What I’m Watching: Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation: Season 5, Episode 10 “Two Parties” (B+)

I love that this show finds a creative way to handle almost every situation, and the bachelor and bachelorette parties for the happy couple were no exception. It was obvious that Leslie’s would turn, much like most fun occasions in her life, into a crusade to get something accomplished, and I liked the throwback to the Native American relations that were prevalent back when Ben and Leslie were first getting together around the time of the Harvest Festival and Lil’ Sebastian. Putting April and Ann together is always a recipe for hilarity, and having Donna there as well was a blast. The boys’ outing was infinitely cooler, however, since Chris opted to host a bachelor party for each of them since the never had the opportunity. I was thrilled to see Ben excited about playing Settlers of Catan, a game that has recently taken up an unnerving amount of my time. The rest of the bachelor parties were terrific, especially Tom’s trip to the bar that serves spray vodka and other such fittingly preposterous items. Ron’s token meat fest was expected, and it was fun to see a waiter well prepared for Jerry since he has a tendency to drop his food. It was sweet of the guys to celebrate Chris as a best man, and Andy’s well-intentioned speech was a highlight. I think that Shauna Malwae-Tweep may not be the girl for him, but it’s good to see him putting himself out there. The cameos by the various athletes and Newt Gringrich were entertaining as well.