Rob and Alan welcome Jim O'Heir aka Jerry Gergich to Pawnee. In "Park Safety" Leslie goes on a crusade to improve park safety after Jerry is mugged. On today's pod find out why this episode was terrifying for Jim, which director Carl Lorthner is based on, and why Jim had to eat charcoal tablets while filming! 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 holds a drawing to determine who will fill the park's hummingbird feeders. Jerry is chosen because everybody writes down Jerry's name instead of their own. Later, Leslie receives a call from Ann that Jerry is in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. Jerry claims to have been mugged in the park, and Leslie decides nobody should tease him anymore. When Jerry returns, he acts particularly buffoonish during a slideshow presentation, and ends up farting and splitting his pants, but everyone holds back laughter at Leslie's request. Leslie meets with Carl Lorthner, a park security ranger who is incredibly loud but oblivious to the fact. Leslie suggests Carl get more help for the park to be safe.Carl says the park is largely unprotected due to budget cuts, so Leslie vows to get more funding. The mayor offers $2,500 to help fix the park, but at a press conference about the money, Jerry confesses to Leslie that he wasn't mugged: he dropped a breakfast burrito in a creek, then fell while trying to grab it. Leslie angrily relates Jerry's story to Mark, but he stops her short when he says that Jerry was too scared of his co-workers to be honest with them. Carl, offended by Leslie's statements about park security plans to show footage of Jerry falling into the creek on Pawnee Today. Leslie negotiates, and instead they talk during the show about how much they enjoyed the film Avatar. The office goes back to mocking Jerry, but Jerry confides that he doesn't really care because he's just two years away from retiring on a full pension.In a B plot, the love triangle between Andy, April, and Ann deepens. Ann says Andy is a fun person but was a terrible boyfriend because he is completely reliant on others—she later sees him give April a muffin which makes Ann think Andy has changed.

Call animal control! Today Rob and Alan are talking about the 18th episode of season two. In "The Possum" Leslie puts together a task force to catch a famous town-possum. In this episode you will hear all the similarities between animal control and classic clowning, who Harris Wittels was originally cast as, and the Parks seed that grew into Oscar nominee Paul Raci's incredible career! All of this, and some pretty darn interesting facts about our animal friends the possum. 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 After the infamous possum "Fairway Frank" bites Mayor Gunderson's dog at a golf course, mayoral representative Evelyn (Judith Moreland) asks Leslie to form a task force to capture it. Leslie, Tom, Andy and two incompetent animal control workers, Harris (Harris Wittels) and Brett go to the golf course and quickly find the animal. The animal control workers are useless and Tom immediately runs away, but Andy dives toward the animal and captures it. Evelyn is impressed with Leslie and promises her a special favor from the mayor's office. However, Leslie sees a second opossum and fears they have captured the wrong animal. She later finds out that the mayor doesn't care about catching Fairway Frank, but rather about securing a trophy animal for his bathroom.Back at the department office, reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep (Alison Becker) interviews Andy for a newspaper article. After he brags about the capture, the reporter suggests his heroics might win him back the affections of Ann, his ex-girlfriend, much to Andy's excitement. April , who has romantic feelings for Andy, overhears this and leaves. Evelyn demands delivery of Fairway Frank. Leslie responds that there is uncertainty about the identity of Fairway Frank. She refuses to hand over the captured opossum and creates a ketchup-blood diversion so that April can escape with the caged animal.Leslie and April take the opossum to Ann's home, where April has been paid $50 to housesit. April lets the opossum out of its cage, and it causes havoc and minor damage. While hiding from the animal, April reveals her feelings about Andy to Leslie for the first time. When Leslie refuses to hand over the opossum, Evelyn angrily takes back her promise of a favor from the mayor's office. Andy, still oblivious to the reasons behind April's jealousy, delivers coffee to April, as well as the day's newspaper, containing a story which credits April for providing moral support to Andy. It is later revealed that Leslie has donated the opossum to the Pawnee zoo.Meanwhile, Ron plans a woodshop expansion in his home and seeks the approval of city planner Mark. Mark informs Ron that an inspection is needed to ensure that the facility meets all current zoning code standards, and an obviously lying Ron claims it does, clearly underscoring his vexation with governmental regulations. During the inspection, Mark finds numerous code violations, including oily rags placed above a wood-burning fireplace and a long-outdated fire extinguisher. Later, Mark takes a half-day off so that he can help his friend's woodshop meet city code. Ron thanks Mark by building a wooden canoe and leaving it in his office.

Pawnee is flush with guests! Today Rob and Alan welcome the legendary Ben Schwartz on the pod to talk about the 17th episode of season 2. In "Woman of the Year" Leslie is upset when Ron wins an award typically meant for women. On today's episode find out why Ben made it a game to make Retta laugh, how this episode helped loosen-up the character of Jean-Ralphio, and which character Ben originally auditioned for. 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 Parks Dept. receives a letter from the Pawnee chapter of the IOW (Indiana Organization of Women), which Leslie believes is her congratulatory letter as the recipient of the group's Dorothy Everton Smythe Woman of the Year award. Much to her horror, the award has actually gone to Ron in recognition of town projects Leslie primarily developed. Ron privately acknowledges the award as a ridiculous mistake; however, uses the opportunity to mess Leslie before later recommending her as the award recipient. When IOW director visits Ron, it’s revealed that a man was strategically chosen for the first time for marketing purposes. Frustrated with the politics of the awards, Leslie and Ron plan for him to make a disparaging acceptance speech condemning the awards. However, at the ceremony itself, Ron instead publicly presents the award to Leslie, who tries to present it instead to Ron, who precedes to present it back to Leslie. The next day's newspaper proclaims Ron the winner, with Leslie and Ron later deciding that the award is meaningless, anyway. The plaque is thrown into a wastebasket, where Leslie later secretly retrieves it.In a subplot, Tom drops off a temporary liquor license renewal at the Snakehole Lounge nightclub, where the owner Freddy (Andy Milder) tells him they are seeking investors who can buy a share for $10,000. With only $4000 to spend, Tom reveals part-ownership in a nightclub is a longtime dream of his, and seeks partnership from his fast-talking friend, Jean-Ralphio (Ben Schwartz), who contributes $5,000. Still in need of $1,000 to seal the deal, Tom seeks further help from his co-workers. Donna expresses an interest, but decides against it when she meets Jean-Ralphio,  Meanwhile, when Andy's band-mate Burly (Andrew Burlinson) tells Andy he can no longer live with him, April helps Andy look for an apartment. They find one near her house, prompting a smitten April to note that they can carpool to work together. But when Andy learns Tom needs $1,000, he forgoes the apartment to give Tom the money as a gift. April is surprised by the choice and disappointed with the result. In the episode's final scene, Tom is shown enjoying his nightclub part ownership, until he learns Donna has bought three shares herself.

Happy Holidays from Pawnee! Today Gay Perello makes her second appearance on the pod, this time to celebrate with Rob and Alan. In "Galentine's Day" Leslie and Justin try to reunite Leslie's Mom with an old flame, only to discover he's a total loon. On today's episode find out how many ice cream sandwiches Chris Pratt can eat in one sitting, why there were 3 pages of gifts Gay was asked to make, and how the writers lost Yang for an entire week! 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 throws her annual "Galentine's Day" party for her female friends, celebrated the day before Valentine's Day. She asks her mother, Marlene, to tell the story about how she fell in love with a lifeguard that saved her from drowning in 1968, but the two had to break it off over objections from Marlene's parents. Leslie later tells the story to Justin, who is amazed by the tale and wants to unite the two. He tracks down Marlene's old flame, Frank Beckerson (John Larroquette), and convinces Leslie to go with him to Illinois and reunite the two on Valentine's Day at the Senior Center Valentine's Dance, which the parks department oversees. Leslie and Justin meet Frank, a strange and depressed man who has constant panic attacks. Leslie begins to have doubts about bringing him to her mother and tries to call it off, but Justin insists that they should "let this unfold." At the dance, where Andy's band, Mouse Rat, is playing, Frank meets up with Marlene, who is repulsed by Frank's past current unemployment and overall failure at life. She turns down his offer for a second chance at love, prompting him to storm onto the stage and denounce her over the microphone. Leslie apologizes to her mother for bringing Frank. She is later upset with Justin, but has trouble pinpointing the reasons for her dissatisfaction. Ron explains that Justin is a "tourist," meaning that he takes "vacations in people's lives" and only cares about telling interesting stories to impress other people, which makes him selfish. Two older women then recognize Ron as jazz saxophonist Duke Silver, but he denies it. Leslie later breaks up with Justin, which Tom takes especially hard, reacting as if his parents were getting divorced. Before the senior dance, Tom invites his ex-wife Wendy to his office to finally disclose his romantic feelings for her, but she rejects him. Not satisfied with the outcome, he attempts to blackmail her into a date using an alimony lawsuit as leverage. Tom and Wendy are later shown hugging and presumably making amends, although their conversation remains inaudible. Meanwhile, April's boyfriend Derek and his boyfriend Ben mock the senior citizens, causing April to question why their interactions must constantly be "cloaked in like 15 layers of irony." They accuse her of "lameness," which they attribute to spending time with Andy, and provide her with several ultimatums. She breaks up with them in response. Ann and Mark, at the same time, celebrate their first Valentine's Day together. In an interview with the camera crew, Ann describes the relationship as "good," but her tone of voice and body language around Mark contradict her statements. She later becomes jealous when Andy dedicates a song to April, even going so far as to question April about the possibility of a budding relationship between April and Andy.

Every day in Pawnee is a sweet treat, and today Rob and Alan are having seconds! In "Sweetums" Leslie and Ron become adversaries when a dishonest candy company vies for a concessions contract. On today's episode find out why the Pawnee citizens can be swayed by candy, where you can buy a "what's crackin'" belt buckle, and why this episode marks the shift from documentary to hilarious comedy. 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 Parks and Recreation Department considers a potential sponsorship deal with Sweetums, a local candy manufacturer hoping to market "nutritious" snack bars to park visitors. Ron supports the deal as he advocates governmental privatization and emphasizes consumer choice over public safety. Leslie initially supports the deal as well, until Ann informs her they are filled with unhealthy corn syrup. Leslie arranges a public forum for Pawnee park visitors so they can make an informed choice about Sweetums products. Ron is unhappy with the arrangement, and gets angry with Leslie worrying about how much he is drinking during a recent outing. During the forum, Sweetums representatives screen propaganda films, highlighting consumer satisfaction, while Leslie responds by screening a 30-year-old Sweetums film which discusses how corn syrup and other snack bar ingredients make cattle unhealthy. At the end of Leslie's screening, Sweetums brings in its commercial's primary actor, the company's dashingly handsome CEO Nick Newport Jr. (Gary Weeks) and impossible cute kids, Denver and Dakota. Denver instructs the forum audience members to look under their seats for candy. The forum audience cheers with excitement and ultimately votes in favor of the sponsorship deal. Ron taunts Leslie by eating two unhealthful servings of steak ("turf and turf"), but she remains genuinely concerned for his health. Ron later apologizes to Leslie for having "been a horse's ass".For the B-plot, Tom attempts to move out of his home after his divorce from Wendy. Mark reluctantly helps Tom with his pickup truck. Dona, April, Jim, and Andy help with the move, while Tom himself works very little. At the end of the episode, Tom learns that his new home has a gas leak and that he is unable to move into his new home until Monday. Tom asks the gang to take the boxes into their own homes, but they ultimately bring his possessions and leave them in the Parks and Recreation Department office. Throughout the move, April continues to develop romantic feelings for Andy, who remains oblivious to her affections. When April's boyfriend Derek and his gay boyfriend Ben arrive at Wendy's house, they mock Andy, which prompts April to refer to their behavior as "really gay for a gay couple”. The episode ends with a DJ Rhoomba dressed as a ghost, haunting Jerry and following him down the hallway of City Hall.

Today in Pawnee Rob and Alan are headed to a friend's home. In "Leslie's House" Leslie abuses her power when she brings in community center teachers to help throw a dinner party to impress Justin. In today's episode your hosts discuss the writer's choice to make Leslie a hoarder, a joke that sparked the creation of Tigertail, and how architecture can affect an audience. 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 A remorseful Leslie tells a group of Recreation Center teachers the Pawnee budget has been cut by $1,000, and five of their classes will have to be cut, but exactly which classes has not yet been determined. Later after an excellent date in Indianapolis, Leslie and Justin decide their next date will be in Pawnee. Feeling pressure to make their date equally exciting in Pawnee, Leslie decides to host a dinner party at her home with all her “interesting friends” from the Parks Dept. Ann comes to Leslie's house, and finds a hoarder’s paradise. When they find themselves unable to clean it, Leslie calls Maria Portlesman, who teaches cleaning courses at the recreation center. She declines payment and hints she would prefer preferential treatment when Leslie cuts the classes, despite Leslie's assurance this will not happen. When Leslie realizes she has not prepared any food for the party, she calls a culinary teacher from the recreation center. Later, at the party, Andy complains about Justin to April, who makes Andy happy when she proposes putting chewed up gum in Justin's pockets. Eventually, Tom's ex-wife Wendy arrives. Tom expresses anger that Leslie invited her, especially because Ron is romantically interested in her. When Ron impresses Wendy by eating a hot red pepper, Tom attempts to eat a bigger one, but has to run to the bathroom in pain. When Justin starts yawning, a worried Leslie calls in other recreation center teachers to make the party more interesting, including a belly-dancer, a fencer, a caricaturist and an origami teacher.Eventually, an accounting teacher arrives, believing demonstrations are being held to determine which class will be cut, much to the anger of Ron. The teacher gives a very boring accounting lecture, which puts Justin to sleep. The next day, Leslie is before the Pawnee Disciplinary Committee on charges of abuse of power. Leslie calls Justin as a witness and questions him as to whether he enjoyed the party, to which he answers an emphatic yes. Afterward, the committee rules no further action will be taken, mainly because Leslie turned herself in and paid $1,000 restitution to the recreation center so no classes would be cut. When Ann asks why she did it, Leslie said it was to get an honest answer from Justin about the date, under penalty of perjury. The episode ends with Justin encouraging Tom to ask Wendy out.

Another guest joins us in Pawnee! Today writer Katie Dippold (Haunted Mansion, The Heat) breaks down one of her favorite episodes she's written. In "The Set Up" Ann sets Leslie up on a blind date, and the date does not go as Leslie had hoped. On today's pod find out the writer's room obsession with the 2002 film Swimfan, see the origin of Leslie's Biden crush, and hear everybody's idea of what they want "the club" to be. 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 When Leslie learns Pawnee is being sued by the previous owners of Lot 48, Ann calls upon her lawyer friend Justin Anderson (Justin Theroux), whom she’s known since high school and seems to still have feelings for. Justin helps Leslie resolve the issue, and the two hit it off immediately. Having recently broken up with her boyfriend, Leslie asks Ann to set her up on a date, but is surprised when Ann hesitates to set her up with Justin. Instead, she arranges a date with Chris (Will Arnett) an MRI technologist Ann works with. The date goes terribly, with Chris appearing annoyed upon learning Leslie attended a rival college, and that she was a director of regular parks, not amusement parks.When Leslie says she has never had an MRI, Chris takes her to the hospital to perform one on her. Chris comes off super creepy, remarking that Leslie has an excellent uterus and asking whether she is having her period, presumably in anticipation of sex later.  Meanwhile, Mark grows suspicious that Ann harbors romantic feelings for Justin. He eventually confronts Ann and accuses her of putting Justin on hold for a possible relationship in the future. Ann admits she has distantly thought of her and Justin ending up together, prompting Mark to walk out on their date and spoil the ending of Marley & Me. Mark asks Andy if Ann seemed to have feelings for Justin when they were together.  Andy confirms that she did and then immediately confronts Ann about it in another endless attempt to win favor with her and get back together. Realizing her behavior was inappropriate, Ann sets Leslie up on a date with Justin. In a B storyline, Ron deals with complaints from local residents due to a new town policy requiring public officials to deal more directly with the public. Ron calls the policy "my hell", and seeks a new assistant to protect him from the citizens.Tom volunteers to find Ron an assistant, but really uses the opportunity to find an assistant for himself. After multiple interviews, Tom brings forward a fast-talking candidate named Jean-Ralphio (Ben Schwartz), whose personality closely resembles Tom's. Ron hates him right away and in the end hires April, who’s internship is coming to an end, as his assistant. 

It's the Holidays in Pawnee while Rob Lowe and Alan Yang watch the 12th episode of season two! In "Christmas Scandal" A meeting with a disgraced councilman lands Leslie in the middle of a scandal. On today's episode find out the origins of the character Alexa Softcastle, the mystery note in the writer's room that read "Blood Diamond Phillips", and this episode's unique connection to SNL. 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 parks department performs in the annual Pawnee City Government Follies that riffs local politics, including one sketch that skewers Councilman Bill Dexhart (Kevin Symons), who was recently discovered to be involved in many bizarre sex scandals. Leslie is later asked to meet Dexhart at a restaurant, where she learns the sketch was accidentally accurate about another bizarre sex scandal that has not been made public. After assuring Dexhart that it was merely a coincidence, Leslie discovers that the local tabloid, The Pawnee Sun, has taken pictures of their meeting and is reporting that Leslie is Dexhart's new mistress.The speculation about Dexhart and Leslie quickly spins out of control. Ron decides to give Leslie the day off to lie low and distributes her daily duties among the rest of the staff. Everyone is amazed how much Leslie does by herself each day and the entire group struggles to complete their tasks. Leslie has lunch with Dave (Louis C.K.), who reveals that his unit in the US Army Reserve has been called up to active duty in San Diego for a year to eighteen months, and invites Leslie to make the move with him.The local show "Pawnee Today" digs up an old video of Leslie shaking hands with Dexhart and overanalyzes every aspect of the short clip. Ann brings Dexhart to her home, where Ann and Leslie demand he clear Leslie's name. Dexhart refuses because the fake scandal is so docile compared to his real transgressions that it is actually positive press for him. Soon after, Ann is horrified to discover that a news crew secretly followed Dexhart to her home and took a photograph of the meeting, resulting in speculation that Ann is Leslie's lesbian lover in a three-way relationship with Dexhart. A furious Leslie schedules an appearance on "Pawnee Today" to clear her name once and for all. On the show, host Joan Callamezzo (Mo Collins) surprises Leslie by bringing out Dexhart, who tries to prove their affair by claiming that Leslie has a mole on her buttocks. To finally end the scandal, Leslie pulls down her pants on live television and moons Callamezzo. Since there is no mole, Dexhart is forced to admit that he fabricated the sex scandal.Over dinner, Leslie tells Dave that she will not move to San Diego with him, as her life is in Pawnee. Dave, although sad, understands her choice and the two split up amicably. At Pawnee's tree lighting ceremony, Leslie is congratulated by everyone, including Leslie's mother Marlene, who is proud that her daughter successfully fought off the media. Leslie returns to work the next day much to Ron's immense relief, as he could barely handle just a portion of her daily duties. Everyone is visibly glad that Leslie is back.In a B plot, April asks Andy what to get her gay boyfriend for Christmas. All of Andy's ideas are well-meaning but dumb, although it seems that April is just happy to talk with him. To thank Andy, she gets him a Reggie Wayne jersey for Christmas. Meanwhile, Mark tells Tom that he intends to get Ann a new computer bag for Christmas, but Tom tells him that he should get diamonds. In the end, he gives her the computer bag after all while Ann gives him Pacers tickets. He then gives her a second gift, telling her she does not have to go to the game, to which Ann happily accepts.

Come along for another life changing journey to Pawnee! Today Rob and Alan stick together while watching the 11th episode of season 2. In “Tom’s Divorce” Leslie finds out Tom and Wendy are splitting up, and tries to lift his spirits. On this episode find out the unique connection Jerry has with dinosaurs, the origin of the Ron Swanson breakfast meme, and which Taco Bell actor possibly marries Wendy!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 episode opens with Ron sending Leslie to run an errand at the DMV on City Hall's fourth floor, a dark and unsettling place that includes probation offices and divorce filings. A reluctant and frightened Leslie navigates past reprobates and blood stains on the floor and spots Tom and Wendy leaving the Divorce Office. Unaware that their relationship was a green card marriage to prevent Wendy from being deported back to Canada, Leslie later tries to comfort Tom, who insists he is fine. Nevertheless, Leslie persists in her efforts to cheer him up, in part by ordering a singing horse telegram to cheer him up and taking the whole dept out to a dinosaur-themed restaurant, Jurassic Fork. The parks employees eat several dinosaur-themed entrees, "Tyranna-Ceasar Salads" and "Surf and Turfasaurus". Tom seems so cheery that Leslie begins to suspect he is faking being sad. Ron pulls Tom aside and asks whether he could ask Wendy on a date once the divorce is finalized. Tom consents, but is visibly disappointed. Determined to cheer him up, Leslie agrees to compromise her morals and take Tom to his favorite strip club, the Glitter Factory. Leslie is horrified by the club and tries to encourage the strippers to change their lives. Ron is also uninterested in the strippers, but happily consumes the free breakfast buffet.Tom remains depressed even after Leslie hires a stripper to "grind the sorrow out of him". A drunken Tom tells Leslie that Ron plans to ask out Wendy, prompting an angry reaction from her. Meanwhile, Andy continues his efforts to break up the relationship between Ann and Mark.  Andy challenges Mark to a game of pool with the hopes of hustling him, but Mark turns out to be an excellent player and wins multiple games for double or nothing. Mark and Andy make one final wager: if Andy wins, he gets Ann, but if Mark wins he has to leave them alone. Mark dominates the game but loses when he scratches on the 8 ball. Initially delighted, Andy becomes confused when Ann leaves with Mark anyway. Meanwhile, Tom passes out at the bar, and Ron and Leslie take him to Wendy's house. Leslie is shocked to find Wendy is on a date with another man. She storms out after expressing her disgust with Wendy and Ron. The next morning at work, Tom confesses to Leslie that it was a green card marriage, and that he only recently realized he has feelings for Wendy and Andy tells Mark and Ann he will no longer be bothering them. Andy says a final goodbye to Ann and the episode concludes with a Horse singing telegram Leslie has sent to apologize to Ron.

Amy Poehler, known for her improv skills, joins the podcast to discuss Leslie's hunting trip with Ron. They cover Leslie challenging gender roles, Ron being shot, and April and Andy's budding chemistry. Stories of Bill Murray's unique role approach and behind-the-scenes insights are shared, adding to the entertainment.