She said the episode "benefits from the show's writers' increasing habit of giving everything from political scandals to lame local events the Onion treatment".[10] Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger said it was "another strong one", and said the Leslie character is growing less clueless and more three-dimensional.[9] Robert Philpot of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said he believed the show still too closely resembled The Office, but that "Sister City" "showed that Parks and Recreation can equal The Office for comic discomfort".[6] Fowler of IGN said the anti-American sentiment demonstrated by the Venezuelan delegation "was a funny twist that didn't completely wear itself out, although it came close". Fowler particularly praised Armisen, who he said risked overshadowing the regular cast, and the sardonic comedy of Plaza.[8] Not all reviews were positive. The A.V. Club writer Leonard Pierce, who said he felt the second season had been excellent so far, described "Sister City" as "easily the weakest episode of the season, maybe the series".