Live from Pawnee: A Parks and Recreation Fan Rewatch Podcast
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This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where Craig first meets Typhoon! Donna and Joe's wedding is tomorrow! We find Leslie and Ben preparing to leave for the rehearsal dinner that night, only to find Jennifer Barkley at their door. Assuming Jen is once again going to ask her to run for office, Leslie is surprised when instead, Jen turns to Ben and suggests he run for Congress. Although Leslie would love for him to run, Ben is uncertain, so when they arrive at Tom's Bistro for the rehearsal dinner, Leslie suggests he pretend as if he were running to see how it feels, so Ben proceeds to schmooze people, and they both start drinking ... a lot. The next morning Leslie & Ben wake up hungover in their hotel room, and discover Ben left drunk messages for Jennifer where he apparently accepted the offer to run for Congress. Meanwhile, as Craig helps them go over last minute details at the church, Donna asks maid of honor April to keep the Meagles in line at her wedding, as her family loves drama. During the rehearsal dinner, things seem to be going smoothly, as April and Andy manage to wrangle all the trouble-causing Meagles in the kitchen. The next day, as the wedding creeps closer and closer, things seem to be going okay .. as far as we can tell. Finally, at the rehearsal dinner, Tom shares with Ron how much he likes Lucy, and how he could see having a life with her, even marrying her. Later, Ron accidentally tells Lucy some of the things that Tom said. Lucy seems a bit surprised at this, and Tom is very upset with Ron for spilling the beans. At Tom's urging, Ron tries to rectify the situation by talking with Lucy again, but unfortunately his desire to clarify only makes things worse when he tells her Tom wants to marry her, have multiple kids with her, and also, to live on an island with her and their multiple kids. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Ben correct his mistake with Jen Barkley? Can April continue to keep the Meagle drama out of the proceedings? Will Ron ever get to enjoy the rehearsal dinner food? Would Leslie and Ben be able to make a Congressional run work? Does Donna regret the zero-drama policy? Can Tom and Lucy get past this awkward moment in their relationship? Does their babysitter Roz survive the night with their 3 kids? Will Donna and Joe actually get married? What does Tom plan on calling his personal island? Loyal viewers, this might just be the final wedding episode in Parks and Recreation! How will it rank? Could it possibly be better than April and Andy's? Better than Leslie and Ben's? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor ... the Swanson Breakfast-Based Therapy System, or SBBTS (pronounced "sibbits").
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we first learn about Johnny Karate's older, more serious brother, Jonathan Karate! With Pawnee angry at Gryzzl for their invasion of privacy while data mining, Leslie senses weakness, and wants to capitalize on it. Unfortunately, before they can do so, Jessica Wicks makes a live announcement on behalf of the Newport Trust, saying that despite them being upset with Gryzzl, it turns out Gryzzl upped their bid to $125M, and Jessica Wicks folded like a cheap tent, agreeing to sell the land parcel to Gryzzl for a butt-load of cash. Leslie and the gang are crestfallen, and go to JJ's Diner to drown their sorrows in breakfast food. Even this doesn't relieve their stress, as they are all too sadly aware that JJ's will be closing. However, when they learn the main reason for the diner closing - the new landlord, cologne mogul Dennis Feinstein, is not letting JJ renew his lease - Leslie and the gang focus their frustration regarding the lost land parcel towards saving JJ's Diner from extinction. While Leslie organizes a public rally outside of Dennis Feinstein's building with the goal to "Save JJ's Diner", Andy and his tiny ninja helpers go upstairs to meet with Dennis Feinstein himself in an attempt to persuade him to reconsider. Surprisingly, after Dennis sees the amount of people gathered outside his building, he agrees to come down and address the crowd. Meanwhile, Tom surprises Donna during a routine cake tasting for her wedding with a "Treat Yo Self" day-trip to Beverly Hills. Donna is overjoyed and immediately accepts. As they prepare to take off for their day-trip, Tom awkwardly asks Lucy to accompany him to Donna's wedding, but leaves with the situation up in the air as to where their relationship is at. As Tom and Donna peruse the wonders of Beverly Hills, they splurge on many extravagant items while enjoying each other's company, as is apropos for a "Treat Yo Self" day. However, despite them having a good time, Donna can tell Tom is a bit distracted with the Lucy situation. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... What does Dennis Feinstein say to the protestors? What is Donna's "Treat Yo Self" gift to Tom? Can Andy and his ninja helpers do anything else to seek justice with Dennis Feinstein? Does Lucy end up going to Donna's wedding as Tom's plus one? Have Leslie and the gang really lost the Newport land parcel? Is there any way Leslie can save either the land parcel, JJ's Diner, or both? How fancy does Tom look after having his session with the elbow art salon? Will Ron and Leslie ever work out their handshakes? Loyal podcast viewers, this may be the final hurrah between the Parks gang and Gryzzl ... not to mention the final hurrah for Leslie and Ron's beloved local eatery! Who will win in the end? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor ... the often imitated but never duplicated ... the one, the only, "JJ's Diner" - this time from it's new location!
Celebrate a very rare LEAP DAY with a very rare and awesome Pawnee Spotlight! Once again, Mark and Allen managed to snag a great person to interview, and what an interview it was! We were extremely lucky to have this opportunity to chat with Yvans in early January 2024. Nice, funny, talented, down-to-earth, a great conversationalist, and just a fascinating person overall. We had a blast talking with him, finding out a little more about him, and seeing what he thought of some of our "Parks and Rec" opinions, especially regarding the City Council. What a great interview ... another in a stream of wonderful guests we've had the privilege to invite on our show. Join us as Mark and Allen discuss Parks, Grey's Anatomy, mental health and more with Yvans (aka Councilman Howser) who had great insights on all of these! This was an amazing Pawnee Spotlight from an amazing guest - what a treat! We hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we learn Craig sees therapist Dr. Richard Nygard, thereby adding him to the known list of Nygardians! Frustrated, but still looking for a way to defeat Gryzzl, Leslie is surprised when she receives a free gift box at her front door via a Gryzzl "SKYPAL" drone. Leslie and Ben find out later that Donna also received a free "Gryzzlbox", however Donna angrily explains her gifts are based on detail that could only have come from private text and phone conversations. When Leslie opens her box and sees the very personal-related artifacts in it, Ben deduces that Gryzzl must be data mining, which is not only an extreme invasion of privacy, but Ben made sure it was illegal via language he chose for the contract between Gryzzl and Pawnee. A public forum discussing the subject reveals that, for once, the town is 100% behind Leslie. Leslie also hopes to sway Ron, but he is harder to convince, maintaining that it's foolish for people to own and use devices that can be tracked in the first place. Donna sets up a private tour of Gryzzl for Leslie and Ben so that they can snoop around and maybe dig up some dirt, but when Leslie asks Gryzzl vice-president Roscoe about data mining, he openly and cheerfully admits to the practice, talking about how great it is for everyone. At this, Leslie challenges Roscoe to debate these questionable practices on TV, convinced that she will not only win, but humiliate Gryzzl as she presents her evidence. Meanwhile, sensing that Tom is trying to distract himself from Lucy visiting her boyfriend in Chicago, Andy presents him with an opportunity to become his agent and help him renegotiate a contract he was offered by station manager Hank Muntak. Not only is Andy not getting paid much, and tasked with lots of extra duties, the contract clearly says that Andy does NOT own the rights to the character "Johnny Karate". Tom agrees to help Andy with his contract, and the pair end up meeting with station manager Hank Muntak, who is a tough negotiator and offers only minor upgrades, which Tom is just not satisfied with. Finally, Craig asks April to deliver a welcome speech to the new potential Parks Department interns, seeing as she got HER start as a Parks intern. After some badgering by Craig, April reluctantly agrees, but is actually hell bent on making sure none of the candidates are successful, believing that her current "aimlessness in life" all started when she was a Parks intern, and if these youngsters become Parks interns, they will essentially be throwing their lives away, just like she did. While talking to the potential interns, April latches on to a girl named Jen, who is VERY much like she was when she first started (i.e. snarky, morbid, unmotivated, no charisma, no passion for the work ahead, etc). Focusing her energy on Jen, April tells her to not go through with the internship. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Roscoe agree to debate Leslie on live TV, and if so, what venue will they use? Can Tom get a better contract for Andy? Does Jen end up quitting the intern program? Is Gryzzl breaking the law, or did Ben miss something in Gryzzl's contract with the city of Pawnee? Does Andy end up owning the rights to the character "Johnny Karate"? Can anyone set April straight regarding how she started and what she's accomplished? Does Ron remain neutral, or does something happen that changes Ron's mind about Gryzzl? What is Tom's secret negotiating weapon? What can April do to make amends to Craig? Loyal viewers, the series may be ending, but things are really heating up! Can Leslie conquer the flying robots? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor, "The Perdples Court".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we learn Craig is now head of the Parks department! Leslie and Ron have been trapped together by the gang in their old stomping grounds, the Parks Department. The gang refuses to let them out until [a] they work out their differences, or [b] 8:00 am the next morning is here. Neither wants to be alone with the other for 10 hours, but are unable to escape. Leslie proposes they simply wait a few minutes, turn on the baby monitor Ben left for them, LIE to him that they made up, and wait for Ben to come release them. Unfortunately, the two cannot agree on what their fake apology should sound like, and Leslie ends up smashing the baby monitor on the ground, destroying their only means of an early exit. Ron chooses to sit in silence while Leslie pesters him to get him to talk. He eventually can't take any more of Leslie's nonsense, and agrees to speak with her for three minutes. Leslie uses a whiteboard to draw a timeline including a number of key events that may have contributed to the demise of her friendship with Ron, culminating in the infamous "Morningstar" incident. It is revealed that Morningstar was a luxury apartment complex built by Ron's company, positioned adjacent to Leslie's park, Pawnee Commons. Leslie was furious with Ron for not telling her in advance about the plans, especially since it included the removal of many surrounding houses, including Ann's old house. Ron tells Leslie, "that's not the whole story" ... but then Leslie's three minutes is up, Ron goes into his old office, closes the door. As a result of Ron's unwillingness to converse, Leslie begins quizzing him directly outside his office. Ron eventually has enough and commits to using excessive measures to escape. He finds his old "partially defused" claymore mine that Leslie gave him 10 years ago, but is disappointed to discover that what he always thought was an actual landmine was merely a gimmick that Leslie bought as an anniversary gift for being Parks Director for five years—she had bought the empty shell online and filled it with balloons and confetti. A couple of hours go by, and as Leslie is searching through documents, she stumbles across something very interesting ... her original Parks Department job application, including a written description of Ron's very first impressions of her. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... What was Ron's REAL first impression of Leslie? Can Ron forgive Leslie for the fake claymore mine? Is there a way Leslie and Ron can escape before 8am? Why did Ron really leave the Parks Department? Will Leslie and Ron ever be friends again? Loyal podcast viewers, we triple-dog-dare you to not get emotional during this episode. You'd have to be a freakin robot to not cry at this one. (NOTE: No offensive, Robonstantine.) Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, the often imitated but never duplicated "JJ's Diner".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we learn that Jerry has fulfilled a life-long dream and become a Notary Public! Trying to come up with reasons the Newport land parcel should be turned into a park rather than a corporate campus, Leslie examines any historical ties that will help her case. Bill Haggerty from the Pawnee Historical Society tells Leslie that the 9th United States President, William Henry Harrison, had a hunting lodge on that land. Leslie hopes this could make it qualify for Historic Landmark status, but finds out the "hunting lodge" has been reduced to a few remaining boulders and bricks. Determined to make the most of it, Leslie stays positive, and next travels to the nearby William Henry Harrison museum in Vincennes, in an attempt to gather everything she can related to the former president. After hearing that Annabel Porter from Bloosh is on board with Gryzzl (see B-Story), Leslie fights fire with fire, and looks for a face for HER bid. Bill Haggerty tells her that William Henry Harrison has a distant nephew, Zach Harrison, living in the area. Gathering everything together, Leslie plans to have a press conference regarding these new William Henry Harrison-related finds. Meanwhile, When Gryzzl learns about Leslie's efforts to strengthen her case, they call a meeting with Ron, Tom, and Donna, suggesting that they get a local Pawnee celebrity as a minority owner. Ron is reluctant, but when he is made aware of Leslie's further progress, he realizes the potential need to counter, and grudgingly agrees to meet with Annabel Porter of Bloosh (last seen on 6.07 "Recall Vote") to be the celebrity face of Gryzzl's bid. They meet with Annabel at Bloosh company headquarters, and while Tom and Donna are enamored with her, Ron is repulsed by everything to do with Bloosh. However, upon hearing that Leslie is preparing a press conference (see A-Story), Ron accelerates his plans and gives Annabel the green light to prepare their own press conference on behalf of Gryzzl. Also meanwhile, Realizing the land both Leslie and Ron are bidding for lies within Pawnee city limits, Ben (acting as City Manager) has a highly-important Point of Sale document that requires official signatures from both Leslie and Ron. Knowing it will be awkward, due to Leslie and Ron feuding, Ben enlists the help of Jerry, who recently fulfilled a lifelong dream and became a Notary Public. This way Leslie and Ron don't have to be in the same room at the same time - Ben and Jerry can travel to one, and then travel to the other. While this sounds good on paper, things keep going wrong, and Ben has great difficulties getting the signatures he needs - which starts to drive him crazy. Finally, ever since the last episode, when April heard Joan's "Walk of Fame" speech, she has been trying to figure out what she really wants to do with her life. This continues in this episode as well, and we find April brainstorming with Andy about various possibilities. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Leslie get Zach Harrison to help with her press conference? Does Annabel Porter agree to spearhead the Gryzzl press conference? Will Ben ever get his documents correctly and officially signed? Can April draw inspiration from the William Henry Harrison museum? Does Leslie manage to get the giant tin-and-paper ball all the way from the museum to the press conference? Will the Gryzzl press conference go well enough to secure their bid for the Newport Land Parcel? Can Jerry ever stop talking about all the cool things having to do with Notary Publics? Does Andy figure out how to help April? Does Ron try to do anything to ambush Leslie? Will Leslie's press conference succeed in getting the Newport Land Parcel preserved? Loyal podcast viewers, the old adage says "what goes up, must come down". Will that hold true for Season 7 here in the 3rd episode? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our fantastic sponsor, "Pawnee Supersuites".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we learn that Councilman Jeremy Jamm and Ron's ex-wife Tammy 2 have actually been in a "real" relationship! With the Pawnee city council voting on re-zoning the Newport land for commercial use, Leslie wants them to vote "No", as this will eliminate Gryzzl from the land competition altogether. When she finds out the deciding vote is held by Councilman Jeremy Jamm, Leslie pays him a visit, only to find that [a] he's made himself look like Ron (somewhat), and [b] apparently he's now with Tammy, who completely controls him in all ways, including how he votes. Leslie tries to convince Tammy to side with her in order to torture Ron. This seems like a sure thing, but later when the council heard arguments, Jamm immediately declares his intention to side with Ron and Gryzzl ... a move orchestrated by Tammy to try and win back Ron. Leslie tries to break up Jamm and Tammy, but in the process realizes that Jamm is a broken, miserable shell of a man. Leslie puts her vote agenda on the back burner, instead wanting to help Jamm escape the clutches of Tammy ... even if that means teaming up with Ron to do it. Meanwhile, Ben and April attend a Pawnee "Walk of Fame" inductee ceremony to honor Joan Callamezzo. Despite being quite crazy in many, many ways, Joan delivers a speech which hits April hard, and makes her start thinking about her job, and what she finally wants to do with her life. April ends up confiding in Ben, and he tries to help her figure things out, including having her take an online vocational test, and dialoguing with her about what she might want to do. It then occurs to April that she *might* want to be a mortician ... Finally, Andy celebrates Tom's success with him, but finds out Tom isn't content just being a big-time mogul ... he wants to have someone in his life. As Tom and Andy discuss things (and drink), Andy sees a GryzzlText come through from Lucy, prompting him to drunkenly suggest he and Tom go to Chicago to meet up with Lucy! The pair sober up during the LONG cab ride there, get out, and as fate would have it, immediately bump into Lucy. Andy makes up a story as to why they are there, and they spend the day with Lucy. Tom realizes how much he misses Lucy, and wonders if she could be the one ... but considers how (or if) it could work between them with Lucy living in a different city. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Leslie and Ron put aside their differences to help Jamm? What is the result of April's online vocational test? Is Lucy interested in Tom? Can Jamm escape the clutches of the dreaded Tammy 2? Can Ben convince April to not live under a bridge and ask people riddles before they cross? Will Tom ask Lucy to come back to Pawnee with him? How will Jamm vote regarding the Newport land re-zoning? Will April decide to become a mortician? Does Andy finally get to go to Ben & Jerry's? Loyal viewers, Season 7 started out with a bang - will the greatness continue, or will it fall flat? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our fantastic sponsor, "Tam-Away".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we are first introduced to the "Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show"! Continuing a few seconds after the Season 6 finale concludes ... we see Leslie and Ben exit the elevator and make their way to an assembly in Council Chambers, where lawyer Trevor Nelsson (on behalf of Jessica Wicks) announces the Newport Family Trust intends to sell a 25-square mile parcel of land. While Leslie wants the land for a new national park, tech company Gryzzl wants it for a new Pawnee campus. Furthermore, Gryzzl has hired Ron, who is now a private business owner running the "Very Good" building and development company. During the City Hall assembly, Leslie and Ron see each other, and it is clear they are not on good terms, and haven't been for some time. Leslie learns the land will likely sell for around $90M, and with only $2-4M available to her, realizes she can't go toe to toe with Gryzzl. Later that night, at the Pawnee Bicentennial Gala honoring Ben, Leslie confronts Ron about "stealing" Tom and Donna away from her (Tom is looking to build a new restaurant on the Gryzzl campus, while Regal Meagle Realty was hired by Ron to broker the deal), and when Ron brings up something called "Morningstar", Leslie flies into a rage. Meanwhile, in 2017 we see April and Andy living a stable, normal life together. In many ways this could be considered a good thing. However, the day of the Pawnee Bicentennial Gala, April looks around and has a bit of an epiphany ... she and Andy have gone from spontaneous and weird, to boring and organized. Andy assures her that's not true - they are still young, fun and crazy, and he promises they will prove it that night at the Pawnee Bicentennial Gala. When April and Andy arrive at the gala, they immediately start brainstorming various crazy things they can do, but appear to have some difficulty when their acquired maturity and sensibilities take some steam out of their actions. Finally, Andy comes up with the perfect solution that can't fail ... he's going to streak the stage. Finally, Ben is being honored at the Pawnee Bicentennial Gala, a black tie event taking place that night, for all of his work organizing festivities for the celebration of Pawnee's 200th year. Tom, who has done extremely well with Tom's Bistro and is a successful business owner, is scheduled to introduce Ben at the gala. Given Tom's track record, Ben is a little nervous about how Tom's introduction will go, despite Tom assuring him everything will be fine. That night, at the event, Tom gets onstage and begins speaking at the microphone, and at first everything seems to be going well ... but then we see Tom put away the cards with his planned speech, and starts using the stage time in front of Pawnee's rich and famous to promote himself. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Why are Leslie and Ron fighting? Will Andy streak the stage as planned? Does Tom course-correct during his introduction speech? Can Leslie raise enough money to compete with Gryzzl? Does April feel better after the gala? Will the rest of the gala go well for Ben? Is there any other strategy Leslie can employ? What happens the following day that turns their lives around? Can Tom make amends with Ben for grabbing the spotlight for himself? What is "Morningstar"? Loyal podcast viewers, we're here ... the FINAL season of this great series! Will Season 7 be as amazing as the prior seasons? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our fantastic sponsor, "???????".
As you might expect from the title, this week Mark and Allen are combing over the details of Season 6 in the way only they can do. There's a lot of stuff in this one, including interviews, some delightful banter, and a lot of fun. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... What interviews are we talking about? Will our score analysis be interesting? How does Season 6 compare to past seasons? All this and MORE coming up right now! Stick around, true believers. C'mon. You know you wanna. Did we mention we have free pizza?
Join us for a message from the man we all love (especially Mark), the mustachioed legend...Ron Swanson himself! We drug Ron out of the Swanson cabin (geo-location undisclosed) just in time for our Live from Pawnee exclusive to kick off your 2024 with panache! We hope you will take a few minutes to relax, listen, and take in some of the greatest advice ever given! From Mark, Allen, and Ron and all of us at Live from Pawnee and the LFP Worldwide Headquarters, we wish all of you, our viewers, a very Happy and Safe New Year!
This week Mark and Allen complete their breakdown the Episode where we finally meet the Department of the Interior's resident "bad boy", Liam Bonneville! Leslie is in San Francisco, scheduled to speak at the National Parks Conference about the Pawnee/Eagleton merger. At the conference, Leslie bumps into Grant Larson, who invites her to lunch and introduces her to a number of her idols, including Michelle Obama. Grant tells a starstruck Leslie he needs a final decision from her by tomorrow, and after all this, Leslie is heavily leaning towards taking the job. Later, Leslie gives her speech at the conference, describing the Pawnee/Eagleton merger completing in 6-12 months, but her timeline is ridiculed by the audience, with two department heads suggesting the merger will need 10 years of constant hands-on management, or else risk her precious town losing its cityhood and becoming "unincorporated territory". Needless to say, this shakes Leslie to her core, and despite meeting her idols earlier, and how perfect this job seems ... she is now considering not taking it. Meanwhile, Tom's Bistro is set to open in 6 weeks, but when investor Mitch Savner mentions how great it would be for the restaurant to be ready in time for the Unity Concert, Tom jumps the gun and promises to have the place ready for a soft opening the next day, and be ready for officially opening at the end of the week. Tom desperately brings all hands on deck, recruiting April, Craig, Ron and Donna to help him get the restaurant serviceable. Things do not go well: Ron is unable to make 20 chairs in time, Craig is unable to do his job as sommelier due to sinus/allergy issues, and Jerry Gergich orders the menus with ... uh ... let's just say, the wrong background image. As the night goes on, Mitch becomes more and more concerned and upset with the way Tom is running things. Also meanwhile, Ben and Andy are also in San Francisco to meet with tech company "Gryzzl", who is giving away free Wi-Fi to a few cities across the US. Ben meets with them to pitch the idea of Pawnee being one of the cities. Unfortunately, they are only focusing on big cities, so they turn Ben down. After some time to think, Ben is determined to not take no for an answer, and goes back with Andy a 2nd time. This time, however, he sees a large group of Gryzzl employees - including the Gryzzl owners he spoke to in the first meeting - playing the board game HE invented. That's right ... they are playing "The Cones of Dunshire"! Finally, we witness the day we've all been waiting for ... the Unity Concert is here! April and Andy lead the final Unity Concert planning meeting, with a main goal of getting 2000 signatures in support of the Pawnee-Eagleton merger. Andy also tries one last time (unsuccessfully) to get Ron to play as Duke Silver during the concert. Later, we see the Unity Concert in full swing, with headline acts The Decemberists, Ginuwine, Letters to Cleo, Bobby Knight Ranger, and Land Ho bringing in huge crowds. Andy performs as Johnny Karate on the children's stage, and afterwards bumps into Burly. The two reminisce over Mouse Rat's break up and it brings back memories for Andy as he misses being a part of a band. On a similar note, Diane encourages Ron to get up on stage and have fun, but Ron has no intention of doing so. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Leslie take the job? Will Tom's investor, Mitch Savner, back out of the deal? How did Gryzzl get their hands on the Cones of Dunshire? Can Andy find a way to deal with the fact that he misses being in a band? Will Leslie move away from Pawnee? Could there be another opportunity for Tom's Bistro to be redeemed? Can Ben leverage the Cones of Dunshire to his advantage? Does Ron become convinced to play as Duke Silver at some point? Can Leslie find a way to have it all? Does Tom find a way to turn things around? Will Pawnee get free WiFi? Will the gang manage to collect 2000 signatures in support of the Pawnee-Eagleton merger? Loyal viewers, we MADE IT! We are at the END of Season 6! Can you even believe it?!? Will this 53 MINUTE extravaganza blow everything else out of the water? Tune in and find out! Many thanks to our sponsor Entertainment 720 and their award-hopeful film: "Identity Crisis: This is Mouse Rat."
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we finally meet the Department of the Interior's resident "bad boy", Liam Bonneville! Leslie is in San Francisco, scheduled to speak at the National Parks Conference about the Pawnee/Eagleton merger. At the conference, Leslie bumps into Grant Larson, who invites her to lunch and introduces her to a number of her idols, including Michelle Obama. Grant tells a starstruck Leslie he needs a final decision from her by tomorrow, and after all this, Leslie is heavily leaning towards taking the job. Later, Leslie gives her speech at the conference, describing the Pawnee/Eagleton merger completing in 6-12 months, but her timeline is ridiculed by the audience, with two department heads suggesting the merger will need 10 years of constant hands-on management, or else risk her precious town losing its cityhood and becoming "unincorporated territory". Needless to say, this shakes Leslie to her core, and despite meeting her idols earlier, and how perfect this job seems ... she is now considering not taking it. Meanwhile, Tom's Bistro is set to open in 6 weeks, but when investor Mitch Savner mentions how great it would be for the restaurant to be ready in time for the Unity Concert, Tom jumps the gun and promises to have the place ready for a soft opening the next day, and be ready for officially opening at the end of the week. Tom desperately brings all hands on deck, recruiting April, Craig, Ron and Donna to help him get the restaurant serviceable. Things do not go well: Ron is unable to make 20 chairs in time, Craig is unable to do his job as sommelier due to sinus/allergy issues, and Jerry Gergich orders the menus with ... uh ... let's just say, the wrong background image. As the night goes on, Mitch becomes more and more concerned and upset with the way Tom is running things. Also meanwhile, Ben and Andy are also in San Francisco to meet with tech company "Gryzzl", who is giving away free Wi-Fi to a few cities across the US. Ben meets with them to pitch the idea of Pawnee being one of the cities. Unfortunately, they are only focusing on big cities, so they turn Ben down. After some time to think, Ben is determined to not take no for an answer, and goes back with Andy a 2nd time. This time, however, he sees a large group of Gryzzl employees - including the Gryzzl owners he spoke to in the first meeting - playing the board game HE invented. That's right ... they are playing "The Cones of Dunshire"! Finally, we witness the day we've all been waiting for ... the Unity Concert is here! April and Andy lead the final Unity Concert planning meeting, with a main goal of getting 2000 signatures in support of the Pawnee-Eagleton merger. Andy also tries one last time (unsuccessfully) to get Ron to play as Duke Silver during the concert. Later, we see the Unity Concert in full swing, with headline acts The Decemberists, Ginuwine, Letters to Cleo, Bobby Knight Ranger, and Land Ho bringing in huge crowds. Andy performs as Johnny Karate on the children's stage, and afterwards bumps into Burly. The two reminisce over Mouse Rat's break up and it brings back memories for Andy as he misses being a part of a band. On a similar note, Diane encourages Ron to get up on stage and have fun, but Ron has no intention of doing so. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Leslie take the job? Will Tom's investor, Mitch Savner, back out of the deal? How did Gryzzl get their hands on the Cones of Dunshire? Can Andy find a way to deal with the fact that he misses being in a band? Will Leslie move away from Pawnee? Could there be another opportunity for Tom's Bistro to be redeemed? Can Ben leverage the Cones of Dunshire to his advantage? Does Ron become convinced to play as Duke Silver at some point? Can Leslie find a way to have it all? Does Tom find a way to turn things around? Will Pawnee get free WiFi? Will the gang manage to collect 2000 signatures in support of the Pawnee-Eagleton merger? Loyal viewers, we MADE IT! We are at the END of Season 6! Can you even believe it?!? Will this 53 MINUTE extravaganza blow everything else out of the water? Tune in and find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsors, "?????" and "?????".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we are first introduced to Joe (Donna's ex, and the one she claims is her "Tammy")! With the Unity Concert only 3 weeks away, the Parks Department is throwing a charity auction to raise money for the event. While Leslie and Ben are organizing the auction, they are distracted by Leslie's pregnancy, which no one knows about yet. Upon meeting with Dr. Saperstein, they are blown away to find out they are having triplets, and are told by Saperstein to avoid stress over the coming months. This is challenging for Ben, who crunches the numbers and can't fathom how he and Leslie will be able to raise three children. Leslie and Ben arrive at the auction, and Leslie manages to run it very calmly and smoothly, which is good for her, but bad for the auction, as items sell for much less than they should. Ben does his best to make sure Leslie is calm and avoids stress, but Ben himself keeps getting more and more stressed. Meanwhile, Ron recruits Donna to help make costumes for the Unity Concert's youth review segment at his step-daughters' elementary school. Donna agrees as long as Ron keeps her away from ex-boyfriend Joe, who works at the school, and whom Donna considers a nightmare, her version of Tammy. When they get to the school, Joe comes over to greet them, and Ron does his duty and steps in between them. However, as the day goes on, Ron comes to realize what a kind, genuine person Joe really is. Finally, Andy is still holding onto Leslie's pregnancy secret and does his best to avoid discussing the matter with April. To make matters worse for Andy, he has a hectic schedule over the coming days with a number of Johnny Karate shows to perform. To stop April from asking, Andy falsely tells her that his secret is that Jerry has a deadly disease. April falls for it and in turn, begins feeling sorry for Jerry. She decides to be nice to Jerry and spends time talking with him, thinking she ought to make amends if he is dying. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will the Parks Department raise enough money for the Unity Concert? Does Ron ever admit to Donna that he ... likes Joe? Can April continue to be nice to Jerry? Can Ben find a way to deal with his stress? Will Donna ever come to terms with what she and Joe could have? Does April ever find out Jerry dying is a huge lie? How does the gang react to Leslie being pregnant with triplets? What does the future for Donna and Joe look like? Will Andy be able to keep the secret, or will April make him crack? Loyal podcast viewers, we are nearing the end of Season 6, and things are coming to a head! Will the gang survive these next 3 weeks and make it to the Unity Concert? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our fantastic sponsor, "Wood You Rather".
Mark and Allen were extremely lucky to have this opportunity to chat with Tuc in early September 2023. What a nice guy, and a fun person to talk with! Talk about a talented, humble, personable, funny guy ... and on top of that, a great conversationalist, as eager to ask questions as answer them. This interview was simply a blast - yet another in a stream of wonderful guests we've had the privilege to have on our show. Join us as Tuc talks about his experience with "Boys in the Band", how he and Allen both went to Indiana University (and Mark sucks because he went to Purdue), his twin 10 year old children, his early experiences with show business, his views on movies vs television, how he enjoyed his time on soap operas, and how much he enjoyed being on Parks and Rec, including talks he had with Amy Poehler, the scene where he tries to dunk on the ice and hits his head, and much, much more! This was an outstanding Pawnee Spotlight from one of our favorite guests. We really enjoyed this, and hope you do too! Enjoy.
Join Mark and Allen (and Ron Swanson of course) for a special (and likely to be our final) Thanksgiving message recorded at the LFP Worldwide Headquarters just for you! Yes, we are talking to you! Who else would it be? From all of us here at the Live from Pawnee studio and the LFP Worldwide Headquarters, we wish all of you, our viewers, and yours a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving! We are Thankful for YOU! --Mark and Allen (and Constantine)...(and Harvey)...(and Ron)
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we learn Ben's spirit animal is a baby snow owl! With flu season in full swing, Leslie is desperate not to get sick, has quarantined an infected Jerry, and warns Andy to take plenty of vitamins. Leslie is ecstatic when Andy announces he has secured Chipp McCapp (a 17-year-old country singer who Pawnee loves) as headliner for the Unity Concert. However, when Chipp later backs out, Leslie and Andy decide to go to his studio in Indianapolis to change his mind. Just before they leave, Leslie yarfs in the trash can, blaming Jerry for giving her the flu. While en route to Indianapolis, Leslie visits a pharmacy to pick up some flu medicine, but when the pharmacist doesn't see any tell-tale signs of the flu and suggests it might be something else, Leslie's eyes wander over to the pregnancy tests. Prior to meeting Chipp, Leslie takes the test, and (unsuccessfully) tries to call Ben. When they meet with Chipp, it becomes clear he is a selfish brat with no boundaries or respect for others, and after insulting Pawnee, Leslie is tempted to tell him off. Meanwhile, interested in hiring a wine expert for his new restaurant, Tom's Bistro, Tom plans a trip with Donna and April to go to a local vineyard, where a number of sommeliers will be competing for their certification. Although not invited by Tom, Craig, Ron, and Ben also come along to Tom's irritation. At the winery, Tom zeros in on his best prospect, Mr. Xander Trufant. While there, Craig and April also register to be part of the competition, but for different reasons ... Craig is a surprisingly knowledgeable (but hot-headed) wine connoisseur, whereas April just wants to mess with the judges. Finally, while at the vineyard, Ben (who earlier had received a check in the mail) gets a call from his father explaining the check, saying he sold the family lake house without telling anyone, and the check represents Ben's share of the profits. Ben feels upset and disrespected, and attempts to vent to Ron. Ron is not a big fan of this, and quickly gets hold of some alcohol so Ben will have something to do with his mouth besides talk to him. The two head out into the vineyard fields with several bottles of blueberry wine, leading to Ben quickly becoming a rambling, inebriated mess. During this time, Ben receives a call from Leslie (see the A-Story above), but before anything of value is communicated, Ben drops his phone in a muddy puddle, ending the call and making his phone go dead. Worried about Leslie, not wanting to wait around for Tom, and not really thinking straight, Ben decides to walk home so he can get to Leslie ASAP, and Ron decides to walk with him. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Does Leslie end up telling off Chipp McCapp? Who will receive their sommelier certification? How many bottles of blueberry wine will Ben drink? Who can Leslie and Andy find as a replacement headliner? Can April get through the event without security getting involved? Can Ben get over his anger at his father selling the family lake house? What did Leslie find out from her pregnancy test? Who will Tom get to come work for him at Tom's Bistro? Who do Ben and Ron meet on their journey home? Loyal viewers, episode sequels are rare, but not unheard of. Can this episode stand up to the high marks set by the original? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, "Chez Chez La Rue".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we first hear a reference to Gryzzle! With the Pawnee-Eagleton merger forcing many cuts, including Pawnee Central High's prom, the Parks Department decides to throw prom for them, obviously on a very limited budget. Leslie meets with the prom committee, including Tom, Ben, Donna, and several high school students, with Leslie particularly impressed with a young lady named Allison Gliffert, who has many impressive Knope-like qualities (and binders). She reminds Leslie of herself, and the two get along great ... in fact, Leslie plans to offer Allison a summer internship with the Parks Department. When Ron finds out about this, we learn that Ron ALSO knows Allison and thinks a lot of her, bristles at the thought of Allison working for the government for free, and coaxes her to instead take a paying job working for his friend at the sawmill. Their clashing ideologies lead Leslie and Ron to butt heads as they try to win Allison over. This persists through both the pre-prom setup and the prom, getting more intense as time goes by, until Allison freaks out and runs away. Meanwhile, during the prom planning, Leslie assigns music to Ben and Tom. As expected, the two have very different tastes, styles, and schools of thought regarding music selection. Not only that, but Tom clearly looks at Ben with disdain, seeing him as an embarassing, out-of-touch old man. At the prom, Tom takes over and plays what he feels are cool, popular "bangers", convinced that everyone will love it. However, he is eventually told by students that they aren't really into his music choices. Tom takes this hard, concerned that he no longer knows what's cool. Finally, excited about the upcoming prom at Pawnee Central High, Andy happily asks April to go with him to prom. Due to her overt hatred for dancing, young people, fun (and apparently punch), April is NOT pleased about this ... but she loves Andy, he finally wins her over, and she reluctantly agrees to go. However, in typical April style, she dresses in all black, remains snarky, and seems to put very little effort into enjoying herself at the prom. She sees Andy cheerful, happy, getting along with everyone, and having a great time ... while she just wants to go home. This all makes her wonder ... how can she love him when she hates everything he loves? As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... As Leslie and Ron clash, can one of their ideologies prevail? Can Ben and Tom ever agree on what to play? Will April stay at the prom? What is the "Leslie Knope 10-Point Insanity Scale"? Is there anything Ben can do to make Tom feel better? Is there anyone that can give April some comfort and advice? Who is ... DJ Robo Drop? Who will the prom king and queen be? Is there a special surprise waiting for Leslie at the end of the episode? Loyal podcast viewers, Mark and Allen have seen some of their largest score differentials here in Season 6. Will this episode continue the trend? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor, "Pawnee ... What If?".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode featuring another return to that great female-themed celebration started by Leslie Knope, Galentine's Day! After two months without Ann, Leslie is really missing her, which gets exacerbated when Ann leaves a voicemail to say she can't make their weekly chat session. Trying to do something constructive, Leslie organizes an impromptu Galentine's Day and invites Donna, April, Shauna Malwae-Tweep, Ethel Beavers and Evelyn (a.k.a. "Fake Ann"), with an ulterior motive of testing them to see who would be the best candidate for her new (local) best friend. During the brunch, Leslie asks the ladies several questions to figure out each of their qualities. Unfortunately, her plan backfires when the women find out she is ranking them, and everyone angrily leaves ... except Shauna Malwae-Tweep. Meanwhile, Ben is looking to rent a tent for the Unity Concert, and recruits Tom and Jerry to accompany him to Tent World to finalize a deal. Upon meeting with Harvey, the owner and CEO of Tent World, it becomes clear that Harvey is a no-good-nick, and Ben is not receiving a fair deal for the tents he originally asked for. Standing firm, he turns down Harvey's deal, and decides to take his business elsewhere. Unfortunately, this leads to Ben's next realization ... every tent store in Pawnee is owned by Harvey. He has a Tent Monopoly. He has a Tent-opoly. Finally, tired of the constant noise in his life (whether from children or co-workers), Ron volunteers to do the park survey for the Unity Concert himself, looking forward to spending the day outside and alone. Unfortunately, Leslie assigns Andy to help Ron. This puts a kink in Ron's plans, as Andy's childishness greatly annoys Ron, who just wants to do his work in peace and quiet. Things come to a head when Andy knocks his tooth out and requires Ron to drive him to a dentist. Ron tries to leave, but it becomes clear Andy is lost with the paperwork, so he stays. After a while, though, Andy grows antsy, and asks Ron if they can just leave. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Shauna be Leslie's new best friend by default? Does someone come up with a secret weapon to use against Harvey? Does Andy end up leaving the dentist? Can Donna and April forgive Leslie for pitting them against each other? Can the guys actually get a tent for the Unity Concert? Can Ron ever take a break from parenting those around him? Why did Ann have to postpone their weekly chat session? Will Ben ever admit in public that he actually likes Jerry? Will Andy ever get his tooth fixed? Loyal viewers, it's a rare thing for an episode to share the exact title as an episode the aired earlier in the series. Can it live up to the name? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, "C.T. Tavis Medical Center".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we are introduced to Peebo the Ping-Pong Playing Panda! Ben unveils the new city website for Pawnee, featuring an online poll for the new town slogan. Just after this happens, Leslie meets with Grant Larson, Director of the Midwest Branch of the National Parks Service, to further discuss the details of the job offer he made in the last episode. Grant tells Leslie her new role will include overseeing 200 people and be mainly focused on creative, big picture stuff ... and as a result, will no longer involve the everyday minutiae, which she currently does, and loves very much. A bit later, Ben is ready to go live with the slogan poll, and comments the website will do all the work for them. Perhaps drawing a parallel between what Grant told her, and the website, Leslie reacts to this by insisting that they still need to manually do stuff, such as door-to-door promotion, handing out flyers, canvassing, and even holding a press junket. A bit later, the aforementioned press junket starts, with Leslie meeting with notable town icons such as Perd Hapley, Joan Callamezzo and Crazy Ira and The Douche to try and get them to promote the slogan poll. Unfortunately, Crazy Ira and The Douche get their listeners to bombard the poll with votes for "Pawnee: Welcome To Douche Nation". Upon finding this out, Leslie takes it upon herself to go on their radio program in an attempt to get their listeners to vote for a less-douchy-and-more-elegant slogan. Meanwhile, Tom is trying to find the perfect (and affordable) place for his restaurant venture, Tom's Bistro, and calls upon Donna and Regal Meagle Realty to help, with April tagging along to give her opinions on the available properties. For the next two days, Donna, April, and Tom visit a variety of places, but all of them seem to have inherent flaws (e.g. too expensive, too far from City Hall, too small). At the end of the 2nd day, Tom is at his wits end, and laments that ... maybe Tom's Bistro wasn't meant to be ... and plans to inform his investor that he can't find a suitable property. Finally, Andy has been driving all over Indiana looking for bands to play the unity concert, but has been largely unsuccessful. When he asks Craig for any advice, Craig mentions a couple of locations in Eagleton that do pretty well, including Cozy's Bar. Willing to try anything, Andy goes to Cozy's to check it out. There he finds a throng of excited middle-aged women waiting for ... the one ... the only ... Mr. Duke Silver. Noticing how much Duke resembles Ron, Andy goes into Ron's office the next day to tell him about his visit to Cozy's. Seeing now way out of it, Ron admits he is Duke Silver, but insists Andy keep it a secret. Andy, however, is too excited at this news, and insists on booking Ron/Duke Silver to play at the Unity Concert. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... How will Leslie do on-air with Crazy Ira and The Douche? Can Donna find a suitable property for Tom? Will Andy really book Duke Silver to play at the Unity Concert? Will Leslie ever be capable of delegating work to others? Does April ever provide positive feedback? Will Duke Silver actually PLAY at the Unity Concert? What will be Pawnee's new town slogan? Will Tom's Bistro ever become a viable up-and-coming business, or will it go the way of Entertainment 720? Does Ron do anything to keep his alter ego, Duke Silver, a secret? Loyal podcast viewers, last episode witnessed the largest scoring gap Mark and Allen have ever had. Will this week be better? Tune in to find out! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor, "Cozy's Bar".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we are first introduced to the 3rd floor at City Hall! Leslie hopes the Unity Concert will prove the Pawnee-Eagleton merger was a success, but plans a couple more things to ensure success. First, she books a meeting with Grant Larson, Director of the Midwest Branch of the National Parks Service, to ask about declaring "Eagleton Hills" a national park for the Unity Concert grand finale. Second, at the park that borders Pawnee and Eagleton, Leslie decides to knock down the graffiti-filled wooden fence dividing the two towns during a press conference where she will announce the Unity Concert. Things are going well at the press conference, and Leslie has two Eagletonians do the honors of delivering the symbolic "first strike" on the wooden fence. Unfortunately, there is a BEEHIVE directly behind the spot they hit, causing hundreds of bees to scatter and sting those attending the press conference. When it turns out the majority of those stung were Eagletonians, the media assumes Leslie set it all up as a prank, which furthers the divide between the two towns. Meanwhile, Tom and Ben hold a Unity Concert sponsorship seminar to entice local businesses to pledge their support. Tom's does a good job with his pitch, reeling in 16 sponsorship offers, including one from Mitch Savner, owner of Savner Bleaches and Chemicals. Mitch tells Tom he likes to invest in good ideas, and he was so impressed by Tom's presentation, he believes Tom is an "idea" man, and offers Tom the opportunity to pitch his best idea to him the next day. Tom's only fleshed-out idea, and the one he's most passionate about, is a restaurant venture, but Ben reminds him just how risky restaurants can be. Tom reluctantly asks Ben for help, knowing that even though he may not come up with something sexy, Ben can likely produce a solid business idea. Finally, unbeknownst to Leslie and the gang, Diane already had Ron's baby. Indeed, this only comes to light when Ron brings his newborn son, John, into work with him. However, Ron quickly grows tired of his co-workers constantly hovering and fussing over John, as it denies him the peace and quiet he so desperately wants. In an attempt to get away from the gang, he takes John up to seemingly-deserted 3rd floor of City Hall, where he happily stumbles upon the combo of a faulty radiator, and a tool box. Happily fixing the radiator, Ron and his son attract the attention of the construction crew getting ready to start work on the 3rd floor, who warn them that they are about to make a lot of very loud noise. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... How does Leslie combat the media saying the bees were an elaborate prank? Can Ben come up with a solid business idea for Tom? Does the construction crew drive Ron and his son away? Will Leslie do anything to make the stinging victims feel better? Will Tom pass out from sheer boredom? Can Ron continue to elude everyone making a fuss over the baby? Whatever happened to Leslie's meeting with Grant Larson? What does Tom ultimately pitch to Mitch Savner? What else will Ron find in this paradise called "the 3rd floor"? Loyal viewers, how does this episode stack up against the rest? Tune in to find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor, "?????".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we first hear about the Unity Concert AND we first see Jim O'Heir and Retta in the show's opening credits! With both Pawnee and Eagleton citizens still not happy about the towns merging a few months ago, Leslie goes on Wamapoke County Public Radio to convince people the merger was both a good idea and a success. After several callers criticized the merger, Leslie determines the merger needs a win, something symbolic and happy for people to focus on. Later, while looking at a local newspaper, Leslie notices a couple from a Pawnee-Eagleton marriage celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. She whips up a plan to use this couple as a symbol that Pawnee and Eagleton can come together and unite, including interviewing them on Pawnee Today. Unfortunately, it becomes clear this is not exactly a loving couple ... in fact, they both despise the other. Meanwhile, Ben plans a big day of celebration with Leslie to commemorate their one-year anniversary, but to surprise her, and to ensure she makes that "dopey surprised face" he always seems to make when she gives HIM gifts ... he decides to do it the day BEFORE their actual anniversary date. Ben enlists the help of Jerry, who has the most successful marriage of the entire gang, to help him orchestrate things. Unfortunately, with Leslie concentrating on all this crazy merger stuff, Ben and Jerry are unable to lure Leslie to the secret events they have set up, and Ben is unsure what to do. Finally, Ron goes to the Pawnee Animal Shelter to adopt a dog for Zoe and Ivy. Passionate about animals, and Director of Animal Control, April helps him out, but is frustrated and annoyed to learn that, once again, Donna has left work without any advance notice. Unsure how to approach disciplining Donna, April talks to Ron, and then finally decides to submit an anonymous bad review via Yelp that chastises Donna for being absent ... Something which Donna is rather unhappy about. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Does the Pawnee Today interview with Joan Callamezzo go smoothly? Did Jerry screw up any of Ben's plans? How does Donna react to the bad Yelp review? Will the DeMarcos be the symbol of Pawnee/Eagleton unity Leslie is looking for? What gift did Ben ultimately give Leslie? What gift did Leslie ultimately get for Ben? Will April and Donna resolve their differences? Will Derry Murbles murder his new co-host? Who ended up making the dopey surprised face? What idea does all this internet / IP address silliness give Ron? Loyal podcast viewers, can Parks and Rec maintain their quality storylines now that Ann and Chris have left? Tune in to find out! Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, "Thought For Your Thoughts" with host Derry Murbles.
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we learned Ann once went out on a date with Perd Hapley! It is Ann and Chris' last day in Pawnee, and Leslie has organized a huge going away party so they can enjoy one last occasion with them. At the party, Leslie explains that because she doesn't know when she will see Ann again, the party's theme is a celebration of everything that will happen in the coming year. Furthermore, in celebration of how their friendship started, Leslie secretly arranges for her and Ann to officially break ground on Pawnee Commons at Lot 48 as a going away present. However, Harold, the Director of Public Works, is angry that Leslie went over his head to do that, since his department did NOT sign off on it. Later, Leslie finds out Harold put a padlock on the fence surrounding Lot 48, halting her plans for a midnight groundbreaking. Trying to think of a way around this, Leslie tells Ann about her surprise plan. Ann is up for one more crazy caper with Leslie, and insists they do whatever they need to do for the groundbreaking to take place. Meanwhile, as the guys help Chris pack up the last of his things, they notice several boxes with their names on them, which Chris reveals are "buddy boxes" ... his gift to each of the guys, with each one containing a memento symbolizing Chris' friendship with each of them. They open up the boxes to find very heartfelt, thoughtful gifts. Clearly, the guys were not prepared for such a meaningful exchange ... they got him a gift card to that awesome store "Pots and Pans" ... and they try to come up with something better over the course of the evening. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Does the groundbreaking of Pawnee Commons take place as planned? Do the guys succeed with their gift attempt, or do they continue to suck? What are all the things celebrated by Leslie's farewell extravaganza? How does Leslie make Lot 48 "raccoon-safe"? What was within everyone's buddy box? Can Ben come up with one final idea that will be meaningful to Chris? Will this be Leslie and Ann's last crazy caper together? Is this really the end of an era? Loyal viewers, please join us for this bittersweet farewell to the eternally cheerful Chris Traeger, and the beautiful, talented, brilliant, powerful musk ox that is Ann Perkins. Goodbye, musk ox. MANY THANKS TO OUR AMAZING SPONSOR PAWNEE SUPER SUITES!
Mark and Allen were fortunate enough to chat with Ian a few weeks back. What a great interview, and a fascinating discussion! It's always nice to take a look behind the scenes and get a deeper appreciation as to "how the sausage is made", so to speak, and Ian really delivered. He is intelligent, a great conversationalist, and has an uncanny knack for diving into interesting details while at the same time keeping it lively and fun. Join in as the guys talk to Ian about all of the incredible, creative work that goes on behind-the-scenes and turns Pawnee, and even Eagleton (spit) into real life places occupied by our favorite Pawneeans! Ian has worked on hundreds of productions as both an Art Director and Production Designer, working across dozens of TV Series, Videos, Shorts, TV movies and films - not the least of which is a little show we like to call Parks and Recreation! In fairness, NBC actually called it that too; but we like the title enough to skip the AKAs! This was a very enjoyable Pawnee Spotlight, and Ian is definitely one of our favorite guests. We hope you all like it as much as we did! Enjoy! P.S. You can check out Ian's work at imdb.com/name/nm2214641/ and https://adg.org/directory/1318-ian-phillips/ and you can follow Ian on Instagram at @ijpdesign_tv/ where you can see some of his beautiful furniture too!
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we are first introduced to Andy's last (and perhaps best) alter ego, Johnny Karate! When a chard vendor named Nolan uses sexually suggestive tactics to sell his wares at the Farmers Market, Leslie thinks it's unethical and wants it shut down. As new City Manager, though, Ben has to put aside his personal opinions, and isn't quite sure the vendor is violating any codes. When the issue starts getting discussed outside work hours, Ben suggests a "firewall system" that prevents work-related talk at home, and vice versa. The next day Leslie presents Ben with a list of reasons why the chard vendor should be kicked out, but Ben thinks Leslie might just be targeting the chard vendor. Ben is also irritated that Leslie revoked Nolan's license without consulting him. He ends up undoing the premature revoke as he still needs more time to sift through city codes ... angering Leslie. Meanwhile, Ann is in constant agony with pregnancy aches and pains, and she begins to get frustrated with Chris Traeger's constant efforts to cheer her up and solve her problems. She stumbles across a wine & cheese club (spelled W-H-I-N-E) hosted in Ron's office that consists of Ron, Tom, Donna, and Jerry. Tom explains they gather in Ron's office once a month to vent (or "whine") about what annoys them at work, while enjoying fine wine and cheese. Ann sees this as the perfect place to vent about her problems, but as she does so, everyone sees the balance start to tip, as the club becomes less about them, and more about her. Finally, when Craig overhears Andy playing his guitar at work, he invites him and the rest of Mouse Rat to play at his nephew's 6th birthday party. At first Andy talks his band mates into the gig, but after they learn it's for a children's party, they angrily walk out of rehearsal. Although he's not sure what songs to play (as most of Mouse Rat's songs are sexual in nature), Andy decides to play the party by himself, with April by his side. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Leslie adhere to the firewall system? Can Chris find a way to be there for Ann without making her angry? What songs will Andy decide to play at the party? Can Ben figure out a compromise between Leslie and Nolan? Will Ann find solace in the Whine and Cheese club? Can Andy come up with a performing name for just himself? Does anyone REALLY like chard shots? How many times can someone say the word "nipple" in a conversation? Will the party be a success, or will Craig end up losing it? Loyal podcast viewers, we are now over halfway through the penultimate season of Parks and Rec. Tune in to see if they can maintain the quality we have all come to expect! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor, "Apple".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where Ben has his first day as Pawnee City Manager! As Leslie returns to her position as Deputy Director of Parks and Rec on a full-time basis, she expects everything to be the same as it was when she left. However, she instead sees many differences: April is handling Animal Control with ease, and Tom's firing on all cylinders in his new role of Business Liaison. Tom mentions his project to enlist a juice company to run a lemonade stand in one of Pawnee's parks to replace a retiring hot stew chef, and states he will be pitching the idea to the Pawnee Small Business Coalition. While somewhat impressed with Tom's initiative, Leslie is NOT impressed with Tom's decision to do things HIS way, instead of following her presentation guidelines that have been a Parks Department staple for 10 years. Worried Tom will fail in his presentation, Leslie decides to convince the hot stew chef to NOT go into retirement, deciding to represent him, and ultimately planning to go head-to-head with Tom in front of the Small Business Coalition. Meanwhile, Ben has an open house on his first day as Pawnee City Manager. He attempts to show everyone (particularly April, Andy, and Donna) that he is very cool, calm, and laid back. However, he ALSO implements a number of new rules to assert his position as a no-nonsense boss. Sensing Ben is wound very tight, the trio decide to prank him with a false arrest to "lighten him up". Two Pawnee police officers end up escorting a terrified Ben down to the station, trumping up ridiculous charges the whole way, until Ben thinks he'll never see the light of day again ... until April, Andy, and Donna come to the police station and reveal the prank. Even though the trio thinks it's hilarious, Ben is NOT amused. Finally, in the middle of taking pictures around City Hall to show their unborn baby where they met, Chris and Ann consider their situation and their plans for the future, and spontaneously decide they should get married. They head to a jewelry store in Pawnee, where they begin shopping for an engagement ring. Listening to another engaged couple also shopping there, they realize how much forethought is typically put into something like this, and start to question not only whether or not they want to buy the ring, but whether or not they want to get married. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Tom get his lemonade stand idea going? Did Ben pee his pants at the police station? Will Ann and Chris decide to get married? What will happen to the hot stew stand? Will Ben try to do anything in retaliation? What will Ann and Chris buy at the jewelry store? Will Leslie be able to get back into the rhythm of things? Did Andy like the illegal french cheese? Will Jerry die of cracker-dust inhalation? Loyal viewers, Mark and Allen are really on their game during this episode - tune in and enjoy! (EDIT BY CONSTANTINE: Subtle, guys.) Many thanks to our incredible sponsor, "Strackwell Hardware".
As per the oh-so-descriptive name, this week Mark and Allen are going on a grabbing frenzy ... a little viewer feedback ... some score analysis ... episode reviews ... a location guide or two ... even a teaser from a certain interview. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Who did we interview? What did our viewer feedback have to say? Is there any further news regarding our acquisition of MARBUCKS? Will our score analysis be interesting? What the hell is a location guide? Yep, all this, and EVEN MORE coming right up! Stick around, true believers. C'mon. You know you wanna. Did we mention there are snacks? Special thanks to our sponsor Pawnee 311 and to Production Designer extraordinaire Ian Phillips for being our guest. Hang out until the end for a sneak peek at our upcoming full interview!
They're (finally) back! This week Mark and Allen break down the supersized Episode where we are first introduced to the concept of "Tex-Mexting"! (LOL and yuck.) On Leslie's last day as City Councilor, she gives newly-elected councilwoman Ingrid de Forest a tour of Council Chambers and shows her where her seat is. Soon after, she reluctantly packs up her office and says goodbye to her dream job. Ben tells her getting away from the city council is the best thing for her. However, just then, they see on TV a live press conference with "Sexy Dexy" Councilman Dexhart responding to yet another sex scandal. This inspires Leslie to challenge Dexhart for his seat, and she begins preparations for another campaign. Ben points out a number of flaws with her plan ... such as the fact that she doesn't even live in Dexhart's district ... but Leslie isn't fazed and pushes forward with such tasks as talking with Pawnee Journal reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep, quickly hand crafting her own banner, and setting up her own press conference. Still having reservations, Ben manages to convince Leslie to run her plans by the gang so they can offer feedback. Meanwhile, Tom officially hands over Rent-A-Swag to Dr. Saperstein and receives his money, a portion of which he hands over to his investors (Ron, Donna, April, Jerry). Remembering lawyer Trevor Nelsson's words about how successful people get others to work for them, he decides that instead of HIM coming up with his next idea, he will get others to do it. Tom proceeds to set up an idea pitch meeting with various "entrepreneurs" from Pawnee. Unfortunately, all their ideas suck, so out of desperation, Tom turns to the Parks and Rec gang for new ideas. Finally, Ann and Chris meet with Dr. Saperstein, find out their baby is doing great, and are asked if they want to know the baby's gender. Ann and Chris are both unsure whether or not they want to know, so Dr. Saperstein writes down the results and seals it in an envelope, so they can reveal it to themselves whenever they want. They both talk about which gender they prefer, but eventually come to terms with the fact that either will be perfect. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... What will the gang think about Leslie running again? Will the Parks and Rec gang have any good ideas for Tom? Will Ann and Chris look in the envelope? How does Leslie's press conference go? Is there anyone who can talk Tom out of his funk? Do either Ann or Chris have a preference for what the gender will be? Is there anyone that can change Leslie's mind about running again? What WILL Tom plan on doing next? What IS the gender of Ann and Chris' unborn baby? Loyal podcast viewers, this is a great episode - will the producer's cut make it even better? Tune in to find out! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor, "Cakey J's Cheesecake Facility"!
It’s all about the Cones! This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we are first introduced to the legendary game, "The Cones of Dunshire"! With Leslie's time on the City Council soon coming to a close, as her final task, she seeks to guarantee the longevity of the project that started it all ... the "Sullivan Street Pit", which after getting filled in became "Lot 48", and finally became the intended site for the architectural park design that is now referred to as "Pawnee Commons". Specifically, the money set aside for Pawnee Commons is in a discretionary fund. Leslie wants to move this money to a lock box to ensure it is used for that project. Unfortunately, once again seeking to thwart Leslie, Councilman Jeremy Jamm moves to table any decision on the money until Leslie is out of office. Determined to succeed with this final action, Leslie (assisted by Chris as mediator) confronts Jamm at his house and insists on hashing things out. Jamm agrees to have her and Chris stay the night, with the goal being to begin negotiations the next morning. Negotiations continue while Jamm makes them breakfast, and for some while afterwards, but Jamm continues to play hard ball, and Leslie has to think on her feet regarding her next move. Meanwhile, Ron has purchased a new cabin that will provide a more friendly environment for Diane and the kids. As a result, Ron decides it is time to sell one of his four (I mean TWO) cabins. Reluctantly realizing he might need help, he enlists Donna (and by proxy, Tom) to assist him as realtors, with April tagging along out of pure interest and curiosity. As one might imagine, Ron does not like or understand Donna and Tom's frou-frou approach to sprucing up his cabin. Making things worse, Ron very much dislikes the types of people looking to buy it, such as one bidder who wishes to buy the property purely for the land, and will thus end up demolishing the cabin. Finally, Now that Ben is no longer working for Sweetums, he had to make a decision as to his next job ... and decided to take the offer from the accounting firm that Barney Varmn works for, Tilton and Radomski. However, he had a week off until he started there, so he used his spare time creating a very nerdy and complex board called "The Cones of Dunshire" ... which I think Leslie mentally categorizes along with some of his other strange short obsessions, like clay-mation. On Ben's first day, Barney is overjoyed to see him, as always, but an employee named Frank Mann is not impressed with Ben, or his legendary status around the office, and is looking to see him fail. Ben gets put to the test on his first day, when Barney apologetically gives Ben their toughest case. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Jamm continue to play hardball? Can Ben crack the case, or will Frank end up gloating in his face? Will Donna give Ron the friends and family discount? Will Ron ACCEPT the friends and family discount? Can Chris figure out what is really driving Leslie to do this? Can Tom leverage this opportunity to become the mogul he's always dreamed of? Does Ben break the "Barney Curse", and finally keep his job with Tilton and Radomski? Does Leslie succeed in ensuring the future of Pawnee Commons? Does Ron end up selling his cabin, and if so, to who? Will Ben ever find a worthy home for "The Cones of Dunshire"? Who is Jamm's best friend? Loyal viewers, this one will decide the future of the Sullivan Street Pit / Lot 42 / Pawnee Commons! What will happen? Tune in to find out! Many thanks to our fantastic sponsor, "Pawnee Community Theater" ... now performing the famous musical and Hollywood sensation, "Grease"!
After a short mini-vacay, Mark and Allen return this week to break down the Episode where Ben gets fired from Sweetums! Now having access to Eagleton's reservoir and water treatment supply, which contains fluoride, Pawnee is set to ALSO have fluoride in its water for the first time in its history. With Leslie's time on the Council now ticking away, she attempts to get her Pawnee-Eagleton reservoir merger bill approved, but Jamm counters with a bill that prohibits adding anything to Pawnee's water supply forever, as he is a dentist, loves cavities, and is therefore anti-fluoride. To sway the public, Jamm uses scare tactics by accusing Leslie of wanting to put a dangerous chemical into the water supply. Realizing there are no consequences to her actions (seeing as she has already been recalled), Leslie begins to fight back with ferocity and recruits Tom to help her spice up the idea of fluoride. Tom effectively re-brands fluoride into TDazzle, which the public loves. Meanwhile, Chris has been reading numerous parenting help books and follows them to a T. When Ron shows off his latest wood working project, building a crib for his unborn child, Chris becomes concerned that Ron is ignoring every known crib safety standard, and insists Ron accompany him to Bloomington's baby boutique store, so he can show Ron where he bought "the safest crib in the explored universe". At the store, Chris is shocked to find out that the crib he bought was recalled after a hazardous chemical was discovered in the glue. This causes Chris to change his mind, deciding he wants to do things the "Swanson way". Ron finally agrees, and plans to teach Chris how to build his own crib at the Swanson woodshop. During the lessons, however, Chris starts looking for metaphors in Ron's lessons, assuming he can learn parenting tips along the way. Finally, when April, Donna, and Craig look at Animal Control's new dog adoption website, they notice how a few dogs resemble some of the gang. This causes them to start a fun game where they pair member of the Parks Department with their "spirit dog". Everyone has a good time, until April chooses a dog for Donna ... at which point Donna gets upset, stands up, and leaves. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Jamm counter TDazzle, and if so, how so? Are there actually metaphors in Ron's lessons? Why did Donna get upset with April's choice? Does Sweetums gets involved in this hotly contested issue? Can Chris truly learn "the Swanson way"? How can April make things right with Donna? Will Pawnee finally get fluoride in their water? What crib does Chris end up with? What IS Donna's spirit dog? Loyal podcast viewers, the clock is ticking on Leslie's time in office ... can she make the most of it? Tune in to find out! Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, the one and only, "Sweetums".
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we are first introduced to Bloosh, as well as its founder, Annabel Porter! With the day of the Recall Election at hand, Leslie distracts herself by working with the gang to transform City Hall into a haunted house for Halloween. To ensure Leslie remains calm, Ben and Ann form the "Leslie Knope Emotional Support Task Force" and provide further distractions for her throughout the day. That night, the gang waits with Leslie in the bullpen for the results to pour in. It doesn't take long, and unfortunately, Leslie loses the recall election in a landslide. It would be safe to say Leslie does not handle the situation well. She comes into work the next morning dressed like a slob, eating a Paunch Burger, having lost interest in not only the haunted house project, but also her general well-being. That night, Ben takes her to a bar and watches her pound shots, while he tries to boost her spirits. Meanwhile, Tom gets one final mediocre buyout offer from Dr. Saperstein (delivered by Trevor the lawyer, of course), and is pressured to take it, since Rent-A-Swag has not been doing well. Shortly afterwards, Ron finds out his hand-crafted rocking chair has been named a trending, must-have item of the season by Annabel Porter, the author of Bloosh, Pawnee's premiere weekly lifestyle newsletter. Ron is rather nonplussed at this news, but he sees Tom and Donna are very excited, with Tom especially excited as he sees it as a possible way for HIM to get into Bloosh and give his ailing business a much needed boost. Realizing it could help Tom, Ron agrees to go on Pawnee Today to discuss his craft with Joan Callemezzo and Annabel Porter. Ron brings Tom and Donna with him to the recording, and they all plan to attend the Bloosh after party as well, where Tom hopes Ron can personally introduce him to Annabel Porter. Finally, April misses Andy and feels lost without her soul mate. Halloween was "their thing", and she does not feel like she can enjoy this time of the year without Andy. Chris attempts to comfort her and cheer her up, but in typical April fashion, she rebuffs his efforts. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Ben boost Leslie's spirits, or will Leslie drag Ben down to her level? Does Ron end up introducing Tom to Annabel at the Bloosh after party? Can Chris manage to cheer up April in time for the City Hall Haunted House? Will Ann swoop in to help save the day? Can Annabel negotiate a business proposal with Ron regarding his chair? Will April apologize for mouthing off to Chris despite his good intentions? What will Leslie do during her last 30 days? Will Tom end up taking Dr. Saperstein's final buyout offer? Loyal viewers, tragedy has struck ... and Leslie is out of office. How in the world can the gang bounce back from this? Tune in to find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor, "The Pawnee Mystery Closet".
