We learned a few things on last night’s Parks and Recreation. (1) Apparently, not chocolate pudding, tomato sauce, acid, or stabbing will ruin a mural enough to make it beyond repair. (2) Some of the world’s greatest ideas, like putting a human in a hamster wheel, go unappreciated. (3) Murinal is a hilarious word. (4) Even the shoe shine business comes with risks. (5) Forget Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear should play Jesus from now on. Curious yet? Let’s get to recappin’.
After The Spirit of Pawnee, a wildly racist mural of the town’s history, is vandalized yet again, the city decides it might be time to make a new one. Enter enemy of the week: the sewage department, who somehow ”always gets the hottest interns” and, despite “specializing in crap,” can create darn good murals. Leslie decides that (err…forces) everyone in the Parks Department will design their own rendering and the best one will be presented to the City Council.
Meanwhile, Ron goes to get a shoe shine from Andy, who has the magic touch and manages to bring welcomed relief to Ron’s bunion, which ”is practically it’s own toe.” Eeeww. Later, he goes for another shine and enjoys it… too much. Eeeww again.
Back in Parks, it’s presentation time. Here’s a rundown of the pitches:
* Ann – A warm and fuzzy park scene made from magazine cut outs. Tom summed it best: ”That looks like something a death row convict would make in art therapy.”
* Tom – A commissioned a piece of abstract art. While he first described it as ”a lizard puking up Skittles,” he later saw the beauty in the intricate shapes and design. It still looked like Skittle vomit to me.
* Donna – A re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, with the faces of famous Indiana natives in place of the Apostles. Celebrity faces include: John Mellencamp, Larry Byrd, Michael Jackson, David Letterman and a NASCAR. Greg Kinnear plays Jesus. Epic.
*Jerry – A beautiful pointillism piece. Micro-photos of the town’s residents make up a cathedral image, easily the most artistic. He’s disqualified, however, for calling it a ”murinal.”
* April – A multi-media mural that will have a video screen that plays knee surgeries. The key part of her intricate design: A hamster wheel with a raw meat-consuming fat man inside. Confused? ”If you have to ask, you don’t get it.”
* Leslie – A photo of the Pawnee bread factory burning down in 1922. Tragedy sells.
In the end, there was a deadlock: 1 to 1 to 1 to 1 to 1 to 1. So they commission Mark to help them out, whose design turns out to be a major snore. They opt to present a combination of all their designs. In the end, (surprise) they lose. But a greater lessons lies in the episode: There is nothing better than sticking to your artistic guns, except maybe the word ”murinal.”
Best lines:
“I got my first job when I was nine. I worked at a sheet metal factory, and in two weeks, I was running the floor. Child labor laws are ruining this country.” – Ron
”I have no interest in art. Let me clarify, I have no interest in non-nude images.” – Tom
”People love voting for tragedy. Look at the Oscars. This is our holocaust movie. This is our English Patient.” – Leslie
”Why don’t you put that murinal in the men’s room so that people can murinate all over it.” — April
” Jerry, go to the doctor, you might have a murinary tract infection” – Tom
What do you think are some of last night’s best lines? And which murinal was your favorite? Sound off below!
Comments (1-24) of 24 Add your comment
Larry Bird not Larry Byrd, I know this is an EW but who misspells Larry Bird!
Thank you Sean! I saw that & was ready to flip!!! Seriously-who misspells Larry BIRD!?!?
Jerry is quickly becoming my new favorite character on television. I love how Tom somehow became so obsessed with those shapes.
Yeah, Jerry is the best. I kinda want Ann and Andy to get back together!
Same! Her and Mark are really boring.
Agreed, Jerry is the best! I think my favorite scene on this show so far is in the Kaboom episode when he accidentally wrote on the dry erase board with permanent marker (again). Everyone looks at him in disgust (Brendanawicz in particular cracks my shit up). Goodness, I laughed so hard.
This show is definitely one of my favorites.
Best episode of the series yet, no? I loved everything about this one. Laughed harder than I even had.
When the committee said, “It looks like Michael Jackson is walking Larry Bird into the fire.” Hilarious!
…the fact that it turned out that he was Moonwalking AWAY from the fire with Kinnear/Jesus was even better.
Thats true. I guess it was Jesus, and not Larry Bird like I had previously stated. Still, FUNNY!
“I just had an emotional reaction to a piece of art. Is that even normal?”
I am starting to really like this show. Amy Poeler just has a funny way about her that I like.
I want the murinal! Gotta tell you. I work with county planners. Mark is a rock star in this office!
Seriously, this show is getting funnier every week. I know it is Amy P’s show and her spirit is what guides the show. But Tom, Jerry, and especially Ron get the best bits.
Love this show. Andy is hilarious.
I liked the “attractive lady with a hamburger for a head.” Ha!
The murinal wasn’t a cathedral, it was the town hall. They occasionally show exterior shots, and it’s a surprisingly nice building.
The pointillism one was obviously the best idea, but I really liked the Bread Factory fire.
I thing that show is start to be full of fun. To watch this after watch comunitty is like good time.
“Paul Bunyon” – Ron
Sorry for my spelling.
“Paul Bunion”
Ron’s moan and Andy’s reaction to it were priceless.And I loved the whole scene with Jerry’s murinal-it looked like he flubbed the line and then they just ran with it.Great show.
The best part was Jerry trying to get SOMEONE to appreciate his effort (ie the camera crew) and Tom interrupts him from the background cracking up. “No one cares! At all!”
the whole ending scene with Tom and the abstract artist and then tearing up over the green dot and the red in the painting….. watched it a few times and was dying laughing