Get your stories straight, because it's another great day in Pawnee. Today Rob Lowe and Alan Yang tackle the fifth episode of season three of Parks and Rec. In "Media Blitz" Leslie hits the Pawnee media circuit to promote the Harvest Festival, but Ben freaks out on air when his past is exposed. In today's episode you'll hear the writing team's favorite line ever delivered on the show, why some characters had goofier names than others, and why UCB performers did so well on the show. Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992  Leslie, Tom and Ben promote the upcoming Harvest Festival on several Pawnee media outlets, starting with the local morning radio show "Crazy Ira and The Douche" (Matt Besser and Nick Kroll). The duo begin asking Ben questions about his time as a teen mayor in Partridge, Minnesota, having discovered he bankrupted the town. Ben responds awkwardly, and is unable to defend himself against Crazy Ira and The Douche's taunts. Tom proposes dumping Ben from future media interviews, but Leslie insists they cannot because he is the only one who can handle complicated questions about the budget. Meanwhile, April accepts an offer from Chris to move to Indianapolis to be his secretary. Andy begs April to reconsider, offering to perform all the tasks she hates doing for a month. Ron volunteers to help, claiming that he does not want to lose April as an assistant while denying he cares about April and Andy's relationship. Ann is increasingly frustrated that Chris has not asked her about coming to Indianapolis with him, and is concerned about where their relationship is headed.Ben's past comes up again during Leslie's interview with newspaper reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep, who asks why Pawnee should accept financial guidance from someone with a poor budget managing record like Ben. Tom and Ben go on the television show "Ya' Heard? with Perd" in hopes of redeeming Ben’s image, but this interview is even worse. Ben launches into a furious, incoherent rant when his past is brought up. As a result, several businesses consider pulling their sponsorships from the Harvest Festival. Trying one last ditch effort, Leslie decides to use her upcoming interview on "Pawnee Today" with Joan Callamezzo to perform damage control. During the interview, Joan asks biased questions about the festival and Ben's past. Annoyed, Leslie brings Ben on stage to give him a final opportunity to explain himself. Ben again begins to freeze up at the questions from people calling in, but finally pulls it together and vigorously defends himself. By the end, the questions switch back from Ben to the festival itself, making the media blitz a successful one after all.Meanwhile, Chris tells Ann that after Indianapolis, he will be sent to a different city. The two agree they need to talk about the future of their relationship. Andy's difficult day of running errands for April culminates with him getting arrested after April's sister Natalie claims he is kidnapping her when he is merely picking her up from school. Ron approaches April and tells her that she should either forgive Andy or cut him loose, believing that she is only stringing Andy along and going to Indianapolis to spite him. When Andy returns, April finally forgives him and the two kiss.

Tammy is back! Today Rob and Alan talk about the very powerful fourth episode of season three. In "Ron and Tammy 2"  Ron breaks up with Tom's ex-wife, and decides to get back together with Tammy. In this episode find out what happens when you try and save the integrity of a script from a pile of wild jokes, what kind of dog Chris Traeger would be, how Ben's awkward nature is based off Mike Schur, and why it was ok to take liberties with the reality of the show when Tammy shows up. Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992  Ron's ex-wife Tammy is back to her old ways, trying to draw Ron back into their chaotic relationship with a fabricated outstanding library fine. It appears Ron is able to resist her seduction, due to the fact that he is in a solid relationship with Tom's ex-wife Wendy, but his steadfast resolve becomes compromised when Wendy tells Ron her plans to move back to Canada and the two break up.Leslie finds Ron drowning his sorrows at the bar where she and the Parks Dept are throwing a party for the Pawnee police department. Once the Chief has had his fill of pizza and beer, Leslie hopes he’ll donate the force’s time for security at the upcoming Harvest Festival, but Ben awkwardly fails to win Chief Trumple's (Eric Pierpoint) favor. Meanwhile Tom, unaware of Ron and Wendy's breakup, arrives at the party with Tammy to get back at Ron for going out with Wendy. After bickering loudly, Ron and Tammy both decide to leave the party together to try and make amends. A night filled with drunken sex and mayhem ensues, ending with the two getting remarried and ending up in jail.After getting Ron released, the Parks Dept holds a Tammy intervention, playing a previously recorded tape of Ron warning himself to stay away from her, but Ron ignores the warnings and prepares to take Tammy to his cabin for a sex-filled honeymoon. Leslie blames Tom for the dilemma and, although he initially claims to be unfazed, Tom later arrives at Tammy’s library bridal shower to stop Ron from going on the honeymoon. He reveals the whole marriage is a ploy by Tammy to once again make Ron miserable. Tammy attacks Tom, prompting Ron to remember what a monster she truly is and leave her. He carries Tom away, and the two later make amends. Despite the bad impression he made the day before, Ben asks the chief for the Harvest Festival favor. The chief unconditionally agrees out of respect for Leslie, explaining that she always helps everyone, and because Leslie once dated his friend Dave. Ben seems relieved that Leslie and Dave are no longer together, and later asks Leslie out to eat.Meanwhile, April has been working as Chris' assistant until he goes back to Indianapolis. April's cynical personality clashes with Chris' relentless optimism and happiness. In an attempt to get fired, April purposely neglects to tell Ann that Chris cannot make a lunch date. When Ann arrives to confront Chris, she quickly realizes April's ploy. Ann reveals she is very happy dating Chris, and would even move with him to Indianapolis if asked. Andy, who is still trying to win back April's affections, gives Chris an obviously forged letter from the FBI claiming April must immediately return to the Parks Dept as Ron’s assistant. Chris sees through the ruse and tells April she can go back, but explains that remaining his assistant may provide her better career opportunities. He invites her to return with him to Indianapolis and she seems interested, leaving both Ann and Andy stunned and jealous. 

Today's episode shines like glitter when Rob Lowe and Alan Yang revisit the third episode of season three of Parks and Recreation. In "Time Capsule" A crackpot handcuffs himself to a pipe in Leslie's office and demands that "Twilight" be placed in the Pawnee time capsule. In today's episode you'll hear why Rob wishes he could work with a giant lizard, what happens when you're required to shoot episodes out of order, how entertaining it is to work with Will Forte, and the divisive nature of DMB. Come for the Parks and Rec trivia, stay for the Kenneth "Baby Face" Edmonds trivia! Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992 Leslie is organizing a Pawnee time capsule, meant to be opened 50 years in the future and filled with items that encapsulate the spirit of the town. A citizen named Kelly Larson comes to Leslie's office and makes a passionate plea for the Twilight books to be included. When Leslie refuses, saying the books have no connection to Pawnee, Kelly handcuffs himself to a pipe in her office hoping she’ll reconsider. Having brought food, water and a pillow Kelly settles in for the long haul. Leslie tries to get Kelly to leave her office to no avail, until she notices the name "Liz Waverly" in one of Kelly's Twilight books. Leslie realizes that Kelly wants to put Twilight into the time capsule to impress his 12 year old daughter and make up for the fact that he and his ex-wife have divorced. Hearing the backstory, Leslie decides to include the book, but Ben points out the slippery slope this could create.To make things right, Leslie decides to hold a public meeting so all citizens can make suggestions for capsule items. The meeting descends into chaos when the citizens begin to argue over including absurd and random objects that have nothing to do with the town. Leslie tries to compromise by making multiple time capsules, but ultimately decides to stick to one capsule and include nothing except a video recording of the meeting, saying it represents Pawnee because it shows "a lot of people with a lot of opinions arguing passionately for what they believed in."Meanwhile, Andy still pines for April, who is now dating the handsome Eduardo. Chris suggests Andy tap into the aspects of his personality April was attracted to in the first place, which Andy decides are that he is nice and that he is in a band. Andy decides to be nice to Eduardo, and the two bond over their love of The Dave Matthews Band. April becomes frustrated because she only dated Eduardo to make Andy jealous and dumps Eduardo.The episode ends with the Pawnee residents, including Kelly and his daughter, watching an outdoor screening of the Twilight film.

Grab your waffles and chicken soup—today Rob Lowe and Alan Yang are watching an iconic episode of Parks and Recreation. In "Flu Season" Leslie gets sick right before an important fundraising pitch for the Harvest Festival while Chris tries frantically to avoid catching the bug. In today's episode you'll hear why Rob saying "Stop Pooping" was so important, the impact of "Spa-nee" on treating one's self, and how the Harvest Festival storyline helped keep Chris and Ben as main characters. Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992 Flu season has hit Pawnee hard, leaving nurse Ann caring for April, along with many other sick citizens at the hospital, who constantly mistreats Ann in retaliation for kissing Andy. Leslie also has the flu, but refuses to admit it in attempts to continue working on an important presentation to the Pawnee Chamber of Commerce about the planned Harvest Festival. With Leslie’s symptoms worsening by the second, Ben takes Leslie to the hospital, where she is admitted with a dangerously high fever and dehydration. Much to the chagrin of Leslie, Ben and Tom decide to do the presentation themselves, but Tom immediately abandons Ben to hang out with a group of older men at the spa.Back at the hospital, to Ann's surprise, a very sick Chris has also been admitted to the hospital with the flu. Because of his extreme health and 0% body fat, he is ravaged by the flu, which lets Ann see him in a less intimidating light.Meanwhile, Leslie escapes the hospital and heads back to city hall to deliver the presentation herself. Tom returns from the spa, revealing his spa friends are the owners of several car dealerships, which have agreed to lend vehicles to the festival. Although delirious with fever and an excess of flu medication, Leslie delivers a flawless presentation, wildly impressing Ben. She is immediately brought back to the hospital, where Ben tells her 110 businesses have agreed to help with the festival, surpassing the minimum 80 needed and brings her waffles and homemade chicken soup.Back at the Parks Dept, with April absent from work, Ron asks Andy to fill in as his assistant. The two bond over the course of the day, and Andy begins to tell Ron about his problems with April, for whom he still harbors romantic feelings. Although initially not wishing to get involved, Ron reluctantly tells Andy she is at the hospital and he should visit her. Meanwhile, Ann remains pleasant throughout her nursing shift despite April's constant abuse. The second her shift ends, however, Ann immediately loses her temper and curses at April. Ann apologizes for kissing Andy, but insists it was a mistake and that April should stop taking it out on Andy. Later, Andy visits April, who pretends to be asleep but smiles, revealing she is happy he came.At the end of the episode, Chris tells Ben they have been called back to Indianapolis for a new assignment, but both agree to seek an extension to stay in Pawnee longer. Although both claim they want to help organize the Harvest Festival, it is hinted they really want to stay because of Leslie and Ann.

Can you believe season 3 is here? Alan and Rob are back with director Dean Holland to talk through the season premiere! In “Go Big or Go Home,” Leslie plays matchmaker with Ann and Chris in hopes of securing a bigger budget for the parks department. On this episode you’ll hear about the labor that went into Ron Swanson's Pyramid of Greatness, how Chris Traeger came to be a three-dimensional character, the ups and downs of the editing room, and how Alan’s hometown inspired Ice Town! Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992After three months of closure due to the Pawnee budget crisis and government shutdown, the parks department has since been reopened, although on a shoestring budget. Meanwhile, the always optimistic Chris Traeger continues trying to ask out Ann, who finds him too intense.  Nonetheless Leslie convinces her to accept in order to persuade Chris to increase the park's budget.Ben restarts the youth basketball league with only two teams. They're coached by the contrasting duo of the uber-strict Ron and the laidback Andy. Tom, who referees the game, becomes jealous when his ex-wife Wendy arrives to support Ron.Meanwhile, Ann finds out she actually enjoys her date with Chris, especially after learning about why he feels lucky to be alive every day. Leslie crashes the date to help and persuade Chris to increase the park's budget—but Ben also arrives, having correctly anticipated Leslie's plan. Leslie excitedly declares “Mission accomplished” after Chris talks about increasing the park's budget, accidentally giving away her scheme and prompting a hurt Chris to leave. Ann apologizes to Chris later and asks for another date, to which he happily agrees. April turns up back at work after a three-month disappearance. Though Andy still nurses a crush on her, April says she met a new boyfriend in Venezuela. A discouraged Andy seeks advice from Leslie, who encourages him not to give up and to “go big or go home.” Leslie proposes restoring the parks department with a grand Harvest Festival. Impressed by the team's enthusiasm, Chris and Ben agree to the idea.

It's the end of Season 2, but just the beginning of the podcast now that RoLo is on the screen! Today Alan Yang and Rob Lowe discuss the season 2 finale of Parks and Recreation. In "Freddy Spaghetti" Leslie tries to skirt the rules to hold a children's concert in the vacant lot. In this episode you'll hear why you never see the inside of Ann's house, how Chris came into his own character, a writer's horror story from Producer Greg, and a little gift from Mark Rivers. Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992 The Pawnee government has been shut down due to a budget crisis. When Leslie explains at a town hall that a family concert featuring children's entertainer Freddy Spaghetti (Brian McCann) must be cancelled due to the shutdown, the citizens are outraged. Leslie visits state auditors Chris and Ben seeking a way to keep the concert, but Ben insists there is simply no money for it. Leslie then goes to Mark to vent about her situation and seek help, only to learn that he has taken a buyout and plans to join a construction company. Frustrated, Leslie angrily calls him "Mark Brendana-Quits". Meanwhile, Ann struggles with her newfound feelings for Andy and April and Andy finally reveal their feelings to each other. April rejects Andy, believing Andy still has feelings for Ann.Back at the Parks Dept. Ron has been assigned to a task force to help fix the city's budget problem. A Libertarian, Ron is delighted at the prospect of deep municipal cuts, gloating and chanting at the cuts Chris and Ben propose, but when he learns the auditors plan to fire Leslie, Ron refuses and offers his job instead. In explaining her dedication, Ron accidentally alerts them about the Freddy Spaghetti concert. Chris and Ben go to Lot 48 to to shut the concert down and Leslie explains everything has been donated and nothing is on the taxpayer's dime. Leslie then learns Freddy Spaghetti has booked another gig and the concert seems once again in a state of peril. Leslie asks Andy to play instead, but he is hit by a car while driving his new motorcycle home to retrieve his guitar, breaking his right arm.Attending to Andy in the hospital, Ann suddenly kisses him, but immediately stops and guiltily walks out. Later, April, visits Andy in the hospital and relieved to see Andy is fine, finally agrees to go out with him and kisses Andy. In an effort to be upfront and honest, Andy admits that Ann has also just kissed him, but that it meant nothing. April angrily storms out, taking back her decision to go out with him. Back at Lot 48, Freddy Spaghetti surprisingly arrives, having been paid by Ben to perform at Leslie's concert. Ben explains he is not a bad person, but the budget still has to be slashed.That night, Leslie sits on a bench in Lot 48 and Mark joins her. Mark tells her that if more people like her worked in local government, he wouldn't be leaving, and gives her plans he drew up for a park at Lot 48 before giving her a goodbye kiss on the cheek and walking away forever.The next day, Ron withdraws from the budget task force and appoints Leslie in his place. As Tom and his new girlfriend Lucy (Natalie Morales) are clearing out his office, he notices Ron is wearing a red shirt and black pants, the "Tiger Woods" outfit he always wears the day after having sex. Tom's ex-wife Wendy then appears and kisses Ron and the two leave together, shocking Tom.

We've made it! Today Alan and Rob talk about an incredible turning point in the Parks and Recreation universe—the 23rd episode of season 2. In "The Master Plan" Everyone is excited about celebrating April's 21st birthday except Leslie, who is preoccupied with the prospect of her budget being cut by the state auditor's office. On today's episode you'll hear the secret to the Chris Traeger cadence, the origin of the "Ann Perkins!" tag line, and the classic Tom Cruise / Kenny G synthesis! Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992 Leslie excitedly prepares to present the parks department budget proposal, or "master plan". However, city manager Paul (Phil Reeves), announces due to Pawnee's huge budget deficit, all proposals will be postponed indefinitely. State auditors have been sent by the governor to solve the impasse, which makes Leslie fear severe cuts. Ron is delighted because he hates any government spending, which leads him to heated arguments with Leslie. Meanwhile, April is turning 21 and is having her birthday party at Tom's favorite nightclub, the Snakehole Lounge. Andy debates whether to ask April to be his girlfriend, but worries about the age difference because he is 29. Ann has broken up with Mark, and they meet for lunch to discuss the end of their relationship. Mark is confused as to why Ann has decided to break up with him because they never fought and everything seemed to be going smoothly. Ann explains that their lack of fighting was actually a bad thing because it meant their relationship had no passion.State auditors Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt soon arrive, and the extremely cheerful Chris paints an optimistic picture of how they will fix the budget, but leaves the details to the more serious Ben. When Ben explains they will need to slash the budget of every department by nearly 40 or 50 percent, Leslie angrily lashes out at Ben, who responds to her that the poorly managed government is to blame. Later, at April's party, Tom desperately tries to pick up women, but to no avail, while Leslie and Ann get extremely drunk together. Andy and April appear to be getting along, but when he goes to the bar to get a drink for April, a drunken Ann flirts with him. An upset April flirts with Tom's annoying friend Jean-Ralphio (Ben Schwartz) to make Andy jealous. Andy gets upset, believing he misread April's signals all along, and April later regrets what she did. Ben arrives at the party and tries to smooth things over with a drunken Leslie, but she again angrily lashes out at him.The next morning, Ann fears she made out with someone at the party but cannot remember who it could be. She eventually learns she made out with Chris, who shows a romantic interest in her. Tom returns to the Snakehole Lounge to close his tab, where he meets the bartender, Lucy (Natalie Morales), who makes fun of his efforts to pick up women. The two flirt and Lucy gives Tom her phone number.Back at the Parks Dept., Leslie decides to apologize to Ben, and he invites her out for a beer. As they finally start to get along, Leslie realizes Ben was the 18 year old mayor of a small town called Partridge, Minnesota which he promptly drove into the ground and that Ben became a state auditor to prove he can be responsible and restart his political career. Later, at the parks department budget meeting, Chris and Ben reveal Pawnee's budget crisis was far worse than previously thought and that the Pawnee government will shut down until further notice, horrifying Leslie and delighting Ron.

Pawnee fit check! Today Parks and Rec costume designer Kirston Mann joins Rob Lowe and Alan Yang to talk about the 22nd episode of season 2. In "Telethon"  Leslie struggles to fill the overnight hours at a local telethon when Tom and celebrity guest Detlef Schrempf are sidetracked at the Snakehole Lounge. On today's episode you'll hear why Ann Perkins is the best dressed person in Pawnee, how Kirston helps get to the bottom of the Ron Swanson suit mystery, as well as  a unique story about Pawneean Denise Yermley! Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992 Leslie has volunteered to work on the 24-hour "Pawnee Cares" diabetes telethon and orders everyone in the office to work the phones for multiple shifts. Tom is assigned to pick up retired basketball player Detlef Schrempf from the airport, the special guest for the telethon. Leslie is excited because she has been allowed to program her own four-hour block, but her co-workers are upset to learn it runs from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Additionally, she has already been up for 24 hours creating T-shirts for her staff to wear for the telethon.During lunch, Mark tells Leslie that he is going to propose to Ann. Ann suggests that Leslie get some sleep, but she plans on consuming Sweetums bars to stay awake for another 24 hours. As the telethon begins, Leslie is already exhausted and is falling asleep. With time to kill, Tom brings Detlef to the Snakehole Lounge, but the owner, Freddy (Andy Milder), refuses to let him go because Detlef is bringing a lot of business, delaying Leslie's big headliner. Andy's band, Mouse Rat, is asked to replace Detlef, but when they complete all of their songs, Leslie has nothing else to put on the air. Ron volunteers to demonstrate how to cane a chair, but his presentation is so boring that the telethon actually starts to lose money.Desperate for something to put on, Leslie tells Mark that he should propose to Ann in front of the camera and he agrees. Not long after, however, Ann confides in Leslie that she wants to break up with Mark, citing that he is simply not the one. Meanwhile, April tries to make Andy jealous by flirting with someone over the phone, but it backfires when it turns out to be Joe (Kirk Fox) from the Pawnee sewer department. Andy is forced to kick Joe out of the studio when he actually arrives to bring April to his van.The telethon's talent pool becomes so low that Leslie is forced to flip a coin in front of the camera and talk about her favorite episodes of Friends. Jerry is allowed to play the piano, but everyone dismisses his skilled playing as a racket. Mark finally returns to propose and walks on the set with the ring, but Leslie stops him by mooning the camera. Detlef Schrempf and Tom finally arrive at the end of Leslie's programming block. Detlef presents a check for $5,000, allowing the telethon to bypass its $20,000 mark. Despite being awake for two days straight, Leslie goes to Ann's house so they could talk about Mark. She then promptly falls asleep on Ann's couch for 22 hours.

Our friend Susan Yeagley AKA Jessica Wicks joins us in Pawnee today—to speak with Alan and Rob about the 21st episode of season 2! In "94 Meetings"  Leslie goes all out to save a gazebo on the historical register from being destroyed. On today's show you'll hear how Susan made her character more nuanced the second time around, how working with Amy was like working with a Jedi, and the secret origin of April's nickname! Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992 In an effort to keep citizens from meeting with Ron, April has scheduled all meetings for a date she thought didn’t exist. Realizing the date does in fact exist, it turns out Ron is now faced with 93 meetings in a single day. He enlists the aid of April, Andy, Leslie and Ann to help handle them, while telling Jerry that he is free to go home early for the day. During her first meeting, Leslie learns a historic town monument, the Turnbill mansion, is soon to be altered by its new renter, the former Miss Pawnee beauty pageant winner Jessica Wicks (Susan Yeagley). Leslie and Tom leave to meet with her at the mansion, where Jessica is planning a birthday party for her extremely old husband, the wealthy Nick Newport Sr. (Christopher Murray), founder of the Sweetums candy company. Leslie is shocked to find that Jessica has already made alterations, such as hanging up nude portraits of herself and her husband and painting the original hardwood floors black, but completely outraged when Jessica reveals her plans to demolish an old gazebo in the backyard of Turnbill Mansion. The gazebo is the site of a historic wedding between a Pawnee Native American and white woman, which became a "bloodbath" when knowledge of the wedding became public.In efforts to thwart the demolition Leslie has Tom chain her to the front gate to prevent construction crews from entering; however, she mistakenly assumes the gate opens from the middle when it actually opens from the side, enabling the crews to enter right past Leslie and demolish the gazebo.At the end of the day, Ann and Mark arrive to free her, and Leslie finally reveals to Tom the true source of her anxiety—Mark's intentions to marry Ann. On the one hand, she wants her friends to be happy. On the other hand, she used to have romantic feelings for Mark, she feels insecure about being single, and she worries about losing her two friends. In response, Tom assures her not to worry, thus empowering Leslie to crash and ruin Jessica's party.Meanwhile, Ron and the rest of the Parks Dept. trudge on with the meetings: April acts as uninterested as possible, Andy makes promises to people against Ron's wishes, and Ann provides several medical consults.After all the meetings have concluded and a stern berating for causing the mess in the first place, April arranges her own meeting with Ron where she announces she is quitting. When Andy learns this, he convinces Ron that April is a great assistant and Ron heads to April’s house to change her mind and discovers her incredibly welcoming and nice parents.Despite April’s embarrassment over her normal family, Ron convinces April to stay and April reveals that she knows Ron is Duke Silver. The two exchange a look and it’s clear they agree to keep each other’s secrets. On her first day back, April successfully scares off a citizen wanting to meet with Ron by scheduling truly absurd meeting dates and times such as June 50th, the "one-teenth" of "march-tember" and 2:65 PM. Ron gives her an approving smile and nod while watching from his office.

Today in Pawnee we're flipping through another episode as Rob and Alan take on the 20th episode of season 2. In "Summer Catalog" Leslie decides to take Ron and the past directors of the Parks Department out for a picnic lunch, while Tom enlists the help of Ann and Mark to pose for the catalog cover photo. On this pod you'll hear about Rob's first visit to the set, how Mark's story initiated its close, and the unique call back to our previous episode "The Stakeout." Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992 While working on the Pawnee summer catalog, Leslie excitedly organizes a reunion between Ron and his three predecessors. She anticipates a joyous occasion and plans to write a letter about it for the catalog. However, none of the four men get along with each other, and all of them are difficult to get along with. One of them (Dakin Matthews) litters repeatedly, treats everybody disrespectfully, and cheerfully says he never gave a damn about the Parks department and only took the job because it had an easy path to job security and a lucrative pension. Another one (Jack Wallace) exhibits a sexist attitude, and tells Leslie she should not be working there due to menstruation issues. The third (Michael Gross) constantly talks about his affinity for marijuana, going so far as to say "I've planted marijuana in community gardens across this city," and particularly clashes with Ron (who forced him out of the position years ago) who cheerfully confirms he screwed his predecessor over and otherwise is his usual detached self. Later, a frustrated Leslie decides she cannot write the catalog letter; she stops treating the former directors with any respect by telling the sexist to shut up and calling them "turds" when she briefly takes a throwaway picture and then walks away from without another word.  Ron takes her out to dinner to apologize, and the two process their mutual respect for each other, and vow they will never grow to hate each other the way the four former directors do. Ron even tells Leslie that he wants her to take over his Parks Director position if he becomes Pawnee's City Manager. However, Ron cheerfully says in an interview that one of his first acts as City Manager would be to eliminate the Parks department, while Leslie gives an equally upbeat interview where she says one of her first acts as City Manager, were she to leapfrog Ron for the job, would be to double the department's size.Tom is tasked with taking the cover photo of the summer catalog, and convinces Ann and Mark to pose for photos at a community park. Tom is repeatedly frustrated with Ann, who has a difficult time appearing happy. When the photos are finished, Ann agrees that she looks miserable and asks that the pictures not be used. Mark appears concerned that Ann's unhappiness is a reflection of their relationship. She insists everything is fine, but he is unconvinced. Meanwhile, April and Andy appear to be growing closer. After helping Leslie set up her picnic, Andy asks whether April wants to get drinks after work, and she agrees. However, when they arrive at a bar, the bouncer easily notices April is underage, and her identification confirms she is 20. April tells Andy they can go to another bar, but Andy decides to go home instead, seemingly uncomfortable about their age difference. April is visibly disappointed, but does not convey it to Andy. Later, the summer catalogs arrive, with a photo on the cover of April and Andy appearing happy together at the picnic.