Community
For the most part, Community is not a show that's all that interested in making overt social statements. Sure, you could argue that its whole thesis statement is about the importance of community and it frequently touches on ideas about leadership and group mentality and what have you, but generally, it's a very character-based show that gets most of its plot materials from digging into and exploring the dynamics between its characters, not any grand political statements. I don't think it's a stretch to say that App Development and Condiments is the most the show has ever delved into social satire, and it delves into it with incredible skill. Sure, a lot of the satire in this episode was through a pop-culture-referencing lense, but underneath it all, this was an episode that dealt with how we present ourselves in the digital age and how we'll change ourselves for approval. And I was really, really impressed with how the show put a spin on this that felt both original and unique to itself, while still being an incredibly fun time. What I liked the most was how the show actually appointed Britta to show just how ridiculous everyone was being, giving her the most power she has in ages. This has been a great season for Britta, to the point where I very well might call her the MVP of the season (though we still have five episodes to go).
The show did attempt to give this episode a more typically Community story about character growth, with Jeff and Shirley learning how both of them have a similar thirst for power. Jeff and Shirley is perhaps the shows' most quietly great character pairing - they're similar in so many ways they don't realize. The show doesn't go to them for stories as much as it should, but the few times they've done so have generally been incredibly rewarding. The gold standard for Jeff/Shirley episodes remains Season 3's "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism", which revealed that both of them have a dark past with the game of foosball. It's hard not to compare any Jeff/Shirley story to that episode, and honestly, this one wasn't quite up to snuff. It very much felt like the show putting together a character story for this episode simply because it felt like it had to, and it all felt rushed. "Foosball" and even Season 1's "Social Psychology" dealt with this concept much better. So in a rare instance, tonight's Community worked for me very well on a more general, social commentary level and less well on a character level. But after last week's stand-out and completely character-focused episode, I didn't mind the lessened character work too much, especially when it leads to material that's as great as the rest of this episode was. I give it four MeowMeowBeanz.
Parks and Recreation
Tonight's Parks & Rec did a respectable job of explaining the completely inexplicable idea that Leslie Knope, after spending the better part of the past year being tormented and disrespected by the town of Pawnee, would actually continue to work in Pawnee. The best parts of this fairly unspectacular season have been the ones that legitimately question Leslie's career choices, from the great season premiere to the effectively surprising recall vote to Jen Barkley's advice to her in the 100th episode. Leslie is clearly on the cusp of moving on from the small town she started in, and that's confirmed when two members from the National Parks Department offer her a position in Chicago during this episode. She temporarily turns them down, saying that she can't leave her town until she knows that it's in good hands.
Honestly, I don't really buy it. Even someone as passionate and dedicated as Leslie would seize the opportunity at getting actual recognition somewhere. The reason that Leslie doesn't take the job yet is because the show is not over yet, and this is a show about Leslie and Pawnee. This has been a big part of what's holding both the show and the character back recently - we're simply at a point where most of these characters are going to be past the Parks department and even past Pawnee, but because the show keeps marching on, they have to unrealistically stay where they are. All of that said, I like that we seem to be building towards career movement for Leslie (and I do expect her to take the new job by seasons' end). It gives the season a clearer sense of focus, particularly for the Leslie Knope character. The reason why I do think this season has been slightly better than last for the show (although it still is kind of just 'there' too much of the time) is because there's an underlying momentum of Leslie realizing she deserves better than what she has. The show has been making Pawnee far too comically awful to show us that, but it's interesting character movement, and it gives a show that's clearly showing its age some forward momentum.
The rest of the episode was basically your typical Parks Season 6 fare. Ron continues to be Flanderized, and I'm not entirely sure what the point of giving him a wife and kid was when he mostly just does the same stuff anyway only now with a wife and kid. Tom's storyline was marginally better, but this is Tom's third business now, right? It's hard to get too excited at this point. The characters of Parks continue to run around the same circles, waiting for the clock to tick out. Hopefully the show starts pushing them towards and endgame soon.
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