Reception
Hot diggity damn, that was a great episode. And not only does it continue the show's hot streak, but it does so in a way that bodes well for the rest of the season. Leslie's becoming less of a caricature by the episode, and the supporting cast has rarely been better.
“ ” — Steve Heisler,The A.V. Club
In its original American broadcast on October 1, 2009, "Beauty Pageant" was seen by 4.63 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research. Although one of the poorer major network ratings of the night, it constituted a slight increase over the previous week's episode, "The Stakeout". The episode received a 1.9 rating/5 share among viewers aged between 18 and 49. The episode received generally positive reviews, with several commentators claiming the season continued a trend of funnier episodes than in the first season. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger said the show seemed to be more confident. He praised the silliness of Andy, the deadpan humor of April and "the sweetness of Leslie realizing how much she likes Dave the cop".
H.T. "Hercules" Strong, a regular columnist with Ain't it Cool News, said "Beauty Pageant" was "as funny as one of the funniest episodes of The Office, which is saying something." He particularly praised Louis C.K. Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club called "Beauty Pageant" a great episode, and said Leslie is becoming less of a caricature than in previous episodes. He gave it an A- grade particularly praised Plaza, who he said "embodied pure apathy" and Pratt, who he said livened up the Ann and Mark subplot. Entertainment Weekly writer Henning Fog said Parks and Recreation has continued to improve each week, and "Beauty Pageant" showed Leslie Knope at "her most human". Fog also said he liked the Ann, Andy and Mark characters, but felt the show was straining to find ways to include them in the story each week. Matt Fowler of IGN said he was glad Parks and Recreation was exploring subplots outside of the pit, but felt a beauty pageant was too cliched and predictable an episode plot. Fowler praised the performances of Plaza, Pratt and Louis C.K. Slate magazine writer Jonah Weiner praised "Beauty Pageant", and called the hypocrisy of beauty contests demonstrated in the episode "a turkey shoot no less enjoyable for its familiarity".
Read more about this topic: Beauty Pageant (Parks And Recreation)
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