Favorite and Least Favorite Episodes and Seasons

[amensisterfriend]

Which seasons and episodes have emerged as your very favorites---and why? Which ones rank at the bottom of your list? This is the place to chat about it! 

 

How would you rank the seasons 1-6...no ties allowed, of course :) 

 

And if you could keep just 5-10 episodes from the series, what would they be? 

[pawneerangers]

How would you rank the seasons 1-6...no ties allowed, of course :)

 

Season 4

Season 5

Season 3

Season 6

Season 2

Season 1 

 

 

 

And if you could keep just 5-10 episodes from the series, what would they be?

 

Can we pick 5-10 from each season instead? Even that will be hard. 

Edited January 16, 2015 by pawneerangers

[BoogieBurns]

Season 3

Season 2

Season 4 (tied with) Season 5

Season 1

Season 6

 

I could not live without The Fight, Fancy Party, Lil Sebastian, Rock Show, The Debate, Win Lose or Draw, Ben and Leslie, and Moving Up. Honestly, Master Plan and Citizen Knope need to be on there too.

 

Nothing is my least favorite because they all made my day better! (Except that one episode that had zero Ann, right before Rashida was gone forever. That made me sad.)

 

no ties allowed

 

Sorry, I broke your only rule.

Edited January 16, 2015 by BoogieBurns

[pawneerangers]

I'm breaking a rule too by picking four favorites from each season. 

 

Season 2 - Greg Pikitis, Hunting Trip, The Master Plan, Freddy Spaghetti

Season 3 - Flu Season, Time Capsule, Fancy Party, Jerry's Painting 

Season 4 - End of the World, The Treaty, Bus Tour, Win Lose or Draw 

Season 5 - Sex Education, Ben's Parents, Leslie and Ben, Article Two 

Season 6 - The Pawnee Eagleton Tip Off Classic, Galentine's Day, Prom,. Flu Season 2 

 

I looked through my DVDs and realized that I love the fourth and fifth seasons even more than I thought. 

[Janet Snakehole]

Season Ranking:

Season Three

Season Two

Season Four

Season Six

Season Five

Season One

Fave eps: The Fight, Pawnee Rangers, Moving Up, Fancy Party, and Master Plan.

[joanne3482]

Least Favorite Eps: Leslie's House, Sister City, Pawnee Rangers - the A story line but I LOVE Treat Yo Self and the whole B story line, The Treaty, Sweet Sixteen,

 

Favorite season is easily season 3.  Favorite epis: The Fight, Flu Season, Ron & Tammy: Part Two, Soulmates, I love the birthday story line in Eagleton, but not the main story,  Lucky, 

 

I NEED to see Leslie make a scavenger hunt for Ron before he series ends. 

[amensisterfriend]

but I LOVE Treat Yo Self

 

Treat Yo Self is kind of an example of how I don't connect with some of this show's best loved jokes. I thought the Treat Yo Self stuff was sweet and cute and a pretty awesome idea, but I don't think it was clever or funny. That sort of sums up my view of P&R in general, though, so I'm an oddball :) I also never liked The Fight as much as most, but that's less about P&R than it is about me just not liking 'drunk humor' much in general. 

 

 

 

Article Two

 

I actually really like this one too. Leslie offering a position on the historical society to the friendless and lonely guy obsessed with history was exactly what I like best about this show. 

 

Even as someone who hates April, I agree with the love for Fancy Party! 

 

Here's another question: who are the minor characters you enjoy most? I like seeing Joan Calamazzo, and seeing someone mention Sex Education reminded me that I love when Marsha Langdon (and now her husband Marshall) drop in as well. And Brandi Maxxx makes me smile. 

Edited January 16, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[Kip Hackman]

Season 3

Season 2

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 1

 

Favorites by season:

 

1 - Rock Show

2 - Pawnee Zoo, Practice Date, Greg Pikitis, Ron and Tammy, Telethon

3 - The Flu, Harvest Festival, Fancy Party, The Fight, Road Trip

4 - End Of The World, The Comeback Kid, Campaign Ad, The Debate, Win Lose or Draw

5 - Halloween Surprise, Two Parties, Leslie and Ben, Bailout, Animal Control

6 - Doppelgangers, Second Chunce, Farmers Market, Prom, Moving Up

[BoogieBurns]

I can't believe I left out Greg Pikitis and Halloween Surprise! It's too hard to narrow down.

 

I did not like Article Two. So, I only have 99 favorite episodes. 

[amensisterfriend]

I'm so curious about why you dislike Article Two! Feel free to share :) 

 

There are a lot of Parks episodes mentioned here that have some of my favorite scenes but which I couldn't pick as a favorite overall. Halloween Surprise, for example, has the amazing proposal (UO alert: I find Ben/Leslie's proposal even sweeter than their wedding vows), the cute celebratory dancing with Ann and Leslie, and the sweetness of Leslie trying hard to raise money for Jerry, who once again is the voice of wisdom by noting that none of us can truly plan for the future since we never know what's coming. The "fart attack" stuff, though, is so dopey and juvenile to me that I can't even watch those scenes. (As usual, my pattern with Parks is that I love the sweetness, the majority of the characters and the overall joy and find a lot of the humor kind of stupid and unfunny!) 

 

I'd ask you guys about 'sweetest moments', but there are too many to pick from in nearly every episode! 

[godonlyknows]

Ranking the seasons I'd probably go 2, 3, 4, 1, 5, 6, although really season 2 almost feels like an entirely different show with Mark and no Ben or Chris and Andy pinning after Ann and not being with April. It's quite odd re-watching it.

 

 

As usual, my pattern with Parks is that I love the sweetness, the majority of the characters and the overall joy and find a lot of the humor kind of stupid and unfunny!

 

I feel that way too. The show rarely makes me laugh out loud but there's usually a warm fuzzy feeling of them all banding together, supporting each other and helping them reach their goals. I think that's why I haven't enjoyed the most recent seasons as much; I now know Leslie will win no matter how infuriating she is and these days her successes seem to be due to her constantly badgering and irritating people and digging her heels in rather than being helped by people who know what a kind and wonderful person she is and have been helped by her in the past. I think at some point the show switched from focusing on friendships to relationships. I miss Ann and Leslie.

 

Getting back to the topic of favourite episodes, it's really difficult to pick one out. As people have mentioned above I have a lot of favourite scenes but they don't all appear in the same episode or there will be a scene like the fart attack which just isn't my type of humour and stops me from thinking an episode is perfect. The scene I laughed hardest at was probably the deleted scene of Jerry talking about Jurassic Pork and taking photos of himself hatching.

 

I'd say Sister City, Time Capsule and Bowling for Votes would definitely be my least favourite episodes from the first four seasons. Have only season 5 & 6 twice so don't really remember much.

[hoosiergirl]

I love season 2 the best, I think. I loved Practice Date mostly for the B plot, but I also liked the Stakeout because I love Louis CK as Dave. Then although Beauty Pageant is kind of lame, I love when Dave almost runs into Trish and says, "watch it buddy" without giving her a second glance. Also love Park Safety and Greg Pikitis. I like the Freddy Spaghetti episode for the sweet ending with Mark. Some others I like are Fancy Party, Campaign Ad, and Harvest Festival.

[scrambled eggs]

Season rankings:

 

3 

4

5

6

2

1

 

5/6/2 are pretty close together. There are individual episodes of Season 2 I would rank higher than those in 5 and 6, but there are a fair number of episodes in S2 that I have never rewatched (Sister City, Leslie's House, Park Safety). I like Season 6 more than a lot of people--the second half was excellent.

 

Favorite episodes, though this list can and does change. 

 

Season 1: Rock Show

 

Season 2: Stakeout, Hunting Trip, Galentine's Day, Telethon, Master Plan, Freddy Spaghetti

 

Season 3: Flu Season, Indianapolis, Harvest Festival, The Fight. I could list all of them, actually. The easier is the bottom 3: Time Capsule, Eagleton, Go Big or Go Home, but even those are eminently rewatchable. I would put Time Capsule at the bottom because of the Andy/April plot. 

 

Season 4: End of the World, Smallest Park, Trial of Leslie Knope, Citizen Knope, The Debate, Win, Lose, or Draw

 

Season 5: Sex Education, Halloween Surprise, Two Parties (because of the guy's plot), Leslie and Ben, Partridge, Article 2 

 

Season 6: Filibuster, Second Change,  Ann and Chris, Flu Season 2, Movin' Up

[amensisterfriend]

I've had so much fun using this thread as an excuse to rewatch a ton of episodes. I think I like this show a lot better than I thought I did. The more I watch, the more attached to these characters and the overall show I feel. 

 

Season rankings: 

 

Season 5 

Season 4

Season 3 

Season  2

Season 6

Season 1

 

 

Three favorite episodes from each:

 

S1: I can never remember which is which! 

S2: Sister City (I've mentioned that I have really weird and unpopular tastes in Parks episodes! For some reason I find this episode one of the funnier ones of the series), Christmas Scandal, Freddy Spaghetti

S3: Fancy Party, Jerry's Painting, Eagleton (um...see above re my weird and unpopular tastes! But that's what make threads like this more fun and interesting ::)

S4: I'm Leslie Knope, End of the World, Bus Tour/Win Lose or Draw (I'm totally cheating by counting this as one two-part finale!)

S5: Sex Education (I was psyched to see someone else mention this one!), Two Parties, Leslie and Ben, Women in Garbage, Article Two...I really love S5. I can't explain it. 

S6: Ann and Chris, Flu Season 2, One in 8,000 

[amensisterfriend]

---Is it too late to add Telethon to my favorites list?! And, no, not just because Perd Hapley does the worm :) I think I may have to bump S2 up in my rankings...and/or break my own terrible rule about no ties allowed! Once you (I) get used to the show without Chris and Ben, there's actually a lot to love about that season. 

[scrambled eggs]

 

Sex Education (I was psyched to see someone else mention this one!),

 

That was me! I had to cheat and look at a list of plot descriptions, because I get the first few episodes of S5 (the DC arc) mixed together. We don't get a lot of Ron/Tom plotlines, and it was a really good one. Plus, I love when Ben and April bond.

[Mockingbird]

---Is it too late to add Telethon to my favorites list?! And, no, not just because Perd Hapley does the worm :) I think I may have to bump S2 up in my rankings...and/or break my own terrible rule about no ties allowed! Once you (I) get used to the show without Chris and Ben, there's actually a lot to love about that season.

I'm using this topic as an excuse to marathon Parks and Rec, and I'm not done yet, but Telethon has so many actual laugh out loud moments, like Perd, Ann stopping Leslie from drinking all the milk, the telethon losing money, and the telethon cutting to the technical difficulties screen when Leslie intervened to stop Mark's proposal. It's a hilarious episode.

I thought it would be super easy to rank the seasons, but it's actually proving to be really hard as I love each episode more than I remembered upon rewatch. Like I remembered really disliking Swing Vote, but the bit at the end with Leslie and Ron is sweet enough to almost redeem the Jamm storyline. Almost.

[amensisterfriend]

I'm using this topic as an excuse to marathon Parks and Rec,

 

Yay! I've been doing the same thing, especially as it's free on Amazon Prime and I'm forever trying to remind myself why my Prime membership is worth the $99 a year :) I can't stop craving waffles covered with whipped cream every time I watch this show. 

 

Earlier today I asked my friend who's a P&R fan(atic) (she's actually the only person I know in real life who's into the show!) to rank the seasons, and while she begged to be allowed to use ties, she finally came up with:

 

1. S2

2, S5 (she's obsessed with the Leslie/Ben romance!) 

3. S3

4. S4

5. S1

6. S6 

 

I find it kind of fascinating that none of our season rankings have been exactly the same so far. I'm guessing that S3 has fared the best so far, though I haven't added it up. S2 seems to fluctuate kind of wildly between being near the very top, very bottom or the middle. (As opposed to, say, S1 or S6, which most seem to rank near the bottom). I wonder if views of S2 depend partly on when people began watching the show...? As noted above, it can be kind of jarring to first get to know the Parks which includes Chris and Ben and in which Andy is solely linked to April and then catch up on S2, which really is different in a lot of ways. Now that my change-averse self has adjusted, though, I'm understanding the affection for that season more and more. 

[HoodlumSheep]

Season 3 was my favorite. Mainly because I loved watching Leslie and Ben beginning to fall in love, I thought pretty much all the jokes were on point. Ben and Chris were a great addition to the group.

I pretty much loved all the episodes from Season 3, especially The Flu and Harvest Festival.

Ranking the seasons...is hard to do. I feel like I need to rewatch them, but I give it a try:

Best to worst:

Season 3

Season 2

Season 6

Season 4/5

Season 1

These might change. I ranked season 6 above seasons 4 and 5 mainly because I sorta didn't like the direction they were taking Leslie. Is that an unpopular opinion here? Don't get me wrong, I loved Leslie moving on up, but I didn't like how it was to become a councilwoman. The shows name is Parks and Recreation. Her job as a city council member made her deal less and less with the Parks department, to the point where my family was wondering why the show was called Parks and Rec anymore. So, I was very happy when season 6 shifted focus back to the whole "Parks and Rec" idea, and gave her a job promotion in that area.

That turned out longer than I expected.

I basically loved any episode focused on the Leslie/Ben relationship. Least favorites...??? I'd have to rewatch all the seasons.

[kennyab]

I'm doing as much as a rewatch as I can before the finale, and I just got to "End of the World" tonight. Gah, what a lovely episode. It just had so many moments that felt real. Sitting with friends discussing the mysteries of the universe, young love on a road trip, the exhilaration of being at the world's greatest party and the catharsis of walking into the sun when the party's over. And the great thing about a show likes Parks and Rec is that its usual lack of music makes it incredibly impactful when present. It helps that they pick good music.

 

And the tag, where we see that the crazy old cult actually just uses their end-of-the-world predictions as an excuse to get together, and Leslie's acknowledgement of that without trying to ruin their fun. It's not the funniest episode of the show by any stretch, but it's a wonderfully beautiful statement on our fears of isolation and the ways we try to reach out to others. My favorite episode of the series, and probably one of my top 10 favorite episodes of anything of all time.

[amensisterfriend]

Are there episodes many love that you're kind of 'eh' on? I'm pretty much the only person I know who doesn't love The Fight. I tend not to like 'drunk humor' in general, though, not just on Parks and Rec...I'm weird that way! 

 

Season 3 does have some of my favorite episodes, though----"Fancy Party" is definitely one of the all-time best. I find the Ann parts boring, but the rest is sweet, warm, weirdly insightful TV gold. 

 

Have your favorites changed at all? Are there certain seasons you like either more or less than you used to? 

[amensisterfriend]

ETA: I came across this ranking of the seasons from best to worst. It's interesting...but, other than ranking S1 last, I'm pretty sure I disagree. Do you?! 

 

http://postgradproblems.com/ranking-the-seasons-of-parks-and-recreation/

[Brandi Maxxxx]

I would have ranked season 2 higher and season 5 a lot lower. What do I hate about season 5? Two words. One character. JEREMY JAMM.

[amensisterfriend]

I've been rewatching and have a weird love for S5. I'm totally with Brandi Maxxxx (OMG, just typing that screen name always makes me smile!) on thinking Jamm is the woooorst, but for some reason this season just makes me so happy. Andy as an aspiring cop delights me to no end and has me dreaming of a spinoff that exists only in my weird mind, April (kind of!) matures and cares about things this season, Andy/April as a couple have some classic moments, I actually love emotionally vulnerable, therapy-addicted Chris, Ann deciding (however briefly!) to 'date herself for awhile' and pursue her dream of having a baby even if she's not in a relationship are among her greatest scenes for me, I love the Rent a Swag idea and even Tom's ill-fated relationship with Mona Lisa, the Leslie/Ben stuff is incredibly sweet, etc. Objectively, I think other seasons are better, but if my apartment were on fire, S5 is one of the DVD sets I'd instinctively grab :) 

 

At the moment, I think I'd go with: 

 

1. S3 (During this recent rewatch, I had to see Fancy Party at least three times before I could bring myself to move on to the next episode---yes, HAD to! I've also become obsessed with Jerry's Painting and a bunch of others) 

 

2. S5 (See above rambling---I totally get why many rank this one very low on their lists, but I can't help but love it, especially once Ben and April are back in Pawnee) 

 

3. S4 (the first half of S4 may be the very best stretch of the entire series for me and there's just so much to love about this season, but I don't love the campaigning stuff as much as most do, am not a fan of Tom/Ann, etc., so this finishes just behind S5 for me...maybe. I think. For now.) 

 

4. S2 (There are a bunch of S2 episodes I'm really indifferent to, and somehow the show without Chris, Ben and Andy/April as a couple feels odd to me now, but this one has some great episodes, and sometimes I appreciate the more grounded, realistic edge to this season  over the 'huge wins for everyone all the time!' feel of later seasons.  

 

5. S6 (This actually improved for me, but it's still not a special favorite...and I say this even as someone who usually adores all things having to do with Eagleton. You know how much Jamm ruins certain scenes for some fans? That's kind of how I feel about Craig!) 

 

6. S7 (There were some terrific moments, but it felt a bit too treacly and saccharine for me) 

 

7. S1 

 

7-10 episodes currently at the top of my could-rewatch-on-constant-loop list: Fancy Party, Jerry's Painting, Eagleton (I know most people dislike this one, but I adore pretty much every second of it despite normally disliking Parker Posey!),  End of the World, Smallest Park (as much for Andy going back to college as the Leslie/Ben stuff, if not more), Two Parties, Article Two (yeah, I know...my love for this one is as mysterious as my love for Eagleton!), Are You Better Off?

 

And a bunch more...including pretty much any episode that gives us Burt Macklin :) 

[Brandi Maxxxx]

I should clarify that Jamm isn't the real reason I dislike season 5. It's just easy to place the blame on him because he's not funny, he's not interesting and he exists solely to be a nuisance.

[amensisterfriend]

Brandi, what are some of your favorite episodes of each season and/or the overall season? You know I'm hoping that most of them feature an appearance by Brandi Maxxxx :)

[Brandi Maxxxx]

This is going to be tough but since you asked me personally...

 

Season 1:

I don't love any of the episodes but "The Banquet" was the best of them.

 

Season 2:

"Telethon" is probably my favorite of the season but "Practice Date" was the episode that really sold me on this show. The main story had good material for both Leslie and Ann, while the digging up dirt contest gave some depth to the rest of the cast (we learned about Ron's alter-ego and that Tom's marriage was a sham). It's also the episode that cemented how Jerry would be treated for the rest of the series. Other episodes among my favorites are "Woman of the Year" and "Summer Catalog".

 

Season 3:

There are a lot of good episodes here, especially in the middle section. I have to single out "Jerry's Painting" for introducing my namesake. I signed up to TWoP shortly after seeing it because I just had to claim that username before anyone else did. "Soulmates" is my other favorite from this season.

 

Season 4:

Again, there's a lot to choose from. To pick five: End of the World, The Treaty, Citizen Knope, The Comeback Kid, Sweet Sixteen

 

Season 5: Ron and Diane, Two Parties, Animal Control

Season 6: Doppelgangers, Filibuster, Ann and Chris, Prom, Flu Season 2

Season 7: Leslie and Ron, Pie-Mary, One Last Ride

 

And now writing this has made me feel like re-watching the whole series so I can provide a more accurate list.

[amensisterfriend]

And now writing this has made me feel like re-watching the whole series so I can provide a more accurate list.

 

Stock up on whipped cream-slathered waffles and "treat yo'self" to a marathon! Since you broke it down by season, I'll try to do the same. We have some overlap :) 

 

3-5 Favorites from S2: Telethon, Greg Pitikis, Leslie's House, Sister City (I know...I know!), Christmas Scandal 

 

3-5 Favorites from S3: Fancy Party, Jerry's Painting, Eagleton (yeah...I have weird taste!), Li'l Sebastian, Road Trip 

 

3-5 Favorites from S4: End of the World, Smallest Park, Trial of Leslie Knope, Campaign Ad and The Comeback Kid 

 

3-5 Favorites from S5: Are You Better off?, Article  Two, Two Parties, Ben's Parents, Sex Education

 

3-5 Favorites from Season 6: Doppelgangers, Ann and Chris, Galentine's Day,  Prom, The Cones of Dunshire (Making this list made me realize that I like S6 more than I think I do!) 

 

I'll hold off on S7 until I rewatch it...and on the off chance that I ever rewatch S1, I'll try to pick a couple of favorites from that one as well! 

 

Which episodes are you guys most likely to skip? 

[Brandi Maxxxx]

I like "Sister City" and "Eagleton" too. There's nothing to be ashamed about.

 

I don't normally skip episodes, though I'd probably re-watch certain seasons more than others. But I'll try to list the ones I'm less excited about:

 

Season 1 - All of it.

Season 2 - I don't think there are any bad episodes in S2 but there are some not-so-good ones. I'll mention "Kaboom" because Leslie, Ann and Andy are the only ones with a storyline.

Season 3 - Looking at the episode list, I keep thinking "Well this one wasn't that good. Wait, it had that one joke and that other joke..." Without singling any out, maybe one of the pre-Harvest Festival episodes.

Season 4 - Dave Returns

Season 5 - Soda Tax and probably others, it's not my favorite season.

Season 6 - Recall Vote

Season 7 - I'd have to rewatch before I can make a choice.

[amensisterfriend]

I like "Sister City" and "Eagleton" too. There's nothing to be ashamed about.

 

Ha---thanks! I seem to have a bizarre fondness for episodes in which poor Pawnee is trashed by people who live elsewhere :) 

 

Here's another question for you guys---who are your 3-4 very favorites of the main characters? And which minor characters would you have liked to see more of? 

[amensisterfriend]

---Here's another question for you guys: Who are your favorite minor/recurring characters? 

 

I think mine are Orin, Marsha and Marshall Langman and both Saperstein siblings. 

 

...as should be clear from the list above, by 'favorite' I mean characters who I happen to find the most entertaining, not those I'd like in 'real life' :) 

[BoogieBurns]

I just wanted to meet Dr. Richard Nyguard. I think he would have been a favorite.

[amensisterfriend]

Ha---I count him as a favorite anyway :) 

[biakbiak]

Derry Merbles!

[amensisterfriend]

So I'm bored and cruel enough to challenge myself---and you guys---to name just five all-time favorite episodes :) In chronological order:

 

1. Andy and April's Fancy Party

2. End of the World

3. Smallest Park 

4, Leslie and Ben

5. Are You Better Off? 

 

 

...and that was LITERALLY painful and will probably change by the time you guys read this :) I also have about 25 honorable mentions, but I think these are the ones I'm most attached to. 

[scrambled eggs]

I always liked Dr. Harris. Part of me wanted him and Ann to date, at least for a while. 

[amensisterfriend]

I gave my five favorite episodes above, but at least a couple of them---like Fancy Party and Leslie and Ben---seem like fairly popular picks. What are some of the episodes that don't seem to get much love and attention that you adore anyway?! 

 

One that springs to mind: Indianapolis. Ann, who I often find kind of blah, is so endearingly sympathetic, relatable and funny in this episode. I love Leslie forgoing the award ceremony to drive Ann home and tell her all the hilariously horrible ways that she, Leslie, had been broken up with. I love Tom taking a break from deriding Ben as a loser and 'nerd' long enough to be vulnerable and semi-bond with him, and Dennis Feinstein, with his advice to leave perfumery to the REAL men, amused me. The Ron-is-obsessed-with-meat stuff always grows a little tired for me, but overall this one is an overlooked gem IMO :)  

[BoogieBurns]

What are some of the episodes that don't seem to get much love and attention that you adore anyway?!

 

Definitely the Stakeout. I have probably watched that episode almost as many times as The Fight or Harvest Festival. The Stakeout is pre-Ben and Chris, so it is more mellow. Andy eats a candy necklace with the string. Tom calls the plants "Souljaboi Tellems," "Diddys" and "Bonethugsand harmoniums". It's the episode we meet Dave too. 

 

Dave: This is a police matter.

Leslie (throwing a tantrum): Well it doesn't seem to matter... to the police!

Dave: Okay, nice job with that.

[amensisterfriend]

Another one: Sweet Sixteen! Some minor but well done focus on Jerry that doesn't involve the others being excessively mean to him; a humorous look into the Tom/Ann incompatibility issues we'd have all expected to arise; great Ron-Leslie scenes, a humorous and sweet subplot about Chris bonding with Champion due to loneliness, some surprisingly smart and funny lines, etc.! I never think of this as an episode I love, but whenever I've rewatched it I realize that I adore it---actually, S4 in general is holding up awesomely well over time for me and has in many ways improved with repeated viewing. And I absolutely love Jenn Barklay (sp?!) and Bobby Newport :) 

Edited July 9, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[BoogieBurns]

"Bobbbbbbbby Newpoooooooort"

[amensisterfriend]

What do you guys think of S2? Where would you rank it as compared to other seasons? 

 

I'm always torn on this one and forever changing my mind about it. I can't stand Mark and still have no idea what they were trying to do with his character, think Mark/Ann is a huge prolonged yawn, sometimes miss Chris and especially Ben (who's arguably my very favorite Parks character), etc.

 

But then there's this weird part of me that finds S2 the funniest season---there's a witty sharpness to some of the humor, and it feels like back then the show still tried to be a comedy first and let the sweetness and warmth come as a more natural outgrowth of that. (In other seasons, it sometimes feels to me like the show is a super sweet 'everybody wins all the time!' lovefest first and foremost and then remembers afterwards that in theory it's supposed to be funny.) I have a soft spot for Leslie when she's still a scrappy, relatable underdog trying to make a difference on a much smaller scale. I love Andy in every incarnation, but I kind of adore watching him turn his life around in S2, especially once he's finally over Ann. And while I have issues with April in every season, her (initially unrequited) crush on Andy in S2 humanizes her a bit and makes for some really nice scenes. (In fact, while I totally get the argument that April showed growth over the course of the series, I think in some ways her worst sides were more toned down this season---or maybe her being so ungrateful didn't bug as much because she wasn't yet handed so many constant opportunities!) Tom's issues with his divorce are more 'real' than most of his stuff through the rest of the series IMO---the dreams he has of being a successful 'player' in various scenes and all that--and gives the character a more interesting edge. Some S2 episodes are complete clunkers, but others are surprisingly rewatchable.

 

I'd love to hear other people's thoughts. 

Edited July 14, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[Inquisitionist]

I think you expressed that very well, amensisterfriend.  S2 has a lot of very funny episodes, including:  Hunting Trip, Galentine's Day, Leslie's House, Telethon, Ron and Tammy, and Greg Plikitis.  And I enjoy a lot of the season's "lesser" episodes, even Sister City, which was one of the first episodes I watched after I gave up on S1 two episodes in.

[amensisterfriend]

And I enjoy a lot of the season's "lesser" episodes, even Sister City,

 

Heh---I think I've confessed this in the UO thread, but I LOVE Sister City. I know, I know...I hate myself ;) 

 

And I love all the episodes you mentioned. S2 has some---especially in that first half---that I could happily never watch again, but parts of S2 are arguably among the best parts of the series to me, and I say this as someone who's kind of obsessed with Ben :) 

Edited July 14, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[Inquisitionist]

And I forgot to mention Summer Catalog and 94 Meetings, two other S2 winners.

[amensisterfriend]

Inquisionist, would you say S2 is one of your favorite seasons overall?! 

 

I love 94 Meetings as well! And I love that someone else besides me loves Leslie's House---I never see that one mentioned. 

 

Ann/Mark is a little less painful only when I view it as an experiment: Ann is seeking out someone more 'together' than Andy only to realize that you can't make yourself love someone just because he seems right on paper, and Mark is trying to be a better man only to realize that he still doesn't know who he truly is. And the writers are trying to make Mark fit in with the show only to finally realize that, at least IMO, he doesn't :)

[Kip Hackman]

I agree that S2 was the funniest season, which is why I only rank S3 (which was perfect) over it.

 

[amensisterfriend]

I wish I could better analyze why some of us find S2 the funniest---I'm pretty sure it isn't the presence of Mark, who I didn't find the least bit funny, or the absence of Ben/Chris, who I generally DO find funny. I don't want to make it sound as if optimism/heartwarming sweetness and wit are mutually exclusive, because they're obviously not, and people who pretty much all love one another and attain their goals and are generally very happy can still be funny...or so I've heard :)

 

But maybe it's a matter of the writers' focus and emphasis: back in S2/S3, the goal seemed to be to make a smart comedy about workplaces and local politics and the large impact of small change that also happened to feature some special friendships formed along the way, while after that it started to feel almost like the show was primarily a chance to just hang out with people (many of them deliriously in love couples) who all have every dream come true---even dreams you didn't know some of them had in the first place---and, hey, if those people happen to say or do something funny along the way, then let's consider it a bonus! :) Also, as people have said, there was this 'smaller scale' feel to the pre-S4/S5 episodes. And when the characters weren't getting constant 'wins', it was easier to care about the ones they did.  

 

On a different note, what are your picks for best/worst P&R couples?! 

 

My worst: 

 

Ann/Mark (I can't even type that without yawning) 

Ann/Tom 

Leslie/Mark (if that even counts, which I'm guessing it doesn't)

 

 

My best:

 

Leslie/Ben

 

Andy/April (I've rambled about why I love them elsewhere, so I'll spare you!) 

 

Leslie/Dave (I get that Ben was her soulmate, but something about Leslie/Dave was both sweet and entertaining to me and arguably offered more comedic potential than Leslie/Ben that they never got a chance to fully tap into)

 

Tom/Mona Lisa (I can't help it---I adore Mona Lisa and found her dynamic with Tom hilarious. I'm the WOOORRRST.)

 

Andy/Ann (He was a jerk; she was the put upon, 'too good for him' martyr who stayed with him anyway--definitely not the type of pairing I enjoy!) 

 

Mostly indifferent to...:

 

Ann/Chris

Tom/Lucy

Ron/Diane

Chris/Shawna

Chris/Millicent  

Edited July 15, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[Janet Snakehole]

It may have only been on screen for like 5 minutes, but I liked Bobby Newport and Shauna.

April and Andy are probably my favorite tv couple of all time.

[amensisterfriend]

April and Andy are probably my favorite tv couple of all time.

 

I was just rewatching S2 episodes and can't get over the amazing adorableness of the buildup to their relationship. Even though you could very easily claim that April grew in later seasons, S2 in general is April's best season IMO and by far the one where she's most likable to me---she's so comparatively vulnerable, open and human here while still being April-ish, and I love her discovering through her feelings for Andy and even her growing friendship with Leslie that she does actually care about things more than she lets herself believe. ('Learning to let yourself care' is Mark's arc this season as well, I think...at least in theory, right?! I'm always lost as to who Mark was supposed to be and what they were trying to do with him!) It's interesting that April and Mark almost never interacted, and I had the impression that April likes him even less than she likes most other people. 

 

I could happily do without the drama of Ann kissing Andy in the S2 finale and the immediate aftermath, but other than that the Andy/April stuff was pretty much perfect for me throughout the series, and this is coming from someone who has issues with April outside of her relationship with Andy. I can't get over just how well this show does romance in general IMO, with only a few exceptions (like Mark/Ann, for instance!)---the buildup, the relationships itself and even the breakups are just so well done. (And they depict friendship incredibly skillfully as well, of course!) 

 

I think I may have to add Marcia Langman and her "vivacious" husband to my long list of favorite P&R minor characters and couples. They amuse me to no end, and I really wish we'd seen more of them!  

[Janet Snakehole]

I hope this isn't too off topic but: what I like about the Parks and Recreation relationships is that the couples stayed entertaining after getting together. I just rewatched The Office, and given the similarities of the shows, it really stuck out to me that Parks and Rec just handled long term couples better. We got to see the build up of Leslie and Ben and April and Andy, and while it wasn't as dramatic as Pam and Jim, the beginnings were just as touching and I rooted for them just as much. Andy and April and Leslie and Ben were teams the whole way through, and still had natural chemistry despite being together for years. They supported each others' goals, and talked to each other like adults. Yes, man child Andy and April despite all her issues were more mature in dealing with conflict than most couples on tv. It was just refreshing to see long term couples who genuinely like each other and worked together to have good lives.