TV Discussion: Parks and Rec Predictions

I've been saying it since January, but Parks and Recreation is honestly the best show on television right now, and is getting about one micron of the credit it so deserves.   I will be sad to see it go after only 16 installments this season, but I am overjoyed that it is (rightfully) coming back for season 4 in September.  Four months isn't that long....right?

Anyway, I've been anticipating the finale a lot, as anyone who reads this blog or has had to endure my endless musings will tell  you, and I thought in anticipation of tonight's wrap-up I would put all my thoughts out there for consideration (not to mention I like having all my predictions outlined so I can check later to see if I was right).

First let me say that this is all speculation based on my analysis of the show and the sources I've read teasing what might happen in tonight's concluding episodes, so no all-out spoilers here.  I will warn though, without trying to sound arrogant, that I'm fairly confident in some of my predictions.  Most of my thoughts are in response to this article on Entertainment Weekly's website in which Mike Schur goes into some of what might be going on in the finale.

Let's start with Tom.  As much as I adore Aziz Ansari (and barring a big career jump for him, feel pretty confident they'd be able to work him back into the show in some capacity), I'm fairly certain that this is the end of Tom's run with the Parks Department, or at least the finale will leave it looking that way.  We saw in "The Fight" that Tom's attempts at entrepreneurship aren't simply gimmicks for attention; he really wants to make a name for himself, and believes he can do it. Chris' oppression of Tom's creativity is very likely going to come up again tonight, and based on the scoop about Jean Ralphio's business proposal, I think it's probable that Tom will decide that now is the time to cut his government ties and strike out on his own.

What about Ann?  This season has seen her devolve a little bit (although it has been nice to see Rashida Jones break from exclusively playing the straight-man to Leslie's crazy), and we haven't gotten as substantial a story for her as I would have liked to see (in a near perfect season, this was one of the few minor flaws).  I'm intrigued, though, by what Schur has to say about her finally coming to terms with her relationship with Chris.  I think the idea of Ann getting closure opens the door for her to communicate with Chris again, and I think we may see her either stand up for Leslie and Ben outright, or else say something to fundamentally change his mind.  The more I think about it, the more I think I like the idea of Ann being the unsung hero(ine) of the hour.

Ron (and Tammy) seem to have a lot coming up in this episode as well, though I'm more hesitant to speculate on this one because Ron is a much more difficult character to read.  I'm getting the impression, though, that while most of us would expect him to be the first to help Leslie out of whatever mess she manages to get herself and Ben into, the personal issues he's dealing with will take center stage and will either prohibit him from helping or simply make him dismissive to any concerns beyond his own.

From what I can tell, Andy and April are going to be very much the "B" storyline during these two episodes, which I think will be very fitting.  Their relationship was a critical thread at the end of season 2 and the first half of season 3, and they've been on such a fast track since reconciling that I think giving them a slow, steady series of bumps in the road, teaching them how to take care of one another, is really the best approach.

And of course we have to talk about Leslie and Ben.  I think I'm finally done squealing and giggling over the last minute of "Road Trip," but from the sound of it "The Bubble" (at least before the conflict ensues) is going to have me turning to mush all over again.  I hope they'll give us a few moments of giddy happiness before Ben and Leslie inevitably turn the situation into a disaster.  I'm interested to see how the news of their relationship spreads, and how other people react.  I'm most intrigued to see if Chris will be as much of a douche about the revelation as we've been set up to expect (at this point my money's still on 'yes').  It seems that their decision to be together is going to leave one (possibly both) of their careers hanging in the balance, and I was sure it would be Ben's until I read the article mentioned above.

Schur says that there will be an "out of nowhere curveball" for Leslie in the final scene, and my gut is telling me, against (almost) all logic, that we are going to see Leslie Knope step down as the Deputy Director of the Parks Department.  There are really only a couple of scenarios in which I could see this happening, so let me outline it as best I can:

*If it came down to one of them (Leslie or Ben) having to quit their job to keep their relationship (assuming they're committed enough to do that), my money would be on Ben 98% of the time.  He's not as attached, his skills are probably more transferable, and Leslie is much more established in Pawnee.  Additionally, I just don't think Leslie is serious enough about Ben to quit her job for him.

HOWEVER...

*There is this nagging plot point of Chris trying to drastically restructure the department, and it sounds like he's going to be pretty aggressive about it.  Let's suppose he wants to alter the Parks Department in such a way that Leslie's job and perhaps her staff will be very different, to its detriment.  The fact that Chris is actively preventing her relationship in conjunction with him making her beloved job virtually unrecognizable may well prompt her to issue her resignation by the episode's end.

I have to stop here; there are already way too many thoughts in this for one post.  But I am so excited to watch tonight, and even if I'm wrong about absolutely everything, I know the show will deliver like it has been all season, and leave me wishing September could start tomorrow.

TV Review: Glee Does Death

It's hard to decide exactly how I felt about this episode.  On the plus side, it was pretty free of ridiculous moments (at least, intentionally ridiculous ones), but I'm still not sure it did what it was intended to do.

Death and its impact on relationships were the (sort of) unspoken theme of this episode, and I have to say, I didn't completely hate that.  Sue's development over the course of the hour felt genuine and poignant, my concern as always is whether it will stick (I hope it will, after an entire episode dedicated to it and such a major event serving as its catalyst).  I like the idea that in death Jean really was the only person capable of turning her outlook around, and I really liked that she ultimately decided not to bar Becky from her life. 

Some of the scenes, particularly the lead up to the funeral and the event itself, felt a little manipulative/sad for the sake of being sad, but on the whole I was more pleased with it than I would have expected. 

I liked the fallout from the funeral with Quinn and Finn.  Yes, it felt like a strange moment for Finn to be thinking about his tangled love life instead of, oh I don't know, his dead father or something, but I've been waiting for their breakup since the relationship reignited, so it was a relief to finally see it.  I'm also intrigued to see what Quinn is plotting for Nationals (I don't usually like full-on bitch-mode Quinn, but she's been pretty bland lately so I'm ready for her to pull out the big guns again).

Other notes:  I hope that Rachel resists Jesse's advances, which I can only predict are going to become even more overt next week, but I also hope they don't try to do a cliffhanger of who she'll choose with the finale.  I liked Will and Emma's scenes together; they felt genuine and I really liked the way she encouraged him to go pursue his dream even though she clearly wants him to stick around.  Additionally, what is going on with Terri?  Did anyone else get the vibe that she might be planning to off herself (or is that just my morbid brain in conjunction with the episode's dreary theme)?  I guess we'll find out next season.

Nationals are next week, and I'm interested to see how New Directions fares.  My hopes for the finale include some kind of resolution on the Rachel/Finn front, rather than just pining for each other; preferably an appearance/more than one line from Blaine, Puck, and/or Sam; great songs (I'm nervous about them doing original songs again, I feel like Nationals really needs to be a significant step up from their previous competitions); and maybe another sweet goodbye moment with Schue (since according to the promo the other shoe is going to drop on that one real fast).  I'm fully anticipating none of these will be met as the season rambles to what will likely be an uneven close, but I'll be watching anyway, hoping for something to leave me ready for Season 3.

Soundtrack Series, Part Two: Sounds of Love

I'm not a romantic.  Okay, I actually think that sometimes I am a romantic, but not in the way you'd expect.  I hate chick flicks and happy endings.  I'm not planning on waiting around for "Mr. Right" to find me in the hopes that we'll ride off into the sunset together.  The roles of wife and mother don't really appeal to me at all, especially in competition with writer or teacher or any number of ambitions I haven't yet discovered.

But I believe in love.  All of my stories feature it pretty heavily; the novel I'm writing is pretty much a 300 page treatise on why when we lose our ability to love we lose ourselves.  And I have a soundtrack, not a formal one, but a cluster of songs in the back of my mind that remind me of what love feels like, what it sounds like.  As you might expect, they're not all happy (all right, I'm lying, most of them are pretty melancholy) but the meaning they've got packed into them is worth a million crappy pop songs about soul mates and dating and weddings.

**And no, I'm not sure what it means that so many of them have one-word titles.
 
Faithfully -- Journey
If I am ever visited by the urge to get married and I have a wedding and there's a first dance, this song is it, beyond a doubt.  Not only do I unabashedly adore Journey, I love the epic build of this song.  And of course I'm a sucker for the lyrics, too.  As if none of that were enough, my love for this song was only reinforced tenfold when I heard it covered on "Glee" by the fantastic Lea Michele (and Cory Monteith), though I would definitely insist on the original version at my wedding.

Honestly-- Bethany Joy Lenz
It's not a secret that most of these are songs more focused on the heartbreak side of love than the warm & fuzzy (what can I say, it's who I am).  This song is about regret, but it's also about the endurance of loving someone even after things have gone south.  Take this line "I'm so glad you're far away/Is that a terrible thing to say?/Still I wonder if you're okay..."  Yes, she's nursing a broken heart and maybe even bruised pride, but there's still love there, and I think with any relationship that's ended it's important to remember that you loved that person once upon a time.

Someday We'll Know -- Mandy Moore and Jonathan Foreman
 Something else I'm a sucker for:  the couple who can't be together or shouldn't be together because of circumstances beyond them.  Yes, it's true that there are a lot of people who like these types of stories, but I think I'm in the minority in that I don't root for them to defy the odds/overcome whatever obstacle is impeding them.  I prefer them longing for each other, moving forward as individuals, and maybe even learning something from the experience.  The two people in this song haven't figured it out yet, but they will, and the romantic side of me loves that.

Yellow -- Coldplay
Whoever it was that introduced Chris Martin to odes and/or to songwriting, thank you.  This song is just such a beautiful tribute to a person who is literally the light of another person's life.  I can't say much more about this (my words wouldn't do it justice), so I'll just say that I'm pretty sure it's a no-brainer on a list of love songs.

Iris -- Goo Goo Dolls
Another pretty obvious/typical choice, but I had to stick it on here.  "You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be"-- what person, romantic or not, wouldn't want to hear something to that effect?  We also get a strong sense of the person singing the song as a complicated, even troubled figure, and the subject of the song being a source of salvation and comfort.  It's not a story song, but it makes you want to know the story behind it.

Someone Like You -- Adele
There had to be a song in here about the one that got away.  It's a staple of every love song list, and Adele's contribution to the catalog is nothing short of phenomenal.  There is something so raw and beautiful about every aspect of this song-- the simply piano, the lyrics dripping with longing, and of course that absurdly beautiful voice (I'm pretty sure she could cover just about any song and I'd love it).  When I discovered this one, it shot straight to the Most Played on my Ipod; there's just something about it you won't be able to get out of your head.

For the Nights I Can't Remember -- Hedley
 This one's a great song from a pretty unknown Canadian band, and it's all about appreciating all the things, big and small, that the person you love does for you.  It's about wanting to be a better person in return, because of how much you love them.  And it's got that alt-rock vibe that I thoroughly dug during my high school daydreaming phase (not to mention the fact that it was featured on Degrassi, which is pretty much the epitome of adolescent understandings of love).

 
Your Ex-Lover is Dead -- Stars
This is probably my favorite breakup song ever.  There's so much venom in such simple lines, and it's sad while also expressing a push to move forward.   I love the way they take literally the idea of forgetting or un-knowing someone you used to really love, and the way it comes to a resolution.  Best lines:  "I'm not sorry I met you/I'm not sorry it's over/I'm not sorry there's nothing to save."

Call It Off -- Tegan and Sara


The Temptation of Adam -- Josh Ritter
I absolutely love songs that tell a story, and this is one of my all-time favorites.  In about 4 minutes of song, Josh Ritter weaves a beautiful little tale of two people assigned to man a nuclear arsenal beneath the ground, and naturally they fall in love.  The temptation is "Adam's" impulse to simply allow the world above them to end so that they can continue to be together.  I've read a lot of pretty intense love stories in my time, but I think there's something uniquely moving about this one.

First Day of My Life -- Bright Eyes
I've seen this on a few occasions recently as a wedding song, and while some have scoffed that it's a hipster choice, I disagree.  It's a simple little song, and Conor Oberst's vocals leave much to be desired at times, but the beauty is in the simplicity, in the offbeat-ness of it.  "I'm glad I didn't die before I met you," Oberst sings, and isn't that how we all feel about the ones we love?

Come Home -- One Republic
This song, one of One Republic's best in my opinion, is truly beautiful.  Half plaintive plea, half "dreaming out loud" about a better world, it gets across something that is very difficult to articulate.  I think there's definitely a message here that it's okay to need people, as long as you can appreciate that there is still some beauty in your life without them, it would just be clearer if they were around.  Additionally, the version featuring Sara Bareilles on the second verse is even more gorgeous than the album cut.

TV Review: How I Met Your Mother Reveals Turning Points for All

This is the part where I gloat and do a virtual happy dance, because BOTH of my major predictions for this finale were proven right!

Naturally, I loved Barney and Robin working together to derail Ted from his ridiculous romantic tendencies.  And if that had been all I got from them this episode as a supplement to the Marshal and Lily plot, that would've been enough.  But this week the writers decided to give me (and a lot of other people) even more than we'd dared to hope for.  It was revealed that Barney is the groom in the wedding we saw Ted attend during the premiere.  The twist I was not expecting was the building of the mystery of the bride's identity.  In the scene directly prior to the reveal, we not only saw Barney get Norah (the cute British girl he was crushin' hard on a few weeks back) to accept a coffee date, but we saw Robin watching them with a sad "I wish I had another chance with him" face.  At this point I'd be happy to see either of the ladies walk down the aisle toward Barney (I will always be a loyal fan of Barney and Robin, but Norah is literally the first person I'd have dreamed up if that proved impossible), so I am excited to see how both relationships pan out.

The Marshal/Lily storyline.  I knew by the first time she vomited that it would turn out she was pregnant and that the food poisoning had been a misdirect, but it was still fun watching them get there.  It was made especially poignant by Marshal's speech right beforehand with him lamenting what a terrible year they've had so far.  I predicted when his father died that a baby would be their reward, but even I had moments of doubt that they'd do it before season's end.  That said, however, I think it was perfect timing, and a great thread to season seven, which I am now officially stoked for.

Craig Thomas, Carter Bays, congratulations are in order.  You just wrapped up a season that was emotionally stirring, hilarious, and suspenseful.  You revealed twists I've been predicting for months in a way that still had me tearing up and throwing every object within arms' reach.  You've restored my faith in this show, 100% and I am ready for a season 7 that delves deeper into all of the great stories you've set up.

Soundtrack Series, Part One: Songs to Commemorate a Life

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'm a huge music enthusiast/nerd.  They'll also probably tell you that I have a penchant for making playlists for every occasion, with the songs that I've meticulously selected to summarize my feelings toward the event.  Last week I was working on my graduation party playlist, to commemorate the end of my college experience, and I got to thinking about how much I love doing this, creating a soundtrack that speaks the things I can't say. 

And naturally, it got me thinking about other occasions I could create playlists for, and what might go on them.  The first one I completed, listed here, is the soundtrack for my funeral.  I realize that might read as morbid, but when you think about it, what better occasion to express exactly how you feel about your life, and about death?  If there's one event I have every right to leave my mark on, it's this one.  So I present the 12 tracks I've narrowed down to comprise my memorial soundtrack.

I'm sure as time goes on I will think of additions to this list, but I also find that most of these for me have been pretty enduring and tied up in a lot of my memories.  This is my ideal playlist, and I'm so attached to these tracks that there may need to be an addendum to my last will & testament with a link to this blog, so that whoever handles my affairs doesn't go against this one fervent wish. 

1.  Wildflowers - Tom Petty
Beautiful, folksy little song with genuinely good wishes for the listener/subject.  I'd kick things off with this one because it's just so nice and it conjures up the image of sending someone on a journey.  That would probably be the theme of my funeral (do people have themes for funerals?), embarking on a journey, and so I think this would be a tremendously appropriate opening.

2.  Forever Young - Youth Group
This song takes me back to high school, when I first heard it, and I can't help but remember the sense of possibility and excitement that I felt looking ahead to the rest of my life.  I had so many dreams (still do, but they're more realistic now), and so many hopes, and this song reminds me to hold the memory of that time in my heart.  

3.  Remember Me as a Time of Day - Explosions in the Sky
I probably overuse the word "transcendent" when talking about music, but with this band I think it is merited about 98% of the time.  This track is so beautiful-- any time I need to take a minute and just be I like to close my eyes and let this play in the background.  I think that most of the Explosions in the Sky catalog would be apt for a funeral/celebration of life, but since I've limited myself to one track I have to go with this one.  


4.  Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World - Iserael Kamakawiwo'Ole
 I associate this song with some of the most contemplative, peaceful moments of my life.  It's the perfect track to play while you simply sit with your thoughts and reflect, and there's something so indescribably soothing about that ukulele.  This song puts me in mind of a beach somewhere far from any civilization, with clear skies and crystalline water that stretch on forever.

5.  Fire and Rain - James Taylor
This song has a lot of regret in it, beautifully and subtly articulated.  It's not that I want anyone to feel this way about me when I'm gone (the regret part, I hope they'll feel the affection!), but it's something I've always struggled with.  I often worry that the people in my life don't know just how much I love them, and that I'm taking my time with them for granted.  I also associate the tone of this song with change, the quiet kind of change that takes you by surprise with how much it impacts you.  I have so many people in my life who've changed me like this, and my hope is that somewhere along the way I've had a similar effect.

6.  Let It Be - The Beatles
This isn't a song I associate with death, but one I associate with my father, who died when I was young.  I have very few vivid memories of our time together, but something I do recall is the many car trips we went on, and all the things we'd talk about even while running errands.  One of the occasions that has always stood out in my memory is this song coming on the radio, and my father just bursting into song, barely knowing the lyrics and drumming on the steering wheel.  It's just such a great snapshot of the goofy, fun-loving person he was to me, and every time this song comes on I take pause to remember that car ride. I really love the idea of having such a vivid reminder of our time together as my own life draws to a close. 

7.  Angel - Sarah McLachlan
When I think of soft music that touches my soul, I think of Sarah McLachlan, and most particularly this song.  It's about how hard just living life can sometimes be, and I appreciate that.  There can be a million little struggles even when you haven't been struck by some overwhelming tragedy, and there's always (for most of us) the need for just a little more peace in our lives.  I don't necessarily believe in angels (they've always come as a package deal with the kind of theology to which I've never subscribed), but I love the image of being embraced by something greater than myself, and comforted in that embrace.

8.  When I Look to the Sky - Train
This was the first song I ever thought of as a spiritual experience.  There is so much tied up in this song-- nature, loss, spirituality-- in short, all the things that truly resonate with me.  I love this song because it acknowledges the immensity of loss while also providing a comforting sense of continued community with the person or people who are no longer here.  I would play this at my funeral if only to guarantee that the people I love get to experience it at least once.

9.  For Good - Idina Menzel & Kristin Chenoweth
I feel like I think of a different loved one each time I hear this song, and it somehow applies to all of them.  This is the perfect friendship song, and one that expresses just how much one person can mean to another.  I liked it in context of the musical it's in, but I like it even more as a standalone song, because it feels almost too universal to be confined to one story.  My favorite line in the song ("It well may be that we may never meet again in this lifetime, so let me say before we part...") would be especially poignant in the context of a memorial, and I hope that it would comfort those I love the way that it has comforted me on so many occasions.

10.  Home - Michael Buble
I've always had a kind of sentimental attachment to the concept of "home" as much more than a particular place.  Home is in your memories, in your heart, and in the people who make you feel that indescribably comforting, warm feeling in your chest.  It's a feeling we all can relate to, but that's almost impossible for us to articulate.  I love this song because between the lyrics and Michael Buble's lovely voice and the soft instrumentation, that feeling gets conjured up inside me all over again.  I would hope for this song to inspire the comfort and fuzzy feeling in others that it always does for me.

11.  The Long Day Is Over - Norah Jones
I don't actually know if Norah Jones wrote this song as a metaphor for death, but that's how it has always read to me.  It's so gentle and soothing that I think this is a legitimate candidate for a song I would like to be listening to at the actual moment of my passing away.  It feels like a send-off, one that's understated and serene, exactly the way I'd like it to be.  And what better for my friends and family to hear as they send me off and say goodbye?

12.  Moving On - Michael Giacchino
This is one of the most moving compositions I have ever heard.  Yes, it's from a television show, but the last few minutes of LOST will be forever in my mind as a truly amazing, touching experience, enhanced all the more by this track.  I would insist on this being the last song to play as everyone walks away and returns to their regularly scheduled lives, because it is structured in the exact way I would want my memorial to be:  it opens quietly, builds to a beautiful violin crescendo, then fades away quietly.  My feelings follow the pattern of the instruments every time I listen to it, and it always provides me with a very unique feeling of catharsis.  I hope it would do the same for everyone else, rounding out this playlist and my life on the perfect note.

TV Review: Parks and Rec's OMG-worthy Episode

So, it turns out the non-stop Blogger outage yesterday might have been a stroke of luck for anyone reading this, because I think if I'd tried to blog about "Road Trip" last night, it would have looked something like this:
                      "Leslie and BEn OMG SO HAPPYSFLDKSFJDSLGJ G."

Seriously though, I'm such a shameless fan-girl when I've really gotten invested in an onscreen couple.  But since I've now watched the episode through twice (and watched the last scene, as predicted, approximately 200 times-- not entirely my fault, Tumblr fans are notorious for posting repeat GIFs), I think I should be able to actually articulate some real thoughts about what happened (and yes, there were other things that happened in the episode, believe it or not).

Leslie and Ben were not the only couple that we got a romantic gesture from last night.  Andy and April, who got into a tiff following Tom's "Know Ya Boo" game (complete with CGI dog co-host!), found themselves at odds over April's lack of pride in Andy's music.  To be fair, I have to agree that Neutral Milk Hotel, which I doubt most of the people who watched last night have ever heard of, is amazing.  But you should know by now April, that your shoe-shining, formerly pit-dwelling husband has a bit of a fragile ego at times.  Anyway, they made up, with her playing one of Mouse Rat's songs in a public display of vulnerability (and unexpected musical talent).  The plot itself was a bit predictable, but I think the point was to let us focus on the Leslie/Ben goodness without too much distraction.

And of course, Ron's "lesson" about government with the little girl at his office?  Precious.  For some reason, I love it when a misanthropic grown up befriends a kid or a cute animal; it's never not hilarious and kind of endearing.  My favorite moment was probably him asking her to autograph her original essay (Prompt:  Why does government matter?  Her Ron-influenced answer:  It doesn't.).

Well now that that's out of the way, let's get to the good stuff.  Leslie and Ben's road trip was the perfect next step for them, especially following the opening scene ("that was the most sexual tension I've ever seen in a conversation about documents"), and I could not have been more pumped.  Leslie's attempt to be the anti-seducer was hilarious (Whale sounds!  Learning Mandarin!  Johns Hopkins' dorms!), as was Ann's "sabotage" via the one and only Al Green.  I loved that Ben didn't let Leslie's bizarre behavior deter him-- yet another sign of how great these two are together.  And when they were doing the presentation and he talked about how "special" Pawnee is?  If you watch Leslie's face during that, you can basically see her falling in love with him all over again.  Such a great moment.

The heart to heart at dinner was such an amazing payoff for weeks upon weeks of these two dancing around each other, and I think there was a collective audience half-sigh of relief.  We also got a classic Leslie line:  "I'm going to go make out with him now.  On his face."  Then of course Chris had to show up and ruin things, again.  I'm sorry Rob Lowe, but you are quickly becoming the face of the most annoying character on television.  Sleeping under the same roof at Chris' condo (at his insistence) must have been torture for Leslie and Ben-- I don't think I've ever felt such strong sympathy for two attractive people who are inevitably going to live happily ever after.

And that kiss.  Oh my goodness, that kiss.  Both of them seemed to shed their awkwardness in that moment and were just two people ridiculously in like (maybe love) with each other, and it was fantastic.  It was so reminiscent too of the first kiss Jim and Pam shared on "The Office" (makes sense, given the shows share producers and some writers), but it was also trickier because the tyranny of Chris and the threat of hurting their careers lingered in the room with them.  "Uh-oh" just about sums it up.

Season finale next week offers up an hour-long two-part episode that I for one cannot wait to see.  I've read some speculation on what's going to go down, but rather than spoil you I think I'm going to just advise that you watch it if you weren't planning to already.  I fully anticipate a fantastic conclusion to a phenomenal season of television.

TV Review: The Parks and Rec Gang's All Here...and They're Wasted

I've decided to recap each half of last night's Parks and Recreation Double-Shot Bonanza individually, if only because I'm anticipating having a lot to say, and most of my thoughts on "Road Trip" are still gushing and hitting random keys on the keyboard.

I don't think I fully realized that Leslie and Ann have never had an honest-to-goodness fight before, but I really liked the way the show handled it.  Each of them got a lot off her chest, and even though they were all viciously hungover the next day (literally and figuratively), they resolved it in a way that was very honest and realistic.  Bonus points for having Ben be the one to extend Leslie's olive branch on her behalf, and double bonus points for it leading to Ann's revelation that his feelings for their yellow-haired friend were mutual.

As someone with an absurdly high tolerance for alcohol, I'd be very interested to try Snake Juice.  It sounded right up my alley-- caffeine, booze, Kahlua-like flavor-- but I digress.  I loved the way that everyone jumped on board with Tom's latest crackpot scheme, with hilarious results.  Just seeing how everyone reacted to the drank was worth the entire episode, especially Leslie's angry demands that Jean Ralphio "dance up on her."

Overall, this episode was not only hysterical, but it was a great setup for the next installment.  It ended up being a huge blessing that they both aired in the same night, because I think I might have died of anticipation if NBC had made me wait seven whole days to find out what was coming next.