at some point, and I thought Ann's quest for splunk was going to make her realize that was actually really good for her. Dammit. I should really Brendanaquitz hoping for a return.

As for the folks who are starting to waiver on the show's quality, I don't know what to say other than I feel sorry for you? I'm just not seeing it. When The Office started to go, it went down big.
February 8, 2013 at 3:26AM EST Reply to Comment
- Hank Scorpio Can we get a Sewage Joe spinoff? What would it be called?
  February 8, 2013 at 11:49AM EST
- Tammy I don't know why you would think that. This season has made it very clear that Mark Brendanawicz never existed.
  February 8, 2013 at 1:06PM EST
- Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich love this post. however, I disagree with the drop in quality. but as you say it has a long way to go to drop to late-Office levels....also, I'm totally stealing Brandanaquitz so thank you very much for that....my Sewage Joe suggestions:
  
  Sewage in the City/The Sewage Diaries
  Scent of the Joe Man
  Sad Men
  Peanut Butter and Smelly (buddy cop show)
  The Dirt Knight Rises
  Pretty in Stink
  Joe Knows
  Do No Harm (it'll be out use in a week)
  February 8, 2013 at 3:30PM EST
- Cracked TOilet I didn't come up with Brendanaquitz...that's a Knope'ism from Season 2!
  
  As for a Sewage Joe spin-off"
  
  "Drain Pipes"
  
  ^^^^Gold.
  February 8, 2013 at 8:31PM EST
gsmith140

I totally don't get all the negative reaction to this episode. I love this show, but I also know that it has episodes that are just a little "blah". I don't feel like this was one of them. I laughed much more than average at this one. Yeah, the storylines may have predictable endings but they're always executed well. I just love these characters. The food poisoning scene seems to be pretty divisive, but I come down squarely on the "hilarious" side.
February 8, 2013 at 8:54AM EST Reply to Comment
- Mike For me its Alan is incapable of harshly criticizing this show. I think he has a close relationship with Mike Schur and as a result, has a hard time coming down on P&R. I feel like this has easily been the least funny season of P&R since season 1 yet pretty much every review is glowing.
  February 8, 2013 at 9:27AM EST
- gsmith140 I think that's a little unfair. I remember him pointing out when things don't work. I think he's done that this season. I think this season has been a little uneven but it has had some great moments, and it's nowhere near the dropoff the Office has experienced. I still think it's the best comedy on TV. I'm sure when Alan will harshly criticize the show when he feels its done something worthy of harsh criticism. It's entirely possible that he feels that hasn't happened yet, like many of us.
  February 8, 2013 at 9:41AM EST
- Mike Not hidden, just that you and Schur get along (you do) and you'd prefer not to harshly criticize it (you dont). If you don't believe you do that, then that is great. I just believe this season has been the first that my opinion did not line up with yours.
  February 8, 2013 at 9:51AM EST
- John Methinks the conspiracy goes all the way to the top.
  February 8, 2013 at 9:54AM EST
- sepinwall You just said the magic word, Mike: opinion.
  
  I enjoyed this episode. I've watched the food poisoning scenes five times already, and laughed every time. I liked Andy's reaction to April in Leslie's clothes, the emotional struggle between Howard and the Douche, etc.
  
  You did not. That's fine. But the reason our opinions differ doesn't have to come down to some conspiracy theory or underhanded motivation. As I say every time someone assumes my opinion is in some way colored by my like or dislike of a particular creative team, that never has anything to do with it. Steve Levitan is one of the nicest guys I know in the TV business, and I rarely enjoy anything about Modern Family anymore, while I write glowingly of series where the creator and I do not in any way get along.
  
  The show is the show. My opinion is my opinion. When I don't like something, I don't hold back on saying that to avoid hurting someone's feelings. I say it. If the opinion gets influenced by relationships, there's no point to doing this.
  February 8, 2013 at 9:58AM EST
- Hank Scorpio You disagree with Alan and call it a conspiracy? Nobody loves Community more than Alan, he even appeared as an extra in an episode, and yet he has always been critical of Community episodes that miss the mark. Can't believe anybody would think he is conspiring by just calling this episode funny, which it is.
  February 8, 2013 at 12:04PM EST
- guest Looks like there's another douche in the house...
  February 9, 2013 at 1:14AM EST
- Natalie Alan, thank you for saying that about Modern Family. I am so saddened by what it's become. It's first (and most of its second) season were hilarious, now it is so rote, and filled with caricature, and predictable, and I rarely if ever laugh. I still watch, usually way late after all my other faves have been exhausted and there's nothing else on, because I keep hoping they right the ship. As for Parks, at first I thought this was not one of the better episodes, even though I laughed out loud at the food poisoning and a couple other times.... but I just rewatched it and it's great. It's easily the best comedy on TV and I am praying for renewal. Do you have any intelligence on the future of Happy Endings? That show kills me....
  February 10, 2013 at 8:14PM EST
kd bart

Fleetwood Mac Sex Pants. For when you need to lay down in the tall grass and do your stuff.
February 8, 2013 at 9:27AM EST Reply to Comment
S

The food poisoning scene was a bit too broad for me and seemed more of a rehash of the flu episode. Also why would they come to work if the had food poisoning?

Although I enjoyed the episode it was still kinda blah to me. Ann just isn't an interesting enough character to build a "I want a baby" storyline around a la Liz Lemon even if it was just a one off thing. And the resolution just seemed like an excuse to get Amy Poehler into a pool of Jell-O.

There were still plenty of things I liked about the episode: April/Andy are still gold and it was nice to see April grow up somemore but by being herself and not by being Leslie; Ben's continued support of his beloved calzone; and the Douche's dual persona.
February 8, 2013 at 11:13AM EST Reply to Comment
- Dezbot I think they came to work for different, but somewhat related, reasons. Chris prides himself on his health, so of course he has to prove that he's still healthy enough to go to work, Ron is a man's man and nothing defeats him (except the Tammys--well, until Diane showed up), and Ben needed to find out if he was just sick or if they all had it (probably hoping it was simply the flu and not that he made everyone sick).
  February 8, 2013 at 5:26PM EST
- Guest I was thinking the same thing, about why they would be at work with severe food poisoning... Dezbot, your explanations are farfetched. You wouldn't leave your bathroom if you were that sick. I hate when I'm taken out of a scene b/c something's that implausible. That's part of the reason it wasn't so funny for me.
  February 9, 2013 at 1:18AM EST
- Dezbot Yes, because Parks & Rec is always so realistic all the time ;-p Seriously, these are fictional characters doing fictional things. You wouldn't leave your bathroom if you had food poisoning, but they would and they did.
  February 9, 2013 at 8:59PM EST
TC

My favorite part of Leslie's ticket stub from a 1995 Fleetwood Mac show is that neither Lindsey Buckingham nor Stevie Nicks was in the band at that time - of course she would see the worst possible version of that band.
February 8, 2013 at 11:21AM EST Reply to Comment
- Mouserat And that she would wear a pants suit like that to a Fleetwood Mac concert.
  February 8, 2013 at 6:22PM EST
- Reg Makes sense, too, because the 1995 version of Fleetwood Mac played very small venues that summer (amusement parks, etc.) - a tour stop in a place like Pawnee would have made perfect sense! :)
  
  February 8, 2013 at 7:16PM EST
Jeff

There seems to be a mistake. You brought me food that my food eats.

Absolutely lost it when Ron said that.
February 8, 2013 at 11:40AM EST Reply to Comment
Robin

It says a lot that just reading the comments where people are referencing the food poisoning scene makes me giggle to the point of crying. That might have been the best physical comedy the show has ever done.

On a character note, does anyone else think that April might be getting a bit tired of Andy's childishness? I thought I saw a lot of frustration from her directed at him.
February 8, 2013 at 11:46AM EST Reply to Comment
- Dezbot We've been seeing a lot more of that from April, but it always seems to resolve with her loving him just as much as always because of one simple gesture he does that shows he's a lot more aware than he's given credit for :-)
  February 8, 2013 at 5:27PM EST
snowlarbear

just to be clear, those were fruit rollups wrapped around andy's fingers during the second meeting right?

also i liked the calzone callback for the food poisoning and ben's description of a savory snack with tomato sauce in it.
February 8, 2013 at 12:19PM EST Reply to Comment
gco211

One thing I distinctly disliked was Leslie going to the Douche and revealing Anne's plan. That just did not feel like something Leslie would do. While I get that she immediately regretted it, that part just rang false and was inserted for plot convenience.
February 8, 2013 at 1:23PM EST Reply to Comment
Marie

I thought it was only okay. I was waiting for Mark Brendanawicz to show up as one of Ann's possibilities and was surprised that she didn't even consider him. Maybe Paul Schneider couldn't take on the guest role, but if that is the case then Ann could have still somewhat addressed Mark's ineligibility to show that she at least thought about him as a donor.
February 8, 2013 at 2:43PM EST Reply to Comment
- Cracked Toilet I thought she would have bumped into him unexpectedly and *then* realized he would make a good donor. Someday he'll be back...Some. Day.
  February 8, 2013 at 8:33PM EST
bjssp

Am I crazy, or was that Will Arnett in the skydiving video with Ann?
February 8, 2013 at 5:08PM EST Reply to Comment
- Mgl Totally was him!!
  February 9, 2013 at 12:53AM EST
- Emma That's what I thought too!
  February 9, 2013 at 1:19AM EST
Dezbot

I thought this was one of the funniest eps of the season. Everything about the food poisoning plot had me rolling, and I enjoyed the other plots as well (especially the Douche asking where the library is).

I do hope Leslie talks Ann out of having a baby now, though. I don't really think she's ready. She wound up losing her medical kit to Diane's kids, after all!
February 8, 2013 at 5:29PM EST Reply to Comment
- Dezbot I mean, I don't think she's really ready. Ack.
  February 8, 2013 at 5:30PM EST
- amg That is true--it does seem a bit inconsistent for her to want kids after just a few eps ago seemingly incapable with and frazzled by them. Had they not had her be like that in that episode (which was funny at the time) this would otherwise make perfect sense.
  
  Completely agree on the first part though; each of the 3 subplots was fantastic. Loved the pants suits and Andy's "idea" of "fleetwood mac sex pants--or just fleetwood mac" as a band name. I didn't even notice the fruit rollup fingers someone else pointed out. This will be a great re-watch ep.
  
  February 8, 2013 at 11:12PM EST

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Review: 'Parks and Recreation' - 'Ann's Decision': In the belly of the Douche

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Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

TheOneWhoKnocks Thought it was an okay episode. Liked when they were judging the food. Didn't like the food poisoning scene. They spent too much time on an Ann story, which is usually a waste of time.

Stan Oddly enough, contrary to Alan, I thought Community was funny and P&R was the show that was flat tonight. The Ann story wasn't interesting, most of the storylines were predictable, and I didn't really get invested in the food poisoning stuff.

gsmith140 Yeah, the Office is definitely more interesting- if you enjoy watching train wrecks.

Hank Scorpio Note that I said more interesting, not funnier. Agree that The Office lost the plot many years ago

debbie April coming into her own, maturing, taking an actual interest in her work is my favorite of the recent charater arcs.

Ansley they have done a fantastic job with April this year. very satisfying character development. I agree about the food poisening physical comedy...gold! also just happy Ann has a storyline. Parks is the best part of the week!

Jeff G I also thought the food poisoning scene was one of the funnier things they've done. It takes a lot for a show to make me double over in laughter and that did it. Well done.

Cy Totally in agreement. Adam Scott, especially, had me howling with laughter!

nic919 Having lived through food poisoning fairly recently, I really loved those scenes because they were pretty close to how you feel.

TR One of the best scenes ever.Ron willing himself to get up and storm across to the phone, only to have to slap it weakly to the ground was priceless.

goodhorse Totally agree with CY - Adam Scott's Ben has become one of my favourites of this show!

Gob's Frozen Pigeon I have never even warmed to Adam Scott until I saw him dial with his nose. Now I have a soft spot in my heart for him.

rachel loved this episode

HeavyRaines17 Excuse me, there seems to have been some mistake. You accidentally brought me the food my food eats.

Craig My favorite line of the night as well! I had to rewind because I was laughing so hard!

Mean Gene The idea that Ann Perkins (well, Rashida Jones) would have trouble finding men interested in her is ludicrous. Though, not as ludicrous as the idea that she dated Andy for years and dated Tom as well. OK, my brain hurts now.

S I think it's also more of a reflection of how crappy the talent pool in Pawnee is.I think what was even more ludicrous was when Chris (Rob Lowe) couldn't find a date.

Sebrof Also, they live in Pawnee, Indiana. I can't imagine there are a plethora of single guys who Ann would be overwhelmingly interested in.

Mike Alan will always like this show, regardless of the quality. Still my favorite show on TV but tonights was flat.

Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich YES, sort of, and YES.

rugman11 The second shot of the food poisoning scene, with Chris laying on the tabled washed out by a spotlight, deserves a cinematography Emmy. It was just beautiful.

goodhorse Absolutely - he looked like he'd died!

Greg My take on it was that we always laud Leslie for being awesome and perfect and amazing, but really, it's more that it's just Pawnee, and anyone can do that job.Or they were suggesting that April's way is as good/amazing as Leslie's way, which I think is more of a stretch.

ChampSkins Best part of the episode was everyone's key points on the different caterers on the whiteboard in the background. The first one Ron's response was "Bad Meat" and the second one was "No". Hahaha sometimes its the little things.

Ed Johnson-Ott Post a comment...

Ed Johnson-Ott I laughed out loud more tonight than I have in a long time. Great episode!

thejoshbaker All Chris Traeger sick everything.

dead souls Even allowing for the diminished quality of the fourth and fifth seasons of P&R, this episode was a total clunker.

jprichard I agree. P&R is one of my five favorite TV comedies of all time, but when it falls flat, as this episode did, it falls completely flat. I couldn't wait for it to be over, and that has never happened.

ghoti I can't imagine ever wanting this show to be over.

Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich I like this show and love Community, my GF is the opposite. Even she thought tonight's episode of Community was twice as good as this. But of course, she has no idea who Dan Harmon is so her judgement wasn't biased

Parker He wasn't turned on by the pantsuits - he was turned on by April, 'cause, honestly, she'd be hot naked.

Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich He was turned on by the pantsuits and I thought of that quote instantly. second favorite line of the night after the weed guy

lazy iggy I could have watched them be sick the entire time. And I will be really impressed if they follow through on Ann's plan when so many shows have the character fall in love just in time.

Hank Scorpio Disagree with everyone on the outrageously funny food poisoning scene - thought it was funny at first but diminishing returns after Ron's dented toilet bowl remark. Can this show please abandon the A-B-C story structure? Especially when B is weak and C contains one joke.

Michelle I agree completely about the A-B-C story structure. It's really been bugging me this season. That said, I loved this episode and was laughing so much during the food poisoning scene that I had to pause and rewind.

Gajic Haberford rule #6: Never eat any food with a sauce I have to dip myself. Drizzle it on for me. I'm not your maid.

jw2s yes! but it's not really the line... it's the delivery. Like much about this episode, it's far less interesting on paper, but when they do it, it can be greatness.

Jaxemer11 This is avtually the first episode in a long time that I found to be pretty meh. Maybe it is just that I don't really get into physical comedy that much.

Hank Scorpio Can we get a Sewage Joe spinoff? What would it be called?

Tammy I don't know why you would think that. This season has made it very clear that Mark Brendanawicz never existed.

Cracked TOilet I didn't come up with Brendanaquitz...that's a Knope'ism from Season 2! As for a Sewage Joe spin-off" "Drain Pipes" ^^^^Gold.

Mike For me its Alan is incapable of harshly criticizing this show. I think he has a close relationship with Mike Schur and as a result, has a hard time coming down on P&R. I feel like this has easily been the least funny season of P&R since season 1 yet pretty much every review is glowing.

Mike Not hidden, just that you and Schur get along (you do) and you'd prefer not to harshly criticize it (you dont). If you don't believe you do that, then that is great. I just believe this season has been the first that my opinion did not line up with yours.

John Methinks the conspiracy goes all the way to the top.

guest Looks like there's another douche in the house...

kd bart Fleetwood Mac Sex Pants. For when you need to lay down in the tall grass and do your stuff.

Dezbot Yes, because Parks & Rec is always so realistic all the time ;-p Seriously, these are fictional characters doing fictional things. You wouldn't leave your bathroom if you had food poisoning, but they would and they did.

TC My favorite part of Leslie's ticket stub from a 1995 Fleetwood Mac show is that neither Lindsey Buckingham nor Stevie Nicks was in the band at that time - of course she would see the worst possible version of that band.

Mouserat And that she would wear a pants suit like that to a Fleetwood Mac concert.

Reg Makes sense, too, because the 1995 version of Fleetwood Mac played very small venues that summer (amusement parks, etc.) - a tour stop in a place like Pawnee would have made perfect sense! :)

Jeff There seems to be a mistake. You brought me food that my food eats. Absolutely lost it when Ron said that.

Dezbot We've been seeing a lot more of that from April, but it always seems to resolve with her loving him just as much as always because of one simple gesture he does that shows he's a lot more aware than he's given credit for :-)

snowlarbear just to be clear, those were fruit rollups wrapped around andy's fingers during the second meeting right?also i liked the calzone callback for the food poisoning and ben's description of a savory snack with tomato sauce in it.

gco211 One thing I distinctly disliked was Leslie going to the Douche and revealing Anne's plan. That just did not feel like something Leslie would do. While I get that she immediately regretted it, that part just rang false and was inserted for plot convenience.

Cracked Toilet I thought she would have bumped into him unexpectedly and *then* realized he would make a good donor. Someday he'll be back...Some. Day.

bjssp Am I crazy, or was that Will Arnett in the skydiving video with Ann?

Mgl Totally was him!!

Emma That's what I thought too!

Dezbot I mean, I don't think she's really ready. Ack.

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Parks and Recreation is updated

TheOneWhoKnocks

Thought it was an okay episode. Liked when they were judging the food. Didn't like the food poisoning scene.
They spent too much time on an Ann story, which is usually a waste of time.

Stan

Oddly enough, contrary to Alan, I thought Community was funny and P&R was the show that was flat tonight. The Ann story wasn't interesting, most of the storylines were predictable, and I didn't really get invested in the food poisoning stuff.

debbie

April coming into her own, maturing, taking an actual interest in her work is my favorite of the recent charater arcs.

Jeff G

I also thought the food poisoning scene was one of the funnier things they've done. It takes a lot for a show to make me double over in laughter and that did it. Well done.

TR One of the best scenes ever.

Ron willing himself to get up and storm across to the phone, only to have to slap it weakly to the ground was priceless.

rachel

loved this episode

HeavyRaines17

Excuse me, there seems to have been some mistake. You accidentally brought me the food my food eats.

Mean Gene

The idea that Ann Perkins (well, Rashida Jones) would have trouble finding men interested in her is ludicrous. Though, not as ludicrous as the idea that she dated Andy for years and dated Tom as well. OK, my brain hurts now.

S I think it's also more of a reflection of how crappy the talent pool in Pawnee is.

I think what was even more ludicrous was when Chris (Rob Lowe) couldn't find a date.

Mike

Alan will always like this show, regardless of the quality. Still my favorite show on TV but tonights was flat.

rugman11

The second shot of the food poisoning scene, with Chris laying on the tabled washed out by a spotlight, deserves a cinematography Emmy. It was just beautiful.

Greg

My take on it was that we always laud Leslie for being awesome and perfect and amazing, but really, it's more that it's just Pawnee, and anyone can do that job.

Or they were suggesting that April's way is as good/amazing as Leslie's way, which I think is more of a stretch.

ChampSkins

Best part of the episode was everyone's key points on the different caterers on the whiteboard in the background. The first one Ron's response was "Bad Meat" and the second one was "No". Hahaha sometimes its the little things.

thejoshbaker

All Chris Traeger sick everything.

dead souls

Even allowing for the diminished quality of the fourth and fifth seasons of P&R, this episode was a total clunker.

lazy iggy

I could have watched them be sick the entire time.

And I will be really impressed if they follow through on Ann's plan when so many shows have the character fall in love just in time.

Hank Scorpio

Disagree with everyone on the outrageously funny food poisoning scene - thought it was funny at first but diminishing returns after Ron's dented toilet bowl remark.

Can this show please abandon the A-B-C story structure? Especially when B is weak and C contains one joke.

Gajic

Haberford rule #6: Never eat any food with a sauce I have to dip myself. Drizzle it on for me. I'm not your maid.

Jaxemer11

This is avtually the first episode in a long time that I found to be pretty meh. Maybe it is just that I don't really get into physical comedy that much.

Cracked TOilet I didn't come up with Brendanaquitz...that's a Knope'ism from Season 2!

As for a Sewage Joe spin-off"

"Drain Pipes"

^^^^Gold.

kd bart

Fleetwood Mac Sex Pants. For when you need to lay down in the tall grass and do your stuff.

TC

My favorite part of Leslie's ticket stub from a 1995 Fleetwood Mac show is that neither Lindsey Buckingham nor Stevie Nicks was in the band at that time - of course she would see the worst possible version of that band.

Jeff

There seems to be a mistake. You brought me food that my food eats.

Absolutely lost it when Ron said that.

snowlarbear

just to be clear, those were fruit rollups wrapped around andy's fingers during the second meeting right?

also i liked the calzone callback for the food poisoning and ben's description of a savory snack with tomato sauce in it.

gco211

One thing I distinctly disliked was Leslie going to the Douche and revealing Anne's plan. That just did not feel like something Leslie would do. While I get that she immediately regretted it, that part just rang false and was inserted for plot convenience.

Cracked Toilet I thought she would have bumped into him unexpectedly and then realized he would make a good donor. Someday he'll be back...Some. Day.

bjssp

Am I crazy, or was that Will Arnett in the skydiving video with Ann?

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