TV Review: Parks & Recreation 5.5, "Halloween Surprise"
“Halloween Surprise” is not only a fantastic episode of television, but an apt landmark moment that is sure to be remembered as a turning point for Leslie as well as for the series on the whole.
rating: 4.5
There was a lot packed into this episode of Parks, but Halloween Surprise never felt overcrowded and because I didnt know the episode title before watching I was actually surprised by the ending. Unlike the corresponding episode of The Office, which didnt really follow through on most of the plots it set up, Halloween Surprise merely touched upon most of its seasonal character arcs while spending the most time and effort on two main stories which, while contributing to seasonal stories, still felt self-contained. In addition to catching up with April, Andy, Ann, Tom, Jerry, and Chris, and even giving Donna some well deserved screen time, Halloween Surprise mostly focused on two romances that of Leslie and Ben and Ron and his new romantic interest first introduced a couple episodes back in How a Bill Becomes a Law, Diane Louis (played by Lucy Lawless). The episode began with a hilarious cold open in which Diane stops by Rons office with her kids to invite him to join them in trick-or-treating. The scene is so effective largely because of two elements the particularly well written and delivered line by Ron expressing how much he likes Diane for being sharp and strong while contrasting that upside with the less attractive prospect of her very loud children, and Andys extreme enthusiasm for also very loudly playing with the girls while breaking several items in Rons office. I love cold opens that are not only funny on their own but which directly contribute to framing one of the main plots. When a vice principal emergency forces Diane to leave the festivities, Andy immediately volunteers to keep accumulating candy with the kids and Ron, much to his chagrin. When one of the girls princess costume tiaras breaks, Ron genuinely does his best to make the situation right by breaking the other girls tiara as well which of course only exacerbates the problem, apparently ruining the girls Halloween. Thankfully since Ben, April, and their team of interns in D.C. looked to have clinched the campaign they were running, Ben released April whom immediately left for Pawnee and was present to inform Ron how sad he is for letting Diane, a woman he could have a real future with, slip through his fingers. So Ron puts on his best apology mustache and delivers Diane the requisite flowers, chocolates, and grout cleaner. It works out and Ron learns that sometimes risking things by stepping out of ones comfort zone can be a worthwhile endeavor. The titular Surprise of the episode came at the end of the Leslie and Ben plot. As mentioned, Ben has been all but guaranteed victory in the campaign he ran for Jennifer Barkleys firm in D.C. Thinking he can finally relax with a calzone and Blade Runner (Directors Cut Im sure), Jennifer instead presses hard to convince Ben hes too damn good to stop now and offers him the top position for a new campaign in Florida. At the meeting with the new potential candidate Ben appears more confident and self-assured than possibly ever before witnessed. However, just after a tense phone call to Leslie and another conversation with Jennifer when it looks like Ben and Leslie will be spending even more time apart, Ben suddenly appears at the house he and Leslie were planning to move into and announces that in thinking about his future, as Jennifer recommended, he apparently came to one single conclusion and proposes to Leslie. This is the most heart-wrenchingly touching and adorable proposal Ive ever seen on a sitcom and also the funniest. Leslies succession of interruptions before Ben can actually pop the question so she can prolong how happy she is in the moment was one of the most heart felt and hilarious moments the couple has had on the show. I hate to seemingly disparage The Office so frequently when reviewing Parks because I dont mean to suggest the shows are so similar they might as well serve as foils for each other; each series is its own artistic entity with separate and distinct characteristics and goals. However, seeing as how they were each developed by the same pair of showrunners and one was actually first conceived of as a spin-off from the other, its not unreasonable to compare the two. I once again bring up the romance and continued saga of Jim and Pam. Whereas with these two characters you pretty much knew by the middle of the shows fourth season the two would end up happily ever after, on Parks and Recreation one could never be quite as sure about Leslies romantic trajectory. As Ive previously written, Parks is a legitimately feminist series often focusing entertainingly yet realistically on the challenges of being a strong-willed woman in what is still largely a patriarchal society. Most recently the perils of loosing ones identity in his or hers significant other has been portrayed by Ann. So in a narrative framework which doesnt necessarily proscribe to the traditional boy-meets-girl-and-whisks-her-off-her-feet/damsel in distress model of romantic courtship, a happy ending isnt so certain. But ever since he was first introduced with Chris Traeger, Ben Wyatt has been a considerable factor in the series stepping up its game not only due to his own self-sustaining comedic talents, but because he was very gradually integrated as a potential love interest for Leslie, the evolution of their relationship has been one of the most satisfying on American television in many years. That being said, his proposal and Leslies acceptance is a fitting milestone for the pair as well as possibly the most emotionally wrought performances the two have displayed on the show. Meanwhile, we got to see Andy keeping up on his police academy training, the ruthless comedy of Donnas live-tweets, and Toms potential new business venture, Rent-a-Swag. Halloween Surprise is not only a fantastic episode of television, but an apt landmark moment that is sure to be remembered as a turning point for Leslie as well as for the series on the whole.