tvdinner&amovie

Previously on Parks and Recreation: Sweet Sixteen

Another episode where Ben and Leslie were off running her campaign while the Parks and Rec department tended to something else. On the one hand, it’s great to see everyone doing work that’s actually relevant to their respective job titles (I don’ recall seeing Tom do anything work related since his return from Entertainment 720). On the other, I’m slowly reaching a point where I’ve grown bored with the campaign. Maybe this upcoming hiatus will breathe new life into a storyline that would otherwise overstay it’s welcome.

Campaign Shake-up had a lot of great mini-moments of hilariousness, but similar to the department without Leslie, this episode lacked any comedic leadership. The season has been great and Sean Hayes is making an appearance next week, so I’m just fine with a somewhat weak episode. In order of appearance, but not how much they made me laugh, here are the best moments:

• “Issue number one is the first issue we’re going to talk about.” – The ever literal Perd
• Leslie is running against Bobby Newport, as well as Brandi Maxxxx (because three Xs is just too mainstream), Fester Trim and Manrico Della Rossa. I can’t wait to see the faces that go along with those last two names!
• Senior citizens = the gray vote. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of Ned Jones (aka The Grandfather bka the Grand Godfather), the president of Pawnee Seniors United.
• Leslie describing Ben as a ‘brilliant sexy little hummingbird’ with a ‘slight but powerful body’.
• Chris’ upside down situps.
• Ron’s “Nooooooooo!” reaction to potentially replacing Leslie. So loud. So guttural. So manly. So Swanson.
• Kathryn Hahn (Adam Scott’s nympho wife on Step Brothers) as Jennifer Barkley. And no, her Wikipedia page isn’t real.
• Pawnee residents putting their mouths over the spots of the water fountains. Further increasing my fear of using a public water fountain.
• Joe Biden is Leslie’s celebrity sex list.
• “You’re right and I should listen to you always. Because you are a man-genius with a taut narrow frame like a sexy elf king.” – Leslie “Do you wish I were taller? What’s going on?” – Ben
• “Do I look like I drink water?” – Donna, who probably treats herself to champagne instead of a cool glass of H2O
• Leslie’s amazing ramp entrance.
• “I’ve started interviewing people to fill in for Leslie. I have found five candidates I would like to hire and two I’d like to be life long friends with.” – Chris
• Tom’s repeated yelling of “Everything I’m wearing is suede!” 
• Andy’s kamikaze water balloon fight tactic was genius. Seriously. They should turn that into a yearly thing ala Community.
• “I think Ben’s already filling the Leslie void.” That’s what she Donna said.
• “If you love chess, which I do. But you don’t have anybody to play against, which I don’t. Then sometimes you just gotta play yourself.” I can’t wait to see Jennifer return and play off the Paul Rudd’s dimwitted Bobby Newport.
• “Let’s begin this show by starting it” and “Now it’s time to move on to our next segment, which is a commercial”. This was the best use of Perd, ever.
• Between Leslie’s wish for a three-course meal in which all courses are desserts and Ron’s affinity for bacon, I think Jerry has a good chance of outliving them all.