Apparently this show is all I want to talk about now
I seriously love "let's all get drunk together" episodes of TV shows.
So, this was a darling and hilarious episode. I love that they paired these two episodes together: quite apart from the night's theme being "relationships are strained internally and then made stronger", it was nice to have this goofy fun before the stress that would be "Road Trip".
As I mentioned, I always love episodes where everyone gets drunk together and some people are inappropriately friendly, others get in stupid fights that are a lot less stressful than sober ones, and some people are just absolutely hilarious. It's all the fun of getting drunk with your friends, minus the consequences. Also, when done properly, they're freaking HILARIOUS. April was my absolute favorite part of this episode - dahling, you were simply mahvelous - apart from that 15-second clip of Ron dancing wildly, grinning, wearing April's hat. (Ron's not my favorite character on this show - that would be Leslie, of course - but I think he's the funniest. My favorite line of the night might have been his conversation with Jean Ralphio: "Swansong, how you livin'?" "Yes." HAHAHAHA.)
The producer's cut of this episode is up on Hulu, and it's worth watching: the episode alone is worth a rewatch, but there are a few nice little additional scenes, like one between Andy and Ben that made me laugh. (Andy is SO DUMB. He's awfully sweet and kind of adorable with that sweetness, but how did he get with both Ann and April? They're both so much smarter than him.)
The other thing I loved about this episode, though, was the aftermath. Everyone felt it so strongly, and the reparations they were so eager to make are a perfect example of what petalsinthewind said: this is a show about people's good qualities. Leslie's regret and sorrow were especially poignant: that scene in the interview room where she just tells Ben, "I'm sad," wrenched my heart. Excellently played, Amy Poehler.
And, for the plot advancement portion of the evening:
Can I just say how pleased I am that this show actually used this awkward situation to real effect? So often, there's this huge contrived scenario which seems like it COULD lead to romantic plot developments, but instead they just leave it to stand alone, like the idea's enough. I'm thrilled that they actually used it here. (And, let's be honest, I'm only going to talk about Leslie and Ben here. Ron's storyline with the little girl was bizarrely heartwarming, and I'm glad that April and Andy are doing so well together, and Donna is consistently hilarious and awesome. But Ben and Leslie are the only couple currently on TV that can get me all giddy and giggly, and this was both a huge and an awesome episode for them, so that's all I can think about. Basically I'm just gushing here so I don't wind up blathering on to strangers!)
The premise was pretty contrived - sometimes it seems like the point of Chris is to set up plotlines, but he's funny enough and Rob Lowe's great enough that he's also pulling his own weight as a character - but also made sense. OF COURSE if you need to convince someone of something you're going to send Leslie and Ben! The fact that it was actually related to the Parks Department was incidental: who better for this job under any circumstances?
The car ride was sublime. From the actual physical discomfort I was feeling watching the two of them talk (and watching Leslie try to avoid temptation), to the easy intimacy so swiftly achieved when they're not actively trying to be awkward, to Leslie's amazing, "Get away from me! I'm allergic to fingers," it was exactly what I want a road trip episode to be, and it was so perfectly them. I also loved how that one Al Green song that Ann slipped in was actually a huge influence on their mood, and how it so sharply delineated changes.
Also great: how pained Ben looked for basically the entire thing. He had no idea what Leslie was trying to do or why; he just likes spending time with her and had probably been hoping for a fun trip, but here she is being crazy. He looked so sad and confused! "It's not just me, right?" Aw.
God, they're adorable. They're just so sweet together, so easy and comfortable, and I love that. Hee, each time on the couch when they relaxed and got just that much closer together - so cute. It's so clear that this is their natural state with each other. (Also, Ben, that shade of blue is unexpectedly great on you. Wear that sometimes.)
I do have one question, though: why was Chris in the car with them on the way back? Did he take a train/bus, did he leave his car in Indianapolis? I don't get it.
BUT! More importantly! Final scene! So much love! I keep watching it over and over. I love how it happened: I love the face-grabbing thing (see also: Luke and Lorelai), and how unexpected it was, and how when it finally happened Leslie was totally at ease, and that it was Ben who finally took control of something. And it had to be him: Leslie had fought it out with herself before and finally convinced herself to break the rules only to have it reinforced in her mind that it wasn't possible. She wasn't going to give in like that again. It had to be Ben to finally cross that line, because if he didn't, nothing was going to change. So, good for him. Good for them! I'm so glad this wasn't the finale, because I can't wait to see where they go with this.
So, this was a darling and hilarious episode. I love that they paired these two episodes together: quite apart from the night's theme being "relationships are strained internally and then made stronger", it was nice to have this goofy fun before the stress that would be "Road Trip".
As I mentioned, I always love episodes where everyone gets drunk together and some people are inappropriately friendly, others get in stupid fights that are a lot less stressful than sober ones, and some people are just absolutely hilarious. It's all the fun of getting drunk with your friends, minus the consequences. Also, when done properly, they're freaking HILARIOUS. April was my absolute favorite part of this episode - dahling, you were simply mahvelous - apart from that 15-second clip of Ron dancing wildly, grinning, wearing April's hat. (Ron's not my favorite character on this show - that would be Leslie, of course - but I think he's the funniest. My favorite line of the night might have been his conversation with Jean Ralphio: "Swansong, how you livin'?" "Yes." HAHAHAHA.)
The producer's cut of this episode is up on Hulu, and it's worth watching: the episode alone is worth a rewatch, but there are a few nice little additional scenes, like one between Andy and Ben that made me laugh. (Andy is SO DUMB. He's awfully sweet and kind of adorable with that sweetness, but how did he get with both Ann and April? They're both so much smarter than him.)
The other thing I loved about this episode, though, was the aftermath. Everyone felt it so strongly, and the reparations they were so eager to make are a perfect example of what petalsinthewind said: this is a show about people's good qualities. Leslie's regret and sorrow were especially poignant: that scene in the interview room where she just tells Ben, "I'm sad," wrenched my heart. Excellently played, Amy Poehler.
And, for the plot advancement portion of the evening:
Can I just say how pleased I am that this show actually used this awkward situation to real effect? So often, there's this huge contrived scenario which seems like it COULD lead to romantic plot developments, but instead they just leave it to stand alone, like the idea's enough. I'm thrilled that they actually used it here. (And, let's be honest, I'm only going to talk about Leslie and Ben here. Ron's storyline with the little girl was bizarrely heartwarming, and I'm glad that April and Andy are doing so well together, and Donna is consistently hilarious and awesome. But Ben and Leslie are the only couple currently on TV that can get me all giddy and giggly, and this was both a huge and an awesome episode for them, so that's all I can think about. Basically I'm just gushing here so I don't wind up blathering on to strangers!)
The premise was pretty contrived - sometimes it seems like the point of Chris is to set up plotlines, but he's funny enough and Rob Lowe's great enough that he's also pulling his own weight as a character - but also made sense. OF COURSE if you need to convince someone of something you're going to send Leslie and Ben! The fact that it was actually related to the Parks Department was incidental: who better for this job under any circumstances?
The car ride was sublime. From the actual physical discomfort I was feeling watching the two of them talk (and watching Leslie try to avoid temptation), to the easy intimacy so swiftly achieved when they're not actively trying to be awkward, to Leslie's amazing, "Get away from me! I'm allergic to fingers," it was exactly what I want a road trip episode to be, and it was so perfectly them. I also loved how that one Al Green song that Ann slipped in was actually a huge influence on their mood, and how it so sharply delineated changes.
Also great: how pained Ben looked for basically the entire thing. He had no idea what Leslie was trying to do or why; he just likes spending time with her and had probably been hoping for a fun trip, but here she is being crazy. He looked so sad and confused! "It's not just me, right?" Aw.
God, they're adorable. They're just so sweet together, so easy and comfortable, and I love that. Hee, each time on the couch when they relaxed and got just that much closer together - so cute. It's so clear that this is their natural state with each other. (Also, Ben, that shade of blue is unexpectedly great on you. Wear that sometimes.)
I do have one question, though: why was Chris in the car with them on the way back? Did he take a train/bus, did he leave his car in Indianapolis? I don't get it.
BUT! More importantly! Final scene! So much love! I keep watching it over and over. I love how it happened: I love the face-grabbing thing (see also: Luke and Lorelai), and how unexpected it was, and how when it finally happened Leslie was totally at ease, and that it was Ben who finally took control of something. And it had to be him: Leslie had fought it out with herself before and finally convinced herself to break the rules only to have it reinforced in her mind that it wasn't possible. She wasn't going to give in like that again. It had to be Ben to finally cross that line, because if he didn't, nothing was going to change. So, good for him. Good for them! I'm so glad this wasn't the finale, because I can't wait to see where they go with this.