S04E19 - Live Ammo

Live from Pawnee: A Parks and Recreation Fan Rewatch Podcast

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode that is, perhaps, the clearest homage to the West Wing in the entire series! Learning the Parks budget is going to be cut, Leslie convinces retiring Councilman Larry Pillner to reconsider. Ben is nervous about this action since they didn't discuss the possible ramifications. Ben's nervousness turns out to be justified when Pillner decides to, instead, cut the budget of an animal shelter instead, giving the animals only days to live. Bobby Newport's campaign manager, the cheerful, smart, talented, and deadly Jennifer Barkley goes on television to label Leslie an animal killer ... so Leslie adopts all of the animals to save them. In desperation, Leslie and Ben talk to Pillner and convince him to change the budget yet again, and instead release employees on retainer. This also backfires when Pillner goes further and cuts numerous employees, including Ann. Meanwhile, despite her best efforts, April has become frustrated and miserable trying to fill in for Leslie in the Parks Department. When Leslie ends up adopting animals from the shelter to save them, April decides to hold an adoption fair at a park for the displaced shelter animals. April takes charge, spearheading the event, and feels pretty good about it ... but, as the day goes on, doesn't seem to be meeting the quotas she was hoping for. Finally, Chris reveals that Ron is among the finalists for Assistant City Manager, but he first asks Ron to join him at a yoga studio for a meditation session. Ron initially balks at this, but Chris insists this is a critical step. Ron finally agrees to go, spending the day with Chris ... but while Chris cheerfully meditates, Ron is grumpy, refuses to smile, refuses to sit, and in fact, refuses to meditate at all. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... How can Leslie and Ben stop the Barkley express from eviscerating them on television? Does Chris offer Ron the position of Assistant City Manager? Has April found her true Passion Project? What is Ron's answer to Chris' teambuilding exercise? Does Councilman Pillner have a lesson to impart to Leslie before he retires? What will get cut ... the Parks budget, Ann Perkins, or innocent puppies and kitties? Will April find homes for all the animals ... if not, how will she handle the news? What potential political troubles does Chris learn about later? Faithful podcast viewers, tune in for some great stories, character development, and Bradley Whitford to boot! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor, from LFPTV, "Pawnee - What If?".