Parks and Recreation has always required a certain amount of disbelief suspension. The mockumentary style takes some getting used to, and viewers ultimately had to accept the humor of the format and not think too much about in-universe implications. We accept because it's funny. Besides, who wouldn't want to throw a dirty look at an omnipotent observer every once in a while? "Moving Up" requires a different sort of suspension of disbelief. Witnessing April glare through our screens at Jerry's descriptions of Lord Sheldon's rectum and watching Ben roll his eyes at the camera as the audience erupts at the sight of the holographic Li'l Sebastian are one thing. Accepting the wild overnight success of Tom's Bistro is another. That the town that has employed Andy to produce most of the music over the previous six years was suddenly able to recruit The Decemberists and Letters to Cleo for a concert felt slightly unlikely. The federal government moving an important division from Chicago to Pawnee was a bit of a stretch. Moving that division into the vacant third floor of the Pawnee city hall building that has conveniently just been refurbished by a solo Ron Swanson was a lot of a stretch. The realism that managed to keep the show touchingly bittersweet even through the most bizarre hijinks was absent. Of course, the reaching didn't ruin the episode. The characters deserved their happy endings, and allergies were certainly flaring up in the homes of sentimental fans everywhere. We can suspend our disbelief; it simply would have been more palatable to do when riding the high of a series finale rather than going into the lull of a hiatus. Agree? Disagree? Hoping that the show lasts for another 14 seasons? Let me know in the comments!
Fiction buff and writer. If it's on Netflix, it's probably in my queue. I've bought DVDs for the special features and usually claim that the book is better than the movie or show (and can provide examples). I've never met a TV show that I won't marathon. Follow on Twitter @lah9891 .
