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

Parks and Recreation: Season 3, Episode 1 “Go Big or Go Home” (B+)

It’s so wonderful having this show back on the air. I was a fan of it from its very start (the six-episode first season), and I’ve grown even fonder while it was off the air for so long and I was watching season two again via Netflix Instant Streaming. Now, its opening credits have been expanded to officially include Adam Scott as Ben and Rob Lowe as Chris, though team members Donna and Jerry continue to have recurring status. I loved seeing Leslie round them all up, particularly when she flung Jerry’s painting into the water. Aside from the regular governmental stuff, the episodic plotline worked wonders in this episode, with a suspicious Ben tailing Leslie and Leslie tailing Chris and Ann on their date, as the plan worked flawlessly but Leslie got herself into trouble by revealing that it was in fact a plan. Ann does a spot-on Chris impression (kudos to Rashida Jones), and it was amusing to see how a dejected Chris says people’s names while pointing a bit less enthusiastically. Seeing the drastically different coaching styles that Ron and Andy employed was hilarious, and Tom’s jealousy proved to be quite entertaining. I was worried that we wouldn’t see April after Andy kept calling her without answer (and without getting the hint), but it’s good to have her back, and it seems clear that she’s going to spend just as much time trying to get Andy back for his jerkiness as she did trying to get him in the first place. Welcome back, P & R. See you next week.