TV Recap: Parks and Recreation, “London” (6:1-2)

9/26/13, 8 PM, NBC

When Last We Were In Pawnee:  Leslie faced the end of her first year as a councilwoman, and while she thinks she’s done a great job, a group of protesters ruined her moment by sabotaging a parade and demanding her recall.  A mix-up with a pregnancy test led Andy to believe that April was pregnant, then led both Andy and Chris to believe that it was Ann…but the test turned out to belong to Ron’s girlfriend Diane.  Meanwhile, Tom’s newly-opened store faced ruination when competition opened up across the street, forcing him to get into financial bed with Jean Ralphio and his sister.

The Ron/Diane dangling plotline is handled with tender and yet amusing aplomb; Ron handles his impending fatherhood by dryly proposing.  They marry in a brief, Leslie-led ceremony, and the plot sprouts from there.

In season-wide developments, Ann and Chris got back together after Ann decided to have a baby, which had forced her to go on a Pawnee-wide search for the guy with the right stuff.  Leslie and Ben, meanwhile, got married, Jerry had a heart attack and retired and Tom opened up “Rent-a-Swag”, a store filled with luxury-quality men’s clothing and renting to teenagers who could not otherwise afford such a sartorial statement.   April decided to go to veterinary school.  And Ron met and fell in love with a single mom named Diane.

The Ron/Diane dangling plotline is handled with tender and yet amusing aplomb; Ron handles his impending fatherhood by dryly proposing.  They marry in a brief, Leslie-led ceremony, and the plot sprouts from there.

The main thrust of the episode is about friendship: April and Leslie’s, and Ben’s and Andy’s.  After the recall campaign targeting Leslie grows more vociferous, April applies for an award that requires Leslie and half of the staff to fly to England, which Leslie obviously wins.  While there, Ben and Andy meet with a member of the British upper crust who’s willing to fund their charity project; the Lord soon bonds with Andy,  and that leads to a surprising job offer for one of the men.   Ron - taking a solo honeymoon due to Diane’s morning sickness - grumps his way through a tour of British culture before discovering the country’s love of pubs.  Meanwhile, Leslie feels as if Pawnee in general has betrayed her, and must struggle with ambivalent feelings as the date of her speech approaches.   Meanwhile in Pawnee, Ann and Chris try to deliver their good news to the rest of the town only to be met with mixed reactions, and Tom discovers who’s bankrolling the store that’s putting “Rent a Swag” out of business.

Amy Poehler rules the screen as Leslie, who goes from her perky self to the pits of anger during the hourlong segment. Nick Offerman is particularly great as the acerbic, deadpan Ron, and Aziz Ansari makes you feel Tom’s frustration as his dream are swallowed whole by the Saperstein clan.

“London” is a good example of the very best bits of what Parks offers its audience: warm, lovely relationship-based humor, combined with a jaundiced eye toward pop culture (the award ceremony segment sends up guest star Heidi Klum’s heritage with a knowing wink toward the typical behavior of celebrities accepting honorary degrees from their tiny towns was delightful).  It’s a show that understands both internet dynamics and family dynamics, and gets its characters right down to the bone.

Amy Poehler rules the screen as Leslie, who goes from her perky self to the pits of anger during the hourlong segment. Nick Offerman is particularly great as the acerbic, deadpan Ron, and Aziz Ansari makes you feel Tom’s frustration as his dream are swallowed whole by the Saperstein clan.

I only have one complaint: I need more Donna Meagle!  Every other character received an ended dialogue scene -  Donna appeared briefly to help Tom with some files.  But this is a minor ding, and the episode packs a lot into a full hour, managing to advance all of the major storylines set up by the season finale.  That is an accomplishment.  That it’s funny is just icing on the cake.

The Roundup:

• *  Yes, that was Henry Winkler as the Saperstein twin’s dad. He started his career as Arthur Fonzarellii on Happy Days, and has gone on to a journeyman guest-starring career.  Currently, he has recurring parts on Children’s Hospital, Royal Pains, and Arrested Development.
• * Yes, my heart is still broken that Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe will be departing the show.  Chris and beautiful Ann will likely have a happy ending, but I’m still verklempt.
• * The twins’ father refers to Tom’s seduction of his daughter, Mona Lisa, which happened back in season four.
• * Next week, April heads to veterinary school orientation with Ann;  Ben, Leslie and Chris tangle with the menace that is Eagleton over financial matters; and Ron tries to live off the grid in “The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip-Off Classic”.