"Parks and Recreation" Review/Recap: “Galentine’s Day”

Emma Doherty ‘16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

After weeks of episodes dealing with Pawnee citizens and the problems of the town, audiences finally got an episode that revolved around Leslie (Amy Poehler) and her friends. Since Chris’ (Rob Lowe) and Ann’s (Rashida Jones) departure from the show, episodes have been focused mainly on the city’s issues and Leslie’s efforts to help. It was refreshing to see that the show can still focus on the main characters, as the growth and bonds between the workers are integral to the plot, even if it is unclear where they are all heading in the future.
Parks and Recreation was officially picked up for a seventh season on March 19th, confirming the prediction of a renewal by Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC, in January. This fantastic news means audiences will get to see all of the predicted changes fully flourish in the next season.
“Galentine’s Day” features the return of beloved Ann Perkins as she and Leslie reunite at the birth of her son. Seeing Rashida back on the show so soon is an unexpected pleasure, and her and Leslie’s brief but sweet scene together is perfection. Before the reunion, it’s clear how much of a toll losing her “beautiful tropical fish” takes on Leslie. She decides to host another Galentine’s Day in an attempt to find a new best friend. Of course, being the control freak she is, her plan backfires, leaving her forced to talk with Shauna Malwae-Tweep (Alison Becker), whose life seems to have taken a rather drastic spiral. The episode peaks when Ann calls Leslie to tell her that she’s had the baby. The moment they share proves the show’s special knack for writing both heart and humor. The scene was necessary and long-awaited, and it’s a shock that they hadn’t addressed how Leslie dealt with Ann’s departure sooner.

Ann helped Leslie and told her how to mend her friendships with Donna (Retta) and April (Aubrey Plaza). Leslie finally realized that she can’t replace Ann and that her current friends offer her a lot. Leslie definitely needs more girlfriends in her life—despite her and Ben’s (Adam Scott) close relationship, she can’t talk about female celebrities clothing choices with him.
Meanwhile, the episode continued centering on the bond between the main characters. Tom (Aziz Ansari) seeks a tent for the music festival being staged by the department. After being given a hard time, Jerry (Jim O’Heir) is finally the one to solve the problem. Since Ben’s and Jerry’s bonding a couple of episodes ago, Ben has grown closer with him and invites him along. Seeing Ben stand up for him in front of everyone was heart-warming and hilarious (especially when Jerry let out an enormous fart). It’s about time Jerry has a friend!
Andy’s (Chris Pratt) and Ron’s (Nick Offerman) storyline takes them to the dentist after Andy characteristically causes himself harm while playing at a children’s park. Ron demonstrates his adaption to parenthood and maturity, as he has to watch Andy like a child and show him what to do. It seems that as the season continues, Andy has become increasingly stupider and more help, and it’ll be interesting to see if he changes his behavior in the next episode, centered on he and April.
The show will be off next week and return April 3rd at 8:30 on NBC.
Overall Episode Grade: B