‘Parks and Recreation’ season 6, episode 19 review: About that Leslie Knope shocker

We haven’t reviewed all too many “Parks and Recreation” episodes this season, with one of the major reasons for that being that they tend to blend together. It’s a charming, funny show that has done a very good job accommodating for the loss of Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones; while we miss them, the increased airtime for people like Retta and the newly-arrived Billy Eichner has helped to make up for it.

But, after watching the last new episode that aired on NBC Thursday night, we felt to write something on the basis of one question: How come we were not more excited than we were that Leslie Knope is pregnant? This is something that should have played like the biggest stunner of the season, mostly when you consider the timing of it. We literally just got through a baby storyline with Ann right before she left, and then you also have Ron as a father now, too. These stories have come in almost rapid succession.

Maybe it is for that reason that we’re having a hard time getting fully into it. Baby stories have not always appealed to us unless they are layered in with a bunch of other things. In one shape or form, there has basically been a baby story in what is effectively a workplace / government comedy all season long. It’s starting to feel like a little much, and a part of us even feels bad saying it because we love Leslie and Ben and really want to root for them.

In the end, we suppose that what we are probably saying here is that we would’ve preferred this reveal to come either in the finale, or the start of next season just to get a little bit of a break between the similar stories. At least the timing of the reveal brought us some joy, as it came through a story where Leslie was having to work with Andy to recruit who was basically the Justin Bieber of country music to perform at their unity concert, while a drunk Ben lost his phone and had to be assisted by the Anti-Ron … otherwise known as Sam Elliott. We’re fine with him appearing as much as he wants.

There’s no doubt that this story is a game-changer for the series since it will add yet another thing for the always-industries Leslie to add to her plate. We just hope that if we are going down the family road for, it’s handled in a different way than all the other stories about parenthood. Maybe there’s also a part of us worried about the stigma that comes with kids arriving on comedy shows that already have a good thing going. Grade: B-.

Did you like the Leslie reveal, or felt like it was a little too soon after what we saw with Ann and Ron’s storylines? Share your thoughts below.