Live from Pawnee: A Parks and Recreation Fan Rewatch Podcast

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

Okay, look. Let's face facts. The series is ending. This wonderful, beloved sitcom, full of equal parts laughs and heart, is coming to a close. No doubt, it's a hard thing to contemplate for anyone, but it's just POSSIBLE that one of the guys is having a harder time than the other. Look, you have to understand, this isn't just a silly little hobby ... this gig has generated monetary kickbacks, medical benefits, travel opportunities, being asked to speak at conventions, movie deals ... and that's just the tip of the iceberg. We're not even mentioning all of the other fringe benefits, such as working with world class scientists and engineers to build what is frighteningly close to a sentient AI, or even (slightly flawed) time travel! I mean ... wow. It's so much, that it's ALMOST like we're just making this up. To imagine all that suddenly ending, well ... It's a little scary. But fans of the show deserve the truth. So, ugly or not, we're going to give you a peek into what has been going on, as well as our sincere assurance that the finale review is COMING!  We promise.  No, really ... we pinky promise.  Just like Leslie.  And if you can't believe a pinky promise ... well, then I guess the world is in worse shape than we ever imagined.  So bear with us just a few more weeks.  You won't be disappointed, and it'll be worth the wait.  We pinky promise.

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where FINALLY, after all this time ... we get a visual of the often talked about but never seen Mayor Gunderson! Right after the gang tells each other about their immediate plans for the future (Donna & Joe moving to Seattle, April & Andy leaving for DC, Leslie & Ben splitting their time between DC & Pawnee, Jerry retiring again), the gang learns that Mayor Gunderson has passed away. At the memorial, while everyone processes their grief, Ben asks April and Jerry to help find an interim mayor. Together, they begin interviewing several Pawnee citizens as potential candidates for interim Mayor, including such notables as Bobby Newport, Joan Callamezzo, Dr. Saperstein, and Howard "The Douche" Tuttleman. As the day progresses, they realize finding an appropriate candidate that is ABLE to (and WANTS to) do the job is trickier than they thought. Meanwhile, Leslie is somewhat depressed at all the "endings" going on, and desperately wants to find a "beginning" to balance things out. At Mayor Gunderson's funeral, Leslie talks to Tom, who is now back from his trip to New York with Lucy, and Tom tells Leslie how serious the two of them are, and that they've even looked at rings together. Seeing this as a chance for a "beginning", Leslie convinces Tom to go forward with the proposal ASAP, offering to help Tom with such extravagant details as filming a bombastic action movie for the proposal itself, not to mention lots and lots of over-the-top preparations and decorations to celebrate the (assumed) answer of yes. Finally, Ron seems to be rather composed and generally unaffected by the death of Mayor Gunderson. However, at Gunderson's funeral, he learns that Salvatore, his barber for the past four decades, also passed as well, causing him to nearly collapse in shock and grief. Wanting to show his respects, Ron attends Salvatore's funeral, accompanied by Andy and Donna for support. As Ron approaches Salvatore's coffin to say his final goodbyes, we sense Ron's sadness stems from his fear of change in this whirlwind of changes currently happening all around him ... Salvatore was one of the only constants left in Ron's life. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Who seems to be the strongest of all the interviewed candidates for interim mayor? How will Tom's proposal action movie turn out? Does Ron end up crying at Salvatore's funeral? Can Ben make a decision regarding interim mayor given these circumstances? Will Leslie's preparation for the engagement celebration be used as intended, or will it go to waste? Will Ron find a way to process his grief? What actually HAPPENS to the office of interim mayor? Does Tom end up proposing to Lucy, and if so ... what is her answer? Can Donna and Andy help Ron figure out who his next barber will be? Loyal viewers, we are winding down to the VERY, VERY end of this fantastic series! Can this episode possibly live up to the expectations of its fans? Just how big will the guest star list be? Do we actually consider the Parks and Recreation 2020 Special a "canon" episode in the series? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor "Hair by Typhoon."

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where Andy and Ben are knighted! This is an episode that nearly defies description, and is unlike ANY other episode in the entire series ... it truly stands alone. Things get very meta as we actually watch an entire show within a show ... specifically, the final episode of Andy's "Johnny Karate" show! At the start of the show, we learn that Andy ... er, I mean, Johnny Karate ... had his guitar stolen! This is very bad, as this is what he uses to sing both The Welcome Song and The Good-bye Song. With the assistance of Burt Macklin, Carpenter Ron (Ron Swanson), Professor Smartbrain (Ben Wyatt), Mailman Barry (Jerry), Leslie, and a slew of others, Andy (I mean, Johnny Karate) participates in various skits, demonstrates the Five Karate Moves to Success, and goes on a hunt to try and find his stolen guitar, so that he can sing The Goodbye Song and bring his final episode to a successful close. Meanwhile, as all this craziness is happening, we see that April seems somewhat tinged with sadness, which becomes more and more obvious as the show goes on. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Johnny Karate ever get his guitar back? Does Carpenter Ron end up giving Andy a hug? Can Professor Smartbrain find a way to counter the almighty Boring Buzzer? Why is April so sad, and what can Andy do to help? And in general ... what the **** is going on with this episode? Loyal podcast viewers, this might be the very definition of "weird but wonderful". We guarantee it's like nothing you've ever seen before. Are we full of it? Will this show bomb, or will we give it a perfect 10? Stay tuned to find out!                   

Mark and Allen were once again very lucky to spend time with another great person during a Pawnee Spotlight interview, this time near the end of March 2024. It was fascinating to talk to the person behind Brandi Maxxxx, and a joy to discover what a total gem she is! Nice, funny, talented, easy to talk to ... who could ask for more?  Yet another in a stream of incredible guests we've had the privilege to have on our show.

Join us as Mara talks about being Canadian, her lifelong love of acting and her experiences on Parks and Recreation, Schitt's Creek, and much much more! This was a great Pawnee Spotlight from an even greater guest! We hope you all get as much out of this interview as we did.

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where Ron first learns April and Andy will be moving away to Washington DC!  With the Harvest Festival once again in full swing, Ben's busy congressional campaign continues, and he and Leslie make the call to skip a few Festival-related things, one of which is the "Pie-Mary", a Southern Indiana tradition where the wives of congressional candidates face off in a pie-baking contest ... something which Leslie would have refused to participate in anyway due to its antiquated and retrogressive nature. Unfortunately, several reporters pounce on this, which, combined with the yellow journalism of Mike Patterson, quickly makes this a point of controversy. Not wanting to make things harder for Ben, Leslie decides to reverse her position and participate in the Pie-Mary ... but unfortunately, THIS gets the attention of the Indiana Organization of Women, who threaten to protest both Leslie and Ben at the event. Scrambling to figure out the right move, Ben comes up with an idea that would sidestep the controversy, refocus the campaign on the candidate, and flip the antiquated tradition on its head ... HE'S going to enter the Pie-Mary instead of Leslie.  Meanwhile, April informs Ron that she is about to move to Washington with Andy to take on a new job. Ron tells her that she has to return the key to his house. April realises that she has changed the hiding place of the key, and that she left a trail of clues, the first being 4 human teeth and a Twilight ticket stub. She and Andy tell Ron, but Ron is very excited to solve this mystery. They first visit Donna, who informs them that she and April watched that movie together years ago, when April removed her wisdom teeth. Donna also informs them that April also visited the shoeshine stand that day. The trio runs to the shoeshine stand, only to find that it was removed during the remodeling of the city hall.  Finally, during the search for Ron's key, Andy finds a small brown box where April used to hide things outside in the City Hall courtyard. The box did NOT contain Ron's key, but it DID contain Jerry's wedding ring that he lost down the sewer grate 6 years ago. Jerry is overjoyed to have it again, but then in typical Jerry Gergich fashion ... drops it in the sewer grate  ... AGAIN. As Jerry attempts to fish the ring out, Donna notices him, and chooses to stay with him and keep him company. Donna and Jerry enjoy each other's company, reminiscing with each other about the old days. As Jerry ends up losing more and more things down the grate, Donna keeps things light by laughing about it and ordering them dinner.  As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Does Ben have any ideas about redefining what a pie is? Are there more clues to find, or is this a dead end? How does Donna feel about hanging out with Jerry all day? Can Ben entering the Pie-Mary instead of Leslie prevent the IoW from protesting? Will Ron ever get his key back? Does Jerry get an earful when he returns home? Will any other protestors rise up to complain about anything political or pie related? Will April ever get satisfying closure from Ron? Will Jerry ever get his wedding ring back?  Loyal viewers, this looks like a great episode with a lot of nice callbacks, but will it live up to the hype? Could it be a perfect 10? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor ... The Calzone Zone.

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we actually meet one of Ron's brothers in person! Leslie and April are headed to Washington D.C. to convince a bunch of senators to support the National Parks. They've prepped, and Leslie is excited, convinced that April will show how thorough and hardworking she truly is. However, April is quietly freaking out about having to break it to Leslie that bureaucracy is not her calling ... as a friend, Leslie is loyal, thoughtful, and caring to a fault, but she's also stubborn and thoroughly convinced she knows what's best, not only for herself, but for literally everyone around her. As Leslie, April, and teammate Randy have meeting after meeting with senators, it seems like things are going well ... They're getting decent responses from senators, and during a one-on-one walk with Randy, Leslie is even offered a promotion to the position of Deputy Director of Operations and Interior. Despite all this, we see April just getting more and more anxious about telling Leslie the truth. Finally, while sitting with Leslie and listening to her news about the offered promotion, April finally gives in to her anxieties and blurts out that she wants to quit the National Parks Service. Meanwhile, knowing April is unhappy with her current job situation, Andy waits until she is gone on her trip to D.C. (see the A-Story above), then reaches out to Ben to brainstorm some new jobs April could pursue. Their first stop is meeting with Ron at the Very Good Building and Development company, Ron tries his best to help, but unfortunately, the routine work available there doesn't quite fit April's need to think creatively. Nevertheless, Ron joins Andy and Ben in trying to find the perfect job for April. Their second stop is a meeting with Barney Varmn at Tilton and Radomski Accounting, who (along with everyone else at the accounting firm) absolutely LOVES Ben. Anyway, Barney tells them Tilton and Radomski is opening a consulting arm, which would involve a lot of creative thinking. The good news? This sounds like it *could* be a good fit for April. The bad news? It's too late, and they aren't taking any more applicants. However, after discussing it, the guys decide they will make one last final attempt to pitch April to Barney. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... How does Leslie take April's news? Who else do the guys get to help with their final pitch to Barney? Does Leslie end up taking the promotion? What secret plan does Andy have to help convince Barney? Will Leslie have to lean on her good friend Madeleine Albright for advice? Do the guys make a successful pitch, and if so, does April end up working for Barney? Can April ever figure out what job she actually wants? Loyal podcast viewers, April's job arc seems to be drawing to a close ... or is it? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor ... the Very Good Building and Development Company.