Hello. Hi.
My name is Leslie Knope,
and I work for the Parks
and Recreation Department.
Can I ask you
a few questions?
Would you say
that you are,
"Enjoying yourself
and having fun,
"having a moderate
amount of fun
"and somewhat
enjoying yourself,
"or having no fun
and no enjoyment?"
I'm gonna put
a lot of fun.
Ms. Knope,
there's a drunk
stuck in the slide.
Sir, this is
a children's slide.
You're not allowed
to sleep in here.
What is?
You know,
when I first tell people
that I work
in the government,
they say,
"Oh. The government.
The government stinks.
"The lines are too long
at the DMV."
But now things
have changed.
People need our help.
And it feels good
to be needed.
Could you put
your arms to your side?
Wait...
And that might help you
slide down a little easier.
We don't...
Do you want to come this way?
Uh-uh.
Okay, we're gonna
need you to get out.
Can you
please go away?
Get out of the slide.
Okay?
You're...
Can you please go away?
Here we go!
Okay, wake up.
Here we go.
Out of the slide.
You know,
government isn't just
a boys' club anymore.
Women are everywhere.
It's a great time
to be a woman in politics.
Hillary Clinton,
Sarah Palin, me,
Nancy Pelosi.
We did it!
You know, I like to
tell people, you know,
"Get on board
and buckle up,
"because my ride's
gonna be a big one."
And if you get
motion sickness,
you know,
put your head
between your knees
'cause Leslie Knope's
stopping for no one.
Tonight
is our next monthly
community outreach
public forum.
And that is tonight.
That is tonight.
Right.
Leslie will be
running it.
And we need one more.
Who wants in?
Tom.
Fine.
This is a great thing
for you guys to see.
This is where
the rubber
of government
meets the road
of actual human beings.
When I go through
these doors,
I need to be on.
Like the White House
Press Secretary.
Are you ready?
Yeah.
Okay.
Here we go.
It's locked.
Okay.
Here we go.
Thank you so much
for coming.
What an amazing turnout.
My name is
Leslie Knope.
I am the deputy director
of the Parks and
Recreation Department,
and tonight we're gonna
be taking some of
your questions as... Hello?
We're having
a meeting in here.
Does anybody have
any questions
about permits?
So, take two.
I'm Leslie Knope,
and with me is department
member Tom Haverford.
We are here to answer
any and all of your
questions, so fire away.
Well, it's a great day,
because last month
they put me in jail.
That's right.
The head of the police
is a ninth-degree Mason.
But the music
is so loud.
Stop the graffiti,
please. Please.
I don't like
obscenities just as much
as you don't like them.
No, it drives me
crazy. I have kids.
Right. But...
I've got my little
three-year-old,
I'm going through
the park and
someone's like,
"Hey my"
And the guy's,
"You my ,
you head."
These people are
members of a community
that care about
where they live,
so what I hear
when I'm being
yelled at
is people caring
loudly at me.
Now, I have a few things
I want to say
about Laura Linney.
Thank you so much, Barry.
Always great
to have you here.
Anyone else who would
like to contribute?
Hi. Hi, hi.
Hi. I'm Ann Perkins.
I'm a nurse,
and frankly, I don't
really care for politics,
but I'm here to talk
about the abandoned lot
on Sullivan Street.
Excellent.
That sounds like a good idea.
Tell us about that.
No, it's a problem.
It almost
killed my boyfriend.
Oh.
Yeah.
There's a lot
nearby my house,
and a developer
dug out a basement
for some condos,
and then
they went bankrupt,
so there's just
this giant pit,
and it's been there
for almost a year.
Twelve months,
yes. Go on.
Yeah, and my boyfriend,
who is a musician,
actually, I support him,
but anyway, he fell in
and broke both his legs.
Ann, let me speak
with you for a minute.
So, your boyfriend
fell down into
this pit, right?
Yes.
And, this guy,
is it pretty serious?
Are you guys living together?
Yes.
Wow,
I'm sure this must be
really tough for you.
You know, just, this guy,
sounds like he didn't
have a lot going on for him
to start with, and now
both legs broken.
He's just weak.
You have to
take care of him.
You probably feel like
you need to move on.
What does this...
Just become
more adventurous
in relationships
with your body, just in...
Are you actually
hitting on me
right now?
Oh. Oh. God, no.
I'm not hitting on you.
I'm actually married.
I'm just an open person,
and I like
connecting with people.
I'm, you know,
very comfortable around
women, attractive women.
I've spent a lot of time
with them. And I just...
I don't know.
I feel like we might
be taking up too much
of the forum's time.
Maybe we can just
exchange numbers.
You know, maybe go away
one weekend and just
kind of talk about this.
Look...
I'd love to do it.
The bottom line is
I've been trying to get
this thing fixed for months,
and nobody's done anything,
and it's ugly,
and it's dangerous,
and it's
government-owned,
and you need to do
something about it.
Okay.
I'll do something about it.
Really?
Yes, we...
I will help you.
Is that a promise?
It's more than a promise.
It's a pinky promise.
I pinky promise
all of you
that I will help,
and I will go to
that location tomorrow,
and we will
fill in that pit,
and then when that's done,
we're gonna put
a park on the land.
Okay.
Well, I've worked
at the Parks Department
for six years,
and I've handled
a lot of things
that I'm proud of.
Recently, I led
a city-wide drive
to disinfect
the sandbox sand
after we had those
problems with the cats.
But this pit,
the chance to build
a whole new park
from scratch,
this could be
my Hoover Dam.
No,
that sounds great.
Problem is,
anything over $25
I have to report,
so maybe give my wife a call
and give her the suits,
and then
if they don't fit her,
maybe she'll give them to me.
Morning.
All right, Mr. Mayor.
That sounds good.
I'll see you on Saturday for
the Ultimate Frisbee game.
Bye.
Leslie, hello.
You were talking
to the mayor?
Yep, we were just
rapping about
some things.
Tom and I work
really well together.
We're both outsiders.
I'm a woman, he's a...
I think he's a Libyan.
I am from Bennettsville,
South Carolina.
I am what you might call
a redneck.
Okay, brainstorm.
How do we make
this park happen?
Let's go to
the city council directly
and ask them
to put up the money.
No, parks
are not a priority.
I need more firepower.
I need bigger guns.
You know what I need to do?
Form a committee. Right?
Yeah, that could work.
Yeah, 'cause
committees are power,
and committees
make things happen.
Committees are the lifeblood
of our democratic system.
That's really good.
Write that down.
Yep.
From time to time,
when I think of an eloquent
saying or a phrase,
I have Tom write it down.
He's collecting them
for my memoirs.
Here's Leslie's quote
from Wednesday.
Okay, read it
back to me.
Um...
"Committees cover our
democracy with blood."
Hmm.
Sounded better
when I said it.
It's still good, though.
Okay, I have an idea.
What about
bringing Mark on board?
Which Mark?
Mark Brendanawicz.
Which Mark?
Well, if you want
something done
in this town,
you call Mark Brendanawicz
because, you know,
he's a city planner,
but he's more than that.
He's kind of like a fixer.
He fixes things.
He's a smart, capable guy.
He just... He knows where
the bodies are buried.
What's up, Brendanawicz?
You crazy
old Polish person.
City Hall
is like a locker room, and
you gotta get in there,
and you gotta snap
towels at people,
and you gotta
give them the business,
and if you can't take it,
you know, you...
Then you can't take it.
You gotta leave
the locker room.
Let's get down
to brass tacks.
I know you don't
have a lot of time
and I want to thank you
for meeting me today.
I just work right there.
Well, thank you
for clearing
your schedule.
I didn't
clear anything.
You know this lot
that I'm talking
about, right?
Yeah, Lot 48.
Condo developer.
He dug a basement, and
then he went bankrupt.
I checked it out
like a month ago.
It's pretty gross.
What would you say
if I told you
that I was thinking
about turning it
into a park?
A park, huh? Okay.
Well, when I think
about the logistics,
the various hoops
that you're gonna
have to jump through,
I would say, is it likely?
No, it's not likely,
you know.
But, is it possible?
No. It's not possible.
I would give up
on that one.
What? Why?
Why? I don't know.
There's like
a million reasons why.
Homeowners' associations,
anti-government nuts,
bureaucrats,
miles of red tape...
Really? It sounds
like you're telling me
to go for it.
There's no way
it can happen.
I can do this.
I just need
a little help.
Could you do me a favor,
for old times' sake?
Mark and I...
It's complicated.
When you work closely
with someone and you share
similar interests
and you have
a similar world view
and you're passionate
about the same things,
things can happen.
We slept together.
Leslie? No.
Oh, my God.
You know what?
Yeah, we did, like,
five years ago.
I sort of...
No, but yeah.
Yeah, we did.
Honey, can you
straighten up your area
a little bit?
'Cause they're
gonna be here soon.
Can... Thanks.
That parks lady
is coming over,
and we're gonna
go take a look
at the pit.
I think it's probably
just a photo op for her.
I mean, I don't think
anybody in government
actually cares about...
Honey, do you mind
doing that
somewhere else?
I'm trying to watch TV.
I'm talking about
the pit you fell in.
It's Ms. Perkins' house.
Doorbell!
Yeah, I heard it.
Doorbell!
I heard it.
I'm getting it.
I'm here.
Hey! Wow!
Look at that.
Safety.
You remember Tom
from last night.
Hey, Ann, how are you?
Yeah, hey. Of course I do.
And this is
our college intern,
April.
She's going to be
documenting
our fact-finding mission.
Hey, April.
Hey.
Is this fun for you?
Yeah, it's so much fun.
I'm just gonna
grab my phone quickly.
Sorry.
This must be our hero.
The man heard
'round the world.
Uh-huh.
How you doing, son?
Pretty good.
I'm Leslie Knope.
And the entire government
of Pawnee
would like to let you know
that we will do
everything we can
to help you.
Could you pass me
my itch stick?
Of course.
So, Andy jumped
over this fence.
He was crossing through
to get home, and then
he fell right there.
Oh, my God.
How did
we let this happen?
Dream with me
for a second, Ann.
Doesn't this neighborhood
deserve a first-class park?
Imagine a shiny new
playground with
a jungle gym and swings,
pool, tennis courts,
volleyball courts,
racquetball courts,
basketball court,
regulation football field.
We could put an amphitheatre
over there with
Shakespeare in the Park.
It's really not
that big of a pit.
We could do
some of those things.
It's gonna take
a little extra work.
But why not try?
I think that
would be great.
Me, too.
I'm going in.
Why?
Don't worry.
I have a hard hat on.
I can see that, but...
Yeah.
April, document this.
Document what?
The key to any
fact-finding mission
is to get right into
the battle zone, you know?
It's like George Bush
when he flew over New Orleans
or Richard Nixon
when he went to China
to see what the Chinese
were up to. No!
Leslie, are you okay?
Leslie! Hold on,
April's gonna get some photos
for the website.
Could you
just be still?
Don't move around
as much.
Okay, squeeze
my fingers. Good.
Does it hurt a lot?
No.
Mmm-mmm.
I'm fine.
No, you're not.
Good thing I was
wearing that hard hat.
But it...
It fell off.
After my head
hit that rod.
Wow.
I can't believe
you fell in, too.
That's awesome.
It's not
awesome, Andy.
Well, at least my boss
will listen to me now
that I broke my clavicle.
It's not broken.
It is.
Do you have one of those
neck foam
collar brace things?
Honestly,
you're fine.
Honestly,
my clavicle's broken.
Oh, hey, baby,
if you're going
to the kitchen,
could you make me
pancakes real quick?
Sure.
Ooh! Are pancakes
being made?
Thank you.
Sure.
I don't know,
she's a little doofy,
but she's sweet.
Ron, please.
No. No way.
Come on, Ron.
I've been
a loyal foot soldier.
Give me my shot.
Let me have Lot 48.
Is that a travel pillow
around your neck?
Ron, I don't know
how to explain this to you.
When you've been down
in the pit...
Have you been in the pit?
No, I haven't gotten
down there yet.
Well, I have.
When you fell in.
When I visited
the bottom of the pit
on a fact-finding mission.
And when you're down there,
you get some perspective
about what it all means.
And let me
tell you something, Ron.
What it means is
I want this subcommittee.
I've been quite open
about this
around the office.
I don't want
this Parks Department
to build any parks
because I don't
believe in government.
I think that all government
is a waste
of taxpayer money.
My dream is
to have the park system
privatized
and run entirely for profit
by corporations.
Like Chuck E. Cheese.
They have an impeccable
business model.
I would rather work
for Chuck E. Cheese.
Well, I will definitely
think about it.
I like the sound
of that definitely.
I'm gonna leave before
you change your mind.
Mr. Swanson,
I presume. Lot 48.
Thoughts? Yes? No? Me?
Park? Giving
the park to me?
Still mulling.
She's insatiable.
She's like a little dog
with a chew toy.
All right, you guys.
All right, all right.
I'll ask him.
Everybody wants to know
what your decision is.
Someone on the phone
about the park.
You know,
I don't think
I even want it.
Oh. Man, my clavicle's
still really hurting me.
Oh! This is
a great shot.
I know.
That's awesome.
I think she's crying
in that one.
Look at this one.
Hey, kids.
That's another good one.
Hey.
Hey, Brendanawicz.
You gotta come
check this out.
Leslie took us out
to that pit in Lot 48,
and she fell inside.
And we have some
awesome photos.
One.
Is she okay?
Yeah, she's fine.
Oh! This is a classic.
That's the best one.
The up-skirt photo.
Awesome.
Hey, man.
Give me the photo back.
What's going on?
Don't worry.
I can print more.
Leslie is unique.
Government work
can beat you down.
I would say that I lost
my optimism about government
in about two months.
Leslie's kept hers
for six years.
I've got a few rules about
how to survive and prosper
in a government job,
and I think I'm about to
break one of those rules.
I want you to give
Lot 48 to Leslie
so she can try
to build a park.
Why should I?
You owe me one,
remember?
Do you want to
cash in for this?
Yeah, I do.
So this was built in 1935.
It's called Pioneer Hall.
And a little trivia,
it is one of the first
structures in America
to ever have locks.
Wow!
Oh, yeah.
This is our crown jewel.
It's one of
our best murals.
It depicts the very famous
battle at Conega Creek.
We have a lot of
children visit,
so often we have to
cover up the more gruesome
parts with a poster.
That is horrifying.
Yes, it is.
So, what do you want to see?
The DMV? Animal control?
Or we could...
Leslie!
We did it.
Ron's approved
our committee.
Oh, my God.
That's great!
That's so great.
That's so exciting!
This is huge.
I'm barely 34,
and I've already landed
a Parks Department
exploratory subcommittee.
I'm a rocket ship.
Leslie. I just heard the news.
Hey.
Isn't it great?
Congratulations.
Thank you. I'm so excited.
It's exciting, isn't it?
It is.
Yeah.
Should I call
a press conference
now, or...
Yeah, call one. Definitely.
I would.
Every now and then
we have these
little gatherings,
and Leslie gets plastered.
One time I convinced her
to try to fax someone
a Fruit Roll-Up.
She one time made out
with the water-delivery guy
in her office.
On Halloween,
she was dressed up
as Batman.
Not Batgirl. Batman.
And I convinced her
to go stop a crime
that was going on outside.
And it is my favorite thing
in the world.
You know what?
America is awesome.
It's so full of hope
and small towns
and big cities
and real people
and delicious beverages
and hot guys.
You just never know
when opportunity
is gonna strike.
Yeah.
You gotta be ready for it.
Yeah.
Are you excited?
Definitely am.
Fired up.
Yeah!
I'm really fired up.
I... You know they say
that democracy or whatever
only works when people
get involved?
Well, I'm getting involved.
So I am gonna
make a vow now
that I will do
whatever it takes
to get this pit filled in.
Even if it takes
two months.
Soul sista, soul sista
Gonna get your phone, sista
Yeah.
Sweet Lady Marmalard
I've created this office
as a symbol
of how I feel
about government.
This sawed-off shotgun
belonged to
a local bootlegger.
People who come in here
to ask me for things
have to stare
right down the barrel.
Did you guys get
a grant to do this?
This is my basketball court.
I don't want to see
any double dribble.
I don't want to see
any three-second violations.
Bobby Knight!