![]() ![]() ![]() So yes, the first thing we see this week is Amy Poehler in an elf costume, and two of the side plots take place at a Christmas party, but “Ron and Diane” was a great episode on its own terms. Like Halloween, the show hasn’t had a Christmas episode every year, and neither of the previous ones were focused much on the holidays themselves, instead using the season as an excuse for being even more heartfelt than usual, and throwing in some festive decorations for fun. The Christmas episode is so engrained in the DNA of television, that it’s hard to do anything new with it, so Parks has never really tried, succeeding at just doing its own thing, regardless of when the episode is going to air. His slow spiral into depression, and subsequent climb out of it, has been percolating in the background for a long time, so it’s something of a shock that it comes to a head this week, during the show’s holiday episode. By his own admission, he’s a human microchip, one that lives his life according to strict discipline, and a fear of living outside the box he’s created for himself. ![]() Chris, who’s been sidelined for much of the season, has a huge week based around things as simple as getting a grey hair, and drinking properly fatted eggnog. But the points of major change have to be earned by finding room for more frequent baby steps along the way, and Parks has mastered that ability to always keep the character arcs moving, even just subtly. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |