By: Matt Ern
Columnist

Parks and Rec.”How a Bill…”

Grade: B+

And just like that, my faith is Parks and Rec has been restored.Was it a perfect episode? No, it barely compared to the show in its prime. But it did feature Amy Poehler with a demented half-perm and a glimpse into Ben’s music taste.
The bulk of the episode revolves around Leslie’s attempts to pass a new bill that would keep a public pool open a few extra hours every summer.  In order to do so, she has to wheel-and-deal with the other city councelors in order to get the votes she needs-all while finding the time to fit in a quick perm (something Ann has advised her against in the past).
There’s a nice subplot involving Ben and April getting stuck in the car together while roadtripping back to Pawnee for the weekend. I really enjoy the dynamic they’ve been developing between these two characters this season since it’s been one of weakest on the show in the past. Despite the fact that they lived together, Ben and April’s relationship has always been underdeveloped. As a bonus, we were treated to Ben explaining that he loves listening to the soundtracks to movies because it’s like “your favorite director made a mix CD just for you.”
Ron finally gets a worthwhile plot for the first time this season. After Chris creates a 311 line for the town, Ron and Andy set out to fill a pothole for a concerned citizen (Lucy Lawless) with whom Ron strikes up a relationship. I think this could be a great character arc for Ron this season, certainly a more entertaining one than him ruining the Parks Department’s barbeque by attempting to slaughter a pig in the middle of a park surrounded by children.

New Girl- “Neighbors”

Grade: A-

Much like Schmidt’s performance at work, New Girl has been “crushing” it lately. I’d also like to commend the show for pulling off an episode that was clearly about “hipsters” without ever using the word. There’s nothing lazier than a hipster joke, and thankfully New Girl was able to shift the focus to their youth/naivety.
Jess hits it off with the trendy new neighbors next door primarily because they don’t judge her part-time job, impressions of 80s sitcom characters or taking some time to “figure herself out.”  But the neighbors don’t take to Schmidt quite so kindly, who assumes the source of the conflict to be his age. This prompts Nick to launch a series of pranks on Schmidt to convince him he’s getting old before his years.
The pranks got the most laughs out of me, but the storyline did border on being too outlandish.The idea that the already broke Nick would spend over a thousand dollars on pranks is hard to believe, even if they were hilariously elaborate. Shaving down the heels of all Schmidt’s left shoes is one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard of.  Winston isn’t quite the prankster Nick is, most of his tricks involve hitting people in the throat with skies.
Despite all the zany pranks flying around, the episode had some nice character moments too. Winston is inspired to improve his situation at work and gets his own sports talk show to produce. Jess has a moving speech about how much teaching meant to her and decides to look for some tutoring jobs. Her conversation with Schmidt at the end was the kind of moment Jess usually only has with Nick, so it was good to see her and Schmidt  connect.