S07.E01: 2017 / S07.E02: Ron & Jammy

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ron and Councilman Jamm become friends. Meanwhile April and Andy try to conceive a child.

 

Clips:

http://youtu.be/wSH5BGQGy98

 

http://youtu.be/jS4jQL5Cdoo

 

http://youtu.be/o4j9fVBhDcg

[Dev F]

So between April and Andy moving into the warehouse district and April searching for her dream job, am I the only one who suspects that they're setting things up for her to take Dexhart's city council seat?

 

Also, if Leslie's goal is simply to prevent the rezoning of the Newport land for commercial use, isn't the two-to-two deadlock on the issue actually a total win for her side? Not sure why the episode played it as a draw.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Dev F

[Michele]

So between April and Andy moving into the warehouse district and April searching for her dream job, am I the only one who suspects that they're setting things up for her to take Dexhart's city council seat?

I'm actually dreading that they're setting her up to be pregnant and I really want that to not be the case. I much prefer your take on it.

[heebiejeebie]

Decent.

 

Two things  Not sure why Amy figured future Leslie would do coke.  I kept wondering why everyone was shouting.  Particularly her.

 

And who did her makeup?  It looked like she was sleeping on Tammy Faye Baker's pillows.

 

The only set up that looks interesting is Tom hiring his crush and Andy being involved to win her.  Romance and its pitfalls are the one thing this show does best, imo.

 

Will it be a thing that we never see the kids?

[stopeslite]

I love this show so much that I fear I can't be critical, no matter what. I loved that Leslie and Ron are fighting. I loved Jam, for the first time ever. I loved Leslie's impersonation of Tammy. I loved that they didn't cut to Tom winking at the camera and being coy about tricking Ben into not being mad at him with the speech he meant to give, and that it was played as real emotion on his part. I can't be mad at this show. I hope it doesn't disappoint me.

[opus]

Plus, the Cubs won the World Series.

[Kanner]

After season 1 or after Andy and Ann broke up, Andy has held a special place in my heart. I felt he was super awesome tonight. I loved everything he did and said in Chicago.

[pennben]

That was an inauspicious start.....still hoping for the best.

[HoodlumSheep]

Liked the first episode more than the second. "Morningstar" has me intrigued. hopefully we see the haunted house again. Andy and April could turn it into some sort of tourist trap destination.

Also, didn't April want to do stuff with animals? Did she drop that idea?

Love how Terry plays a mailman named barry on andy's show.

I love how the phone technology is like something straight out of Iron Man. You can tell the show is just having fun dealing with all the future stuff, like the technology or the Cubs prediction.

[ivgotspirit02]

Plus, the Cubs won the World Series.

As a huge White Sox fan, this was the only part of the episodes I was not thrilled with! Luckily, I know it won't come true.

Missed this show so much! Jamm was even tolerable. Loved that Donna was engaged to Joe and I'm intrigued with the Leslie/Ron rivalry.

I know it's for the best that they go out on a high note but I'm so sad it's the last season!

[thuganomics85]

First time watching the series live.  Better late then never, I guess.  I thought it was a fun return.  The idea of Leslie and Ron being pit against each other is interesting, and I'm curious to see how it plays out, since Leslie is the lead, but I feel like the show probably won't have Ron just flat-out lose.  I did feel bad for Ben, that they ruined his evening with their fight (then again, Tom pretty much screwed all that up with his speech.)  I noticed there really wasn't any fall-out; I guess at this point, Ben is use to it.

 

Also curious about where they are going with Andy and April being afraid they are becoming boring and, in general, April not being happy with her work life.  I hope they don't go the baby route, because that would be too obvious.  I still get a kick out of them.  Glad to see becoming a big damn movie star hasn't changed Chris Pratt: he's still giving everything 100 percent.

 

Glad that Lucy has returned, since I love Natalie Morales, but it would be a bit too obvious to have her be the endgame for Tom.

 

I see Tammy 2 hasn't gotten any saner.  Actually made me feel bad for Councilman Jamm.

 

I liked how they handled the future stuff.  Not too over-the-top, but enough of it to get a sense what has change, and a few amusing bits.  Chuckled over their being a Hitch 2 (I wonder if Will Smith starred again, or he made them cast Jaden), and a Bourne reboot with Kevin James.

 

I continue to marvel at how great Adam Scott's reaction shots are.  Some of my biggest laughs are still just moments when Ben looks at the camera with befuddlement.

[VCRTracking]

Awesome premiere!

 

Loved:

 

NINJA ATTACK!

 

Another Jon Hamm cameo.

 

April in the red gown. (Wow!)

 

Werner Herzog!

 

Ben and Tom hugging and crying.

 

Joan Callamezzo thinking she's Batman.

 

I actually felt sorry for Jamm.

 

Andy helping Tom find a girl.

 

Leslie(Amy's) incredible Tammy(Megan Mullally) impression.

 

One last thing..What is MORNING STAR?!!

Edited January 14, 2015 by VCRTracking

[scrambled eggs]

I hope we find out the triplets' names and that they aren't just referred to as a group. But now I'm equally intrigued by Morningstar--what exactly happened 2 years ago?

 

I thought this was a really great start to the season, but I hope Leslie and Ron mend fences soon because there were too many scenes of them, and I want her interacting with more of the cast. 

[King of Birds]

Joan Callamezzo thinking she's Batman.

Leslie(Amy's) incredible Tammy(Megan Mullally) impression.

One last thing..What is MORNING STAR?!!

Joan Callamezzo = perfection.

"Thank you Commissioner Gordon. People of Gotham..." 

"And on a separate note, I think that America should have a Purge Night. Let me explain why..."

 

Ben  "Do you remember what Joan said at the ceremony?"

April  "That it doesn't count as stripping, if no one pays you?"

 

April  "I'm just gonna go live under a bridge, and ask people riddles before they cross."

 

Leslie as Tammy "Hey you big hunk of wiener meat, I got 40 hand towels, some energy bars and a Chinese finger trap. Let's get gross!"

 

I know that MorningStar Farms makes veggie burgers and sausage and food. That would be repulsive to Ron and "healthy" to Leslie...

[VCRTracking]

I also love that in 2017 the Jason Bourne movies have become comedies starring Kevin James.

[jacksgirl]

Loved these 2 epis, Welcome Back, Parks and Rec- my old friend. Loved Leslie and Ron putting aside their differences to help Jam. Loved how Jam and Ron were dressed the same.  Loved Tammy 2. Predict that it will take April all short season (sob), but she will find her path and it will NOT be as a mom. Loved Joan, but need me some Perd Hapley.

 

ETA- What is Morning Star???  Color me intrigued.

 

Edited January 14, 2015 by jacksgirl

[stopeslite]

I kind of hope they don't explain Morning Star - it would be funny to have some major backstory that they don't fully explain. A make-up scene between them that obliquely references "and about morning star..." "No, it's ok, the raccoon bites have long healed over" or something like that would be great.

[swimmyfish]

Also, didn't April want to do stuff with animals? Did she drop that idea?

 

 

She dropped it a couple of seasons ago, because it would take too long and she'd be away from Andy and Champion. I wasn't wild about that at the time, but, in retrospect, and along with the mortuary stuff from tonight, it does kind of fit with her character that she wouldn't want to make too much of an effort for anything, really.

 

Werner Herzog!

 

Werner Herzog was the previous owner of the haunted house? That's awesomely random.

 

Two things were hinted about the past 3 years in this episode that have me worried:

1. That Newport woman was introduced as the "sole heir to the Newport fortune." Is Bobby Newport dead? Or maybe he was just disowned? I'm a little concerned about Bobby Newport, is what I'm saying, even though I know Paul Rudd will be making an appearance this season. I hope it's not via hologram, a la Lil Sebastian.
2. Ron's emergency pack in case he fell into Tammy 2's clutches again - granted, they never said when he put said pack together, but does this mean he's no longer married to Xena? He better still be married to Xena. I will not accept Ron Swanson no longer being married to Xena.

[MelsW]

Things I loved:

• Amy Poehler’s Megan Mullally impression was insanely good.
• All things Joan Callamezzo. I just wish we saw Perd too.
• I usually can only deal with small doses of Jam but I thought they used the character well in this episode. I love that he looked like Ron- the hair, the mustache.

 

Questions I have:

• Where was Champion?
• Where was Bobby Newport? Isn’t he a Sweetums heir as well?
• Will we ever find out what “morning star” refers to?

[peeayebee]

Something didn't feel quite right about this ep, yet there was a lot that was funny and interesting. Maybe it's just that it's in the future.

 

Anyway, I agree with much of what was said already. Leslie's Tammy 2 impression was outstanding. Jamm was actually entertaining. Werner Herzog -- WERNER HERZOG! -- was a delightful surprise. Tom and Ben crying together was pretty great. Joan… of course Joan is now a complete whack job. 

 

I forgot about Perd. Can't wait to see him.

 

Jon Hamm! I hope he continues to make mini-appearances. "If anyone wants to hang, I'll be at Subway."

 

Loved the cheery mortician. 

 

Ron really cracked me up when they were trying to help Jamm. "Let's run it again!" and "The crotch-blinder was inside you all along."

 

There's going to be a lot of weird, fun stuff in that haunted house.

[DavidJSnyder]

I wonder who is working at Pawnee own Parks Department now that we've seen everybody but maybe Craig has moved on to other things.  (And maybe Craig is full-time for Tom now that he's successful?)

[BoogieBurns]

I started watching this episode thinking it was a rerun. Since it has been 9 months since we saw a new episode, and I have marathoned all the seasons during the hiatus, I kept zoning out during the first few minutes. Plus, Tuesday at 7:00 pm isn't when this show normally airs, so it felt weird. Then I realized there was so much new information in the first 7 minutes, I re-wound and watched very closely.

 

Here's what I gathered:

 

Leslie and Ron are now enemies and are both trying to buy up some Sweetums land.

Ben is still city manager, and has fixed the Pawnee economy.

April and Jerry work for Leslie. April is an executive director, so she is likely Jerry's boss.

Andy has a kids show that is like PeeWee's playhouse mixed with Blue's Clues and Karate. Jerry plays a mailman.

Tom's restaurant is successful, and he has expanded the business. But Tom is still single.

April and Andy are buying a haunted house.

We know nothing about the triplets, really.

Donna is engaged to Joe and working (full-time?) in real estate.

Jam dated Tammy. They both can do better.

Joan has spiraled into April's role model.

 

What did I miss? It was crazy hard to keep up.

[peeayebee]

You got it right except that it's Terry, not Jerry. :)

[joanne3482]

Also curious about where they are going with Andy and April being afraid they are becoming boring and, in general, April not being happy with her work life.

 

Andy might be a great dad, but I wouldn't be surprised if April & Andy never have kids. April really doesn't like people that much. I think it would be good if the show went that route for them. She babysits for the triplets, that's probably enough for her. 

 

Ron's emergency pack in case he fell into Tammy 2's clutches again - granted, they never said when he put said pack together, but does this mean he's no longer married to Xena? He better still be married to Xena. I will not accept Ron Swanson no longer being married to Xena.

 

I could see Ron ALWAYS having that packed and ready to go. Tammy 2 is crafty. 

[Tara Ariano]

Also, didn't April want to do stuff with animals? Did she drop that idea?

 

 

Just like they do with all job ideas!

[SoothingDave]

I also love that in 2017 the Jason Bourne movies have become comedies starring Kevin James.

 

No one said it was a comedy.

[heebiejeebie]

Yeah I think that is what made it such a great bit.  It was simply called a re-boot I believe.

 

I re watched bits and did think the Tammy 2 imitation was one of the best bits of the show.  That and the address to the people of Gotham.

[Traveller519]

 

I love how the phone technology is like something straight out of Iron Man.

 

Except for Ron, who still has a late 90s cordless phone on his belt. He does have to monitor all the goings on at Very Good Building & Development.

[JellyFishQueen]

Give me your skin! I want that on a loop! ASAP!

 

Just curious- With Park and Rec ending this year, does NBC have any more comedies left to offer? I remember my line up was 30 Rock, Office, Community and Park and Rec. And now...nada :(

 

I feel so alone!

[godonlyknows]

I wasn't overly impressed by the episode. Never liked Jamm or Tammy but the main issue I had with it was that it was so slow - it definitely felt like a reboot and took way too much time showing off everyone's new situation. Also hated Leslie's attitude towards Ron. I don't know what's happened between them but she seemed even more ridiculously petty than last year. She just wound me up. At least Ron was calm and civil. And we all know the show will make them patch things up before the end. Just hoping they don't drag it out for the whole season.

 

I liked Ben trying to help April out and also liked the Tom/Andy pairing. And Jerry's on tv! (he'll always be Jerry to me). Also John Hamm.

[Primetimer]

An appreciation of pop culture's grossest librarian.

Read the story

[meep.meep]

That was spectacularly unfunny - approaching Season 1 levels of bad.

Werner Herzog and the return of Lucy were the only redeeming aspects.

[cassandle]

 

1. Ron's emergency pack in case he fell into Tammy 2's clutches again - granted, they never said when he put said pack together, but does this mean he's no longer married to Xena? He better still be married to Xena. I will not accept Ron Swanson no longer being married to Xena.

 

I was worried about this too but he's wearing a wedding ring so I'm assuming she's still in the picture.

[VCRTracking]

Another great line:

 

"That tuxedo makes you look like a sexy orchestra conductor. Here, wave this pen around."

[WInterfalls]

Oh Joan and Tammy 2. Never change, ladies. Never Change.

Also, I kind of like that we don't see the kids just mention them once or twice. This way we don't have to watch terrible child acting or waste time we don't really have in this short season on getting to know them.

[mspaul]

I assume Bobby Newport, Nick Newport, Jr., Dakota, Denver (and don't forget Shoelace!) were all written out of Nick Newport, Sr.'s will thanks to the machinations of his much younger beauty pageant gold-digging wife, Jessica Wicks. Perhaps Bobby Newport will come back after having won some sort of lawsuit, and give Leslie the land for the park. He did vote for her, after all.

[swimmyfish]

I was worried about this too but he's wearing a wedding ring so I'm assuming she's still in the picture.

 

Whew! Good eye. :-)

[JellyFishQueen]

I assume Bobby Newport, Nick Newport, Jr., Dakota, Denver (and don't forget Shoelace!) were all written out of Nick Newport, Sr.'s will thanks to the machinations of his much younger beauty pageant gold-digging wife, Jessica Wicks. Perhaps Bobby Newport will come back after having won some sort of lawsuit, and give Leslie the land for the park. He did vote for her, after all.

Mine=Blown!

 

Dude I feel like this should be label as a spoiler! XD

I was kinda bummed out that the gang were all falling apart. Leslie hates Ron!? Excuse me while I'll have a Vader moment, "NOOOOOOOO!" Also Leslie not keeping up with everyone? That is so not like our Miss.Knope. The reason why I loved Park and Rec they all loved each other. It wasn't like the Office when they were snapping and making mean jokes.

 

Also Tom speech reminded me of when Tom was to post to introduce Leslie at business function when she was running for office but instead made it about him. And only read the speach to her at the end in private. It was same exact thing he did to Ben? Not really new storyline?

Edited January 14, 2015 by JellyFishQueen

[heebiejeebie]

But i don't think Leslie hates Ron.  And I'm not just going by my gut but how Amy played those scenes. She hates where Ron's action have put them.  And I think the rage she kept expressing was because Ron put himself so far on the other side from her on the same issues that set the series off in the first place just on a much larger scale.  It is a park.  Yes there is the whole issue that I suspect will either be mentioned to death but never actually revealed in its fullest or be the onion of contention that gets peeled back a little bit each episode.

 

In either case, I don't believe or feel from what we saw last night that Leslie hates Ron for an instant.  They could surprise me have actually deep the divide and never heal it in any way but if I had to place a bet I'm guessing as the battle goes on we see Ron and Leslie once again the incredible friends they are with deeply opposing outlooks on life and business but working together for a true common cause (the park, not drying a stake through the heart of Jammy).

[Milburn Stone]

Is it just me, or did this show go seriously off the rails sometime last season? (From which it has never recovered.)

 

I don't want to harsh anybody's mellow, and I'm happy for everyone who still derives pleasure from it, but...am I alone in thinking this? I don't know how to articulate the difference, other than it seems to me like they fired all the good writers and hired a bunch of well-meaning, not completely unintelligent poseurs.

[Galileo908]

So goddamn good to see this back, but I'm also sad that there's only 11 episodes left.

 

 

Things I loved:

• Amy Poehler’s Megan Mullally impression was insanely good.
• All things Joan Callamezzo. I just wish we saw Perd too.
• I usually can only deal with small doses of Jam but I thought they used the character well in this episode. I love that he looked like Ron- the hair, the mustache.

 

Questions I have:

• Where was Champion?
• Where was Bobby Newport? Isn’t he a Sweetums heir as well?
• Will we ever find out what “morning star” refers to?

 

I agree with all of this. I actually felt bad for Jamm, even when Leslie finally got to slap him over and over again. Also: will we ever learn the names of Amy and Ben's kids?

 

Amy's Tammy impression was glorious. I laughed insanely at "let's get gross!"
 

As for Bobby Newport, I thought it was news that Paul Rudd was confirmed to return? He'll show up eventually. (I like MsPaul's theory)

 

Love how Terry plays a mailman named barry on andy's show.

 

I also love WHY Jerry/Larry now goes by Terry: Someone at National Parks was already named Larry, and when he told them that his real name was Gary, they said "eh, we don't care."

 

I don't know what's better: Werner Herzog as a realtor, Werner Herzog pretty much watching Andy & April going at it, or that Werner Herzog wanted to be closer to Disney World.

 

ETA: I'm shocked that with three kids, Ron hasn't seen Monster's Inc yet. He should, it's a great movie.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Galileo908

[opus]

Small victories. Ratings up: http://insidetv.ew.com/2015/01/14/parks-and-recreation-agent-carter-drops/

[jww]

I believe national parks can only be created by the President/Congress and the area has to be really special not just a small area of pretty trees.  How big is Pawnee?
I always assumed it was a one tv station town of  perhaps 25,000.  Now it is big enough to  have  a warehouse district  that April and  Andy have never been in? 
If the city council  has zoning  jurisdiction over the future park land that means the land would have to be in the city limits making it at least physical a very big city. 
Leslie is also guilty of cronyism and probably in violation of federal  civil service regulations in appointing her friends to high level executive positions they have little qualifications for and April continues her tradition of being  doing little to no actual work.

[CodeNameDuchess]

The final season is off to a really strange start, like Orin strange.  I don't like this Ron/Leslie feud one bit.  They've always managed to be respectful of one another despite their vast differences.  Yeah, they'll most likely reconcile by the end, but it bugs me nonetheless.

 

Joan was pure gold!  Wanting a bottle of Chateau Marmont, addressing the crowd like Batman, and trying to start a purge.  Loved it all.

[Janet Snakehole]

I liked episode 2 better. With the first one, I felt like I spent a lot of time keeping track of who was doing what, so I may have missed some jokes. It was almost like a quasi pilot. The second one felt more like it was the old Parks and Rec and I laughed more at it.

[peeayebee]

The final season is off to a really strange start, like Orin strange.  I don't like this Ron/Leslie feud one bit.  They've always managed to be respectful of one another despite their vast differences. 

I think that was the point in a way. "Morning Star" must have been horrendous to have driven them apart.

 

Did you all notice Councilman Milton with the completely black hair?  

 

I know stage-slaps can be very realistic looking, but I really thought Amy was slapping Jon Glaser.

 

I absolutely loved that Jamm finally uses Ron's line, "To hell with you, woman. Goodbye."

 

The name of the mortuary is Lerpiss. The video store was owned by a Lerpiss, too. 

[Brandi Maxxxx]

Is it just me, or did this show go seriously off the rails sometime last season? (From which it has never recovered.)

I thought season 5 was the weak season and season 6 was an improvement.

 

The name of the mortuary is Lerpiss. The video store was owned by a Lerpiss, too. 

That name's been appearing all over Pawnee for the last couple of seasons.

[VCRTracking]

Another great thing on rewatch is Ben being very uncomfortable at the mortuary. "Hi, I'm Ben, this is April, I'm scared of death."

[amensisterfriend]

Last night was tough for me---I watch primarily because I still find the show sweet and mood lifting despite not finding it clever and funny, so the group all scattered and Ron and Leslie at odds kind of took away the aspect of the show that works for me. And I hate the idea of April and Andy having kids---and not just because I hate April. I was also kind of distracted by just how much makeup was caked on the naturally gorgeous female characters! 

 

I thought season 5 was the weak season and season 6 was an improvement.

 

I have a really unpopular opinion about favorite seasons, so I'll take it to that thread---I hope you guys join me! 

[stopeslite]

Hypothesis: Bobby Newport got tired of everything and faked his own death sometime during the interim. He's been hiding out living in Werner Herzog's creepy house ever since. April and Andy will find him just in time for him to run in and hand the land to Leslie, either right before the deal with Gryzzl is signed, or right after before they leave the room. :)