Parks & Rec Unpopular Opinions

[JayInChicago]

Let's start one of these threads here too...

 

In theory this is probably my favorite show currently in production. In practice though...was this last season funny, like, at all?  

I dunno, I have been watching since season 2 and I seem to lose the thread during the season and pick up watching in the summer, only to realize how great it is again.

 

I majorly lost interest after Leslie won her election. Is that a UO?

 

[BellaLugosi]

Is it a UO that I loved the finale and the flash forward?

 

I don't like Tom. I've tried, and he's made me laugh, but mostly he just annoys me. 

[BoogieBurns]

My UO for Parks: I love Season 1. I haven't seen those episodes as many times as the peak seasons, so they feel like recently discovered episodes. Rock Show is such a good episode. Leslie is a hottie for the first time, and no one is a caricature. I think the first season of any popular show gets better once you know the direction the show went in following seasons. 

Edited June 16, 2014 by BoogieBurns

[Inquisitionist]

I think the first season of any popular show gets better once you know the direction the show went in following seasons.

 

Agreed.  I recently re-watched S1 and did not hate it.  :-)

[SunDevil28]

Not sure these are UOs:

 

UO #1:  I don't like Ann except very occasionally as a foil for Leslie.  And I think Ann is only a good character because of the writing, *in spite of* Rashida Jones.  Didn't like her on the Office, didn't like her on P&R, don't think she is a very good actress.

 

UO #2:  I like everything else and they can do no wrong.  Love Craig, love all the seasons, love the finale and trust them to do it right.

[April Bloodgate]

Is it a UO that I loved the finale and the flash forward?

 

I did too. Don't know if it's a UO or not.

 

I think Craig is a very polarizing character, so I don't know if it's a UO one way or the other, but I love him.

 

My other UO is that I never think anything making fun of Jerry (I don't like to call him any of the new names.) is funny. I don't think it's funny when he farts, falls, messes up, etc., and I hate it when people make fun of him. I don't especially love him either, I just don't think making fun of him is funny. Those jokes always feel like middle school humor to me. The writers are so much funnier than that most of the time, so I don't know why they feel like they need it.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Denay

[scrambled eggs]

My unpopular opinion: I get really really annoyed that Ron is almost never wrong and that he wins nearly all disputes with Leslie. The fact that the Internet worships Ron Swanson doesn't help, as I think it encourages the writers to make him even more Yoda-like. 

[Totale]

It's completely played out, and they should have put a mercy bullet in it at the end of the last season.  It would have been better to see no more episodes of these character's lives than it will be to see the weak attempts at catchphrases and running jokes which, in the absence of any fresh areas to explore while hampered by  the legacy of weak characterizations and an improbable setting, will oversaturate the next (and final) season like a leaky diaper. 

Edited June 22, 2014 by Totale

[Kip Hackman]

My unpopular opinion is that season 5 was just as good as the previous seasons. I liked how the show handled Leslie as a councilwoman.

I agree. I caught a bunch of S5 reruns on FXX, and they were much better than I remembered.

 

As far as them ending the show after last season, I don't think that's an unpopular opinion at all. Especially after that finale. A lot of viewers (myself included) were very satisfied with that conclusion, and don't really need another 13 episodes. Oh well. I'll just consider it bonus footage.

[iknow]

UO: I've never liked Andy, ever, at all. He's such a man-child and too dumb to function, it makes a good-looking man like Chris Pratt very unattractive to me. He's become such a caricature of the old Andy who was an unlikable slob (pretending to be injured so he wouldn't have to get up from the couch) but not necessarily an idiot, I don't find him credible at all as a character. I don't think I've ever even laughed his scenes, ever. Oh wait, I loved the "network connectivity problems" line but that was improvised by Pratt, who seems to be doing the best he can with the IMHO terrible writing.

Whew, I feel better already! I love this thread!

[JayInChicago]

I think how the Jerry jokes redeem themselves is that he's depicted as having such a stellar homelife with a beautiful wife and daughters who love him--they're so happy they sing breakfast songs, after all!

Without that part of the characterization, I would probably have given up on the show because I am also a fat dorky white guy and I hold grudges :D

[hoosiergirl]

Remember Jerry is also well endowed...don't remember the episode but the doctor who worked with Ann said it at one point. Is it unpopular to hate April? I've hated her from the get go. I also liked Leslie more as a love able dork...like in the practice date episode. What's your niece's name? Torple.

[Domestic Assassin]

I don't think the fact that Jerry has an ideal home life redeems anything.  To me, it just makes the rest of the characters seem like even bigger assholes for choosing to ignore the things that make him loveable to his family.  It's not like he seems like a different person at home than he does at work.  He's still just a genuinely nice guy trying to get through his day. 

[BellaLugosi]

I don't like the Jerry stuff either, and I don't think that having a good home life makes up for spending 40 hours a week at a job where you're constantly being picked on & ridiculed. Especially since Jerry is always so nice to all of them, and they go out of their way to be mean to him. I think it works better when he screws up and they get mad, rather than when they are outright cruel to him.

 

ETA: Moose AndSquirrel, we posted at the same time! Obviously, I completely agree with you there.

Edited June 25, 2014 by BellaLugosi

[JayInChicago]

I think part of what subverts that is Jerry doesn't seem to care or sometimes even notice when they are being cruel to him. In some ways he's a better person than all of them and stays above their petty ridiculousness.  Which in part is why it makes sense that someone just working til they retire would want to come back--if he truly felt harassed I'm not sure he would decide to come back to that job, or however it is that they sort of lampshade why he's still there (unless he isn't anymore towards the back half of last season. I have to catch up.)

It could just be that I like Jim O'Heir so much I am making excuses.I have a sort of "cousin's best friend went to school with his sister" connection to him.

[msani19]

UO#1: I find April to be a petulant, belligerent, hateful PITA. I don’t find her the least bit funny or charming. I don’t know what redeeming qualities Leslie sees in her, not to mention what Andy finds so great about her. Ugh and boo.
UO#2: Making fun of Jerry is tiresome and unrelentingly mean and cruel. He’s so genuinely kind and caring towards these people, the way they treat him is shameful. The fact that he doesn’t seem to notice or mind the treatment doesn’t make it better for me.

UO#3: I liked Ann. She never really had any decent stories nor did the writers know what to do with her. But I enjoyed her friendship with Leslie.

UO#4: Leslie can be exhausting and unpleasant sometimes. I recently saw the episode where she essentially forces her friends to buy gifts to celebrate the most ridiculous events. The first time her mail lady delivered her mail? GTFOH!

 

Love the show!

[kccody]

I started watching P and R in season 2 and have gone back and watched season1, and rewatched the whole thing several times. Love how they have stayed true to the characters for the most part. Never really liked Chris Trager's descent into needing therapy and being so unsure of himself. Used to not like Andy at all, but as I rewatch episodes, he grows on me. Hated how Leslie's house made it look like she was a hoarder- no way that fits her personality. Parks and Rec has quietly snuck up to be my fave sitcom ever.

[BoogieBurns]

Hated how Leslie's house made it look like she was a hoarder- no way that fits her personality.

 

During this year's PaleyFest, Amy said she hated that part too. She felt it wasn't like Leslie to be messy.

[Petunia13]

During this year's PaleyFest, Amy said she hated that part too. She felt it wasn't like Leslie to be messy.

Thank you for posting this. Leslie has always kept meticulous records and seemed vey obnoxiously in a cute way neat.

I guess unpopular opinion on my fave show.

Like 50 % of the time I hate April, Ann, Andy and Tom because ether are predicable or just tired. But 50 % I LOVE them and laugh my ass of and they DO surprise me.

I hate Andy's horrible singing and stupid songs.

I love Champion.

Oh heres one last one I can watch many episodes again. I think I've seen most 4x.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Petunia13

[Quof]

I hate Ann.  Actually, it's Rashida Jones I can't stand. Her voice is like a limp handshake.

[Petunia13]

A lot of times her delivery of lines isn't good. At the Halloween party episode I always cringe when she replies to Ron. It's like so awkward and nails on a chalkboard in how unnervingly odd she's speaks to him.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Petunia13

[BellaLugosi]

I agree about Rashida. Her delivery of her introduction of Leslie after she wins the election is one of the worst I can remember on a TV show. The way she says "my best friend" is SO awkward. I cringe every time I hear it.

[Kip Hackman]

Oh heres one last one I can watch many episodes again. I think I've seen most 4x.

 

If I stumble across a rerun on FXX or Esquire, I watch it. Although I'm trying to avoid getting burned out on the show, like I did with "The Office."

[wingster55]

My UO is I prefer Leslie and Ann as as pairing to Leslie and Ben. One is a rare female friendship the other is a standard, though great, romance. 

[April Bloodgate]

I've watched the entire series twice, with many episodes numerous times. And I'm about to start a 3rd complete run through with my partner who hasn't seen the show. Do most people have issues rewatching it?

[BoogieBurns]

No issues rewatching. It comes on several channels in syndication and I still watch every time. But it is pretty clear, when you watch the series as a whole, when it became a "thing". Seasons 1-3 were just better. Season four was probably when the most people were watching, and then 5 and 6 are weaker. I think that the writers had a lot of pressure on them to make this show the next "Must See TV" NBC show. Season 4 of Parks is the same time frame that Michael Scott left The Office. There was pressure for Parks to anchor Thursday night comedy once it was clear The Office was on the way out.

 

I went on a tangent as always, but to summarize: I rewatch the first 3 seasons and have never gotten sick of them; later seasons are hit or miss overall (on rewatch).

[hoosiergirl]

That is how I feel as well. Love seasons 1-3, but not so much the rest. I'm just lukewarm on Ben though and not really a fan of Chris. I do love the episode when April and Andy get married. That is one of the only times I find April tolerable.

[hoosiergirl]

I'm watching season 2 reruns on Esquire. I love season 2 except the telethon episode. The Ann/Mark thing just makes me cringe. He brings them all coffee and Ann's has cream in it and I feel like we're supposed to be all, "Oh he didn't know she wanted it black. Yes, they should break up." I know the actor wanted to be written off, but that romance needed a better ending. Mark deserved better.

[FurryFury]

My UO is I love everything about the show (except an occasional cringe joke... still, used to be much worse with this type of humor), although I have almost no desire to actually discuss it. This show is my happy place. It makes me smile no matter what, and I love all character and I want them to be happy.

 

No idea if it's unpopular,  but you bet it's an unusual opinion for me. I love to snark and critique anything I watch, even the things I love.

[JayKay]

I like that it's a nice unpopular opinion, FurryFury :) The show is my happy place too, so thankfully these things usually only bother me long after I'm done watching and not during.

 

I think I'll always feel a bit of resentment towards Ben and Chris because their sudden and abundant presence screamed of executive meddling to me. Also disliked the way they were inserted immediately into the opening credits after they became part of the regular cast but Donna and Gerry only got their due this past season. I've never warmed up to Ben as much as I was supposed to, and was sometimes actively annoyed by Chris.

 

I've never disliked April. I don't actually know if that's unpopular, but most of the places where I read about the show have tired of her. She prevents P&R from being unbearably saccharine. I also think that weird chemistry she had with Ben in the beginning of season five was better than Leslie and Ben's chemistry. I liked Leslie better with the cop who moved.

 

Despite Ann playing the thankless role of the straight-man, the show isn't the same without her. Leslie needs someone to bounce energy off of and their adorable, healthy and positive portrayal of a friendship between two women was special and will be greatly missed. The show lost a little of its vitality with the loss of Ann.

[JayInChicago]

I see both sides on Ann. Her character was flat and at best shoehorned in--in a lot of ways she reminds me of Lane Kim from Gilmore Girls--rory's hometown best friend. I mean, I think Lane is a much more realized character while Ann was bland. That all said, her friendship with Leslie really gave the show some depth, and she made Leslie continue to be bearably likable during some semi-rough patches.  

[Zima]

My most UO is that I LIKE all the ripping on Jerry.  Others are:

 

I still LOVE all of the characters.

 

The only thing I dislike about this show is that Ben and Leslie had kids. I don't like storylines involving babies/young children.

 

I LOVE every season of this show.

 

I kind of want P&R to NEVER end...but I definitely want at least one more season.

[Setlist]

The only thing I dislike about this show is that Ben and Leslie had kids.

 

Agreed. I don't know why Ann's baby-plot was so long, and ended up with her being written out of the show, and Ben and Leslie had a few episodes about pregnancy and then we see children in the flash forward. It all just seemed kind of pointless. The one thing I liked about it? When Will Arnett goes on a date with Leslie early on, he mentions that she's prone to multiples. (Even though rewatching that episode is kind of a bummer now, based on the Poehler/Arnett split.)

 

I was a huge fan of the show. Like, HUGE fan. But there aren't many characters I actually like anymore. Donna, probably? But even that whole "Donna doesn't respect April at the animal shelter" thing was weird. One big show peeve for me is, I'm not even sure what any of the characters actually do anymore. I don't know their job titles. That was something that The Office always made clear, even if things got a bit muddled with the whole "new manager" thing.

 

I do look forward to see how everything will wrap up.

[hoosiergirl]

I liked the ripping on Jerry in the early seasons. Like the "murinal" scene. And I also liked when Jerry had his fart attack. Now it just seems stale and lazy.

[Petunia13]

"New band name!" That joke wasn't funny the first time let alone the hundredth.

I like April and Andy seperately and together but honestly I don't really buy them as a couple and thy don't really make sense. They only thing they have in common is they're extremely childish. Andy in a little boy lovable enthusiastic puppy way and April in a bitchy "I hate the world!" 13 year old brat way. That doesn't automatically make them compatible in fact it would hint April would have disdain for Andy's demeanor and mindset.

[purplemouth]

I like Nick Offerman, I like Ron Swanson, I like Megan Mullally, but I haaaaaaate Ron and Tammy episodes. They're so gross.

 

.

[Azaelia]

I liked the ripping on Jerry in the early seasons. Like the "murinal" scene. And I also liked when Jerry had his fart attack. Now it just seems stale and lazy.

Same here. I think I'd prefer it if Gary/Jerry/Larry/Terry were actually as incompetent as he seems, maybe even a bit of a Michael Scott type who could be a bit nasty too (if unintentionally), then I'd get it. Or if it was mostly Tom taking the piss, because that seems in character for him more than anyone else. But it seems most of his screw ups are innocent mistakes blown out of proportion by his colleagues, or not even mistakes at all, just... things that happen to come out of his mouth.  It was especially hard for me to watch when I was the target of office bullying myself for a while.

[Grammaeryn]

UO - I really dislike Tom. I don't find him funny and completely do not understand his character. Is he a hipster? Is he just a spoiled child grown into a spoiled adult? I zone out or leave the room when he is on. Why does he care so much about stuff, image, and inventing lame words? The only Tom storyline I enjoyed was Snake Juice but that's because all the other characters were involved. Maybe I just dislike Aziz's acting because I really enjoy Jean-Ralphio who is basically Tom 2.0

[Mayonegg]

While I understand the need for Ann to be the stright man, I feel her character was weak and ill-defined from the very beginning and Rashida Jones' delivery to be wierd and jarring compared to the way the rest of the ensemble gel and play off each other.

Also while I like April and love Andy and love the great performances by Plazza and Pratt; I think their characters would have worn out their welcomes fast without their relationship softening her and giving him some edge.

Otherwise I think 'Parks and Rec' is perfect and I have total faith in the final season.

[JayInChicago]

I hate Lil Sebastian

I *literally* don't know where else to put this. I think in the final season, Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa's mother should be revealed to be Roseanne.  That would make a lot of sense.

[Brandi Maxxxx]

I hate Lil Sebastian

Get out.

[BoogieBurns]

I hate Lil Sebastian

 

Do you also work in a library? 

[King of Birds]

Are you also the President of the Ben Wyatt Calzones Forever Fan Club?  (We all know Ben has- oops, HAD - it out for Lil Sebastian)

[Bees]

Count me as someone who isn't really a Tom fan. He's a lot better than he was in past seasons but he's still super annoying. 

 

I actually liked Chris' post-breakup journey and therapy. The therapy part is what I really like because it's not just one session and it's a bit of a process. Also the whole feelings purging that Chris went through during the wedding shower is actually a bit of a thing sometimes. I really enjoyed that whole thing. It also showed him as human. 

 

I like Craig. 

[Janet Snakehole]

It is not going to happen, but I wish Mark Brandaquits would come back for the finale or something.

[romantic idiot]

I liked the ripping on Jerry in the early seasons. Like the "murinal" scene. And I also liked when Jerry had his fart attack. Now it just seems stale and lazy.

 

Oh - that's the time I've most hated the Jerry-hate. He made such a beautiful piece and they hated it. I hate it when beautiful art and artist who make them are hated because of ignorance. Really made me not like that crowd. 

 

I hope I've been clear enough about my dislike of that comedic beat. 

[amaranta]

I liked Leslie's hair in the time jump.

 

Tom can get on my nerves too.  But since he gave us DJ Roomba and his special names for foods list (chickie chickie parm parm) I always forgive him.

[amensisterfriend]

Oh, boy...I've got a lot, so please be gentle :) 

 

1. I really like Season 5. It may be my favorite of the series. I watch this show because it's sweet and happy and warms my weird little heart, not because I think it's witty or funny or clever, and season 5 just really worked for me. I love that Leslie and Ben were together and past any major conflict, I liked seeing Ron around Diane's kids, and even April seemed a little softer and less hateful to me. It's just sweet and fun to watch for me. I wish I could explain it better! 

 

2. I was never much of a Rob Lowe fan, but I LOVED Chris, which seems a really UO among most fans. I think he was easily one of the best characters on the show and often the only one I found really amusing. I also love the Chris/Ben friendship. 

 

3. I think Amy Poehler does a much better job with the more emotional material than with humor. 

 

4. I think Season 2, which I know many love, was terrible. And for some reason I couldn't stand Mark or any of the storylines he was involved in. 

 

5. Eagleton, an episode most seem to dislike, is one of my favorites. 

 

6. The female characters looked much better---and somehow more in character for me---before they became so comparatively glammed up and started wearing so much makeup. 

 

7. I actually found Ann really likable and amusing when she was kind of a socially awkward dork, like when she was trying to connect with kids or with Ron/April and kept falling flat. Most of the time, though, she was a really disappointingly underdeveloped bore for me who existed purely to support Leslie and constantly date people. I feel like they could have done so much more with her and the actress who plays her. 

 

8. I'd be really happy if April and Tom had both left the show post-S3! 

[Brandi Maxxxx]

amensisterfriend, I disagree with some of those opinions and only partially agree with a lot of them but you're right about #5: Eagleton is a good episode. "GARBAGE FIGHT!" alone makes it a classic.

[Janet Snakehole]

I agree about loving Chris. I didn't really like him as Ann's boyfriend either time, but I loved his friendship with Ben and his support of the entire group. I usually don't like overly positive people, but it worked with Chris and Rob Lowe did a great job with the role.