History Recap / ParksAndRecreationS03E16

Leslie announces to the Parks staff that Li'l Sebastian has died and they are tasked with organizing a memorial service for him. Leslie assigns tasks. Maintenance will set up the stage, Ron will lay a wreath, and Jerry offers to read a Dante poem. Andy is charged with writing a commemoration song.

Andy worries to April about the song he has to write. She gives him some suggestions.

At the event site, Ben and Leslie discuss their relationship, saying they shouldn't kiss or do anything while at work. Then they do kiss and are caught by a maintenance man named George. They try to convince him that it was just a congratulatory kiss, but he isn't fooled. They give him a gift certificate for a spa and the day off and thank him for his discretion.

The service starts. Unfortunately, George had the propane for Li'l Sebastian's eternal flame, so Leslie sends Jerry to get it, giving the poem reading duty to Donna. A series of job trading follows as Leslie and Ben try to cover their tracks. Andy sings his song, which is well received by the crowd. Ron complains to Leslie and Ben that he was supposed to lay the wreath, not light the memorial flame and realizes that they got caught. He nevertheless proceeds with lighting the flame, but since Jerry bought lighter fluid instead of propane, this causes a huge fireball to shoot into the air when Ron lights it, which singes off his eyebrows, part of his mustache and hair. Leslie and Ben start applauding, making the crowd think this was all part of the show.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: During the moment of silence for Li'l Sebastian, the janitor comes into the office to empty trash. His music is playing and he doesn't notice the Parks staff standing silently with their heads bowed. Also, Andy, with his eyes closed, jams to the music.

* ComicRolePlay: As revealed by the voicemail they accidentally left on Ron's phone, Leslie and Ben roleplay as different politicians when having sex. At one point, they play Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

* {{Flopsy}}: Jean-Ralphio got a bunch of money from pulling one of these lawsuits off, and wants to use it with Tom to open their own company together.

-->'''Ron:''' When I walked in this morning and saw the flag was at half-mast, I thought, 'All right. Another bureaucrat ate it.' But then, I found out it was Li'l Sebastian. Half-mast is too high. Show some damn respect!

* AllPartOfTheShow: Due to Jerry getting lighter fluid for the eternal flame instead of propane, it spouts off a massive fireball into the air that singes off parts of Ron's hair, the whole crowd gasps. Leslie and Ben salvage the situation by clapping and acting like it was intentional.

Leslie confesses to Ann that she's worried about getting caught in her relationship with Ben. They usually meet in Ann's office, but when Leslie gets there, Ron is waiting. He asks her how long she and Ben have been sleeping together. Flustered, she tries deny it, but then Ben shows up and reacts in the same way. Ron has found out thanks to them accidentally leaving him a voicemail of them roleplaying and warns them that Chris will fire them if he learns about it.

Jean-Ralphio tries to talk Tom into joining him in his entertainment business. Although Tom has been thinking about leaving his city hall job, he still is not completely sure about it and takes some time to think on it.

Tom hands in his resignation. Leslie is approached by some people who enjoyed her work on the memorial service and the Harvest Festival. Their job searches out candidates for local political office, and they want to know if she's interested in running for some kind of office, such as City Council or mayor. They warn her that her life will be an open book if she runs, and if there is any scandal that she should tell them. She denies any such scandals exist, thus omitting her secret relationship with Ben, and the scouts promise to contact her about preparing an electoral run.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: During the moment of silence for Li'l Sebastian, the janitor comes in to empty trash. His music is playing and he doesn't notice the Parks staff standing silently with their heads bowed. Also, Andy, with his eyes closed, jams to the music.

* DeathIsSuchAnOddThing: Chris reacts to Li'l Sebastian's passing with a minor existentialist crisis.

* ForeShadowing: In the scene where Jerry gets a folder that Leslie meant for Ben-it contains a private message-Leslie tries to pass it off as a typo and everyone is laughing at Jerry. Ron, however, is ''not'' laughing. He's giving Leslie a very stern look, which she misses completely. Ron has already figured out that Leslie and Ben are in a relationship and he's also upset at how careless they're getting.

* ForeShadowing: In the scene where Jerry gets a folder that Leslie meant for Ben-it contains a private message-Leslie tries to pass it off as a typo and everyone is laughing at Jerry. Ron, however, is ''not'' laughing. He's giving Leslie a very stern look, which she misses completely. Ron has already figured out that Leslie and Ben are in a relationship and he's also upset at how careless they're getting.

* KilledOffForReal: Li'l Sebastian.

The service starts. Unfortunately, George had the propane for Li'l Sebastian's eternal flame, so Leslie sends Jerry to get it, giving the poem reading duty to Donna. A series of job trading follows as Leslie and Ben try to cover their tracks. Andy sings his song, which is well received by the crowd. Ron complains to Leslie and Ben that he was supposed to lay the wreath, not light the memorial flame and realizes that they got caught. He nevertheless proceeds with lighting the flame, but since Jerry bought lighter fluid instead of propane, this causes a huge fireball to shoot into the air when Ron lights it, which singes off his eyebrows, part of his mustache and hair. Leslie and Ben start applauding, making the crowd think this was all part of the show

** Ron Swanson has only ever cried twice: at 7 years old, when a bus ran into him, and when he found out that Li'l Sebastian had died.

Leslie announces to the Parks staff that Li'l Sebastian has died and they are tasked with organizing a memorial service for him. Leslie assigns tasks. Maintenance will set up the stage, Ron will lay a wreath, and Jerry offers to read a Dante poem. Andy is charged with writing a commemoration song. Leslie hands out memos to the staff, telling Ben that his is "interesting", but it's no different from the others' memos. Jerry, however, has one that states he has a "cute butt".

Leslie announces to the Parks staff that Li'l Sebastian has died. They will hold a memorial service for him. Leslie assigns tasks. Maintenance will set up the stage, Ron will lay a wreath, and Jerry offers to read a Dante poem. Andy is charged with writing a song. Leslie hands out memos to the staff, telling Ben that his is "interesting", but it’s no different from the others' memos. Jerry, however, has one that states he has a "cute butt".

Chris has a doctor appointment, where he learns that he has tendinitis, which the doctor says is normal for men "of his age". At City Hall, he runs into Ann and learns that Li'l Sebastian has died. He starts to panic about death.

Tom offers the services of Jean-Ralphio's entertainment business to put on the memorial service for free. Ron is reluctant, but Leslie allows it when Tom says he will be running it.

Leslie confesses to Ann that she's worried about getting caught in her relationship with Ben. They usually meet in Ann's office, but when Leslie gets there, Ron is waiting. He asks her how long she and Ben have been sleeping together. Flustered, she tries to answer, but then Ben shows up and reacts in the same way. Ron warns them that they could lose their jobs if Chris finds out.

At the event site, Ben and Leslie discuss their relationship, saying they shouldn't kiss or do anything while at work. Then they do kiss and are caught by a maintenance man named George. They try to convince him that it was just a congratulatory kiss, but he isn't fooled. They give him the day off and thank him for his discretion.

The service starts. Tom runs the event. He tells Leslie that the maintenance guy didn't get the fuel for the eternal flame. She sends Jerry to get it, giving the poem reading duty to Donna. A series of job trading follows as Leslie and Ben try to cover their tracks.

Andy sings his song. Ron complains to Leslie and Ben that he was supposed to lay the wreath, not light the memorial flame. He realizes that they got caught. When he lays the wreath, the fuel is lighter fluid instead of propane because Jerry couldn't find propane. The flame burns off Ron’s eyebrows.

Jean-Ralphio tries to talk Tom into joining him in his entertainment business.

Later that evening there is a party at City Hall. Leslie and Ben discuss their relationship. They won't do anything at work so they won't get caught. Ron encourages Tom in his decision. Tammy Two shows up to mess with Ron. Ann tries to cheer up Chris by telling him that his tendinitis might be because he's been overdoing it. He realizes he was overreacting and starts to think he should find a wonderful woman.

Tom hands in his resignation. Leslie is approached by some people who enjoyed her work on the memorial service and the Harvest Festival. Their job searches out candidates for local political office, and they want to know if she's interested in running for some kind of office, such as City Council or mayor. They warn her that her life will be an open book if she runs, and is there any scandal that she should tell them. She answers, "Nope."

Donna warns Ron that his ex-wife is here. He and Tammy Two look at each other in horror, and Tammy Two runs off.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: During the moment of silence for Li'l Sebastian, the janitor comes in to empty trash. His music is playing and he doesn't notice the Parks staff standing silently with heads bowed. Also, Andy, with his eyes closed, jams to the music.

--> ''Bye bye Li'l Sebastian''\\

* HiddenDepths: Detlef Schrempf (of Indiana Pacers fame) is a savvy business man, despite what Tom and Jean-Ralphio think.

-->'''Leslie:''' Something like ''Candle in the Wind'', but 5000 times better.
-->'''Andy:''' What's 5000 times better than a candle in the wind? This song is called ''5000 Candles in the Wind''.

Leslie announces Li'l Sebastian, Pawnee's beloved celebrity miniature horse, has died and the parks department will hold a memorial service for him. Tom suggests they hire Entertainment 720, a production company recently started by his friend Jean-Ralphio, for the event. Jean-Ralphio encourages Tom to come work with him on the company, and while Tom has been thinking about leaving his city hall job, he still is not completely sure about it.

The extremely health-conscious Chris finds out he has tendinitis, which his doctor says is a common problem for men of his age. Chris is shaken by the news and starts to question his own mortality and his life's path.

Leslie and Ben continue their romance despite Chris' policy about no dating between government employees, but they have difficulty keeping it a secret. Ron has found out thanks to them accidentally leaving him a voicemail of them roleplaying and warns them that Chris will fire them if he learns about it.

As the city prepares for the memorial service, Leslie and Ben are caught making out by a maintenance worker named George, so they send him home with a gift certificate for a local spa in exchange for his silence. Unfortunately, George had the propane for Li'l Sebastian's eternal flame, which results in later confusion behind the scenes, that Leslie and Ben struggle to fix throughout the night. Jerry is sent to get propane for the flame but buys lighter fluid instead; this causes a huge fireball to shoot into the air when Ron lights it, which singes off his eyebrows, part of his mustache and hair. Leslie and Ben are relieved, however, when the crowd applauds in the belief the fireball was part of the show all along. Entertainment 720's show also proves to be a hit with the crowd, which makes Tom further contemplate quitting his job. At the after-party, Andy receives praise for his Li'l Sebastian tribute song, "5,000 Candles in the Wind". April sells many Mouse Rat [=CDs=] at an inflated price, which spurs Andy to ask her to become the group's manager.

Indirectly responsible for nearly killing Ron, Leslie and Ben agree to no more secret displays of affection at work. Ann, who previously dated Chris and had trouble getting over him, offers comfort to Chris for his depression, and he feels better afterwards. Tom decides to resign and accept a job with Entertainment 720. Meanwhile, Ron is confronted by his evil ex-wife Tammy at the party, who has a laugh at his misfortune with the fireball. Donna informs them that Ron's other ex-wife, also named Tammy (whom he calls "Tammy 1") has also arrived in town. The two of them run for the hills.

Leslie is approached by scouts looking for potential candidates for elected office, which has always been one of her dreams. Impressed by the memorial service and the Harvest Festival Leslie previously organized, they believe she would be a good candidate for an upcoming city council seat, or possibly for mayor. With the expected increased media attention on her personal life, the scouts ask whether Leslie has any secret scandals in her life. She denies any such scandals exist, thus omitting her secret relationship with Ben, and the scouts promise to contact her about preparing an electoral run.

!!Tropes

* OhCrap: Ron and Tammy both run for the hills in horror when they find out Ron's first ex-wife has come into town.

Leslie announces Li'l Sebastian, Pawnee's beloved celebrity miniature horse, has died and the parks department will hold a memorial service for him. Tom suggests they hire Entertainment 720, a production company recently started by his friend Jean-Ralphio, for the event. Jean-Ralphio encourages Tom to come work with him on the company, and Tom has been thinking about leaving his city hall job, he still is not completely sure about it.

The extremely health-conscious Chris finds out he has tendinitis, which his doctor says is a common problem for men his age. Chris is shaken by the news and starts to question his own mortality. Leslie and Ben continue their romance despite Chris' policy about no dating between government employees, but they have difficulty keeping it a secret. Ron has found out thanks to them accidentally leaving him a voicemail of them roleplaying and warns them that Chris will fire them if he learns about it.

As the city prepares for the memorial service, Leslie and Ben are caught making out by a maintenance worker named George, so they send him home with a gift certificate in exchange for his silence. Unfortunately, George had the propane for Li'l Sebastian's eternal flame, which results in later confusion behind the scenes, that Leslie and Ben struggle to fix throughout the night. Jerry is sent to get propane for the flame but buys lighter fluid instead; this causes a huge fireball to shoot into the air when Ron lights it, which singes off his eyebrows, part of his mustache and hair. Leslie and Ben are relieved, however, when the crowd applauds in the belief the fireball was part of the show all along. Entertainment 720's show also proves to be a hit with the crowd, which makes Tom further contemplate quitting his job. At the after-party, Andy receives praise for his Li'l Sebastian tribute song, "5,000 Candles in the Wind". April sells many Mouse Rat [=CDs=] at an inflated price, which spurs Andy to ask her to become the group's manager.

The extremely health-conscious Chris finds out he has tendinitis, and takes the news so seriously that he starts to question his own mortality. Leslie and Ben continue their romance despite Chris' policy about no dating between government employees, but they have difficulty keeping it a secret. Ron has found out thanks to them accidentally leaving him a voicemail of them roleplaying and warns them that Chris will fire them if he learns about it.

* ComicRolePlay: As revealed by the Leslie and Ben roleplay as different politicians when having sex. At one point, they play Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

Indirectly responsible for nearly killing Ron, Leslie and Ben agree to no more secret displays of affection at work. Ann, who previously dated Chris and had trouble getting over him, offers comfort to Chris for his depression, and he feels better afterwards. Tom decides to resign and accept a job with Entertainment 720. Meanwhile, Ron is confronted by his evil ex-wife Tammy at the party, who has a laugh at his misfortune with the fireball. Donna informed them that Ron's other ex-wife, also named Tammy (whom he calls "Tammy 1") has also arrived in town. The two of them run for the hills.

As the parks department prepares a funeral for Pawnee's famous miniature horse Li'l Sebastian, Leslie and Ben struggle to keep their workplace romance a secret.