TV Review: Parks and Recreation 5.18, "Animal Control"

Parks and Recreation - Season 5

rating: 3.5

I suppose it€™s ironic that although I consider Parks€™ cast to be one of the strongest comedic ensembles currently on television, the show really has never known what to do with Ann and this season in particular has really dropped the ball when it comes to Andy. In lieu of stronger roles for these characters, Ann typically gets to provide the deadpan contrast to someone else€™s wackiness and Andy usually serves as the situation€™s plucky moral center. Keeping true to form, in €œAnimal Control€ Ann got to play the straightwoman to an ailing Ron Swanson (whose answers to a series of standard medical questions may be the greatest moment in the history of masculinity since the birth of Ernest Hemmingway), and Andy served as not only the golden heart, but the rebel fist to an especially unruly Dennis Feinstein (the scent artist), courted for Ben€™s Sweetums charity. Though it would have been nice to see either of these plots, or Leslie€™s effort to revamp the Animal Control department, take on a sense of greater significance, each made me laugh enough not to care. Seriously, by all objective standards Parks is growing stale without any real stakes on the line. Last season was positively marred in tension surrounding Leslie€™s political campaign and her and Ben€™s relationship. Coming off that excellent run of episodes into the fifth season in which some long-distance drama between Leslie and Ben has given way to their adorable but toothless wedding and Andy€™s sputtering career trajectory has been disappointing. However, the series€™ writers are so familiar with their dense community and characters €“ as well as how to effectively use them €“ that I€™ve barely noticed that disappointment. I€™ve always been a die-hard fan of The (American) Office, but even the most strident fan will admit the series started showing signs of aging as early as the fourth season and will be hard-pressed to convincingly argue against those signs of exhaustion outweighing the humor by the sixth season. Parks and Recreation, however, has kept me laughing. Do I really care that we€™ve lost Harris and Brett to see their department absorbed by the Parks department under April€™s supervision? Nope, but did I love hearing April refer to herself as half wolf? Yup! Will I in any way feel anything even resembling an emotion if Ben€™s Sweetums charity doesn€™t do well? I sincerely doubt it, but learning that Feinstein definitely finds hunting doped up foxes (and probably people) €œhighly erotic,€ and seeing Andy call him a straight-up €œdick€ for writing a check for $25,000 to €œGo F--- Yourself€ was entertaining enough. I didn€™t think for a second that Ron€™s health was in jeopardy, but watching him try to eat a banana was absolutely brilliant. I€™m sure I should be harder on this show, but until I stop laughing with it I€™m probably not going to be moved to condemn its lack of pathos. And now, the Ron Swanson Guide to Perfect Health --
How many alcoholic beverages do you consume per week? One shelf. Do you get any exercise? Yes, love-making and wood-working. Does your family have a history of mental illness?My uncle does yoga. Any allergies? Cowardice and weak-willed men...and hazelnuts. Sexual history? Epic and private.
Contributor

Fed a steady diet of cartoons, comics, tv and movies as a child, Joe now survives on nothing but endless film and television series, animated or otherwise, as well as novels of the graphic and literary varieties. He can also be seen ingesting copious amounts of sarcasm and absurdity.