Tag: Leslie Knope

An Open Love Letter to Ron Swanson

There are so many things to love about Parks and Recreation – whip-smart writing, making mundane local politics hilarious, opening the second season with earnest (and super-square) heroine Leslie Knope giving a passionate rendition of the classic Fresh Prince song “Parents Just Don’t Understand” – but the crown jewels of the show are its each-one-more-hilarious-than-the-next cast of characters. I credit the writers and producers with taking such care to respect and flesh out all the players, each one contributing their own little piece to the ensemble’s whole: Amy Poehler‘s Leslie is the heart, Aziz Ansari‘s Tom Haverford the creative energy, Chris Pratt‘s sweet but dim Andy Dwyer the childlike enthusiasm. Throughout its three seasons all have had moments to shine, but none has done so more brightly than my current character crush Ron Swanson, the stomach of the show.

Case in point, I give you his journal dedicated to meat. Inspired.

Brilliantly played by Nick Offerman, on the surface Ron is a man of simple pleasures: breakfast foods, pretty brunettes, facial hair, woodworking, no BS. He’s a man who just wants a hearty meal and for the government to stay out of his business, and here’s where the beauty in the depth of this character begins: government is his business as he’s Director of the Parks Department. But that doesn’t stop this city servant from making sure no parks are ever built during his tenure and imparting a strong opinion on how existing ones should all be sold to corporations with impressive business models, a la Chuck E Cheese. He’ll even go so far as to influence future generations with his staunch libertarian outlook. This overall brusque demeanor shouldn’t make him so endearing, and yet he is the most cuddly curmudgeon on television.

Even his self-proclaimed Pyramid of Greatness makes me want to hug him closer. How could someone who emulates volatile college basketball coach Bobby Knight bring out the smit in me?

Perhaps he’s so easy to love because underneath that burly gruffness beats the heart of a romantic. He looks out for those he cares for (although he would never admit it outright), so noticeable when he patched up the relationship between his sullen assistant April and the lovelorn Andy and defended Leslie to a board of review threatening to fire her. It could also be the way he handles a saxophone moonlighting as Duke Silver.

Then again, it’s mostly his love of keeping meat real.

As the July 14th announcement of Emmy nominations approaches, I can only hope the protein gods will smile down and ensure that Nick Offerman’s name is on the list of Best Supporting Actors in a Comedy. For how can I live in a world where the man who brought us this is not recognized for his own piece of greatness?

The Best TV of 2010 – A Repeat Viewing Part 2

SCENE-SATIONAL

All of these selected moments made a truly lasting impression on me this past year: a show-stopping dance number directed by a personal creative hero, a shocking action sequence that takes its time building the tension before exploding, and two wonderful character-revealing comedy sequences. The shows herein are amongst my favorite currently on air, representing an eclectic taste but akin in delivering top-notch entertainment, creating some of the most indelible characters and scenes for them to play in.

And now the best pieces of a whole.

Glee – Safety Dance Flash Mob, “Dream On” – A show filled with many memorable moments, this choice is probably due to my bias of all things Joss Whedon, He Who Can Do No Wrong. However, it is a wonderful sequence that not only further demonstrates Whedon’s creative acumen (cannot gush enough about his choice to cut in shots that look like clips from the inevitable viral video this flash mob will become) it was also a beautiful piece for supporting character Artie who features mostly in the background, save for the occasional need of a little R&B flavor in some songs (see “Billionaire” or “Umbrella/Singin’ in the Rain”). Kevin McHale got to show off some serious dance skill that obviously couldn’t happen due to his character’s confinement to a wheelchair, and with the episode’s dream theme we thankfully (or heartbreakingly) get to watch Artie experience his deepest wish.

Breaking Bad – Parking Lot Shoot-Out, “Ambush” – How much praise can I heap on Breaking Bad in general? Suffering from what I call the “middle child syndrome,” this AMC drama has found much critical, and award-winning, praise but seems to consistently fall in the shadow of its big brother Mad Men. Both dramas deserve equal accolades, but what Breaking Bad has over Mad Men in spades is the ability to create tense scenes where the audience too-often questions whether the characters they’ve invested so much in will be making it out of any given episode alive. And this is the crux of what I’ve decided is the best scene from a one-hour drama in 2010. The actions of anti-hero lead, Walter White, in the previous season – killing New Mexico’s leading drug kingpin – brought in two of the scariest hitmen television has ever seen, The Cousins. It seemed no one was safe when these twin cold-blooded killers were around, and this scene with Walt’s DEA brother-in-law set in their sites was literally the most breathtaking moment I’ve witnessed on TV.

Modern Family – Song for Lily, “Dance, Dance Revelation” – It’s near-impossible to single out one definitive moment of Modern Family as being the greatest. Absolutely every character is given a chance to shine with every actor stepping up and knocking a performance out of the park, making it the definition of a stellar ensemble show. Saying this I will admit to playing favorites, and it’s that favorite character who provides the majority of my enjoyment when watching. Only because his defining episode, “Fizbo,” aired in 2009 I’ve chosen this scene from late 2010 as his best, demonstrating why Cam is both the heart and funny bone of the show.

Parks & Recreation – Ron’s Whiskey Harp, “Sweetums” – Another show that contains the best ensemble comedy group assembled on television, Parks & Recreation came into its own during the show’s sophomore year thanks in large part to how the characters’ relationships were continually made real and interesting as each episode progressed. Again, my urge to play favorites wins out as I highlight the MVP character of the show, Ron Swanson. The dynamic between Ron’s Director of the P&R department and his Deputy Director (and show lead) Leslie Knope is second only to the stellar team of 30 Rock‘s Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon. This sequence demonstrates Leslie’s constant need to play by the rules coming to blows with Ron’s equally constant need to maintain an upper-hand and most importantly always be right. Both go way too far to prove their points, but ultimately we see that they want to project a strong image of themselves out of their underlying respect for each other.