Parks and Recreation-"Soulmates"

NBC didn't have a photo from this episode so you get this one of the cast
Credit: NBC

My review of last night's episode of Parks and Recreation is after the jump.

This episode of Parks and Rec was a lot of fun. I don't want to call it average, because that word has a demening undertone to it in my mind, but the episode was an average episode for the show. I'm not saying that it wasn't funny, because it was absolutely hysterical, but it didn't have a huge impact for me beyond the usual for the show. But I have no real problem with that and the episode had two plotlines that clicked very well individually. Because those two plotlines clicked, I really enjoyed this episode.

The plot involving Leslie having Tom be one of her "soulmate level match" was a lot of fun, and that was mostly because of the complete awesomeness of Aziz Ansari. He was absoluetly hysteriucal and played Tom exactly has he would be in this episode. Everything that he did clicked perfectly. I normally don't laugh when characters sink into douchiness (for example, this is a problem that the FX show Archer continues to have) but there was something inherently charming about how Ansari portrayed Tom. His continued poking fun at Leslie ("boo") was very funny. What was funnier was the conclusion to the plot, with Leslie calling Tom's bluff and kissing him. That was a moment that I loved because of how crazy and how out of the blue it was. And her way of getting Tom to shut up was funny as well (just have Donna kiss him).

The only question I have that comes out of the plot was one that I've been asking for at least a few weeks now, when will they put Leslie and Ben together? This isn't necessarily a problem but it's something that's not quite sitting right with me. I understand that the show doesn't want to put the second couple together (after putting Andy and April together this season, and marrying them in the last episode) but where do they draw the line? I think that they'll end up pushing it into the season finale or possibly leaving it for a cliffhanger, which means over the final batch of episodes we'll be dealing with the tension. Like I said, it's not that I don't like it, it's that it's getting to the point very quickly where I'm going to point at the TV and scream GET TOGETHER ALREADY!!!

The other plotline involving a grill-off between Ron and Chris was so much fun to watch. Seeing the sharp contrast between the health conscious Chris (who after eating a burger runs up the hill behind the Wal-Mart backwards) and Ron (who's perfectly happy with eating normal burgers every day for the rest of his life). Probably the funniest part was the scene in the health store. Seeing Ron be so uncomfortable was so perfect and so funny. Him taking the bacon was the gag that kept on giving for at least a few seconds. And seeing Chris try to instruct Andy on the foods was very funny as well. ("That's a peach"). Also, the moment with April telling her husband to get the pinwheel over the health food was funny as well. Food'N'Stuff was Swanson's home, it was a perfect store for Ron. The actual cookoff, while not being particularly interesting storywise (did anyone expect Ron not to win?), it was absolutely hysterical. Everyone involved in the scene sold all the jokes and it was great.

Some other thoughts:

• Ann is really in the dating game, with a different guy in every scene. She's really whoring it up this season.
• Boy that sewage guy was creepy!

Overall, this was a very funny episode of the show. Sure it was average, but average for this show is comparable to great for most other shows.

What does everyone else think?