In any hour long episode, which is an eternity for a this type of comedy show, there are bound to be up and downs, and this one was no different. So here's your comprehensive, money-back-guarantee rundown of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
THE GOOD
Other than Jon Hamm, who both deservedly gets the first three places and will also continued to be mentioned throughout this article - thank you very much, I loved how Parks and Recreation tied things together. I mean, the Lil' Sebastian musical and hologram tribute at the concert, a Mouse Rat reunion, and even the third floor refurbishment. Seriously, I didn't give a second thought to Ron working on that floor; thought it was a one off episodic thing. Props for the amazing job of tying it back into the show. Bravo.
And what about an extended (I use that term loosely) look at Cones of Dunshire (talk about tying things together with the copyright at the end)? I love games, and while Cones of Dunshire looks ridiculously complex and nonsensical, I enjoyed watching a bit of that hot gaming action.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Bobby Knight Rangers. And they threw a chair at the end of their set. Classic!
Dat ending. Daaaaaaayuuuum. First, Jon Hamm. Second, Jon Hamm. Third, Jon Hamm. Fourth, three years in the future was a bold move. Five, Andy with a broken arm just seemed right. Six, the lone discordant note in that ending was Leslie Knope's bangs; no bueno. Seven, That ending perfectly provided enough closure on this season while also keeping me on the edge of my seat until fall.
THE BAD
Honestly, not a whole lot was wrong with this episode. I did think the amount of time spent showing different musical acts was a bit excessive. I get that they did it to jump around to different interactions, but I still could have done with less musical interludes.
Also, Jon Hamm did nothing bad. I don't care if he's more inept than Terry/Jerry/Gary/Larry. Jon Hamm, I'll hire you.
THE UGLY
Two words. Tom's Bistro. Talk about a nightmare of a soft opening. But perhaps this scene was actually sneakily dreamy. I mean, this scene actually showed government in all its bungling glory. No one could do anything right, and it started at the top. From Tom's bad decision to soft open six weeks early with one day of notice to Terry/Jerry/Gary/Larry's menu's with dog rectum pictures, mistakes abounded.
Perhaps the biggest mistake (other than the much to early opening) was staffing it with Tom's government coworkers. Complete debacle. Think Fast and Furious meets Bengahzi if people didn't die and guns didn't get smuggled to Mexican drug lords. Oh, and also if both of those real life disasters weren't completely disproportional as an analogy. At the end of the episode though (and in miraculous time, fwiw), Tom had his hired private sector staff and the operation ran smoothly. This was a rare case of Parks and Recreation showing a conservative streak. Must have been a dream. Speaking of dreams...
Jon Hamm.
