 |
| Awkward! |
Last night’s episode of Parks and Recreation was called “Dave Returns” and, you guessed it, it featured the return of Louis C.K. as Leslie’s ex, Dave. I’d forgotten just how hilarious I find it when Dave speaks like he’s at a police press conference when discussing his relationship with Leslie.
The setup was that Ben and Leslie were trying to secure an endorsement from the retiring police chief, and Dave was in town both to attend a retirement party and interview for the gig. Leslie invited him out for dinner and Ben, who is terrified of cops, was dying to impress him. But as soon as Ben left the table, Dave told Leslie he’s still in love with her.
Things got super wacky when Dave handcuffed Ben to a pipe in the bathroom just so he could talk to Leslie. Because that’s a great way to win back a gal. But even though what Dave was doing was wrong, he was doing it because he really cares about Leslie. The warmth of the show was still there, and I loved Dave begrudgingly approving of “shrimpy” Ben when Leslie told him how he’d punched the guy in the bowling alley who’d called her a bitch.
Meanwhile, Andy took the rest of the gang to a recording studio to lay down some background vocals for Leslie’s campaign song. I loved seeing Andy front and center in an area where he actually is talented. Instead of the buffoon, he was the antsy perfectionist.
Of course, the best part was that it was a recording studio where DUKE SILVER himself works. There was Duke memorabilia everywhere, and Ron tasked April with destroying all of it so he could keep his secret. In the end, Ron secretly added his smooth jazz stylings to the song and turned it into something…appropriate? Decent? Good enough.
Tom had blabbed to everyone about his date with Ann, so she was pissed at him the whole time. He tried to win her back with stupid things like standing in the rain and singing in a nasally, Justin Timberlake wannabe voice, and eventually she said those four magic words: “You wore me down.”
I loved how silly this episode was, while still being sweet and moving the plot of Leslie’s campaign forward. There are too many hilarious quotes and moments in every episode of Parks to list, but here are some of my favorites from “Dave Returns”:
- “Everyone’s got something they’re in charge of for Leslie’s campaign. My
job is the song. She originally put me in charge of hot dogs at this
fundraising barbeque, and I dropped them…all of them. Like, a
thousand.” – Andy - “It’s like ‘We Are The World,’ except it can actually make a real impact on society.” – Andy
- “I never thought I would say this to you son, but you may be over thinking this.” – Ron
- Chris’s terrible singing! So funny. And props to Rob Lowe, who I’m pretty sure can actually sing, for really selling it.
- Ben letting all cops use the bathroom ahead of him, to the point where he was about to pee his pants. That made for a great moment with him and Dave.
- “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to endorse ten beers in my mouth because this has been an incredibly stressful evening.” – Leslie
