Parks and Recreation has never been (and probably will never be) the best, or most talked about, show on NBC. That being said, I’ve watched every episode, and for the most part have enjoyed them. One thing is for certain: it’s a heck of a lot better than Kath and Kim was, regardless of what the ratings say. It is definitely finding its stride in its second season, showing a lot of improvement over its freshman outing.
One (well, two I guess) of the things that has really helped this season shine: Jerry and Donna.
It’s inevitable that Parks and Recreation will be compared to The Office. With the same format and the same mind behind it (Greg Daniels), these comparisons, whether fair or not, simply can’t be avoided. One of the things that has been so charming about The Office is the background characters that were so rich, quirky, and likable in their own ways that they became a huge part of the show. When The Office started it was about Michael, Jim and Pam, and Dwight. As time went on, though, it became apparent that there was comic gold in the rest of the “background” members of The Office, including Creed, Oscar, Angela, Kelly, and all the rest (because they are all great).
I feel like in its second season, Parks and Recreation is starting to explore some of their “background” characters. Looking through the listings on IMDb, Jerry and Donna were in many of the first season episodes, but for the life of me, I can’t really remember seeing either of them. Certainly, their roles have increased, and with great results.
I’ve really been enjoying Jerry. Really, he hasn’t said that much, but by being the punching bag for the whole parks and rec. division, he brings a lot to the game. It was more evident than ever in this past week’s episode when he created a beautiful and meaningful entry for the mural competition, but no one even gave it any attention because he accidentally referred to it as a “murinal.” It was easily the funniest moment of the episode. He does more with his looks of hurt and dismay than most characters can do with one-liners.
Likewise, I think Donna has added a nice dimension to the ensemble as well. She’s pretty cheery and has a certain amount of charm about her with her innocent naiveté. She shined in the mural episode as well, filling hers with images of famous people from Indiana pasted into “The Last Supper.” Only she unapologetically ran out of people to paste in.
Kudos to Jim O’Heir and Retta (yes, just Retta) for bringing their respective characters to life and injecting a much needed boost into Parks and Recreation.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Nov 16, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
