Parks & Rec: “Women in Garbage” Recap

I must preface my review by saying I have no clue how Parks & Rec manages to fit three stories into a half hour – AND keep it fun and entertaining. I love this show.

In this episode, Leslie fights for equality in city politics, Ron babysits, and Tom needs help understanding basketball.

Let’s go with Leslie first. She finds out that Pawnee doesn’t hire many women for city jobs. The worst offender is Waste Management. When the guys tell her that women can’t handle the job, she and April become garbage collection personnel for a day. I love how April confessed that she volunteered because she “loves garbage”. Pure April. She was great throughout the entire episode.

After a day of being ahead of schedule, which is completely showing up the regular guys, they’re given an impossible job of moving an industrial fridge. When they realize that the men couldn’t do the job either, they find a charity that’s willing to take the fridge, and that gets them the help they need.

Since Leslie is usually right – the men have to admit that females can do the job, and end up hiring three women as garbage collectors.

Moving on… Diane’s babysitter isn’t available, so she asks Ron to babysit. The first day, he pretty much borrows supplies from Leslie and lets the girls run rampant around his office. When he has to go another day, he begs Anne to help him, which starts out great – then quickly takes a turn for the worse when the girls lock themselves in a room with a pair of scissors and begin to cut each other’s hair.

Ron sweats it out, but when Diane arrives she’s surprisingly laid-back. It turns out that as long as the girls are safe, she’s cool with the mess her girls get into.

In the interest of time, I’m gonna boil down the basketball story. Tom asks Ben & Andy to make him a “baller” so he can relate to the kids who shop at “Rent-a-Swag”. They fail – a virtual certainty with how un-athletic Tom is. When he’s shown a commercial featuring pro-basketball players, he instead makes his own commercial showing young men that *dressing* like players when they’re off the court is just as cool as playing.

A good, solid episode. Writing is on par with what we’ve come to expect from the Parks & Rec team, and an A+ to the performers.

I have one complaint, and it’s a common one – MORE. DONNA. Seriously guys… where is she!?

Parks & Rec returns on Thursday, February 7 8:30/7:30c with “Ann’s Decision”

Ann tries to get to know herself as Leslie meddles in one of her biggest life decisions. Meanwhile, things go south when Ben enlists the guys to help choose a caterer for the wedding.