Episode no. Season 2
Episode 11 Written by Harris Wittels | Directed by Troy Miller | |
Original air date December 3, 2009 (2009-12-03) | ||
"Tom's Divorce" is the 11th episode of the second season of American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the seventeenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on December 3, 2009. In the episode, Tom gets a divorce and Leslie tries to cheer him up, unaware it was a green card marriage. Meanwhile, Andy challenges Mark to a game of pool with the hopes of winning back Ann's affections.
Contents
The episode was written by Harris Wittels and was directed by Troy Miller. Although officially entitled "Tom's Divorce", it has also been referred to in some media reports as "The Fourth Floor" in reference to the pre-credits sequence in which Leslie visits the horrifying and grotesque fourth floor of the Pawnee Hall, a scene that was praised by television reviews.
According to Nielsen Media Research, "Tom's Divorce" was seen by 4.83 million viewers, an increase over the previous episode, "Hunting Trip". The episode received generally positive reviews, particularly for the development of Tom's character, although commentators voiced less praise for the subplot involving Ann, Mark and Andy.
Plot
Ron (Nick Offerman) sends Leslie (Amy Poehler) to run an errand at the DMV in Pawnee Hall's fourth floor, a dark and unsettling place that includes probation offices and divorce filings. A reluctant and frightened Leslie navigates past reprobates and blood stains on the floor and spots Tom (Aziz Ansari) leaving the divorce office with his wife Wendy (Jama Williamson). Unaware that their relationship was a green card marriage to prevent Wendy from being deported back to Canada, Leslie later tries to comfort Tom, who insists he is fine. Nevertheless, Leslie persists in her efforts to cheer him up, in part by ordering a singing horse telegram to cheer him up. Ron, who knows about Tom's fake marriage, suggests Tom act sad so Leslie can feel like she cheered him up. When Leslie sets up a social event to cheer him up, Tom suggests a strip club, but Leslie follows Jerry's (Jim O'Heir) suggestion they go to the dinosaur-themed restaurant, Jurassic Fork.
The parks employees eat several dinosaur-themed entrees, served by a depressed waiter (Evan O'Brien), they enjoy "Tyranna-Ceasar Salads" and "Surf and Turfasaurus". Tom seems so cheery that Leslie begins to suspect he is faking being sad. Ron pulls Tom aside and asks whether he could ask Wendy on a date once the divorce is finalized. Tom consents, but is visibly disappointed. Determined to cheer him up, Leslie agrees to compromise her morals and take Tom to his favorite strip club, the Glitter Factory. Leslie is horrified by the club and tries to encourage the strippers to change their lives. Ron is also uninterested in the strippers, but happily consumes the free breakfast buffet.
Tom remains depressed even after Leslie hires a stripper (Cheryl Texiera) to give him a lap dance and "grind the sorrow out of him". A drunken Tom tells Leslie that Ron plans to ask out Wendy, prompting an angry reaction from her. When Tom passes out at the bar, they take him to Wendy's house, and Leslie is shocked to find she is on a date with another man (James Ball). She storms out after expressing her disgust with Wendy and Ron. The next morning at work, Tom confesses to Leslie that it was a green card marriage, and that he only recently realized he really likes Wendy.
Meanwhile, Andy (Chris Pratt) continues his efforts to break up the relationship between his ex-girlfriend Ann (Rashida Jones) and her new boyfriend Mark (Paul Schneider). Andy challenges Mark to a game of pool with the hopes of hustling him, but Mark turns out to be an excellent player and wins multiple games. Mark and Andy make one final wager: if Andy wins, he gets Ann, but if Mark wins he has to leave them alone. Mark dominates the game but loses when he scratches on the 8 ball. Initially delighted, Andy becomes confused when Ann leaves with Mark anyway. The next day, he tells Mark and Ann he will no longer be bothering them, and says a final goodbye to Ann.
Reception
On its original American broadcast on December 3, 2009, "Tom's Divorce" was seen by 4.83 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research. This amounted to a five percent ratings increase over the previous week's episode, "Hunting Trip". "Tom's Divorce" drew a 2.1 rating/6 share among viewers aged between 18 and 49. The episode received generally positive reviews, particularly for the development of Tom's character and the "fourth floor" pre-credits sequence, although commentators voiced less praise for the subplot involving Ann, Mark and Andy. Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club said the episode addressed two of the show's more downbeat stories (Tom's divorce and Andy's failed attempts to woo Ann) but "managed to do so by keeping its plucky, upbeat sense of humor intact". Heisler praised the growth of Tom's character and the fourth floor joke, which he said "started with yet another delicious chapter in behind-the-scenes Pawnee lore".
Time magazine television critic James Poniewozik said Ansari did "an excellent job" at showing a new side to Tom, and complimented the staging of the fourth floor sequence. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger said "Tom's Divorce" was "by design, more melancholy" than previous Parks and Recreation episodes, but served to develop Tom's character and proved Aziz Ansari "could tone it down and play a quieter, sadder Tom for once". Sepinwall said the Mark, Ann and Andy subplot was not as funny as in previous episodes. Entertainment Weekly writer Sandra Gonzalez said she had been awaiting a storyline centering on Tom, and said the episode "makes us love the show more". However, she said Andy's continued obsession with Ann was growing tiresome and expressed hope his character should go in a new direction. Matt Fowler of IGN said the episode further added to the strong character development that has been consistent throughout the show's second season. Fowler also enjoyed the frightening portrayal of the fourth floor, which he said helps establish Pawnee as "a place where both the engrossingly real and the entertainingly surreal can co-exist". GQ writer Dan Fierman praised the episode, particularly Ron's character and the singing telegram "divorce horse".
DVD release
"Tom's Divorce", along with the other 23 second season episodes of Parks and Recreation, was released on a four-disc DVD set in the United States on November 30, 2010. The DVD included deleted scenes for each episode.