TV Review: Parks & Recreation 5.4, "Sex Education"
Naturally the word “sex” combined with “education” apparently conjured up the Council for Family Stability representative Marsha Langman, much like how chanting “Blood Mary” three times into a mirror will resurrect a bloodthirsty specter.
rating: 4
Theres something to be said for political art that attempts to be fair and inclusive; its considerate and admirable to try to provide equal access to your message. However, such works will always pale in comparison to those comparable which refuse to apologize or give any ground. Sure, these days it seems as though the political landscape is plagued by corrosive partisanship, but theres a time for compromise and theres a time for remaining steadfast in ones beliefs, no matter what. This was the lesson Loosely Grope Leslie Knope learned in Sex Education. Due to an outbreak of STDs among Pawnees senior community Leslie and Ann begin an education campaign to illuminate the dirty minds of Pawnees Matlock fans whom didnt receive the benefits of sex ed when they were young. Naturally the word sex combined with education apparently conjured up the Council for Family Stability representative Marsha Langman, much like how chanting Blood Mary three times into a mirror will resurrect a bloodthirsty specter. Fans will remember loving to hate Marsha in the second season premiere in which Leslie accidentally married two male penguins as well as the episode where Leslie defended a mural Jerry painted of a centaur which Marsha decried as bestiality pornography. This episode, however, saw the debut of Marshas husband, Marshall, a man so stereotypically and flamboyantly gay even the most ignorant homophobe would be offended at his measly two dimensions. Despite this, I couldnt help but crack up at Marshalls absurdity, from his name to him and his and his wifes obvious obliviousness to the problem with refusing to teach anything but abstinence when it comes to sex education. I assumed that the show wouldnt necessarily call out this absurdity but Leslie and Ann did just that and I couldnt love them more for it. I also admire how this story didnt shy away from the problem inherent in democracy that of the ethical dilemma which occurs when you know a policy is ridiculous, but the vast majority of the population is actually in favor of it, in this case a whopping 85% according to Perd Hapleys statistics, which, in this case, include numbers. Ultimately Leslie concludes that shed rather fight against the majority for what she believes in than turn her back on her convictions in supposed service of the public. If only all politicians had such integrity. Fairly large ensemble casts can be difficult to write as you usually want each episode to allow for various character groupings to not become too repetitive, but still feel autonomous from one another while retaining a sense of cohesion no easy task. But Parks usually pulls it off quite well and Sex Education is no exception. Though dealing with a very different issue on the surface, the first of the episodes three side plots, that of Toms withdrawal from his technology addiction, actually ties in thematically with all of the stories in Sex Education. But first off I want to talk about how entertaining it was to watch Ron attempt to help Tom purge all the cyber-obsession from his system. Suffice to say that no amount of wood-chopping could do the trick. Seeing the ultimate mans man and isolationist extraordinaire that is Ron Swanson attempt to rehabilitate a decidedly less self-reliant man is a comic pairing I wish I could see more of. After sneaking away from Rons treatment and crashing his car in the process, Toms case appears to be hopeless. But Ron doesnt give up on his little friend, instead he gives him an ultimatum study a book called AUTO REPAIR MANUAL 1982 (probably one of only two volumes on Rons shelf, next to his Pawnee Rangers Manual with its sole sentence, Be a man.) and help Ron repair the damages to his car or face being turned in for violating his parole. Unfortunately there wasnt enough time to get a glimpse of what this certainly hilarious enterprise wouldve looked like, but its a solid resolution to the plot. The remaining plots of Sex Education, Anns realization that she tends to get lost in the men she dates and Bens gradual relinquishing of his reverence for D.C. politicians, were helpful and hilarious, respectively, but both also tied in to the aforementioned stories of Leslie and Tom. Essentially every one of these stories is about identity. Leslie comes to realize the strength of her convictions over her service to the public, Tom realizes theres more to focus on in his own life than other peoples accomplishments, Ann realizes that she needs to learn how to be herself instead of emulating her romantic partners, and Ben realizes that his idols arent necessarily deserving of his admiration. Basically everyone slowly learned how to more fully embrace themselves. Once again Parks proves it knows not only how to make us laugh, but make us think.