Show Notes
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".
More from Live from Pawnee: A Parks and Recreation Fan Rewatch Podcast
Leave it to Mark and Allen to wait until the podcast is almost done to deliver an interview like this. It was so great to meet with Mike Scully - what a nice guy, a great conversationalist, and a good sport! Not only is his body of work fascinating, but he doesn't mind when we accidentally add credits to his resume that don't even exist (keep your ears peeled to hear Mark make a royal screwup, LOL). The boys were extremely lucky to get a chance like this to talk with Mike around late September 2024. We got to hear about Mike's work on big shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond and The Simpsons (and Parks of course), what he thought about acting as Pawnee citizen Pearl, concerns he had about Champion the 3-Legged Dog, his start in stand-up (and two famous people he met in the process), and many, many other topics. Please tune in and listen to a thoroughly interesting and tremendously entertaining conversation with writer/producer Mike Scully.
You know, true professionals wouldn't hold out until the very end of their podcast series to deliver the "big guns" like this ... but Mark and Allen have never been accused of being true professionals, have they? Oh my gosh ... Talking with Jim O'Heir was truly a pleasure, and an outright blast! He was so easy to talk to, so friendly, that we probably could have gone on for another half hour if we really wanted to. The boys were extremely lucky to get this chance to talk with Jim around mid-September 2024. We got to hear about Jim's upcoming book, how they filmed the 2020 Special, his thoughts on the series finale, and LOTS of other things, including his opinions on Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Retta, Ben Schwartz, and many others. Please tune in and listen to what ended up being a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable time with Jerry Gergich himself, Jim O'Heir. Perhaps our best Pawnee Spotlight ever.
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.
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we see what ultimately happens ... to everyone. 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, this is it - the series finale. So buckle up, buttercup. It's going to be a bittersweet journey.
Once again, Mark and Allen were extremely lucky to spend time with another fantastic guest during a Pawnee Spotlight interview, this time around the middle of May 2024. It was fascinating to talk to Jim about not only his take on the always entertaining M.C. Martin Housely, but also voice overs and impressions, his childhood growing up as the son of Marion Ross, and many other interesting topics. Jim was a tremendously kind and gracious guest on our show, and we are proud to have one of the only occurences in the world of an honest-to-God "Swanson-Off"! If you're confused at this (and you should be), tune in to see what we're talking about! We've said it before, and will say it once more here, this was yet another in a stream of incredible guests we've had the privilege to have on our show ... A fantastic Pawnee Spotlight featuring a tremendous multi-talented guest! We hope you all enjoy this as much as we did. Visit Jim at https://jimmeskimen.com/ and on Instagram @jimpressions