What I’m Watching: Parks and Recreation (Season Premiere)

Parks and Recreation: Season 2, Episode 1 “Pawnee Zoo” (B)

The return of NBC’s Amy Poehler-led series marks only its seventh episode, and therefore it’s still theoretically in its development period. This episode falls into the less polished category, and it’s a shame because the cast is clearly talented but not able to show much of their potential in this installment. Leslie marrying the two penguins and then finding out they’re both male seems a bit far-fetched, even for a show which has one of its characters literally living in a hole in the ground. The threat of Leslie losing her job isn’t that serious since there would be nowhere else for the show to go if she was no longer a public servant (as opposed to “The Office” where Michael could start his own rival paper company), and therefore the conservative woman calling for her resignation is a bit of a non-starter as a plotline. The gay bar party was fun, and seeing Aubrey Plaza take on a slightly bigger role after seeing her do stand-up in “Funny People” was nice, even if it’s just a few humorous lines about her boyfriend’s boyfriend. I’m curious to see what will happen with Mark and Ann, and I like the fact that Ann and Leslie are actually good, real friends now. This first episode isn’t stellar, but the show just needs a little more time to find its footing.