Parks and Recreation (TV Series) The Reporter (2009) User Reviews

Picking up but still lacking

[vixxverlice · 6/10 · 28 December 2023]

This is on the same level as the other episodes in the series so far. I know that the show will probably pick up in the second season from what I am seeing, and it's clear that the show is just trying to find its way still in the first little bit.

Here it starts to pick up a bit more, I was more entertained by this episode than the previous one, and some of the jokes were funnier than the previous episodes.

It's starting to get slightly more interesting and is picking up a bit, but it is still lacking in some areas too. I think it just needs a few more episodes to get everything fully fleshed out, and then it will start to become an amazing show. I'm starting to like all of the characters and it's great how they are developing over these first few episodes too.

Another sluggish episode in the weakest season of the series.

[brenbella · 5/10 · 24 July 2018]

"The Reporter" is quite frankly a pretty forgettable episode in an otherwise strong series with many great episodes. Here we are, in the middle of Season 1, and this episode has many of same issues that the previous two did.

This episode introduces us to a familiar face, recurring character Shauna Malwae-Tweep, who from the get-go makes it her life-long mission to sleep with every male character in the show. She serves as the third person in a sort of "comedic love triangle" that is the center of this episode. The other two members of the triangle are Mark and Leslie. Now, one of the ongoing storylines of Season 1 is the love affair Leslie has for Mark. It pains me to say this, but I was never a fan of this storyline, and it was pretty obvious from the start that the two actors didn't have a lot of chemistry. It makes episodes like this very hard to watch when it is the main focus of a particular episode. In "The Office terms" Mark is kind of like the Janice to Leslie's Michael Scott. It works well in The Office, but not so much in this series.

The side-story with Tom and Ron playing scrabble is pretty forgettable as well, and doesn't really go anywhere. When I look at the entire series as a whole, it's episodes like these that probably rank at the bottom of my overall ranking, but I don't think I could give any Parks episode lower than a 5-rating. Frankly, I have seen much worse television than this, and even though this is one of the worst of the series, it still is probably better than what most sitcoms put out. If you are watching the series for the first time, and are thinking it might have been a mistake to give this show a try, just know that it starts to get a little better, and by Season 2, it becomes the incredible show that it will eventually become. Just be a little more patient :)

Mark slept with the reporter

[vivianla · 19 March 2022]

Leslie wants an article to be published so she prepares her subcommittee for the interview. However the reporter leaves with Mark and shows up the next day in the same dress. She had sex with Mark and Leslie is jealous. She takes out her frustrations on both of them and Mark calls her a dork. Ann comes into Mark's office and they go together to speak to the reporter. Mark makes it clear they were not in a romantic relationship. It was a one night stand.