What I’m Watching: Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation: Season 6, Episode 19 "Flu Season 2” (B+)

This show demonstrates its quality yet again by utilizing a recycled title to tremendous (if not entirely relevant) effect and featuring an episode that isn’t so much about its plot developments as it is about its characters. Leslie’s pregnancy reveal is particularly perfect, since Larry being quarantined in a flu tent in the office and Andy sneezing like crazy made Leslie think that she too had contracted the flu, only to discover that it was something else entirely. I love that Andy and Leslie got to hang out and that he gave a very fitting speech that included him miming what seemed to be a pregnant belly but which actually turned out to be petting a dog. Ben getting really drunk because Ron didn’t want him to talk about his personal problems produced some laugh-out-loud moments, particularly Ben’s reaction to the “phone water” and his cry of “Home is that way!” which was followed by his ill-fated attempt to scale a fence. Running into Eagleton Ron was brilliant, and it was wonderful to see Ben rush in to Leslie to tell her that he wanted to start a family and have her smile as she prepared to reveal the best possible news. Watching April and Craig try to sell wine was a blast, and it was fantastic that Donna straight up poured wine on Tom’s competition to distract him before busting out fluent French. Tom’s description of Craig as “like a crazy volcano” was highly accurate, and it was a blast to watch Tom, April, and Donna test his ability to keep cool by creating the most offensive wine pairings they could think of.