Parks and Recreation Epitomize: The 5 Karate Moves to Success

Parks and Recreation

The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show

Flavour 7 Episode 10

Editor's Rating 5 stars

PARKS AND RECREATION --

Parks and Recreation

The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show

Flavour 7 Episode 10

Editor's Rating 5 stars

Goodbye, Johnny Karate. Sniff. Photograph: NBC

There'due south nothing like a snow day like today to brand even the most grown-up grown-upward experience like a little kid. Even if you were working from dwelling today, you're staying in pajamas all 24-hour interval and eating grilled cheese and lycopersicon esculentum soup for lunch. So there could not take been a more than appropriate night for Parks and Recreation to step aside for half an hour and leave united states, in its place, AN Unabridged EPISODE ofThe Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Testify!

While it's the archetype Parks we'll call back and truly miss, at that place's something so fantastic about a prove that has developed such a self-sustaining, bizarro internal universe that information technology can support an entire episode framed as a show-inside-the-prove and not lose the audience in the process. (The gilded standard hither is 30 Stone with its perfect Queen of Jordan episodes.) Johnny Karate is not only everything I accept dreamed Andy's educational show for kids would exist and more than, information technology is as well a bear witness I think I would have watched had it, you know, really existed when I was a kid (or ever). Hey, every bit Johnny Karate explains, it'southward all about learning, music, animals, fireworks, h2o skis, and, above all, water ice cream, pizza, ninjas, getting stronger, sharks versus bears, and, above all, KARATE.

We begin with a mystery: Someone has stolen Johnny Karate's guitar. It's worth, literally, 900 1000000 dollars. Looks similar a chore for Burt Macklin, FBI! "The peace in Iraq volition be canceled if they don't get this guitar back." Donna is on the scene, playing "The Principal," who tells Johnny that he's the best agent she's ever seen — "and I've worked with James Bail."

The best part of this is seeing how Andy makes space on his show for all of his buddies, and all of their roles are so in keeping with the roles they play in his real life. Fifty-fifty Garry gets something sort of important to do!

Andy announces that it's his last show because he's moving to Washington. "Information technology's the capital of the unabridged world." Already it's clear that Apr is even more than angsty and uncomfortable than unusual. (Or should I say, April Ludgate-Karate-Dwyer.) But she rallies for i last visit to April'southward Animal Corner, where we detect that the Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula is missing. Andy took it out to play hide-and-seek and he couldn't find it. No big deal! April'southward Animal Corner just morphs into one of our other favorite segments, Loose Animal in the Studio. Looks like this is something that happens with alarming frequency, every bit Andy already has a long, tedious disclaimer, complete with graphics, ready to whorl.

The construction of Andy'southward show kind of reminds me, in spirit, of Amy Poehler'south Smart Girls: It's all about learning, trying, helping, and having fun. Johnny even has 5 Karate Moves to Success: Make something, learn something, karate-chop something, try something new even if information technology's scary to y'all, and be prissy to someone.

Showtime up: Make Something with Carpenter Ron! Andy asks Ron how he's doing; Ron says, "My contract is very specific; I do not take to reply that question." Never alter, Swanson. When Ron thanks Andy for being like a son to him, Andy pulls upward the graphic for "hug moment," only Ron quickly vetoes information technology. Again, never change.

Next nosotros move on to Larn Something with Professor Smartbrain, a.k.a. Ben Wyatt. This segment includes a fiddling something chosen the Ho-hum Buzzer, which is greeted with giggles from all the kids in the studio except that one nerdy child with the spectacles who will one day grow upwards to be but like Ben. Ben teaches about geography and how to become from Pawnee to D.C. Andy asks about teleportation, and let me merely say, I think about teleportation at least in one case a twenty-four hour period and I was really hoping that, by 2017, nosotros would accept the technology to at least teleport short distances by ourselves, if not across state lines with other people. Just nooooo, Ben the Buzzkill says information technology'due south "impossible" because of "theoretical physics." So much for that dream. Thanks, Obama.

Mailman Garry shows upward, ostensibly to evangelize a heartfelt letter to Andy, merely really to become karate-chopped past Andy'southward fleet of minor, ambrosial ninja children.

Onward: Effort Something New with Leslie Knope! Leslie is going to teach united states of america how to be brave by taking over hosting her friend's Tv show. Time for "Andy Dwyer: This is your life." But first, simulated commercials for Pawnee businesses! The first 1 is my favorite, Ron sitting at his desk, maxim direct to camera: "Hire Very Good Building Company for your construction needs. Or practise non. I am not a beggar." [Long period of silence, Ron continues to stare at the camera, then checks his watch.] End of commercial."

Leslie reminds us all of Andy's — and, more broadly, Parks and Rec's — humble ancestry. When these 2 kids met, Leslie wasn't really our Leslie yet. She was notwithstanding stuck in a Michael Scott mold, and Andy was still kind of a dope who'd broken both his legs by getting wasted and falling into a pit exterior his then-girlfriend's house. She gifts him a monogrammed day planner (has Andy e'er planned a day in his life?), which he immediately loses. April looks like she wants to teleport right out of there. (Sorry to bring it up again, it's just, I really don't understand why we tin't practise it yet!)

That British guy from Andy's stint in London comes back to knight him and to knight Ben, which is a bit of a weird, pointless not sequitur but information technology allows Ben an opportunity to flaunt his Game of Thrones geekiness and Andy gets to be named "a loyal and true karate defender of the Queen." Not as well shabby.

Then we pay tribute to Burt Tyrannosaurus Macklin; Andy gets a 18-carat Pawnee Police Department bluecoat, fifty-fifty though the real police officer would like to brand it very articulate that this badge comes with no law enforcement power whatsoever. Andy gets Ben to look at a inkling to his missing guitar "under your telescope" (it'due south a microscope) and Ben sees that the clue has the initials "J.C." on information technology. "President Jimmy Carter stole my guitar. But why?" Nope. It's John Cena, martial-arts superstar!

(At this point in my notes, once information technology became clear that anybody who would exist featured in this episode had already gotten their time, I wrote: SERIOUSLY, WHERE THE HELL IS AZIZ ANSARI? I know the show has some internal justification for his absence, merely really, what gives? We're in the home stretch!)

Ron comes out dressed as Knuckles Argent, and Donna sings a tedious jazz rendition of "Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting." I wasn't feeling that productive upwards until this moment, but at present at least I know what my hymeneals vocal volition be.

Andy thanks everyone, saying that this has been the greatest task he's e'er had and "today has been the all-time 24-hour interval of my life. And that's maxim something, because I once found a rock that looked exactly like Santa Claus." Apr looks like she wants to vomit, so die, and then vomit again, then die some more. Andy is ready to exist nice to someone; April bolts out of the studio.

April is a wreck considering Andy is doing what he's meant to practice, and she doesn't desire to exist the reason he can't practise what he loves, which is really moving! Only Parks, feminist wonderland, rarely if always requires a female person character to sacrifice her professional (or personal) ambitions on the altar of beloved. It's always the guy who does the giving upwards — would that information technology were so hither on Globe every bit information technology is in Pawnee heaven! — and then it's non really a surprise to hear Andy tell April that all he wants to do is go with April to Washington, because everything they practice together will be crawly. "You are what I love, without you I wouldn't be annihilation, you're my Verizon-Chipotle-Exxon."

I leave you with this giant pile of feelings and the Johnny Karate good-bye song:

Well, it'south time for us to become, but I want you all to know
 That karate's not about fighting,
 Information technology'due south about knowing who you are,
 And being kind and honest while you're kicking for the stars.
 Yeah, that's the Johnny Karate style!

2 episodes to become, everybody. Deep breaths. And exist careful. Pretty sure that tarantula is nevertheless on the loose.

A few other things:

Perd as the announcer!

"I don't give a crap, Batman! You lot piece of work for me. Increase the perimeter."

I would like Andy to give a tour of all the major landmarks in D.C.

"Always recollect, kids: When you find something new, you lot must always lick it earlier you eat it."

"Remember: Never attack a real postal employee."

The Wamapoke Casino's slogan: "Slowly taking back our money from white people one quarter at a fourth dimension."

Andy: "Phenomenon ways 'to explore a cave.'"

At that place'due south a Mouserat rockumentary!!

"I don't know what the problem is, sergeant. Only drain the ocean!"

What prove wouldn't benefit from the addition of a Funky Monkey Dunk Tank?

Parks & Rec Epitomize: 5 Karate Moves to Success