S04E20 - The Debate

Live from Pawnee: A Parks and Recreation Fan Rewatch Podcast

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode we finally see Leslie and Bobby Newport go toe to toe! The day of the debate is finally here. Ben gives everyone final assignments, and helps Leslie continue to prepare for the debate. Before the debate starts, they discover Bobby Newport is freaking out, thinking this may be good news. The debate starts. Leslie is prepared and confident, but Newport campaign manager Jennifer Barkley is strangely calm. As the debate rolls on, 3 things become apparent: 1) Bobby is spouting a combination of broad prepared answers, combined with bouts of utter nonsense. 2) Bobby is still charming, his nonsense is largely unoffensive, and the crowd (including moderators Perd Hapley and Joan Callamezzo) seems to be swayed in his direction. 3) Leslie going on the offensive with attacks against Newport makes her seem like a bully, prompting Ben to tell Leslie to ease back a bit. Meanwhile, Ben has assigned Chris, Ann, and Tom to be the Knope Campaign Spin Team. Tom is upset because Ann once again broke up with him (for reals this time), and it appears that Ann and Chris have been acting very close, further upsetting him. Later in the Debate Spin Room, Chris opens up to Ann and tells her that he wants to give their relationship another chance, which Tom witnesses, further upsetting him, and causing him to undermine their efforts at positive spin, by lashing out at reporters. Finally, Ben has assigned Andy, April, Ron, and Donna to hold a viewing party of the debate at TRFKAB for Leslie's donors. Everything seems to be going okay ... until they turn on the TV, ready to watch the debate ... and they get a screen telling them their cable service is off ... apparently SOMEONE forgot to pay the cable bill. With none of them knowing what to do, and wanting to keep the attention of the donors, Andy ... starts acting out movies he likes. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Ben come up with the right pivot strategy? Can Chris convince Ann to get back together with him? How will the donors react to Andy's one man show? Will Leslie win back support from the audience? Will Tom's grumpiness cause the Knope Spin Team to fail? Can Ron help them to get the cable working again? What is Jennifer Barkley's secret weapon? Loyal podcast viewers, Amy Poehler wrote this episode, and it shows ... one of the best of the entire season, and maybe the entire series. Don't miss it! Many thanks to our sponsor Entertainment 720 and their award-hopeful film: "Identity Crisis: This is Mouse Rat".