Parks And Rec (Season 7)

Parks And Rec's Season 7 follows a three-year time jump into 2017, resulting in a season that feels far removed from the rest of the season, yet simultaneously a nearly perfect way to end the show.

Season 7 takes place in 2017. Leslie and Ron are reeling from an intense argument, Gryzzl is trying to buy the Newport land in Pawnee, and pretty much everything is different. I kinda like this season story-wise. Leslie and Ron's conflict is believable, and the episode where they make up is one of the series' best. I actually think the Gryzzl conflict is a bit dull, but its resolution in Save JJ's is satisfying. However, the second half of the season after most of the department reconcile is where Season 7 really starts to shine. Pretty much every member in the cast gets their own satisfying story resolutions, all culminating in the series finale that shows us their full futures. 

There's a real sense of finality to all of Parks And Rec's seventh season that helps it feel so impactful. Right from the very first episode, it's made clear that this is the final season, and it's easily as its best when wrapping up character arcs. I think writing-wise, Season 7 is a bit hit-or-miss at times. While some episodes are amazing and hilarious, there are other episodes like William Henry Harrison and Gryzzlbox that are somewhat lacking in humor, being far more plot-driven. Despite this and the season's short length, however,  Season 7 is also willing to experiment with bottle episodes, an episode entirely about Johnny Karate, and a series finale composed of flashforwards. Even moreso than Season 6, this season's high points are super high and its low points are fairly low.

As a result, there are some really good episodes this season:

Ron And Jammy: While not the best Ron And _____ episode of the bunch, this second episode is not only really funny, but it actually made me feel bad for Jamm. Having an episode briefly pairing him up with Tammy 2 was an inspired decision and led to some great comedic moments.

Leslie And Ron: This is easily one of the show's best episodes, entirely revolving around Leslie and Ron's dynamic, why they split up, and how they can rebuild their friendship. Despite is somewhat sad nature, Leslie And Ron is a very funny episode, and seeing them reconcile is as heartwarming as it is hilarious.

The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show: I adore this episode. It's a heartwarming sendoff for Andy and April, which also just being hysterical. The Pawnee commercials featuring the show's minor characters, each segment utilizing different members of the cast, Johnny Karate is a love letter to Parks And Rec and is a high point in a season with a whole bunch of high points.

Two Funerals: This was a great and heartwarming penultimate episode. I really liked Tom trying to make a super spectacular proposal to Lucy only to just decide on something low-key, along with Ron finally accepting change. And I don't think there would ever been a perfect ending for Jerry (Larry? Garry? I kinda lost track) than him becoming mayor.

One Last Ride: While I still feel Moving On was a more impactful ending, I quite like getting this much closure on all of the characters (we also see Ann and Chris which does give it a few points). I like how each member of the cast gets their own segments that intersect with everyone else, as if we're getting shown potential future episodes of Parks And Rec. And I also like how the finale leaves a few things ambiguous like who between Leslie and Ben became president.

Overall, I really like Season 7, even with how different it is. There's a sense of finality to the whole season, as everyone gets a satisfying, heartwarming, and funny resolution to their character arcs. It's a memorable and unique final season for one of my favorite shows.

4/5 Stars

My ranking of the Parks and Rec seasons is:

1. Season 3: Despite its short length, Season 3 is a relentless series of iconic and hysterical episodes that never let up. The Harvest Festival storyline is also great, and the debut of Ben and Chris pretty much completes the show.
2. Season 4: While not as consistently hilarious as Season 3, the core election storyline is easily the best plotline of the show, and comes with some of my favorite episodes in Parks And Rec.
3. Season 5: The first two-thirds of Season 5 is fantastic, and all that build-up to Leslie and Ben's wedding is great. The final third, while still good, feels tacked on and noticeably weaker.
4. Season 7: Even as someone who doesn't love timejumps, I really liked Season 7. It had a lot of great episodes, gave all of the characters satisfying farewells, and has a real sense of finality to it.
5. Season 2: While definitely an improvement on its predecessor, Season 2 still hasn't quite perfected the series' formula. Lots of great episodes but also plenty of duds, and Mark still needed to leave.
6. Season 6: Season has a fantastic opener and a fantastic ending, but it drags in the middle and the recall vote storyline is easily the most frustrating part of the whole show.
7. Season 1: Yeah, this season is still pretty bad. The characters, tone, and writing just isn't on point yet, and the only saving grace is the fact that it's mercifully short.

My ranking of the Parks and Rec finales is:

1. Moving Up: As much as I enjoy Season 7, I would totally be fine with this being the finale. All of the season's storylines converge, everyone gets a satisfying ending, and all of the callbacks to the show's prior running gags are very well-executed.
2. Lil Sebastian: The decision to build the finale around a pretty minor character actually paid off in spades and helps to give this episode a grandiose feel, while also packing in a ton of cliffhangers and major points of plot progression.
3. Win, Lose, Or Draw: Leslie winning the election is such a grand and satisfying moment that I absolutely love, but even with that singular focus, every character gets plenty of screentime and the final few minutes is a relentless series of hooks for Season 5.
4. One Last Ride: One Last Ride is just heartwarming, each of the flash-forwards feel like a mini Parks And Rec episode that we would've gotten if the show had continued onward into the future.
5. Freddy Spaghetti: While it doesn't really resolve much, Freddy Spaghetti is an incredibly densely-packed finale that gives the entire cast something to do. Also Mark leaves.
6. Are You Better Off?: As mentioned above, I don't like the recall vote storyline and I hate this episode for introducing it. Thankfully, Andy's pregnancy test subplot saved it for me.
7. Rock Show: Rock Show isn't a bad season finale, it actually packs a pretty crazy cliffhanger, but it really suffers from the general lack of quality in Season 1's writing.

Favorite Episode: The Debate