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(04/03/14 11:08am)
It adds up. It’s hard to reduce each person’s unique college experience to three words, but from a strictly factual standpoint, these are perfect. Being at Penn is expensive, period. Forget tuition, rent, books—between seminars and problem sets, there are coffees to drink, Chipotle burritos to eat, weekends to be spent out, clubs and Greek organizations to join. Imagine, for a minute, that someone could show you the amount of money you’ve spent here. Would you want to know? For some students, there’s no choice but to know. They arrive at Penn and find out, sooner or later, that they can’t keep up with the cost of living and never will.
(11/16/13 11:00pm)
"Filibuster"
1. Leslie pulls a Wendy Davis. Even though she’s just planned a perfect (early) 90s–themed birthday for Ben, Leslie steps up and delivers an epic filibuster at City Hall. Councilman Jamm pulls a classic jam by introducing a bill to prevent former Eagletonians from voting in the imminent recall election and Leslie is forced to speak for hours on end. It’s initially a good move: Leslie assumes the Eagletonians will vote for her because she bailed out the town. In reality, they want to vote to recall her, so they can get one of their own on the city council. But Leslie is Leslie and she fights through Jamm’s taunts and schemes to secure voting rights and a truly epic pee.
2. Andy is back! He’s back—for 19 hours! Andy returns from across the pond, appearing at the parks office at the beginning of the episode and surprising April. There’s adorable moments aplenty and we get to find out how things are going in London, after hearing little else from Andy after the season premiere. Bottom line: he’s not so sure what to do with his newfound authority and is scared to go back, preferring to hide in a dumpster than get on the plane. But April cheers him up with a pep talk and cookie–bologna sandwiches.
3. Tom’s girl. Things are going well for Tom and his out–of–his league doctor love interest, Nadia. Unfortunately for him, she’s leaving to go to Rwanda in a week to do big doctor stuff. Tom is terrified, of course, and tries to win something for her at the arcade to remember her by (a large bear). They eventually steal it from Ann, who bought it, but Tom gets something better: Nadia’s word that she’ll call him when she returns from Rwanda. Could this finally be the end of Tom’s women woes?
4. Ron and Donna go hunting. At the 90s party, Ron becomes obsessed with a hunting arcade game that Donna loves playing. But Ron is not good at virtual hunting, so he takes Donna for “actual” hunting. It’s lovely to see the two in hunting orange, joking, “do we need a permit?” Though they bag a deer, Ron still fiends for the arcade game, so they return. It was nice to watch a subplot with Ron and Donna, who play off each other very well. Also, the more Donna we see, the better.
5. Miscellaneous observations. There were a ton of laugh–out–loud and clever moments in this episode. They centered mostly around the early–90s party, which was brilliant. A few gems? The banner that reads “Ben Thugs–n–Harmony” and Rob Lowe’s all–denim costume (exactly what he wore as Sodapop in “The Outsiders”). Also, we find out that Ben has a serious thing for women wearing skates, and that a throwaway joke from earlier in the season has caught on: Jerry is now referred to as “Larry.” Damn it, Larry.
"Recall Vote"
1. Knope out. It’s been hinted at throughout this season that Leslie would face a tough fight to keep her seat on the city council. Of course, she’s powered ahead anyway, often doing the right thing despite the fact that it could hurt her chances. In this episode, we find that no good Leslie deed goes unpunished: she gets voted out of office by a considerable margin (adding to the sting is a characteristically Perd Hapley reveal of the results). It’s certainly the turning point in this season: how will Leslie use her last days in office and what will she do after she’s no longer Councilwoman Knope?
2. Leslie and Ben almost get tattoos. Before Leslie realizes she has 30 days left in office to accomplish her goals, though, she goes into an epic, Paunch Burger–eating, bench–sleeping funk. Ann and Ben try to get her out of it, but even a paper mache Lil’ Sebastian proves useless. At one point, Ben and Leslie get drunk together, thinking that each had already “peaked” in life (remember that Ben was impeached as mayor at age eighteen). Leslie resolves to spend her post–peak life “chilling” and the two almost get prison tattoos from the pawn shop guy. It was all a funny peek into an alternate Ben–Leslie universe, but it’s jarring to have typical, can–do Leslie disappear, if only for a few minutes.
3. Rent–A–Swag sold. Tommy Haverford “sold out.” He agrees to sell Rent–a–Swag, but not before a last–ditch effort to get back in the game. After Ron’s woodwork is featured on a yuppie lifestyle guru website—"Bloosh”—Tom tries to parlay his boss’ success to get on the site himself. But it is not to be, and though Ron advises Tom that your name is everything, Tom sells the name, for double the price and a cut of the new business’ profits. What he’ll do with the new money is anyone’s guess, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t rooting for a reboot of Entertainment 720.
4. Ron gets hip. Ron was a fish out of water this entire episode, from his interview on “Pawnee Today” with lifestyle “guru” Annabel Porter (“she spent four months living in Kate Bosworth’s poolhouse!”) to the party where his famed wood chair was on display. It’s always fun when this show juxtaposes no–nonsense Ron with the techy, bougie Tom and Donna, but it was especially “delicious” this time around. While "Parks" delves often into cultural and political satire, this plot was a laugh–out–loud funny critique of the wishy–washy lifestyle culture of fishmongers and conflict–free paella.
5. Miscellaneous observations. Leslie wants to get a tattoo of Eleanor Roosevelt with a tattoo of Pat Benatar on her arm. “Subtle.” Ann and Chris are pretty cute, so cute that even April—”weak” because she misses Andy”—concedes the fact. It was nice to see Joan Calamezzo back, fawning on “Pawnee Today” over Porter.
(10/28/13 4:00pm)
Chance the Rapper is rap’s Next Big Thing. Actually. His mixtape “Acid Rap” dropped earlier this year to broad acclaim, he’s getting ink in Rolling Stone and on the cover of Complex, and he’s touring with Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. He’s having the kind of year that those guys had at the beginnings of their careers and for good reason. It’s hard to believe he’s just 20 years old—just a few years removed from a prestigious Chicago prep school—and already brings to the rap world a distinct style. It’s one that’s very hard to pin down and very hard to stop listening to.
(10/23/13 9:00am)
Brazilian bursts into Drexel’s already impressive food truck menagerie.
(10/19/13 3:00pm)
1. Donna's own scandal.
(10/12/13 4:28am)
1. Chris–Ann OUT.
(10/03/13 9:25am)
Gabe Delaney didn’t leave the Quad. After freshman year, when over three–quarters of his fellow Quad residents chose to leave, Gabe decided to stay; when his friends planned to move off–campus for junior year, Gabe decided to stay. The rarity of his situation is not lost on him. “When people find out I’m not an RA and live in the Quad, they usually say, ‘oh, that’s awkward’ or ‘oh, that’s weird’… or, they ask ‘why?’” Not too long ago, that prying question—why—would’ve been a non–starter. For most of its 120–year history, the Quad was a place where students spent their entire Penn experiences, first days as freshmen through last days as seniors. In the 1990s, Ware—where Gabe lives with 418 freshmen and about 100 upperclassmen—was a pre–med house where residents spent four years. Now, new faces flood in every fall, and old ones move in elsewhere. Those who stay are regarded as “weird” or “awkward” for not moving away from a freshman–dominated environment and for shunning the more independent lifestyle expected of a Penn upperclassman. Why, then, do people like Gabe decide to stay on campus—and why did his hall mates move? Every Penn student could respond to questions like these—and those answers tell the story of our priorities and aspirations.
(09/27/13 10:00pm)
1. Babies.
Get ready for a baby–crazy season. The cliffhanger of last season—Diane’s big news for Ron—turns out as we thought it might: there’s a baby Swanson on the way. It’s unclear what the timeline of this season will look like, but here’s hoping that we get to see the formerly kid–averse Ron attempt parenthood. Chris and Ann play the happy, expectant couple, going around city hall and telling people the good news. Reactions range from apathetic to Jerry, who waxes poetic about breastmilk. Damn it, Jerry.
(04/11/13 10:14am)
You might know Paramore best from the band's 2009 hit “Misery Business,” an ass–kicking pop–punk anthem for a generation of angsty teens. They’ve spent the last four years since then working on this album, their third studio effort, and the attitude is far less teenaged. This album’s production is noticeably smoother and the aesthetic skews far more pop than punk (“Ain’t It Fun” even has gospel choir back–up vocals). But the punky grit and energy of their past efforts is lost in the shuffle. The lead single, “Now,” is disappointing, lacking the infectious guitar hooks of their past efforts—it’s reflective of most of the album. Sure, lead singer Hayley Williams’ remarkable voice is still on full display, but it’s wasted on forgettable, generic pop. Paramore has definitely grown up, but the added years don’t sound great on them.
(04/07/13 3:15am)
1. Ben goes back to his hometown (and gets kidney stones). Ben gets offered the key to Partridge, the Minnesota town that Ben ran as mayor when he was 18 – which he also ran into the ground by spending all the town’s money on an ice–themed amusement park. Before he’s slated to accept the key, he’s struck with kidney stones and goes to the hospital. Leslie goes to accept it on his behalf but finds out that it was all a plan to humiliate Ben by giving him an “ice key” that melted. Ben is high on painkillers and says hilarious stuff.
(03/28/13 11:02am)
Q: Are there circumstances under which an outside scholarship might reduce a student’s aid or preclude them from participating in work-study?
(03/28/13 9:46am)
If Penn's financial aid brochures are to be believed, no student graduates in debt and every need is met. However, the reality is messier than that. Some stories have a glossy ending, and some do not. Sometimes, even financial aid comes at a cost.
(03/16/13 7:03pm)
1. Leslie saves the local video rental store.
(02/24/13 11:56pm)
1. Leslie gets hacked.
Leslie prepares an awesome speech for the Pawnee correspondents’ lunch that totally skewers the Pawnee Sun, her tabloid nemesis. When the Pawnee Sun editor goes up and delivers all of Leslie’s jokes, she’s left with no material and a suspicion that the tabloid journalist has been snooping through her email (she’s right). An amusing, not excellent main plotline, rescued mainly by Leslie’s Borat impressions.
(02/24/13 11:50pm)
1. IT HAPPENED.
Well, they didn’t dangle “TO BE CONTINUED” at the end of the last episode for nothing. Leslie and Ben decide to toss the wedding and just get married on the spot at the Pawnee Commons gala. In another instance of “the gang puts everything together at the last minute,” everything falls into place. Ann finishes Leslie’s gown with newspaper clips from her career. Ron uses light fixtures to make the wedding rings. April and Andy wake up the city notary to get the marriage license. And despite a spoiler move from Councilman Jamm, everything works out. The power of parks and friendship, y’all.
(02/19/13 1:21am)
1. “AVIAN FLU” HITS PAWNEE.
(02/13/13 10:11am)
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So you’re tired of Chinese. Understandable—one can only take so much General Tso. And as much as you might love Thai, pad thai can get a tad boring, too.
(07/25/12 2:00pm)
We sent two of our writers to Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival. They went, they listened, and we're surprised they came back. Luckily for us, they've gotten in touch with A Lull, who'll be coming to Philly to play Kungfu Necktie tomorrow. Check out the interview here.
(06/08/12 1:15am)
Florence + the Machine’s standout track "Spectrum" (Ceremonials 2011) gets new life this summer in a remix courtesy of superstar DJ Calvin Harris. Here, Harris, who has a flair for funk and disco in his electro–house hits, lays down a pulsating, club–worthy beat spruced up by flourishes from the 70s. But like always, the main attraction in this track is Florence Welsh's incredible pipes. Harris’ take on “Spectrum” only amplifies the singer's vocal power, transforming her into a new–age disco queen ready for any party you’ll find in 2012.
(05/31/12 10:00am)
Summer might not be official yet, but May has given the season its first great rap jam. "Live from the Underground" is the title track of Big K.R.I.T.'s stellar debut album, which is streaming online now. The track is classic Southern rap - it has a smooth, leisurely feel, as well as strong notes of blues and gospel that showcase K.R.I.T.'s skill as rapper and producer. Go windows down and let his sharp, clever rhymes punctuate every slow-burning beat.