"Parks and Recreation" Review/Recap: "One in 8,000"

Emma Doherty ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

If this episode was to be summed up in one word, it would be “perfect.” This week’s show left the rest of the season in the dust because plots points are finally being tied together, and the episode included continuing stories and joyful moments that we’ve seen so many times in past seasons.
Last week, viewers learned that Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) is pregnant, and this week was an even bigger shock. When she and Ben (Adam Scott) go to see Dr. Saperstein (Emerson College alum Henry Winkler), they find out that they are going to be raising not one, not two, but three babies! The shock shouldn’t have been so surprising because the pair has never been one to have an easy or predictable time with anything.
Meanwhile, Andy (Chris Pratt) is the only other person who knows about the pregnancy, and he’s having a really hard time keeping it to himself. Speaking of which, it seems like the audience has settled with the fact that Andy is progressively getting dumber and dumber. Back in season one, he was just a jerk, and it was interesting to see his transition from season to season as he got increasingly less intelligent.

Regardless, no matter what Andy does, April (Aubrey Plaza) will still love him, even though she knew that he was hiding something from her. When he came up with a lie and told her that Jerry (Jim O’Heir) was dying, the show seemed to switch to a scene straight from The Twilight Zone: April actually being nice to Jerry and scratching his back for him. The look on Andy’s face when he saw her find out that he lied was priceless.
Back at the Parks Department, another first is going down as Ron (Nick Offerman) asks Donna (Retta) for help kids making costumes for his kids’ elementary school show. She’s hesitant because her ex-boyfriend works at the school. Ron promises to keep him away from her. When Ron realizes that she hates her ex so much because he could be someone that she could settle down with, he helps her see that it’s not such a bad thing. It was nice to see these two big personalities have a storyline together and Ron looking out for his friend’s wellbeing.
Back to the big picture, Ben and Leslie (being the amped-up, anxious, and controlling people that they are) are freaked about the thought of three children. Well, at least one of them is. Leslie remains surprising calm throughout this episode while Ben “The-Numbers-Guy” Wyatt worries about finances and the future of their family while simultaneously trying to prevent Leslie from stressing out about anything. He works himself up and spirals out of control, but this time it is Leslie doing the calming and reassuring.

While at first, the audience might have been worried with the things the two have to think about, the way they work together as a couple is so reassuring and heart-warming that there is no doubt they will have a smooth transition into parenthood. This idea was only strengthened by their preganancy announcement which was received by all their friends volunteering their help.
Parks and Recreation is a lovable show with a strong ensemble. All the characters have all been through a lot together, and one of the biggest joys of watching is seeing how they’ve grown together over time. It’s great to see a comedy where there are no unkind people or loopholes; this is a show about love and support.
Overall Episode Grade: A
Be sure to watch the hour-long season finale next Thursday at 8/7c on NBC!