Hunting Trip

The funniest thing about this episode is Jerry running. Hahahaha.

No, but seriously, it's a good episode. This is when Parks and Recreation starts to get into its stride, with the characters and the relationships between them well-defined.

This is the first episode that April's interest in Andy becomes apparent, and it reinforces Ron's mentality, but also Leslie's steadfast "do the right thing" mentality, which despite their differences, Ron respects.

It is a funny episode deserving of its high rating.

This episode is included as an extra on the Season 6 DVD set of The Office. I watched to see if it lived up to the show's often glowing comparison to The Office. For me, it did not in the slightest. This episode showcases P & R as an Office-style show for a less-educated, more superficial, less-appreciative audience. The humor is pre-packaged, ready-to-eat, cheap, and void of any real nutrition (to use a food analogy). The acting is "sit-commy" and far less natural and authentic than The Office. The characters are annoying and empty. The show screams, "poor Office rip-off" and this episode dissuaded me from watching any others.

Up to this episode, parks and rec tended to follow The Office formula, trying to play it safe, and it just seemed very reminiscent. After this episode, it finally broke out of some of the awkwardness it was stuck in and found its place as comedy series. The episode itself is an all out laugh fest. Never a dull moment, and after it's over be glad, because the series only improves on their new formula from there.

What is so great about these early Season 2 episodes (when the show firsts starts getting great) is that a lot of these episodes contain moments that will become signature trademarks, running gags, or important plot devices that will help evolve the show as a whole. Season 2's "Hunting Trip" is an episode that contains many important moments like those and I consider it to be one of the funniest and most influential Parks episodes in the series.

The episode is pretty self explanatory. The Parks department all go on a hunting trip together. An annual trip that normally just the men go on (except Tom), but Leslie feels it should be a trip that the whole department take together. This episode reminds me a lot of the previous episode "Boy's Club" because Leslie decides it is not right to discriminate the women in the office and they should have every right to go on a hunting trip just like the men. This storyline gets more and more bonkers as the episode goes a long.

I love the episodes that showcase Ron and Leslie butting heads and this is one of the best examples of that. There are so many great scenes like Tom getting pantsed, Ron getting shot in the head, Donna tackling Leslie, and Leslie talking to the Park Ranger. Also, Andy and April are stuck back at the office and their scenes together are just fantastic. These are the first scenes these two characters have had together and their chemistry is really incredible. Andy seems to bring out a more delightful side to April, and let me just say, these two will have a lot more scenes together in the future and it really all started with this episode.

Overall, "Hunting Trip" is an episode that showcases everything that is great about this wonderful show. If you are watching this for the first time and still are not on board, you might want to watch something else. However, if you love it just as much as I do, then keep on watching, because there are many more great episodes like this one, and the foundation of the entire series really stems from great scenes that originated from this episode.