Live from Pawnee: A Parks and Recreation Fan Rewatch Podcast

As the name would suggest, this week Mark and Allen have squashed a lot of stuff into one episode for your listening pleasure - a grab bag, if you will. Or, even if you won't. It is what it is. Buckle in. Some of the stuff they will be going over include, but are not limited to: [a] reviewing all episodes in the first half of Season 3, [b] sharing viewer feedback with all the other viewers (although we THINK maybe you're not viewers), and [c] indulging our unpaid producer, Constantine, by including a new segment he came up with. As Constantine says, "Don't be... Late To The Party!" (EDIT BY MARK AND ALLEN: Subtle, dude. Real subtle.)

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, "???????".

This week, Mark and Allen break down the Episode that not only introduces Galentine's Day, but also Dennis Feinstein's unforgettable perfume line! When Leslie's boyfriend Justin hears a story from Marlene (Leslie's mom) about Frank "the one that got away", Leslie and Justin track him down to reunite them at the Valentine's Day dance at the Senior Center. Meanwhile, Andy and his band are nervous about playing "old fogey" songs for the dance. As it turns out, the senior center ends up being the stage for several relationships to progress (or perhaps regress), including Mark and Ann, Tom and Wendy, our favorite throuple April/Derek/Ben, Leslie and Justin, and of course... Marlene and Frank! Once again, nothing is safe from us, as we fearlessly pursue the answers to questions such as... What is the old lady version of flashing? Is it okay for someone to blackmail you into a date? What is Leslie's definition of a nooner? How should a daughter refer to her new step-dad? (UPDATE: The scientists at LFP Worldwide Headquarters have done some research, and the answer is "Poo-Paw".) Podcast viewers, tune your dials accordingly for this iconic episode, it's going to be great! Constantine asks you also stick with us through the rest of the series. Please don't be a tourist. Many thanks to our irreplaceable sponsor, J.J.'s Diner.

This week, Mark and Allen break down the Episode that introduces porn star Brandi Maxxxx! The gang attends an art show with paintings intended for government buildings. Jerry painted the topless centaur goddess Diaphena, which he accidentally made to look like Leslie. Jerry apologizes, but Leslie is oddly empowered by the painting. The next day Marcia Langman deems the painting unsuitable for government use and demands it be destroyed. Leslie goes on "Ya Heard? With Perd!" to rouse public support for the painting, and Chris convenes the Pawnee Public Arts Commission to rule on the painting. Meanwhile, now that Ben is permanently in Pawnee, he moves in with Andy and April, since previous owner Burly moved out and left the house to them. The two have only been on their own for a week, but the house is already a wreck, with no items like plates or utensils. Ben decides to teach a reluctant Andy and April how to properly live like adults. We ask the hard hitting questions, such as ... Are bills somehow less expensive if you freeze them? Will Leslie receive support from porn star Brandi Maxxxx? Will April and Andy each get their own fork? Does the fat little cherub in the painting look like anyone? Can you actually fry marbles? Grab your favorite podcast snack (Constantine recommends turkey chili in a frisbee) and tune in to enjoy this with us! Many thanks to our sponsor... er... Art....well, the Pawnee Arts Fair to be precise.

This week Mark and Allen continue (and finish) the Episode where we see what ultimately happens ... to everyone. TO RECAP: As Leslie and the gang face their last day together in Pawnee before everyone goes their own ways, one final little job crosses their path ... fixing a broken swing. Mundane though it may seem, Leslie throws herself into it with her typical level of gusto, convincing the rest of the gang to band together to do this one last task. In the process of going through the necessary motions to get the swing fixed, we do deep dives into every single person, including time jumps into their futures, so we can see how things turned out for them. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will they get the swing fixed? Will everyone get the story they want? Can Mark and Allen make it through this last episode review? How many times will Mark break down? What will the boys do with Robonstantine? Will we ever hear from Constantine and Harvey again? What is WITH that stupid f**king Stargate portal and the post-it notes? Everyone ... hold hands, smile, laugh, and be grateful for the good things in life ... of which this series was certainly one.