"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.

"Rides" May Be Bumpy for GIRLS

Article first published as "Rides" May Be Bumpy for GIRLS on TheTVKing.

What will season four of HBO's Girls look like? As season three ends this week with "Two Plane Rides," Hannah (Lena Dunham), the lead of the series, without whom the show could not go on, is poised to accept a prestigious graduate school position in Iowa. Since Girls cannot exist without Hannah, nor would it work without the ensemble around her, what will the show do? Split its time between New York and Iowa, or skip a couple of years?

I would like to see the latter. While the females aren't always in a group, their interactions are the best parts of the show, more so than their individual stories. This is perfectly exemplified in "Two Plane Rides" when the gang goes to the theater, or even in the scene where Marnie (Allison Williams) drops by Shoshanna's (Zosia Mamet) apartment. Sure, Hannah could visit and call the others, but Girls would really lose something to fragment its cast in this manner. Jumping ahead now might not be ideal for everyone, but they could make it work, and that would also allow Hannah to have growth.

Hannah has a real problem with arrested development. She is her own worst enemy, fighting against the things that could better her, such as a job she quits. Her parents (Becky Ann Baker and Peter Scolari) have to talk her into continuing her education, even when this great opportunity comes along, but once they do, she seems to be into the idea. If she can develop herself and make connections, she might have a shot at a career instead of just bumbling around New York for the next few decades, relying on charity from others.

The biggest reason Hannah may stay in the Big Apple is Adam (Adam Driver). She convinces herself that he will be happy for her, as she is happy for him that he's finding success on Broadway. But, as usual, she's selfish and unthinking, giving him the news at the worst possible time, and as any normal person would expect, Adam doesn't take it well. Hannah's idea of them both being fulfilled creatively is nice, but, again as usual, her execution leaves much to be desired, and reality will probably never match the dream in her head.

Adam and Hannah have been through more than their share of ups and downs, but they've always prevailed because no one else really can stand to be with them. Oh, and they deeply love each other, in the ways that they can love, with is different for each. They're perfectly matched, and I think their relationship could totally survive another break or work long distance if that's what they decide to do. It's just a difficult situation when what you need to advance your career doesn't line up with where someone else needs to be.

Lucky for Adam, he has a nephew on the way to keep him occupied. It's funny that Caroline (Gaby Hoffman) and Laird (Jon Glaser), two people who are even more dysfunctional than any of our main cast, now seem to have the most stable, solid pairing. Since Adam's sister, Caroline, is pregnant and living in his building, that could take his mind off missing Hannah somewhat while she's gone. Or Adam could just take up with his cast mate, who appears very interested.

Love is also messed up for Shoshanna and Ray (Alex Karpovsky). Shoshanna wants Ray back, but even though he cares about her, he doesn't think it's a good idea. Ray is probably right, he seems to have his head squarely on his shoulders, but that doesn't cushion the blow of rejection for Shoshanna. This is a totally realistic and heart-breaking scenario, beautifully executed. I want them to be together, but I completely understand why Ray resists. Very well done, Ms. Dunham and your writers and actors.

Marnie is in a worse place. She wants Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who is with Clementine (Natalie Morales). I don't like Marnie in this pursuit. She's lying and sneaking around. We know Marnie is selfish, maybe more so than Hannah even, but never has she been so despicable as she is now. Her actions may be chalked up to desperation and depression, but that doesn't excuse her. I hope she finds a way to love herself first, and then maybe she can try to be in a healthy couple.

There are many varying arcs weaving through "Two Plane Rides," but one of the most interesting is the one completely isolated from everything else. Jessa (Jemima Kirke) reluctantly agrees to help Beadie (Louise Lasser) kill herself. Besides not wanting to be responsible for someone dying, Jessa is still struggling to stay clean and out of trouble, so it's probably not a good idea for her to participate. However, her compassionate side wins out, and Beadie's pleas sway her.

Then, Beadie changes her mind, after she's already taken the pills. There is no way this plot can not have consequences for Jessa. Whether she spends time locked up in jail, or feels like her life has changed through the experience, this will have an impact on her. Will it be enough to knock her from her flighty ways and finally make her confront life? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

If I can make one plea for Girls season four, besides a sizable time jump, I ask that they upgrade Elijah (Andrew Rannells) to full-time status. Whether he's photo-bombing Adam's cast photos or just hanging with Hannah, he always increases the enjoyability of every episode he appears in. He's fun, delivers great one-liners, and he has staked out a corner of the world none of the other players have yet. I'd love to see more of him, even apart from the others.

Girls is a polarizing show, and haters will find plenty to complain about. For my money, season three continues a compelling narrative, and I have every confidence Dunham and company will continue to deliver next year. I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

Take Home a TROPHY WIFE

Article first published as TROPHY WIFE Review on Seat42F.

One of ABC’s new sitcoms is called TROPHY WIFE. Young-acting party girl Kate (Malin Akerman, Watchmen, Childrens Hospital) meets the guy of her dreams after falling off the stage while singing karaoke. But she soon learns that marrying him means taking on three children and two ex-wives, giving her an instant family.

The name of the show may be TROPHY WIFE, but Kate is anything but that negative label. She is a warm-hearted individual who puts her all into everything she does, including being a wife and stepmother. Kate wants to be the best parent she can be for the kids, plays nice with the exes, and truly seems to love Pete (Bradley Whitford, The West Wing, The Cabin in the Woods), her new man.

We see this when Kate eagerly takes a parent-teacher conference with stepson Warren’s teacher (Phyllis Smith, The Office), and as she covers for Warren’s twin sister, Hillary (listed as Once Upon a Time’s Bailee Madison on the show’s official website, though played by someone else in the “Pilot”). Even when Kate is mad at Hillary for bringing vodka to school or uncomfortable about Warren’s (Ryan Scott Lee, Super 8) seeming lust for her, Kate tries to make the situation right without judgment or anger.

Not that Kate’s best is good enough for Warren and Hillary’s mother, stuffy Doctor Diane (Marcia Gay Harden, The Newsroom, Mystic River). Diane is icy from the start, definitely not approving of Pete’s latest relationship skewing younger, or having her children around such an influence.

Still, Diane is preferable to Pete’s second wife, Jackie (Michaela Watkins, Enlightened, Wanderlust), a flighty, sneaky, liar who has no trouble hiding the death of her son, Bert’s (Albert Tsai), hamster from him, or hiding a key to get into Pete’s house. Jackie is trouble, especially when she considers herself still part of the family, clearly having nothing else of significance going on in her life.

Now, as I recently complained about in another review, there are a lot of family sitcoms out there, so we don’t necessarily need any more. Yet, TROPHY WIFE doesn’t feel like most others. It’s sort of a mix between Modern Family and The New Normal in tone, showing a more blended clan much more common today in the world, though underrepresented on television, than in years past. As such, it’s another type of family series, not the same old thing over again.

It also helps that Akerman is a capable leading lady, playing both the emotionally charged scenes and the over-the-top physical comedy with great acumen. In the presence of Whitford, Watkins, and Harden, all very talented in their own right, this group delivers a very funny premiere episode.

Kate is a very likeable character who seems authentic, even if she isn’t relatable. She is still in touch with the things that make up her personality, maintaining a great relationship with drinking buddy and bartender Meg (another wonderful performer, White Collar’s Natalie Morales). Yet, as Meg takes Kate’s developments in stride, it helps the viewers understand that Kate hasn’t changed and isn’t trying to, just moving into the next phase of a full life.

One does begin to wonder what kind of man Pete is. We see him as the calming influence when everyone is together, but there are definitely some different facets to him to marry three so very different women. He seems to be totally committed to Kate, and one assumes he was equally so to Jackie and Diane during their tenures, though I’m curious to see why those pairings feel apart. He’s a loving father, but one with flaws, such as having trouble being honest with a child about a dead pet. I look forward to learning more about him.

Now, this being a pilot, there are a few things the show can improve on. For one, it would be nice if it was a little more consistent with its tone. I’d also like to see more cohesive, focused stories, as this episode meanders around a lot among the various characters. But I dig the energy and the cast quite a bit, so I think it will be something worth keeping an eye on. As long as it allows Akerman the opportunity to continue on Childrens Hospital.

TROPHY WIFE premieres Tuesday, September 24^th at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and the “Pilot” is available on Hulu now.

Parks and Recreation and changes

        NBC's sitcom, Parks and Recreation, came to the end of this season last night with "Freddy Spaghetti".  It was sort of a tumultuous episode for the series, with a lot of changes going on in characters and jobs and relationships.  After a rough, short spring premiere a year ago, the show is arguably the most improved on the air this year.  This technically second season was hilarious, and while it's sad to see the end of a few thing, it's nice to know it's already been picked up for next season, even if it's not coming back in the fall with the rest of the Thursday night comedy lineup.

     Trouble began brewing last week when bad cop Ben (Adam Scott, Party Down) and way-too-happy good cop, Chris (Rob Lowe, Brothers & Sisters), state auditors, arrived to help the town's budget, and promptly shut down the government.  This week, Ben, despite an attraction to Leslie (Amy Poehler), decided that she was unnecessary and must be cut.  Her boss, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), who had delighted to the slashing up til then, went to bat for Leslie.  While all this was going down, Leslie was staging a concert in the former hole that she had gotten filled in, even though she wasn't actually working the job at that point.  It shows just how dedicated she is to Pawnee's parks and, well, recreation.  But somehow, the department will have to lose something, and we just don't know yet what it will be.

     The two interlopers are just the start of the casting shakeup.  Ben will be sticking around full-time next year, while Chris will be returning for at least six more episodes.  Also, Mark (Paul Schneider), as revealed last night, has taken a buy out, and the actor is said to not be coming park next season.  Other changes include Tom (Aziz Ansari) finally getting an awesome girlfriend, played by the lovely and funny Natalie Morales, and April (Aubrey Plaza) and Andy (Chris Pratt) kissing, only to have her walk out on him seconds later.  Not to mention who Ron is sleeping with, and who just found out.

     The series has also been thrown into slight tumult by the second pregnancy of star Poehler, and so is already filming while other shows are taking a break.  It's a fantastic little series that could about a parks department that could in a government that could not.  Please check it out when it returns to NBC next year.

NBC Comedy Thursday adding more great characters

     On the heels of the news that both Rob Lowe (Brothers & Sisters) and Adam Scott (Party Down) would be appearing in multiple episodes each on NBC's Parks and Recreation, comes more casting scoop.  P&R will also soon have Natalie Morales (pictured below).  Morales starred in the summer series The Middleman, as well as the first season of the new USA drama White Collar.  Apparently she was only contracted for one season with USA, unfortunately, as though her name appeared in the opening credits, she didn't get that much screen time.  Fans of hers, however, and I count myself among them, will be happy to see her bussing tables at a bar in Pawnee.  The role is for more than one episode.

     The big question in my mind is, will one of these three hilarious actors be chosen to join the cast fall time replace the departing Paul Schneider, who played Mark Brendanawicz, the city planner who had both Anne and Leslie fall head over heels for him.  Schneider was the straight man, but I guess Anne (Rashida Jones) will still be the straight woman in the cast, so it doesn't seem to be a huge loss at this point.  I may feel differently once we get into next season.
     That isn't the only story, however.  The Office will also be welcoming Amy Pietz.  Last seen as the mother in the short lived Aliens in America, but perhaps best known for her role in Caroline in the City, Pietz is a superb comic actress, and will make a fine addition to the workplace mockumentary.  She will begin her stint in April, but how long she will stick around is not being released, though word is it will be for at least a few episodes.  Could she be the new lady from corporate?  A love interest for Michael?  A temp replacing Pam?  Who knows?  Well, some people know, but I am not among them.
     Bottom line, NBC Comedy Thursday, already laugh out loud funny, looks to add even more chuckles in upcoming shows.  The Office airs at 9pm, and Parks & Recreation can be seen at 8:30pm.

White Collar remains must-see

     Back in October I raved about USA's newest series, White Collar.  What I didn't write about was that three weeks later, I gave it up.  It fell into the rut that most of the network's dramas do, where the case of the week was much more important than the overall story, and that was a huge disappointment to me.  However, with a new premiere looming and rumors that the fall finale had been game changing, I decided to review both where the show left off, and where it picked up again last night.  It made me wish I had never canceled my season pass, which has been restored to the TiVo.

     While each week Neal (Matthew Bomer, Chuck) is still doing the FBI's dirty work, the drama about his missing girl, Kate, (All My Children's Alexandra Daddario) has become more prominent.  She is still around, working for (willfully or not is still a mystery) a crooked agent.  What's more, the mid-season finale left viewers thinking that the man behind the curtain was Neal's partner, Peter (Tim DeKay, Carnivale).  While this would have completely changed the tone and action of the series, and part of me is still wishing it had been true, last night's episode revealed that it is not Peter, but he is onto the real baddie, and remains committed to helping Neal with the issue, though he is suspicious of Kate's motivations.

     Another element I am really enjoying is the developing relationship between Neal and Peter's wife, Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen, Saved By the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210).  It is not sexual, but a good friendship that is blossoming.  That Neal often goes to Elizabeth when he begins to doubt Peter, or turns to her when he can't rely on Peter, speaks volumes about the two.  It is a welcome intimacy not often found on television: friendship between straight members of the opposite sex without additional urges.  It may be the number one reason I recommend this show.

     White Collar also stars two other delightful actors: Sex in the City alum, Willie Garson and former The Middleman lead, Natalie Morales.  White Collar airs on the USA Network Tuesday nights at 10pm.