When Parks and Recreation first aired in the spring of 2009, I watched the first five episodes and stopped. The characters weren't redeeming and none of the episodes were particularly good. The second season came around and everyone was saying how great it was, but I didn't have enough time to catch up anyway. Over the winter, I watched the second season and boy is there an improvement. There's legitimate momentum from episode to episode, the characters are broadened and in Leslie's case, made competent. Instead of the bumbling government employees of the first season, everybody strives to make the department work.
At the beginning of the third season, the Pawnee government is finally started up again. Leslie quickly gathers everyone and they get to work--except there's still no money. The rest of "Go Big Or Go Home" sets the table for the rest of the third season with lots of humor and subplots.
As the title states, Leslie decides to go big or go home, proposing that Chris and Ben fund the Pawnee Harvest Festival. It's supposed to draw corporate sponsorship and lots of people--and if it doesn't, the parks department is permanently gone. With the pit filled in, Leslie and everyone else have a newer goal with bigger stakes than ever.
On the relationship front, the waters continue to churn. Tom decides to make Ron's basketball team lose because he's with Wendy, despite Tom having a girlfriend. Ron's Bobby Knight moment is the most spectacular part of the episode and with Wendy standing beside him, this definitely isn't over. Ann's date with Chris, which was intended to squeeze funding from him, turns out great until Chris learns the truth. However, Ann apologizes the next day and seems to be well on her way to get in a relationship with him. April returns at the end of the episode, seemingly ambivalent about Andy and with a Venezuelan boyfriend.
Score: 9.3/10
Thursday, January 20, 2011
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