Show Notes
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".
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