photo: nbc
Pawnee Rangers
Original Air Date: Oct 13, 2011
Valentina D. – Sr. Reviewer
valentina@thetwocentscorp.com
Much like last season’s delightful Camping, Pawnee Rangers finds our favourite civil servants in the wilderness again, but this time, with children in tow. Ron and Leslie are the captains of two separate wilderness scout groups: the “boys only” traditional Pawnee Rangers and the female-focused Pawnee Goddesses, respectively.
While they’re spending some time with Mother Nature, Tom and Donna plan to live in the lap of luxury for the day. They decide to let Ben join them when Donna notices he’s a bit down lately. And no, it’s not because Game of Thrones was canceled. Which Ben will make sure to point out, it was not canceled.
If it’s a big day for anyone, it’s Tom and Donna. Ever the glamourous duo, they’re gearing up for their annual “Treat Yo Self” day, where they pamper themselves with spa sessions and shopping trips. Before they take off for the day, Ben snaps at Donna and Jerry during a budget meeting about paperwork. He’s been missing Leslie a lot more than he’s let on and says he doesn’t have a reason to stay in Pawnee anymore.
Donna proposes inviting Ben but Tom doesn’t want him cramping their relaxation style, which was a little surprising because I thought Tom and Ben were turning out to be unlikely friends since last season. Luckily, Donna spots Ben eating lunch alone on a bench outside and whisks him into her van. Like it or not, Ben is going to take part in “Treat Yo Self” day.
With everyone in the department gone, Chris gives the Jerry the day off, which Jerry uses to have lunch with his daughter. Chris declines an invite but accepts when he meets Millicent, and asks Jerry for permission to date her, to which Jerry agrees. While Chris is such a positive person, he also tends to overshare which makes for a very awkward conversation the day after their date.
Wilderness Weekend is in full swing and while Leslie’s group makes crafts and snacks on peanut brittle, Ron’s boys eat rationed beans and have one activity planned: not getting killed. It only makes sense that one of Ron’s boys, Darren, defects and asks to join the Goddesses. Leslie turns him away, saying that the Goddesses are only for females; a move that prompts the girls to organize a public forum with the Rangers. Leslie beams with pride as she realizes she’s created “little Leslie Knope monsters.” Well, mostly pride but she’s annoyed, too. I loved seeing Leslie’s scouts, as I imagine she acted exactly the same when she was a pre-teen.
At the spa, Ben-to Box is having a hard time trying to relax and the needles sticking out of his face don’t help. Donna and Tom move on to Phase Two of “Treat Yo Self” day: the Plaza at Eagleton, which boasts three Burberrys (so swanky, you have to specify which one to meet at, according to Tom). The two model only the finest ensembles and make out with quite a few shopping bags, but Ben only buys a bag of plain white socks. Tom is fed up at this point but Donna likes that Ben is doing “Treat Yo Self” day his own way. Still, she would really like him to go overboard and buy something extravagant…
The scout groups begin their public forum, with Ron saying it’s a waste of time and Darren revealing that he just really wants candy instead of beans and the Goddesses have candy. They also have a litter of puppies that show up just in time for the Goddesses’ Puppy Party. The Rangers are so thrilled that they all drop out of Ron’s troupe to join the Goddesses. It looks like Leslie won until she sees Ron sitting all alone at his campfire. Since outdoorsy stuff is so associated with Ron, you can’t help but feel awful for him. He tells her he doesn’t understand when kids became interested in fun and that she was right: her group is better, and with that, he turns in. While anyone else would probably revel in this moment, Leslie is a lot better than that and values Ron’s friendship. You can already see her trying to hatch a plan to make things right between them.
Back at the mall, Ben reaches a whole new level of nerd when he comes out wearing a full-on Batman getup. Tom and Donna seem paralyzed by his nerdiness but “in a good way,” claims Tom. Just as soon as they finish telling him to buy it if it makes him happy, Ben is overwhelmed with feeling and starts crying in the middle of the store. A terrified-looking Donna sums it up best with, “Uh oh, Batman is crying.” Ben tells them the truth about how he recently got out of a relationship, without naming Leslie, and the two tell him he’s going to be fine.
It’s Monday morning and Ron probably wants to forget the entire weekend, after his disaster of a wilderness getaway. Instead, he walks into his office to be greeted by a group of boys and girls, who say they’re responding to an ad. Saluting him is Leslie, who put a notice in the paper about a new hardcore outdoors club called “Swansons,” which Ron will lead. How appropriate.
The “Treat Yo Self” storyline was my favourite part of tonight’s episode. Tom and Ben are great together but adding Donna to anything is always dynamite. Her dialogue tonight was filled with incredible one-liners but then again, any episode that heavily features Donna is sure to be.
P & R returns Oct. 27th with Meet ‘N Greet! Until then, share your TwoCents below!
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