I was curious to check out the second episode of NBC's Parks and Recreation ("Canvassing") last night to see if my feelings about the new Amy Poehler-starring series, from creators Greg Daniels and Mike Schur, had changed at all.After watching the series' second episode, I was struck once again how the mockumentary format that the duo borrowed from The Office just doesn't work here. In fact, I believe it's what's holding the series back. Too often the characters rely on overused talking heads to convey information that would be far more humorous if they were said to actual people (I'm thinking of Leslie's bit about returning to the park on her birthday with her White House staff as an example) than to the unseen camera crew.
Additionally, the use of the hand-held cameras works much better in the physical confines of The Office, where the Dunder Mifflin crew works in bullpen-style seating rather than in tiny, cramped offices. Far too often, the shots on Parks and Recreation are hidden camera-style, filming the action inside the office of, say Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson, through the slats of the window blinds.
I did roar with laughter when Leslie and Ann (Rashida Jones) stumble into her house to discover Leslie's colleagues playing Guitar Hero: World Tour with Ann's boyfriend Andy (Chris Pratt) and Andy's band name: Just the Tip, but much of the episode felt flat. The canvassing scenes in particular were about as interesting as actual canvassing and I thought it was far too early to introduce the notion of Leslie's mother, much less one who also happens to work in local politics.
But I am curious to know what you thought of this week's installment of Parks and Recreation. Was it an improvement over the pilot episode? Are you as bothered by the series' mockumentary format as I am? And will you continue to watch?
Next week on Parks and Recreation ("Reporter"), Leslie (Amy Poehler) invites a reporter to do a story on her park project but she and her committee have trouble staying on message; Mark (Paul Schneider) is called in to help save the story but only makes the situation worse; Tom (Aziz Ansari) kisses up to his boss (Nick Offerman).
Comments
I also believe that given time it could grow into something really strong. NBC has a much better history of letting its series develop so my fingers are crossed.
I enjoy Poehler and think the show has potential, but only if someone has the smarts to make some changes. Lose the jerky cameras and the entire mockumentary format for starters.
I'll keep watching, but I can't see the show lasting like it is.
The problem is that the format isn't being used for any discernible purpose. There's no tension created by the camera crew, and nothing we learn from the talking heads that couldn't have been learned from watching the characters in scene.
In The Office, characters revealed or implied truths to the camera crew that they couldn't in public. What Jim and Pam said about each other to the documentarians contradicted what they said to each other, because their feelings were secret. What the characters said to the cameras about Michael could not have been said to him, because he had power over them. There's none of that tension here. It's the setup that's the problem. Taking away the mockumentary format wouldn't do anything to add the tension and stakes the show needs.