Okay, let's just throw this out there first: I would willingly watch an entire episode/several episodes featuring Ben's inability to act like a human around cops. I love Adam Scott so much anyway, but moments where he gets to play impossibly awkward are my absolute favorite. I also feel a sense of kinship with this character facet, because I too am irrationally afraid of police officers (they have guns, guys!).
But setting that aside for the moment, this episode's focus is on Leslie attempting to secure the endorsement of Pawnee's police chief. This is complicated by the return of her ex-boyfriend (also a cop), Dave, played by none other than the hilarious Louis CK. Naturally, an intensely awkward three-person dinner ensues.
Meanwhile, Andy is at his most enthusiastic as he tries to organize the team to record "Catch Your Dream," the official theme song for Leslie's campaign. There are several pieces moving at once during these scenes, including Chris' unfortunate lack of any musical talent, Ron's desperation to avoid being identified as his alter ego Duke Silver, and of course, Tom's continued attempts to woo Ann (more on that in a minute).
I think one of the best things in the dinner scene and the hijinks that follow is Leslie's clear influence on Ben. When we first met Ben Wyatt his first instinct was to judge the people of Pawnee, openly casting them as "weirdos" and the like. Now, however, he is willing to give Dave the benefit of the doubt to an almost foolish extent, because he trusts Leslie as a judge of character so much. Unfortunately, this renewed naivete results in his being handcuffed to a urinal so that Dave can try to run away with Leslie. Moral of the story: sometimes it pays to be a little critical, especially when it comes to your girlfriend's ex.
And now I'd like you to bear with me while I express some (expansive) thoughts on the recent arc concerning Tom and Ann. I’ve been reading a lot of negative thoughts on this episode because people don’t like the way the Tom and Ann story played out. I am ambivalent about it (I want to see one more episode featuring the two of them & their dynamic before really passing judgment), but I’ll say this.
Everyone is complaining about Ann letting herself be “worn down” by Tom, and saying that she can do better and blah, blah, blah. And hey, I love Ann, and she probably can do better, but the thing is (and her history on the show illustrates this) I don’t think Ann thinks that Ann can do better.
Look at her relationships on the show: when we met her she was with Andy who, let’s face it, was kind of a huge tool in Season 1. We found out they’d been dating and living together for a long time, and it was very clear that Ann was letting herself be walked all over. Arguably her healthiest relationship on the show was with Mark, because she was the superior one in that relationship (having the experience of having dated someone long term), but she eventually got bored with that because Mark didn’t test her patience or push her buttons, and even then it took her ages to end things with him. Then she dated Chris, who I might remind everyone also had to work hard to wear her down. He was very self-absorbed, especially as their relationship progressed, yet Ann put up with it because she liked the idea that such a nice, cute guy wanted to be with her (she also may have been influenced by the huge increase in vitamins and supplements in her regiment). When she broke up with Chris we saw her at the height of her insecurity, bouncing from sub-par guy to sub-par guy while her self-esteem continued to plummet.
This season we’ve seen an Ann who has been throwing herself into helping Leslie’s campaign and her work with the Health Department likely because she was trying to downplay or ignore the failures in her romantic life. When Leslie and the gang threw Ann’s single-ness into sharp relief in last week’s Valentine’s episode, Ann was the most vulnerable we’ve seen her in a long time. Of course the attentions of someone like Tom who, annoying as he is, has repeatedly told Ann that she’s beautiful and kind (which is probably exactly what she wants to hear right now, even if she won’t admit it/doesn’t fully realize it); are going to be flattering on some level. I think the writers are to be applauded for giving Ann even the small amount of power in the relationship that she has— if this were Grey’s Anatomy or some similarly dramatic show, Ann would’ve already slept with Tom to try to up her confidence; her saying yes to a date with him is not the anti-feminist throwing in of the towel that some viewers have made it out to be.
I also think it’s not inaccurate to say that Ann likes a project in her relationships. She thought she could push Andy toward being an adult (and was subsequently disappointed when he began to mature after their relationship had ended), and she was able to try and mold Mark into the boyfriend she thought she wanted, so maybe she thinks she can do the same with Tom. You could see the little flicker of hope on her face when Tom said he wanted to cut the crap and be straight with her (before he started singing, of course); there is clearly a part of Ann that sees through Tom’s nonsense and still (maybe naively) believes that she can sort of train him to act normal, without losing the parts of his attentions that make her feel good about herself.
I think that's enough out of me, yes?
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