Yay, Leslie's back at work. She assembles her new 'campaign' team and informs them that she has chosen Ann Perkins to be her campaign manager. Ann has no experience and is very skeptical. She suggests Ben since he knows how to run a campaign but Leslie says that he's the reason her advisors pulled out in the first place. So Ann accepts as she would do anything for Leslie.
Leslie runs in to her former advisors and they awkwardly tell her they are finding potential candidates for city council. She tries to tell them that her new team is amazing until Andy interrupts to tell them he burned Ramen noodles in the coffee pot. But Leslie is unphased.
Ben is at home and notices the new 3-legged house dog, Champion that Andy and April have rescued. Ben doesn't care but is afraid he'll be the one having to take care of it. Although April points out that he is the only one that isn't employed. "Cruel...but fair."
Ann and April hold their first campaign meeting and announce their strategy for the relaunch campaign "The Comeback Kid." Everyone suggests their own version of comebacks including 'casual Hawaiian shirts' which Jerry is wearing. Jerry is thrilled that he's always ahead of the game. Tom informs him "I was joking. You should soak that in bleach and burn it." Ann makes sure April has finalized the rental, Ron is constructing the stage since "every single contractor in the world is a miserable, incompetent thief."
Bored to death at home, Ben is learning the art of making calzones. Chris comes to visit and immediately recognizes that his friend is depressed and needs his help. Ben shows Chris that he's also learning how to make claymation videos.
Ann informs Leslie that Ann got local hero "Pistol Pete Descilio" who clinched a comeback with a last second dunk in a 1992 HS basketball championship game, to endorse Leslie for her new campaign. Leslie is thrilled! She just has to break dance from excitement. Thankfully, Ann interrupts her before she hurts something. Leslie and Ann explain their strategy that 'Pistol' comes out and dunks the ball and says "Voting for Leslie Knope is a slam dunk." But Pistol is less than enthusiastic about it. He's trying to move on as a grown adult and doesn't want to be known as Pistol anymore. Although he'll endorse her, he will not do the dunk.
Tom goes to work getting red carpet for the press conference because that's how you make any event classy on a budget. Tom piles into the truck with all the construction supplies. Ron is driving, Andy has Champion on his lap so Tom is forced to sit on April's lap. Champion takes turns licking Andy and April's faces. Andy LOVES being in the big truck and continually pulls the horn until the police pull them over. Ron tries to reason with the policeman but the cop points out all of the moving violations they are breaking. April calls Ann and lets her know they're all about to be arrested. Leslie tells them she'll be right there to get them out of trouble as the police love her. But she tells Ann that she MUST convince Pistol to do the press conference.
Chris, trying to understand the calzone fascination, asks Ben what his plans are. Ben explains trying to begin some Italian fast food with a healthy twist called "The Lo-Cal, Calzone-Zone." Chris, of course, supports him to his face, but to the camera admits it's terrible.
Leslie talks with the cop since she knows him personally and convinces him to let them go. He releases them but they cannot take the truck since no one has a commercial license.
Ann goes to work on Pistol and gets him to open up about why he doesn't want to be known as Pistol anymore and he winds up pouring his heart out.
Chris offers Ben a chance to get out of the house, go for a run and get some endorphins going but Ben is focused on his 'claymashe.' Chris confronts him and tells him he's depressed but Ben denies it and shows him how fantastic claymation is. He offers to show Chris his video that he's been working on for 3 weeks. It's only about 10 seconds long. Ben is flabbergasted that all that work only resulted in 10 seconds of video. This snaps Ben out of his depression and Chris comforts him as he breaks down. I mean he thought it was comparable to Avatar! Chris makes Ben a disgusting herb drink but it helps. Chris tells Ben to admit he's depressed. Ben does but asks Chris how he knew when Ben didn't even know. "The Letters to Cleo T-Shirt, the unshaven face, the Doc Martens AND your hair does not have that normal, uptight, rigid and flexible Ben Wyatt sense of fun." Ben thanks him.
The team piles all that they can on Leslie's small car which is barely anything. When Leslie calls Ann, she can't answer her phone because she is intently listening to Pistol pour his heart out.
At the press conference, April reveals that the basketball court is now an ice rink that April forgot to reveal. The stage is pretty small since they couldn't carry all the wood supplies. The banner is only one strip and it is only Leslie's eyes. Ann arrives and tells her that Pistol agreed to do the conference but is still not sure he will do the conference. Unfortunately, Jerry, for once, came through and got a big crowd for the event. This poor guy can't win.
Leslie starts to freak out and realizes that although her team is dedicated, their lack of experience is 'kind of a problem.' But Leslie powers through and tells them to leave and go to the bar and she'll give the press conference and meet them at the bar later. But Ann tells them they are a team and they will all go out together. Ron agrees and they make their triumphant entrance along the red carpet over the ice to the stage. However, Tom could only get so much red carpet and it doesn't stretch all the way to the stage.
There are a few things that Parks and Rec does better than anyone else. 1, was in Season 3, Episode 13, "The Fight" when they entire cast (except Chris and Donna) get wasted. I've never seen a better acting job of drunk people on a sitcom ever. The second was their walk on the ice from the red carpet to the stage. If you want to see physical comedy at it's best, watch these 7 actors walk on ice. I rewatched the scene repeatedly. Andy's fall, the dog peeing on Ron, Ron trying to help Leslie on to the stage...it goes on and on...
With the music playing Gloria Estefan's (blech) "Get On Your Feet" that was clearly only timed out for them to get to the stage as only the chorus keeps repeating every few minutes as they awkwardly try to reach the stage. Oh how I cannot do this moment justice. Leslie awkwardly reads her speech and since the cards were all out of order from the 'walk to the ice' it is an unmitigated disaster. At the last moment, Pistol comes out to try and save the day but when he has the crowd back into it and tries to dunk, he slips on the ice and falls. Everyone is horrified except for Andy who thinks it's hilarious.
Knowing a disaster when they see it, they all head to Ben. Leslie and Ann have decided to fire her campaign manager and they need him. They don't care if he's 'poison' and they beg him. Chris warns that Ben's going 'through' some stuff but Ben happily accepts. Chris is thrilled.
Ann and Leslie visits Pistol in the hospital and apologize. They ask what they can do and he asks Ann out. She tries to politely get out of it but Leslie accepts for her.
Watch the ice scene again...and again...
No comments:
Post a Comment