Parks and Recreation "Canvassing"

Wow, does this show have a way to go. I can't stop thinking that Amy Poehler is trying to channel a little too much Michael Scott in her portrayal of Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation. There are even mannerisms she has lifted right off of Steve Carrell's masterful turn as the ignorant office manager. Perhaps this incestuous relationship needs a bit of separation because even though this is only the second episode, it is difficult telling these shows apart.

This episode, Leslie plans to canvas the community with her sub-committee, telling them of the upcoming town hall meeting that she is planning. At each stop, we observe how awkward Leslie is, which is genuinely funny, especially when she advises a mother to allow her 4-year-old to watch her 2-year-old so she can attend the meeting. Meanwhile, Tom decides to separate from the team to go solo and begins making calls to companies to start building the playground. Eventually, Leslie finds the team playing Rock Band with Ann's boyfriend.

Meanwhile, the city manager visits, saying he will be present at the meeting and that it was a good idea to fast track Leslie's idea for a park. This puts added pressure on Leslie, who manages to get her mother and everyone from the community against the park to attend the meeting.

The meeting is a disaster and Leslie avoids a vote by filibustering through it. Things are not looking good for Leslie, but she will certainly march on and keep trying to get the park built by season's end.

While the show is pretty funny, you can tell it still needs to find a formula that works. I can't wait until the show's gears really kick in because I think Parks and Recreation really has potential. The show does have one shining star already, though, in Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford. He is absolutely hilarious and eventually the writers are going to figure out that this actor needs to be focused on more, much in the way the writers of The Office did with Dwight, which certainly worked out for that show. If Parks and Recreation is going to ape The Office, this should be their first decision.