We are 2 episodes into Season 2, and I think most can agree that Season 2 is looking to be A LOT stronger than Season 1. In "The Stakeout" we start to get a basic idea of who the strong characters are in the series, and who are some of the weaker ones.
The episode centers around the assumption that some Pawenee citizen is growing marijuana in the community garden in everyone's favorite underground pit. Leslie teams up with Tom to initiate a nighttime "stakeout" to find out who the intruder really is. It's a silly premise, but it works really well because of the great chemistry that Poehler and Ansari have. All the moments in the van are great. We find out a little more about Tom. Much like Aziz himself, from South Carolina and raised by his two Indian parents. We also find out he changed his name to Tom Haverford, because "brown guys with funny-sounding Muslim names don't make it far into politics" for which Leslie responds "What about Barrack Obama? They eventually run into Andy, who at this point is literally a complete bum. I think at this point in the show, Andy might be the funniest character. His character is so pathetic, that everything he does is just so funny. Later on, we get introduced to a new character, Dave the cop, played by Louis C.K. He will become the first "serious" romantic interest that Leslie has in the series.
Back at the department, Ron appears to have a hernia, and made the unfortunate mistake of sneezing, so now he can barely move. This storyline is more of just a vehicle to show the incredible physical comedy that Offerman can display. It's just a B-plot, but it's still extremely funny and contains some of the episode's best moments. "I'm Ron *beep* Swanson." This is also when we first start so see the surprisingly great chemistry that Ron and April have.
Unfortunately, this episode has another subplot, and Mark and Ann going on a first date drops this from being a perfect 10/10. Not really sure why the writers decided to put arguably the two dullest characters in a romantic relationship, but I guess it is the most "realistic" match. Even with that side-plot, I still think this is one of the stronger episodes in Season 2, and when we truly start to see the comedic brilliance of this incredibly talented cast. The show is finally starting to become fully effective and hilarious, and it's because of the wonderful writing and actors portraying these great characters.
