Live from Pawnee: A Parks and Recreation Fan Rewatch Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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 we learn Craig sees therapist Dr. Richard Nygard, thereby adding him to the known list of Nygardians! Frustrated, but still looking for a way to defeat Gryzzl, Leslie is surprised when she receives a free gift box at her front door via a Gryzzl "SKYPAL" drone. Leslie and Ben find out later that Donna also received a free "Gryzzlbox", however Donna angrily explains her gifts are based on detail that could only have come from private text and phone conversations. When Leslie opens her box and sees the very personal-related artifacts in it, Ben deduces that Gryzzl must be data mining, which is not only an extreme invasion of privacy, but Ben made sure it was illegal via language he chose for the contract between Gryzzl and Pawnee. A public forum discussing the subject reveals that, for once, the town is 100% behind Leslie. Leslie also hopes to sway Ron, but he is harder to convince, maintaining that it's foolish for people to own and use devices that can be tracked in the first place. Donna sets up a private tour of Gryzzl for Leslie and Ben so that they can snoop around and maybe dig up some dirt, but when Leslie asks Gryzzl vice-president Roscoe about data mining, he openly and cheerfully admits to the practice, talking about how great it is for everyone. At this, Leslie challenges Roscoe to debate these questionable practices on TV, convinced that she will not only win, but humiliate Gryzzl as she presents her evidence. Meanwhile, sensing that Tom is trying to distract himself from Lucy visiting her boyfriend in Chicago, Andy presents him with an opportunity to become his agent and help him renegotiate a contract he was offered by station manager Hank Muntak. Not only is Andy not getting paid much, and tasked with lots of extra duties, the contract clearly says that Andy does NOT own the rights to the character "Johnny Karate". Tom agrees to help Andy with his contract, and the pair end up meeting with station manager Hank Muntak, who is a tough negotiator and offers only minor upgrades, which Tom is just not satisfied with. Finally, Craig asks April to deliver a welcome speech to the new potential Parks Department interns, seeing as she got HER start as a Parks intern. After some badgering by Craig, April reluctantly agrees, but is actually hell bent on making sure none of the candidates are successful, believing that her current "aimlessness in life" all started when she was a Parks intern, and if these youngsters become Parks interns, they will essentially be throwing their lives away, just like she did. While talking to the potential interns, April latches on to a girl named Jen, who is VERY much like she was when she first started (i.e. snarky, morbid, unmotivated, no charisma, no passion for the work ahead, etc). Focusing her energy on Jen, April tells her to not go through with the internship. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Roscoe agree to debate Leslie on live TV, and if so, what venue will they use? Can Tom get a better contract for Andy? Does Jen end up quitting the intern program? Is Gryzzl breaking the law, or did Ben miss something in Gryzzl's contract with the city of Pawnee? Does Andy end up owning the rights to the character "Johnny Karate"? Can anyone set April straight regarding how she started and what she's accomplished? Does Ron remain neutral, or does something happen that changes Ron's mind about Gryzzl? What is Tom's secret negotiating weapon? What can April do to make amends to Craig? Loyal viewers, the series may be ending, but things are really heating up! Can Leslie conquer the flying robots? Stay tuned to find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor, "The Perdples Court".

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we finally meet Ron's mother! When Leslie discovers Ron is busy preparing for a tax audit served to him by Tammy 1, she rounds up April and Andy to help sort through Ron's assortment of receipt odds-and-ends. Horrified at Ron's recordkeeping, Tammy 1 demands access to every part of his life for the audit. Over the next week, Tammy 1 moves back in with Ron and assumes complete control over him. Ron shaves off his moustache, becomes kind, refuses to do anything without Tammy 1's approval ... basically becoming a neutered wimp. Meanwhile, Tom asks Ben to look over the Entertainment 720 finances, at which point Ben discovers Tom and Jean-Ralphio are wasting huge amounts of money on a state-of-the-art office, high salaries with full benefits, paying NBA players to play basketball all day ... all despite having no income. Ben becomes alarmed, and is determined to make sure they understand the situation they're in. Finally, Ann wants to update the Health Department's Public Service Announcement for diabetes. When Ann asks Chris if he would like to help her make a new PSA, he excitedly agrees, and drops everything to help. Unfortunately, Chris is overly-enthusiastic, his OCD turning something Ann hopes will take 1-2 hours into something that lasts over a week ... Ann is so bored and miserable, she wonders why she even dated him in the first place. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Tom and Jean-Ralphio turn things around by printing their own money? Does Chris have the same wardrobe as the Spice Girls? What is Swanson Family Mash Liquor? Why DID Ann ever date Chris in the first place? What exactly is "the party switch"? What do you do if Godzilla attacks the city? Loyal podcast viewers, this episode is truly one of a kind. Come enjoy it in all its Tammy-colored glory! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor, 'Tam-Away'.

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we finally learn Ron's full name! Picking up where the Season 3 finale left off, a couple of things happen later that night: Leslie tells Ann about the political scouts and her agreeing to run for office, although she is conflicted due to her relationship with Ben, which could cause a scandal. In addition, upon learning that Tammy One has arrived in town, Ron grabs an emergency survival bag and flees to live in the wilderness. THREE WEEKS LATER ... Ron is still MIA, Leslie still hasn't broken up with Ben, and a penis is emailed to all female employees (and Jerry). Chris and Ben investigate, while Leslie does media damage control via televised interview with Perd Hapley. The interview goes so well, the political scouts decide to use the momentum and move Leslie's announcement up by three months. This causes Leslie to go into a panic about Ben. Meanwhile, Ann informs Chris the genitals in the email show symptoms of mumps. Proud of Ann's diagnosing abilities, Chris announces Ann's discovery to everyone ... causing the male employees to fill Ann's inbox with pictures of their junk, afraid they caught the mumps as well. Finally, despite resigning from his position in the Parks Department, Tom visits the gang multiple times with lots of promotional material and swag from his new job at Entertainment 720. Tom ends up offering Andy a job, which causes Andy to have some rare moments of introspection, wondering if working for Tom would be a good move, and in a more general sense, if there's something more for him out there beyond shoe shining. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Ron ever return from his remote cabin in the woods? Do Chris and Ben find out who sent the initial penis email? Does Andy accept Tom's job offer? Can Leslie manage to break up with Ben? Will there be a mumps outbreak at City Hall? Can Tom's Entertainment 720 magnet truly wipe out the debt on Andy's credit card? Whatever happened to Tammy 1? Folks, this is a great start to a great season ... So sit back, relax, and enjoy it with us! Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, Pawnee Computer Pros (PCP).

In this Special Revisited episode, not only do Mark and Allen recap the best of episodes Season 3; but, they share some stats...er, fun facts, and analysis on Season 3 and and relive some of the Seasons best moments! Don't miss out on this chance to catch up and look back before we jump into Season 4! 

Mark and Allen last caught up with Andy as part of their coverage of Season Three's classic episode "The Fight" but got to talk about a whole lot more that just Parks and Recreation. Check out Andy's impressive resume of TV, Movies and Voice-work including Apollo 13, Fame-LA, Armageddon, Frost/Nixon, Legion of Super Heroes, Austin and Ally, a little show called Weeds...and, of course, our two favorite hard-hitting political shows - West Wing....and Parks and Recreation!  Listen this week to hear the entire interview with Andy and get some great industry insights from the man himself! You won't regret checking out this great full interview!

Join us for the second-half of this GIANT, EPIC 2-Part Episode covering the Parks and Recreation Season 3 Finale! This week Mark and Allen have their lighters...or Candles...out as Mouse Rat is welcomed to the Memorial stage - about to reveal their big number that promises to be 5000x better than 'Candle in the Wind'.  At the same time, the gravity of a full-time Entertainment 720 position tugs at Tom's dream-strings. Meanwhile, Ron is about to light the Ceremonial Torch and Ben and Leslie continue to feel the ripple effects of their deceit and efforts to hide their relationship. And to make the evening's events even more interesting, Tammy 2 shows up to taunt (or tent) Ron in the wake of a major blow-up! Loyal podcast viewers, you won't want to miss our finale...of the finale!

Mark and Allen caught up with Norm this summer during a short hiatus and talked Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, King of the Hill, Kids in the Hall, Space Force and many others! If you heard some of the clips from Norm on our coverage of S03E02 Flu Season, come back for this very special Pawnee Spotlight to hear our entire interview and get the inside scoop on some of our favorite shows! We promise it will be worth it!

This week Mark and Allen rock in the corner and weep gently along with the gang as they (and we) learn ***SPOILER ALERT*** of Li'l Sebastian's passing. In response, Leslie, along with help from Tom and Jean-Ralphio, in their first production as the creators of Entertainment 720, produce and put on a Li'l Sebastian Memorial Concert to celebrate the life of the most famous mini-horse in the Midwest! Meanwhile Chris believes he is LITERALLY about to die...from Tendonitis and seeks council from everyone's favorite part-time Nurse/part-time City employee - Ann Perkins! Andy is tapped by Leslie to create a tribute song for the Memorial. And, oh yeah, and Ben and Leslie pretty much make out anywhere and everywhere as the move on from the #dorkflirting stage of their relationship to the #dorksgonnagetfired (if Chris finds out) stage which is the stage that everyone knows comes next! Loyal podcast viewers, this is a HUGE 2-part episode you won't want to miss!