One of the things I’ve always loved about Parks and Recreation is that Leslie Knope is so incredibly likable, yet totally wackadoodle and flawed as well. Amy Poehler just nails her personality, and over the years the show has really fine tuned who Leslie Knope is and how she behaves.
Leslie isn’t subtle, or gentle, or mellow. So when Leslie Knope finds out that one dude in a focus group said he wouldn’t go bowling with her, she can’t let it go. She’s a great bowler! Just ask Ron! Leslie completely misses the point of the comment (and, possibly, the point of focus groups overall). Instead of realizing that it means some people don’t perceive her as fun, or down-to-earth, or relatable, she focuses completely on the bowling aspect, and on that one voter.
So Leslie and Ben organize a bowling night. Ben thinks it’s a good idea because voters (emphasis on the plural) will get to see Leslie in a more relaxed, casual atmosphere and realize that she’s likable. Leslie thinks it’s a good idea because she can invite the guy who didn’t like her and focus all her energies on him, all night long.
She buys him beer and wings, she talks to him about the things he likes, she jovially high-fives him and she let’s him win. And in the end, none of it works. He still won’t vote for her. They place a bet – one bowling game, and if Leslie wins she gets his vote and if she loses she has to clean his house. She wins, and not only does he still refuse to vote for her but he calls her a bitch. Because he’s a big jerk.
Ben hits him, and naturally that moment is the one caught by the photographer they invited. Whoops! But instead of apologizing like planned, Leslie changes her mind and stands by her man. She doesn’t condone violence, but the guy was a jerk and Ben punching him was awesome! And that attitude ended up endearing her to other voters…even though one of those losers said he didn’t like her earrings.
Meanwhile, Ron is disgusted with Tom’s approach to bowling (underhanded, between the legs) and disgusted that it earns him strike after strike. Ron at the bowling alley was all kinds of priceless – did you know it doubles as his favorite restaurant? The menu is: Hamburgers, hotdogs. He’s not afraid to eat there. When Ron Effing Swanson eats, it’s the food that’s scared.
It got even more hilarious when Ron later returned to the bowling alley in “disuise” (a hat and shades) and bowled a perfect game using Tom’s technique. But he bowled under the name “Man” and told an employee that he was never there. Oh, the humiliation.
Over at April and Andy’s house, Jerry was running a phone-a-thon to raise money for Leslie’s campaign. It was a great mix of people, from April’s disdain for everything to Andy’s confusion about how to ask for donations to Chris’s over-enthusiasm. When Chris overreacted to the idea of winning two movie passes for raising the most money, April decided to up her game and take him down. She did, but that wasn’t what sucked the happiness out of Chris’s world. That same evening, Millicent Gergich dumped him. Just as he was planning to ask her to move in with him! I’m glad the writers chose April as the one to reach out to Chris. She’s one of the characters on this show that can be at risk of becoming a caricature, but having her show sincere empathy for Chris, while still in her awkward and distant way, was a nice way of keeping her character grounded.
Other things I loved:
- Leslie thought Ben punching that guy was AWESOME, but I loved that he did it in the most awkward way possible, and I’m pretty sure the only reason the guy even fell over was because he was drunk.
- “Straight down the middle, no hook, no spin, no fuss. Anything more and this becomes figure skating.” – Ron
- The look on Ron’s face when they showed the bowling alley menu.
- Tom squealing like a little girl when he finger got smashed between two balls.
- “I wished for his happiness to go away. I might be a wizard.” – April
- The shots of April changing her speaking voice to cater to whoever was on the phone? Brilliant. Put that on Aubrey Plaza’s Emmy reel, please. She deserves a nomination.
- “I’ve never been very good at letting things go. I can’t tell you how
many times a fun tug of a war with a dog over a chew toy turned
contentious. One of always gets mad.” – Leslie - “Son, people can see you!” – Ron, when Tom bowls
- The Entertainment 720 bowling ball!
- “You’re so down with strikes they should call you Norma Rae!” – Leslie
