“The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show” Spoilers Ahead
Episode Summary: It’s Andy’s final day on his TV series and he goes out with a bang, bringing back Special Agent Burt Macklin and featuring everyone from the Parks Department on his episode. “The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show“ focused mainly on Andy, which is a huge blessing on its own because it gave Chris Pratt the opportunity to really showcase how much Andy’s changed all while remaining the same.
Review: Note, I’m still slightly emotional over the fact that Andy is the sweetest husband ever and April’s the most perfect wife for him. And I’m extremely emotional over the fact that the series is ending next week. That said, let’s discuss how wonderful the idea of a series finale within a series finale is because in some bizarre (but good) way, the episode reminded me of All That, and if you’re a 90s kid, you know how awesome that series was. A series within the series really delved further into the mockumentary style making it the most hilarious form they’ve done.
Let’s not forget to mention that the beginning of Burt Macklin’s scene reminded me way too much of the Boy Meets World episode titled “As Time Goes By” with Eric Matthews as the detective. And if there’s anything I love, it’s the implications of time travel. Thank you, Parks and Recreation for adding this little piece.
It’s surely no surprise that my favorite segment on the Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show was Leslie’s takeover and a look back into Andy’s life. Leslie’s always been the most encouraging person on the show and it was lovely of her to remind the audience that even though Andy never became a Pawnee Police Officer, he still successfully created something which exemplified great law enforcement. It was great to see Mouse Rat back, John Cena playing the role of a “thief,” Ben becoming a knight along with Andy, and Andy’s life proved to be an inspiration in Pawnee.
Overall, the hilarious entities that are too long to list aside, the most gorgeous part of the episode is that it truly exhibited Andy Dwyer’s growth as a character. While he started out as a lazy man with no goals or ambitions, he grew into someone who cares and tries more enthusiastically than any of us thought possible. Throughout “The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show,” as they kept panning to April, my initial concern was oh my, she feels guilty and it was beautiful to know that because it authenticates just how selfless their love really is at the end of the day. Andy’s means of reassuring her that she’s the greatest happiness he’s ever known was as inimitable as Leslie hearing Ben’s resignation during the times they were on trial for being with one another. Love is many things, but until it’s selfless, it isn’t the truest form that exists. April was willing to put her dreams aside and live with a job she didn’t love in order to have Andy continue to live his dream by creating a successful TV show. And regardless of how much he’s going to miss the series, the success, and helping the kids grow, April’s happiness matters more to Andy than anything else in the world. He’ll move for her because as long as she’s happy and by his side, it’s all he needs to be truly happy.
Also, I feel the need to mention that the scene between April and Andy reminded me of Jim and Pam’s “you are everything” scene in “A.A.R.M.”. Both scenes showcased that no matter where the men are and no matter what their job is, they’ll be happy if the women they love are by their side.
And now a tribute to the legacy Andy Dwyer created will forever remain in the city of Pawnee, Indiana.
Pratt and Plaza are gold together – there’s so much compassion in their performances and in this week’s scene especially, it was beautifully evident how deep the love between Andy and April had grown over the years. There’s no doubt in my mind that the two of them can do fantastic things together because of the love that grounds them.
The only thing missing from this episode was Tom. It just didn’t feel complete without him and that’s my biggest complaint.
Top Three Favorite Quotes:
1) “I don’t care, Batman! You work for me! Increase the perimeters!” Burt Macklin
2) ”In a couple of weeks I’ll be moving to Washington DC. It’s the capital of the entire world.“ Andy Dwyer
3) “Without you, I wouldn’t be anything. You’re what keeps me going. You’re my verizon, chipotle, exxon.” Andy to April
What are your thoughts on Parks and Recreation’s “The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show?”