Live from Pawnee: A Parks and Recreation Fan Rewatch Podcast

This week, Mark and Allen break down the Episode that introduces the inside of the famous Snakehole Lounge nightclub!  A letter to the department makes Leslie think she is being named Woman of the Year, but instead it is going to Ron! While Ron knows this is a dumb mistake, he uses it to tease Leslie for caring about "crap like this", fully intending to later recommend her as the rightful recipient. Meanwhile, Tom is doing his best to invest in the Snakehole Lounge, but the shares are $10,000. Dreaming of being a club owner, Tom seeks assistance from several people, including Donna, Jerry, Mark, and the fast-talking Jean-Ralphio. Finally, Andy has been living with bandmate Burly rent free, and is told to change his living habits or move out. This leads April to help Andy find his own place... perhaps one close to April's place so they can carpool to work together?  As always, we attack the scariest of questions, such as...  How do you create a Bag of Smells, and what would that experiment teach us?  What is a Smurf Girl Trophy?  How would Tom's face look on legal tender?  When will Andy realize April is WAY into him?  Loyal podcast viewers, this is a good one, be sure not to miss it!  NOTE: Constantine asks you not spill your soup all over everything - take it like a man.  Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, Pawnee Super Suites.

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 utilize the varied talents of unpaid intern Constantine to select the questions. This could be dangerous, but our intrepid hosts are not afraid! As always, Mark and Allen answer some questions that have been on the viewers minds for quite some time, including questions about Mike Schur, podcasting in general, Kevin Symons, our impression of characters so far, and more! As well, we may tackle some tangential questions, such as...  Are the awesome and loyal LFP podcast viewers actually viewers? Will we be interviewing any more Parks and Rec cast members?  This is ten pounds of goodness in a five pound bag, folks. So kick back, get your favorite beverage, tune your podcast dials as needed, and enjoy the ride.

This week, Mark and Allen break down the Episode that gives us a greater understanding of one of Pawnee's oldest and best known institutions... Sweetums!  Sweetums tries partnering with the Parks Dept to market NutriYum Bars to park visitors. Ideologies clash as Ron (consumer choice) squares off against Leslie (public safety). Convincing City Manager Paul Iaresco to hold a public forum as a CYA move, Leslie has one last shot at defeating the proposal.  Meanwhile, the rest of the gang helps Tom move out of Wendy's house, which Tom hasn't prepared for at all, to everyone's chagrin.  Additionally, during Tom's move, we see April's loyalties split between Andy and the throuple.  Once again we tackle the hard hitting questions, such as... what is "turf and turf"?  Is it acceptable for one to pour Wild Turkey on their cornflakes?  Can a machine be killed?  If so, can it come back to life and haunt people?  How many boxes can Donna's "baby" hold?  (Don't judge, it has a delicate suspension.)  Tune in, podcast viewers, although you might want to sit down... you WILL be crashing soon.  P.S.  Please ignore the punk ass book jockeys.  Many thanks to our often imitated but never duplicated sponsor, the one and only, Sweetums.

This week, Mark and Allen break down the Episode that lets us finally peer inside the one area of Leslie's life that has remained a mystery - her house! Having been on several great dates with Justin, Leslie wants to plan their best date ever for when he next comes to Pawnee.  It quickly becomes obvious she has bitten off more than she can chew.  In desperation, Leslie reaches out to her friends, then to the Pawnee Rec Center teachers.  However, the teachers, who days ago had been told the reduced city budget would force 5 classes to close, interpret this as Leslie soliciting a bribe from them in the form of free services.  Combine this with potential awkwardness (Andy/Mark, Mark/Justin, Tom/Wendy), borderline gluttony (Ron bringing his own tray of deviled eggs which he does not want to share), underage drinking (April and her friends), and very hot peppers (wait and see), this party could be a royal gala or a powder keg.  Which way will it lean?  What will happen?  Stay tuned, loyal podcast viewers... the answers will be revealed!  This is ramping up to be a good one.  NOTE:  We're not saying we don't trust you... but leave any chewing gum at the door.  Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, the William Percy Recreation Center.

This week, Mark and Allen break down the Episode that reminds us all just how awkward being setup can actually be! For starters, while Leslie is interested in Justin, an old attorney friend of Ann's, Ann is clearly saving him for herself and sets up Leslie with a really...interesting...doctor she kind of knows. A really awkward dinner date leads to an even more awkward MRI. Meanwhile, Mark is having a bad day as he suspects Ann's motivation vis a vis Justin AND has to endure 'Marley and Me' to make matters even worse. Finally, and most importantly to Ron, Tom helps Ron search for an taxpayer funded assistant to help save Ron from the taxpayers themselves! We meet lots of unmemorable candidates before meeting "The Worst" of them all - the one and only Jean-Ralphio Saperstein!

When we last left our heroes, the brave Mark and Allen (and almost-as-brave intern Constantine) had valiantly broken down Christmas Scandal, the very first Park & Recs Christmas episode.  Five storylines, people!  Five!!!  They walked through the episode scene by scene, discussed the highs and lows, the funny points, the heart moments, and everything in between.  In the second half, they will discuss the episode overall, including Firsts, Tropes, Deleted Scenes, and finally, the all-important and ever-popular scoring segment!  Here at LFP Worldwide Headquarters, we know how much you like your "Sexy Dexy".  Therefore, after the Live From Pawnee "main course", we will provide the perfect "after dinner coffee" with the conclusion of our exclusive Kevin Symons interview!  So to all of our loyal podcast viewers ... get comfortable, tune your podcast dials accordingly, and keep up - this will be a fun ride.  (P.S.  We know you're not viewers.)

Check out Kevin Symons here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEQdbINKqPfzDhm7LFMG\_2g
https://www.instagram.com/thekevinsymons/
https://twitter.com/TheKevinSymons
https://www.cameo.com/kevinsymons1

Get out your calculators and count along with us as Mark and Allen breakdown this jam-packed episode that has no less than 5 story lines! In fact this episode has so much going on that we decided to break it into 2-parts this week. We've got Christmas Follies, sex scandals, gift exchanges, liver-ladies, life-altering relationship decisions and did we mention sex scandals? We're talking about, of course, S02E12 "Christmas Scandal"! Tune in to hear what happens when Leslie is falsly accused of an affair with Councilman "Sexy Dexy" Dexhart and the gang does their best to cover Leslie's insane schedule and preparations for the "Winter Wonderland" community event as she takes some time off to clear her name. Meanwhile, Andy has been thinking of April's gay boyfriend all day and Mark and Tom debate the merits of blood diamonds as a Christmas gift for Ann.

Check out Kevin Symons here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEQdbINKqPfzDhm7LFMG\_2g
https://www.instagram.com/thekevinsymons/
https://twitter.com/TheKevinSymons
https://www.cameo.com/kevinsymons1

Paid spokes-shill, Ron Swanson, has a special message for you this week from LFP Worldwide HQ! Listen in as he spills the tea on our special, 2-part rewatch of Parks and Recreation's Season 2 Christmas Scandal! Be sure to tune in that podcast dial when the fellas are back from their break and listen to the special interview with Sexy Dexy himself!

As the name would suggest, this week Mark and Allen welcome our newest "viewers" and do a quick review of the first 15 episodes of Parks & Rec we covered on the podcast. The episodes and their scores will be listed, grouped, tiered, summarized, triangulated, and other nonsense mathematical terms until the abacus breaks from stress!  Will any episodes get re-scored?  Who knows?  Anything could happen.  Before he left, Constantine left us these questions to tackle:  "Why are these two still on the air?"  "How do I change the station?"  "Where are my onions?"  "Are they really viewers?"  (EDIT:  Ha ha, Constantine.  Please report to HR when you get back.)  Many thanks to our fantastic sponsor, Apple.