Time Capsule

"Time Capsulate" is an episode that on paper could have just been an average episode with a great guest star, but is actually a much better written episode than it had to be. Usually when sitcom's have guest stars the writing seems to be focused mainly on giving him/her great lines and a lot of exposition on who they are and why they're here. The episode does that, but when you watch the entire episode you begin to realize that it perfectly encapsulates (no pun intended) what makes the town of Pawenee so unique and special. It's not just about Will Forte's character.

The episode centers around Leslie organizing the making of a time capsule for the town of Pawnee. The idea is for it to be opened in 50 years to present the spirit of the town and what it was like long ago. Now, since this IS Pawnee, there is some conflict that brews. A crazy man named Kelly (Will Forte) even demands to have Leslie put the Twilight books in the capsule despite them having nothing to do with Pawenee. When she declines his offer, he handcuffs himself in her office. It's a silly premise, and it might seem obvious where this episode will go, yet it goes a completely different direction with the story and the character.

The main storyline is so great that, in my opinion, it kind of overpowers the side-stories, which are good, but not nearly as good as the time capsule plot. We see Andy continue trying to win April back, but she is simply having none of it. It's an ok B-story, but I do love Andy and Eduardo's shared love for Dave Matthews Band. I also love Tom's new found love for the Twilight books. Any way in which the writers show Tom's feminine personality traits is the character at his funniest.

Overall, "Time Capsule" is a very entertaining and unpredictable episode with a funny guest appearance by Will Forte. The public form in this episode is one of my favorites in the entire series and is one of the main reasons why I think this is, while not being a perfect episode, still an above-average episode. I think after watching this, one can get a better idea of what is so great about the town of Pawnee, despite all the crazy lunatics.