Parks and Recreation: “Soda Tax” (Episode 5.2)

Last week, Parks and Recreation worked to set in place the show’s new dynamic, showing how well its story mechanics can work even with its characters in disparate locations and new positions. It’s a difficult thing to do, something I don’t know of any sitcom ever pulling off in the past, yet Parks pulled it off admirably in the season’s first episode. “Soda Tax” on the other hand… didn’t do so well.
Let’s start with what did work, though, because this is still Parks and Recreation, and the main reason why the episode is being marked down is in relation to how good it usually is. One of its main stories features Chris, and to a lesser extent Tom, training Andy for his police recruitment. Chris’ motivational method backfires, though, when his own reasons for staying in physical shape, or doing much of anything, seem non-existent to him. When the pair goes out to a track to race, he collapses, and when blood tests show he’s fine, he finally agrees to Tom’s suggestion that he seeks therapy. Not only has Chris’ increasing despair (it’s difficult to say whether this cyclical or part of a mid-life crisis) been a small but important plot for the show for a while now, this is a fitting direction for things to turn and Parks and Recreation is taking his issues seriously. Plus, the storyline is an excuse to get Chris and Andy together, which always means plenty of great jokes, and putting Tom there as well means most of the show’s funniest characters spent the episode playing off of each other.