"One Last Ride" for PARKS AND REC

Article first published as TV Review: 'Parks and Recreation' Series Finale - "One Last Ride" on Blogcritics.

Parks and Recreation, the last great sitcom in NBC’s once-proud legacy of comedy, came to an end this week with the hour-long “One Last Ride.” In it, the Parks Department gang goes on one final mission, while we see flash forwards to the futures of all of our main characters, as well as several secondary characters. It’s an emotional triumph.

As the episode opens, many in the group are getting ready to leave Pawnee, Indiana. While they have all moved on, none currently employed at the office in which they so memorably worked together, they’ve stayed in touch and still lived nearby. But now, some are moving halfway across the country, and it’s a true end of an era. Leslie (Amy Poehler) plans on commemorating it with a very in-depth recounting of their time together.

Thankfully, Leslie’s plan, which most of the others find boring, is interrupted when a citizen shows up to ask to get a swing fixed. Despite the fact that the Parks Department isn’t yet open for the day and that none of them have any authority to help, Leslie sees this as a chance to recapture their glory days, and as has happened so many times, the rest grudgingly agree to assist.

Leslie is the glue that holds them all together, and while she can be annoying, without her, they wouldn’t have built the family they all cherish so much. That’s why she and her husband, Ben (Adam Scott), get the lion’s share of the focus in “One Last Ride,” with hints that Leslie eventually becomes President of the United States after serving successfully as governor of Indiana. Her dedication and her persistence helps them all, and at the end of the day, they do all realize and value that.

The various other futures, which are shown in different years to give us a more complete view of the characters’ timelines, are appropriate. All the characters end up happy, professionally fulfilled, and romantically satisfied. It may not be realistic to have such across-the-board success, but with Leslie behind them all the way, often popping back into their lives when they need her, it makes sense that this particular group would defy the odds and do well for themselves. Donna (Retta), Ron (Nick Offerman), Tom (Aziz Ansari), Andy (Chris Pratt), April (Aubrey Plaza), even Garry (Jim O’Heir), who, despite his plethora of names over the run, I still think of as Jerry, end up where they should be. This fixing of the swing is not the last time they are all together.

The central cast of Parks and Recreation is strong, but the series has always benefited from a solid second and third string. “One Last Ride” pays tribute to that, too, with flash forwards for Craig (Billy Eichner) and Jean-Ralphio (Ben Schwartz), and appearances from Chris (Rob Lowe), Ann (Rashida Jones), Lucy (Natalie Morales), Joe (Keegan-Michael Key), Perd (Jay Jackson), Mona-Lisa (Jenny Slate), Ethel (Helen Slayton-Hughes), Gayle (Christie Brinkley), Jen (Kathryn Hahn), Brandi (Mara Marini), Dr. Saperstein (Henry Winkler), Joe Biden (himself), and more. What’s notable about all of these guest stars is that they slide seamlessly into the main narrative, not distracting or disrupting the main story. Not everyone that arguably should be included is, but that’s OK because they aren’t the point of the finale. They are all well used, and while it doesn’t feel like a role call is being conducted, we’re left with quite a significant list who are involved.

Similarly, the futuristic technology included is a fun touch, but not all that important to what’s going on. This has been a trend all season, as these episodes have been set in 2017, and other than one really funny bit, the tech isn’t essential to any scene.

The hour ends far too soon, taking us back to the present setting of the show. It’s an installment full of humor and heart, one that makes fans laugh and cry, and captures both the spirit and the core point of Parks and Recreation. All told, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to send off the odd comedy about a bunch of misfits who achieve great things as a team. It will be sorely missed, both because of its own merits, and because it leaves the network that brought us Seinfeld, Friends, and The Office without another sitcom of this level of quality.

Stephen Colbert Welcomes Home the Troops

     This week brought two very special episodes of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report. They were titled "Been There, Won That: The Returnification of the American-Do Troopscape." In them, Stephen Colbert welcomed home our U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq. Airing with live feed to Iraq and Afghanistan on Wednesday, and with feed to Afghanistan and Walter Reed on Thursday, the audience was made up entirely of active duty military and veterans. Colbert served them hot dogs and beer, and brought in grass for them to put their feet on, as they had been in the desert.

     The half-hour episodes were basically a love fest for the troops, and I'm not complaining about that. If anyone deserves praise heaped on them, it is our men and women in uniform. Among the guests Colbert had on were Vice President Joe Biden, singer John Legend, General Ray Odierno, and soldiers Brent Cummings and Josh Bleill. Bleill lost both legs in Iraq, and after less than two years of recovery, can run and waterski on his new legs. He wrote a book about the experience titled One Step At A Time. Odierno was the man who shaved Colbert's head when the latter took his show to the Middle East last year.

     Despite all the positive energy, the episodes were not without some pokes and criticisms. For instance, Colbert joked that we had won the Iraq War many times already, and since we still have nearly 50,000 troops over there, aren't they being asked to win it again? But most of those negatives were softballs, not the scathing rhetoric Colbert is known for. I'd say the most awkward moment came when Colbert asked Joe Biden to thank former President George W. Bush for his part in Iraq. Personally, I see no reason to thank him, but Biden said some very nice things and came out looking classy.

     At one point, Colbert was invited to Afghanistan, but seemed reluctant to agree to go, and sidestepped the request. I don't blame him. Whether he goes or not, tune into The Colbert Report Monday through Thursday nights at 11:30 on Comedy Central. It's always a laugh.  In Lexington, Comedy Central is channel 60 analog, 148 digital cable, or 249 satellite, although, unfortunately, we are still being denied the HD cable version of the channel.

Please visit www.whitehouse.gov/salute to share your own salute.

Article first published as Stephen Colbert Welcomes Home the Troops on Blogcritics.