Parks And Recreation at 15: Top moments that make us miss Pawnee

An early high point, “Harvest Festival” closes a story arc in which the city’s last-ditch revenue prospect is prefaced by one massive fuckup after another. There are so many good moments in the episode, including brutal digs at the historical treatment of Native Americans (“the atrocities are in blue”). But the best is a local news report detailing the indigenous curse allegedly placed on Leslie and the festival. For some reason, it’s accompanied by an “exclusive animation” of the type often used in Asian countries but not so common to midwestern NBC affiliates.

In the series’ best episode, female friendship returns to the fore as Ann and Leslie square off about what Leslie perceives as Ann’s lack of ambition. This occurs at the kickoff for Tom’s big “kahlua-style liqueur” at the Snakehole Lounge, wherein almost everybody gets obliterated. The episode has everything—, solid character moments for everyone (including Ben Schwartz’s recurring Jean-Ralphio and Aubrey Plaza’s “Janet Snakehole”), and ultimately sweet resonance as Ben and Leslie’s relationship inches forward and Ann and Leslie reunite. But it’s the montage at 3:19 above, showing everyone at their own unique rock bottom, that makes us miss these Midwestern messes the most. It was clear Jones and Plaza would lead their own projects ASAP.

Leslie’s first big proposal as city councilor is a soda tax to combat obesity. In Pawnee, home to Col. Plump’s Slop Trough and Fat Sack, that goes over as well as you might expect, especially in this scene in which Ann and Leslie debate a blithely sociopathic restaurant lobbyist with the aid of some giant props that inspire a vivid metaphor. Then topical, thanks to Michael Bloomberg’s proposal in New York City, the absurdity of portion sizes and fast-food marketing still has serious bite today.

“Great news—lots of old people have chlamydia.” So kicks off a series-peak episode in which city councilor Leslie attempts to stem an STD epidemic among Pawnee’s elderly. One problem: The town only allows abstinence-only education. From the opening staff meeting to the public forums, the script is sharp, as good as anything that came out of the Norman Lear or MTM stables in the ’70s. And it contains perhaps the series’ best line, just a throwaway between Donna and Ann about her choice of garment. (Seasons six and seven would have benefited from more of this episode’s comic density.) It’s a bookend to season three’s equally good in which Leslie also battles town morality watchdog Marsha Langman, this time over a nude painting that contains Leslie’s likeness.

A spotlight for the recurring Mo Collins as newswoman Joan Calamezzo, who rules Pawnee media with an iron fist and complete lack of taste. When Tom and Ben treat her to lunch, Joan gets plastered and comes on to them. Collins’ physicality and delivery are pure comic A-game, as is the script. (This season’s in which Ansari and Scott struggle to get past one line at the drunken lunch, is especially worth a watch.) The show could have done more with denizens of the town, but the ones they featured really delivered.

Another one of Parks And Rec’s viral creations (inasmuch as there are T-shirts) was Li’l Sebastian, the local mini-horse who astounds the townsfolk, mystifies Ben, and dies suddenly in season three. Naturally, this requires an epic tribute concert, in which Andy writes a song, and everyone at the Parks Dept. unites for the usual amount of fuckup-ery. But they care and they’re trying, dammit, and that’s why we keep coming back.