Parks and Recreation (also known as Parks and Rec) is an American political satire mockumentary television sitcom created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 episodes, over seven seasons. A special reunion episode aired on April 30, 2020. The series stars Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate, Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz, Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, Jim O’Heir as Garry “Jerry” Gergich, Retta as Donna Meagle, and Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks.

The writers researched local California politics for the series and consulted with urban planners and elected officials. Leslie Knope underwent major changes after the first season, in response to audience feedback that the character seemed unintelligent and “ditzy”. The writing staff incorporated current events into the episodes, such as a government shutdown in Pawnee inspired by the 2008 financial crisis. Real-life political figures, including John McCain, Michelle Obama, Newt Gingrich, and Joe Biden, have cameos in later episodes.

Parks and Recreation was part of NBC’s “Comedy Night Done Right” programming during its Thursday night prime-time block. The series received mixed reviews during its first season (including comparisons to The Office, a sitcom also produced by Daniels and Schur), but, after a re-approach to its tone and format, the second and subsequent seasons were widely acclaimed. Parks and Recreation received several awards and nominations, including 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations (two for Outstanding Comedy Series), a Golden Globe Award win for Poehler’s performance and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, and a Peabody Award. In Time‘s 2012 year-end lists issue, Parks and Recreation was named the number one television series of that year.^[2] In 2013, after receiving four consecutive nominations in the category, Parks and Recreation won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.

EPISODE

Season 5 Episode 1

“Ms. Knope Goes to Washington” is the season premiere of the fifth season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 69th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 20, 2012.

In the episode, Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Andy (Chris Pratt) visit Ben (Adam Scott) and April (Aubrey Plaza) in Washington, D.C., while Ron (Nick Offerman) attempts to organize a barbecue for the staff.

PLOT

Leslie and Andy are visiting Washington, D.C., to see Ben, who accepted a temporary job there for a congressional re-election campaign, and April, who decided to join Ben as his intern. Leslie is thrilled to be in the capital and also hopes to secure federal funding to clean the Pawnee River, but her optimism is dulled when she is unable to meet with anyone at the United States Department of the Interior, resulting in her proposal being tossed into a giant pile with numerous other unread proposals.

In Pawnee, Ron says that with Leslie absent, he will take over the “Leslie Knope Employment Enjoyment Summer Slam Grill Jam Fun-Splosion”, an annual barbecue for the Parks department but plans to make it just about meat with no other types of food or even activities. Tom and Ann have long since broken up but pretend to still be a couple and even live together just so they don’t have to endure teasing at work (and Tom does not want to lose a bet about how long the relationship will last to Donna). Ann finds the ruse difficult because of Tom’s stupidity.

Ben invites Leslie to a cocktail party, but she is intimidated by the numerous beautiful and powerful women whom Ben must work with every day and feels that her being elected to city council is feeble compared to their positions of power. Leslie feels so inferior that she barely reacts when meeting two of her idols, Senators Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe. She sulks in the coatroom and rebuffs words of comfort from a concerned man. (John McCain).

Ron brings a pig named Tom that he will slaughter and cook to the park but is informed that it violates numerous laws. Annoyed, Ron instead buys pounds of meat which will take several hours to cook. Chris notices the frustration of the Parks department and repeatedly gives Ron suggestions to improve the barbecue, but the stubborn Ron ignores him. Ron angrily then drives off with the barbecue. The next day, Chris confronts Ron as a boss, explaining that the barbecue is meant to boost morale and show appreciation for the staff. Ron finally accepts Chris’ advice and throws a small barbecue in the office for the staff, even adding corn to the mix.

Donna sees Ann and Tom fighting and reveals that she knew they were not actually together allowing them to finally drop the ruse. Back in Pawnee, Leslie complains to Andy about how insignificant she feels, her worries that Ben will fall for one of the female lobbyists in DC, and how her proposal will be forgotten. Andy reassures her and a rejuvenated Leslie later holds a press conference declaring that she will spend time every weekend cleaning the Pawnee River herself, during which time she would be accessible to the citizens of Pawnee. She and Ben later Skype with each other, which removes any worries she had about their relationship.

Season 7 Episode 12, 13

“One Last Ride” is the two-part series finale of the television sitcom Parks and Recreation. It serves as the 12th and 13th episodes of the seventh season and the 124th and 125th overall episodes of the series. It was written by lead actress Amy Poehler and series co-creator Michael Schur, who also directed the episode. The series finale first aired on NBC in the United States on February 24, 2015, when it was watched by 4.15 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode of the season and the highest-rated episode since “Campaign Ad” of the fourth season.

With the majority of the season being spent closing long-running storylines, the episode serves as both a standalone plot and a farewell to the characters and the city of Pawnee. The episode received acclaim from critics.

PLOT

The episode is presented as a nonlinear narrative, with the story jumping forward to show each character’s future and onscreen text displaying the relevant dates. The following is a linear summary of the plot.

Present (2017)

The gang all gather inside the parks department before business hours, as many of them are leaving Pawnee, to reminisce about their time together there. A citizen comes in, saying that a swing set behind his house on a playground has been broken for about three months. Leslie (Amy Poehler) sees this as an opportunity for them all to go on one last mission together as she is worried these people will never be together again in the same room at the same time. The gang agrees, with Leslie saying goodbye to everyone on the way to getting it fixed. After fixing the swing, the group gathers for a picture together and Ben asks Leslie if she is ready. In the last shot of the series, Leslie smiles at the camera, and says “Yes. I’m ready.”

The Future

Following his interim term, Garry (Jim O’Heir) is officially elected mayor after a massive write-in campaign. In 2019, Craig (Billy Eichner) continues to work at Tom’s Bistro, where he is reintroduced to Typhoon, Donna and Ron’s hairdresser. The two are soon married (with Ron as their best man) and live a long and happy life together. Elsewhere, Tom (Aziz Ansari), now married to Lucy (Natalie Morales), decides to franchise his restaurant after careful consideration, only to lose almost all his money due to an economic recession. However, his experiences with failure inspire him to write a book, and he becomes a successful self-help author and motivational speaker.

In Washington D.C. in 2022, Andy (Chris Pratt) longs to be a father despite wife April‘s (Aubrey Plaza) reluctance. However, with advice and support from Leslie and Ben (Adam Scott), April reconsiders and comes round to the prospect of motherhood. Elsewhere, Jean-Ralphio (Ben Schwartz) and his sister Mona-Lisa (Jenny Slate) fake the former’s death so they can use the insurance money to leave the country and fund a casino, but are caught spying on Jean-Ralphio’s “funeral”. After resigning from the Very Good Building Company amidst its outstanding performance, Ron (Nick Offerman) visits Leslie in Washington for guidance, as he is at a personal crossroads. Leslie offers him the superintendency of the Pawnee National Park; he accepts, officially making peace with working for the federal government, and spends his days patrolling the parkland. In 2023, Donna (Retta) and Joe (Keegan-Michael Key) are living happily in Seattle, where Donna’s real-estate firm is thriving due to a resurgence in the housing market, but teacher Joe is despondent after the increasingly streamlined national curriculum cuts math. With her commission money and help from April, Donna sets up an online learning initiative called “Teach Yo’ Self”, allowing Joe to stay true to his values in teaching. On October 31, 2023, Andy supports a fully costumed April as she gives birth to their first child, Jack, in Pawnee’s hospital.

At the Biden family home in 2025, Leslie is approached about running for the governorship of Indiana, while Ben is simultaneously approached by Jennifer Barkley (Kathryn Hahn) about the same position. To decide which one of them should run, they head back to Pawnee for inspiration, where they find the entire gang – and their respective children – gathered at the Parks department to support them, including Ann (Rashida Jones) and Chris (Rob Lowe). While there, April and Andy reveal they are having another child, and Ann and Chris announce that they are moving back to Pawnee. Leslie and Ann are also secretly conspiring to spark a romance between their teenaged children, Oliver and Sonia, and the plan appears to be succeeding. Ben and Leslie still cannot decide who will run, and decide to officially consult their friends; however, as they prepare to announce their news, Ben tells everyone that it is Leslie who will be running, as he knows she has dreamed of being in executive government her entire life. Leslie immediately reappoints him as her campaign manager, and notes that they (like Ann and Chris) can now return to living full-time in Pawnee.

In 2035, Leslie makes a commencement speech at Indiana University during her second consecutive term as Governor of Indiana. The university announces the renaming of its library after Leslie; she is privately unimpressed by the gesture due to her long-standing antipathy towards Pawnee’s library department.

In 2048, an elderly Leslie and Ben attend Garry’s funeral; he was repeatedly named mayor of Pawnee until his death on his 100th birthday. The two are surrounded by Secret Service members, implying that one, or both, of them is either President or Vice President of the United States. Leslie is disgruntled when Ben observes that Garry’s wife Gayle (Christie Brinkley) is still stunningly beautiful. After the funeral, the couple notice that the inscription on Garry’s tombstone misspells his last name, but neither cares enough to inform anyone of the mistake.