![]() ![]() Jean-Ralphio gave Tom pointers on the perfect Vince Vaughn-inspired 'Best Man' speech (and really, is there any other kind?). In the end, "Fancy Party" was an episode for the fans. As Parks and Recreation crawls closer and closer to the inevitable Ben-Leslie romance, it's sweet to see them beginning to take their own shy equivalent of the Andy-April risk: expressing a desire to be near one another. ![]() And similarly, buried deep down in Ben is that crazy teenaged kid who blew his hometown's entire budget on a hockey rink (a project that Andy would inevitably deem "awesome sauce"). And she's right.Īnd if those crazy kids can make it work, why can't Leslie and Ben? Leslie may tend to play it safe, but somewhere inside her is the woman who was willing to risk the entire parks department on a Hail Mary revival of the Harvest Festival. (My initial reaction was essentially the same, and I suspect that I'm not alone.) But as the episode goes on, Leslie realizes that whatever the consequences may be, a silly, impromptu wedding in Burly's living room is perfect for April and Andy. ![]() Her life is so carefully scheduled that it's not surprising when she balks upon hearing that April and Andy are getting married on a whim. Leslie Knope is the kind of person whose idea of living on the edge is drinking whole milk instead of skim. Parks and Recreation has been teasing a romantic relationship between Leslie and Ben since the moment Ben was introduced, but "Fancy Party" takes things to a new level by playing Leslie and Ben's relationship against April and Andy's. It would have been enough to deliver a poignant April-Andy wedding-and the episode certainly delivers on that front-but "Fancy Party" also impresses with a first-rate Leslie plotline. I think you're awesome, and I love you." Very few sitcoms can get away with truly unabashed sentimentality, but Parks and Recreation has more than earned it. And the perpetually-sarcastic April has some rare, heartfelt words for Leslie at the reception: "I'm really glad you're here. Andy's still a goofy shoeshine boy, but he's not the emotionally-stunted man-child he used to be as his speech at the altar shows, Andy's love for April has changed him for the better. "Fancy Party" does a terrific job of showing how far both characters have come since those early, awkward encounters. Even after that, there were no plans whatsoever to develop a romance between April and Andy-until writers noticed, and decided to pursue, the surprising, untapped chemistry between Pratt and Aubrey Plaza in season two's "Hunting Trip." Of course, it almost didn't happen at all Chris Pratt was only a guest star in the first season Parks and Recreation, and it was only due to Pratt's immensely likable performance that the decision was made to bring Andy back as a series regular for season two. And it couldn't have been better.īy now, the romance between April and Andy is so central to Parks and Recreation that it's easy to forget how unexpected it was when it first began. This week's episode, "Fancy Party," was almost entirely built around the show's romantic relationships-particularly the relationship between April and Andy. In my review of "Camping," the previous episode of Parks and Recreation, I complained that the show's romantic relationships-particularly the relationship between April and Andy-had begun to grow stale. One of the most difficult things about being a weekly TV critic is admitting when you were wrong. ![]()
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