Another great little throw-away gag in an episode full of them: Mona Lisa taking a midday nap because ecstasy takes forever to get out of her system.

Parks and Recreation doesn’t shy away from taking on contemporary political and social issues, but “Bailout,” which, yes, is about a bailout, hits the political nail a bit too squarely on the head, while indulging in a few of the show’s other bad habits. It’s a scattered, messy episode that isn’t attempting to do anything particularly special – it’s a meat and potatoes episode, a low-key follow-up to the high-key wedding two-parter – yet damn if I didn’t enjoy it anyway.

Unsurprisingly, Pawnee is still backwards enough to retain a single video-rental store. Surprisingly, it specializes in arthouse films. Wonderfully, it is owned by a film geek played by the great Jason Schwartzman.

And, like most video-rental stores – especially those in central Indiana towns known more for obesity than culture – it’s slowly going the way of the Dodo. It’s the closest thing Pawnee has to an intellectual hub, however – slam poetry doesn’t count – so Leslie decides to try to get the store, Videodome, declared a historical landmark. Which, somehow, counts as bailing it out, which is exemplary of the muddled plotting going on in “Bailout.”

Again, Parks and Rec frequently chases topicality, but it works best when its political satire is more general than specific. The Eagleton and Pawnee rivalry, for example, speaks to the general class divisions in the U.S. without really referencing any one explicit event or issue, which allows the show the leeway to pursue whatever best fits the narrative while still feeling relevant. “Bailout,” is, well, about bailouts. Specificity has its time and place, but here it just leads to lazy writing and Ron ranting about socialism. The low point of the episode comes when a Tea Party stand in, dressed in colonial regalia, denounces bailouts while asking for a loan for his own organization. That’s a joke that would’ve felt hackneyed in 2009 and is nigh-unbearable now.

Still, there’s a lot to redeem this plot, most especially Schwartzman. The show uses him well; many shows have the tendency to let their big-name guest stars dominate their showcase episodes (looking at you, 30 Rock), but Parks uses him just sparingly enough that he makes an impact without drowning out the rest of the episode. As a film nerd, I loved pretty much everything the character did or said, particularly his reaction to the suggestion he stock Michael Bay films. I don’t know how he would play to someone who doesn’t get jokes about subtitled vs. non-subtitled Tarkovsky, but I enjoyed the hell out of him and hope he’s added to Parks’ insanely deep roster of recurring players.

“Bailout” struggles as much – yet somehow manages to remain mostly entertaining – with its side-plots. Parks usually uses an A/B/C-plot structure, but this episode feels like it has an A plot and four B-plots, which leaves it feeling messy and directionless. The best episodes have a strong through-line and maybe one or two minor but hilarious side-narratives; “Bailout,” on the other hand, is unfocused and all over the place. So, in terms of storylines, we have: Chris and Ann’s baby dilemma, Ann and April’s forced bonding, Chris and Tom’s faux-father-son bonding and Tom’s relationship with Mona Lisa, twin sister of Jean Ralphio.

Structurally, “Bailout” is about as disorganized as an episode of TV can get. These plots are all tangled together, yet none is really strong enough to stand on its own. Everything with Ann, who’s a very likable character who makes a great comedic foil to Leslie yet isn’t quite strong enough to anchor her own stories, feels especially bland; of course Chris eventually agrees to have the kid and of course April actually likes her. We do get the great Ann/April/Donna “Time After Time” karaoke moment, though, so perhaps it’s all worth it.

And that’s what ultimately makes “Bailout” work, in spite of everything – no matter how sloppy it gets, each storyline has a few moments that redeem the dead space. Whether it’s Jerry tripping over his words because no one’s ever listened to him for so long or Ron taking down a meat platter made for 12 in under five minutes, there’s something to love in every bland, poorly-structured subplot. Parks and Rec isn’t in top form in “Bailout,” but it doesn’t need to be – even an off week on this show is better than a good week for most others.

Tidbits:

–Despite being the first episode the show has aired after the wedding episode (not counting “Correspondent’s Lunch,” which aired the same night) it features no Ben and Leslie interaction. In fact, Ben’s barely in the episode at all.

–Is Videodome supposed to be a Videodrome reference?

–I have to say it: Yes, Paths of Glory is depressing as hell, but it’s anything but boring – it’s a tight, tense 90-minute military and legal thriller, featuring some of Kubrick’s best and most affecting work.

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