“Vote for me to be your boyfriend.” – Tom
If “The Debate” – written and directed by Amy Pohler – isn’t the best episode Parks and Rec has done up until this point in the show’s run, it has to be in the top five.
The highly anticipated debate finds Leslie facing off not only with Bobby Newport (Paul Rudd), but with three other City Council contenders as well. Brandi Maxxx (Mara Marini) is a Leslie Knope doppelganger who happens to earn a living in the adult film industry. Manrico Della Rosa is an over-the-top animal rights crusader. And my personal favorite, of course, is Fester Trim (Brad Leland, Buddy Garrity from Friday Night Lights!), a local gun store owner. If I ever start a death-metal band, you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m calling it Fester Trim. Best. Character. Name. Ever.
The debate itself begins pretty much as expected. Leslie is as polished and gung-ho as ever and Bobby is charming yet completely incompetent. All things being equal, Leslie would crush Bobby in the debate and ride a wave of support to a landslide victory. But, of course, all things aren’t equal and Bobby is the richest, most famous guy in Pawnee. After bumbling through a series of virtually incomprehensible talking points, Bobby pulls out his ace in the hole: If Leslie wins the election, he says, his father will be forced to move the Sweetums Candy factory to Mexico, destroying Pawnee’s economy in the process. Leslie, after taking a minute or two to recover from Bobby’s shocking revelation, steps back into the ring and keeps punching.
If the debate story line is a steak dinner, then the B and C stories are like the delicious dessert that you can’t help but want to eat before the main course. As much as I loved Leslie in this episode, I loved Andy (Chris Pratt) even more. The awkward Chris (Rob Lowe)/Anne (Rashida Jones)/ Tom (Aziz Ansari) love triangle was great, but Andy’s bits were pure gold. The Andy character might be a bit one-note at times, but that single note is enough to blow your eardrums out. Pratt is a comedic force of nature.
Andy and April (Aubrey Plaza) host a fundraising dinner at their home and plan to watch the debate live on TV with a group of Leslie supporters. Why Lelsie would want the fundraiser at Andy’s place and not Donna’s lake house is a bit questionable, especially when Andy’s cable is shut off right before the debate due to lack of payment.
Andy, always the showman, takes it upon himself to entertain the crowd gathered in his living room with one-man reenactments of his favorite films. Watching Andy do scenes from Roadhouse, Babe, and Rambo is a dream come true. I don’t think I’ve laughed at anything on TV this year as hard as when Andy celebrates Leslie’s killer closing statement by side-kicking his flat screen. Brilliant.
Some stats and info about Parks and Recreation, ”The Debate”
TV SHOW – Parks and Recreation
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 4, Episode 19
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – NBC
GENRE – Comedy, Office Culture
CREATED BY – Greg Daniels, Michael Schur
STARRING – Amy Poehler, Jim O’Heir, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Abrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari, Retta, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe
This review was originally published on TV Geek Army.