Today I thought I'd present one of my favorite sequences from PARKS & REC. It's also features what is almost certainly the most famous catch line of the show.
This one scene captures two fundamental techniques of PARKS & REC comedy.
First, it creates comedy by listing a series of funny things. One of PNR's fundamental and very effective comedic moves is simply to present a set of things that are hilarious. It's Andy randomly suggesting that some day maybe Chris will marry April, and then building out of it this series of insanely hilarious ways that he deals with it. It's Ron's Pyramid of Greatness, which gives us a laundry list of funny ideas, like Rage, Property Rights and various kinds of proteins as part of what makes for a great life, and then also becomes the jumping off point for Ron to riff on various topics like fishing. (Ron lists are almost always connected to his philosophy of life.)
Leslie lists all the things she supports, Ben plays Cones of Dunshire, every single town hall, Patton Oswalt's Star Wars filibuster and pretty much any time Tom Haverford gets the chance to share business ideas are all other versions of the same trick. Lists of funny things are really funny.
The scene above begins with a short version of that, as Donna and Tom list the ways you can treat yourself. And halfway through it returns to the game as we get to see them try on different outfits, listing every element as they go, while Ben looks on, dumbfounded.
We work so hard to get a laugh, but sometimes it can come down to just making a funny list.
Second, It Yes Ands. There's one version of Treat Yo Self which ends with Ben becoming like Donna and Tom. He's got a bag full of sparkly stuff he will only wear once, he's sipping champagne and singing "Best day of the year". And that could have been really funny.
But instead, the writers do like Donna, asking what Ben's version would actually be. Which makes for a version of Treat Yo Self that is totally different, revelatory of Ben's interior life and actually funnier than what had come before. Weepy Batman is just one of the all-time wonderful ideas.
To me, this is a form of the improv idea of Yes/And. We have this situation of people indulging themselves. Great: So what does Ben saying yes to that look like? And then, how do Tom and Donna respond to that?
In some ways the most satisfying and surprising moment of the episode is Ben coming out dressed like Batman and Tom and Donna being into it. You need conflict to make a story compelling - and in this sequence, Ben's inability to enjoy himself creates pleasure. But agreement can also be so damn satisfying.
In part it's like going from the first to the fifth note of a chord--there's that same sense of completion. But also it's just so unexpected. Nothing about Tom in particular has signaled that he could understand what's really going on with Ben. But in fact when the costume comes out, Tom is right there.
PARKS & REC really is the kind of show where you can sit with one episode or sequence and learn so much...
[NOTE: This was supposed to drop yesterday and didn't. So I'm going to post one more tomorrow.]
