The world is coming to an end on February 24th, when the final episode of Parks and Recreation will air. Although the show has been on the verge of cancellation virtually every year since it began it’s hard to believe that the end is near. To prepare for the end of a show that has personally brought me so much joy over the last six years, I’ve made a list of the essential episodes to re-watch (while eating waffles) before the series finale.
~There are obviously spoilers after this~
Pawnee Zoo (Season 2, Episode 1)Season 1 of Parks was kind of rocky (especially since everyone was looking at it as a direct copy of The Office). “Pawnee Zoo” is the first great episode of Parks. You have Leslie rapping to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Leslie accidentally marrying two male penguins and then sticking to her guns and defending her actions, and we also get to see Drunk Leslie Knope – a very important character. This episode also won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character).
Hunting Trip (Season 2, Episode 10)While episodes with Mark and without Ben seem completely useless, and it’s weird to think of Jerry being part of the cool group, this episode is still one of the greats. There’s the amazing montage of Leslie being the most stereotypical, useless woman she can be to get away with the hunting accident, Ron berating Leslie for shooting him in the head, but most importantly, we see how great of a friend Leslie is. She took the blame for shooting Ron in the head so that Tom didn’t get a $25k fine and jail time. This episode is also the beginning of two major relationships of the series, the first being April and Andy. While the rest of the group is away on a hunting trip, April and Andy spend the day playing around while on hold with the Indiana State Parks Department. While the relationship between Donna and her Benz had been going steady for a while, the audience sees it for the first time in this episode when Donna tackles Leslie to the ground after finding out she shot the window. Flu Season (Season 3, Episode 2)Flu Season is one of those classic Parks episodes that it’s completely hilarious and silly but also develops a bunch of characters and their storylines. This episode gives a huge boost to the April/Andy storyline, the Chris/Ann storyline, and the Leslie/Ben storyline (all three relationships are still in tact by the way). Leslie makes an incredible speech under the influence of too much flu medication, but the best thing about the episode is that Chris is actually likeable.
Harvest Festival (Season 3, Episode 7)The planning of the Harvest Festival was a huge plot arc in Season 3. Ben and Leslie ended up pulling the event off flawlessly, saving the parks department their jobs. However, this is the episode that introduced us to the most important character in television history: Lil Sebastian (RIP to that magnificent beast).
The Fight (Season 3, Episode 13)I’m a strong believer that this is the best episode of Parks in the entire series. Seeing the whole gang get messed up on Snake Juice and seeing how each individual character behaves when they’re blackout drunk was so rewarding as a fan of the show. We also got to see Burt Maclin and Janet Snakehole, which is a bonus to any episode.
Pawnee Rangers (Season 4, Episode 4)As much as I would love to watch seven seasons worth of Leslie Knope being a troop leader to a bunch of young teenage girls, the important part of this episode is that it is also the Treat Yo Self episode. “Treat Yo Self” has absolutely taken on a life of it’s own outside the show, even though Ben nearly ruined it.
The Trial of Leslie Knope (Season 4, Episode 9)Leslie and Ben finally get together, and then the two of them (and us) get dragged through a lengthy ethics trial. Seeing the entire parks department work together to help Leslie is always incredibly heartwarming, but I sobbed uncontrollably when Leslie dragged Ethel Beavers (aka everyone’s spirit animal) into the snow to tell Ben “I love you”. It’s so fitting that Ben and Leslie’s first “I love you”s are on official government documents.
Bowling For Votes (Season 4, Episode 13)Now that Ben and Leslie are together, we finally get to watch them be together! ~*Ben punches a guy in the face*~ because he called Leslie a rude name. This alone is enough to watch the episode over again, but we also get to see Tom bowl ridiculously and April talk in a bunch of funny accents while trying to raise money for the campaign.
The Debate (Season 4, Episode 20)This episode was written and directed by Amy Poehler, so obviously it was going on this list anyway. This episode brought the entire show back to the heart of it all: Leslie Knope’s pure joy and enthusiasm for the town of Pawnee. After several speed bumps to slow her campaign down, it’s incredibly fulfilling to see her win the debate the way she does, and to see the her stand up for the town the way she does.
Leslie and Ben (Season 5, Episode 14)Leslie and Ben’s wedding was incredible and perfect. The best parks episodes have at least one of these three traits.1) Everyone comes together to work on a project2) The episode is as heartwarming as it is hilarious3) There’s a Lil Sebastian or Ethel Beavers appearance.Of course, Ben and Leslie’s wedding has all of these things. They even end up getting married inside the actual parks department offices, which is a perfect fit for this particular couple.
Flu Season 2 (Season 6, Episode 18)The first half of season 6 (with Ann leaving) is a complete bummer. After she leaves, the episodes start to pick up. While the last four or five episodes of the season are all great, Flu Season 2 is the best one to watch if you can only watch one. Seeing Ben drunk off of blueberry wine is one of the great, if not greatest, gifts Adam Scott has given the world. Plus, Craig and April at the wine tasting are some of the strongest scenes in the season for those character’s silly sides.
Leslie and Ron (Season 7, Episode 4)I had to include one episode from the current season to catch everyone up. Although it’s a bottle episode with most of it taking place in the old parks department with just Ron and Leslie, the episode perfectly nails the heartwarming/hilarious balance that makes Parks continue to be an amazing show, a time jump and seven seasons in. I will be greatly disappointed if Amy Poehler doesn’t get an award for singing “We Didn’t Start The Fire”