S2 E24: Freddy Spaghetti
Parks and Recreation, NBCUniversal, 2009.
Pawnee is broke, the government has shut down, but the crisis Leslie cares about most is the cancellation of a Freddy Spaghetti concert.
So, when the state auditors insist there’s no money for it, she simply moves the event to Lot 48, recruits the Parks Department, gets everything donated and proceeds like municipal bankruptcy is just another permitting issue.
The concert itself eventually comes together, despite Freddy taking another gig in Eagleton, Andy breaking his arm on his new motorcycle while trying to retrieve his guitar, and Leslie becoming the children’s entertainer Renata Ricotta. Ben finally pays Freddy enough to return, and Pawnee gets its afternoon of songs about linguini, fusilli and egg noodles after all.
More importantly, it gives Ron Swanson an opportunity to attend a children’s concert holding a turkey leg wrapped in bacon. Tom arrives with his new girlfriend, Lucy, and introduces her to Ron, whose formidable handshake is immediately followed by an even better introduction: Lucy notices the bacon on his turkey leg, and Ron explains that “they call it a Swanson.” No recipe is offered because none is required. Turkey leg. Bacon. Ron Swanson. Airtight.
Elsewhere, Ron spends much of the episode delighted by the prospect of gutting Pawnee’s budget until Chris and Ben suggest firing Leslie. He immediately offers up his own job instead, accidentally revealing Leslie’s unauthorized concert in the process. Ben and Chris arrive intending to shut it down, only to discover that Leslie has put the whole thing together without spending taxpayer money. Ben even becomes the reason Freddy ultimately shows up, proving that Mean Ben does, in fact, possess a soft spot for both Leslie and children screaming “Spaghetti!”
The episode is also a major relationship traffic jam. April admits she likes Andy but suspects he still has feelings for Ann; Ann later kisses an injured Andy in the hospital; Andy tells April immediately after they finally kiss; and April understandably walks away. Mark, meanwhile, leaves city government for good, giving Leslie his plans for the future park at Lot 48 before departing Pawnee’s story altogether.
But amid government shutdowns, romantic catastrophes and the possible collapse of an entire city, Ron manages to identify the most practical solution of the episode: wrap a turkey leg in bacon and give it your name.