Recap / Parks and Recreation - S04 E16

Ron: Don't half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.

Leslie is doing two jobs at once: her Parks and Rec job and her campaign. The rules don't allow her to do campaign work in City Hall, so she tries to juggle both jobs. Ron tells her she should take a leave of absence from the Parks Department, but she refuses. Although Leslie denies she is too busy, she lets a bunch of things slip through the cracks and mistakenly wears the same thing in a row (with a lollipop stuck to her sweater).

Tom and Ann are dating, but their relationship is fraught with constant disagreements. Ann refuses to wear a Kangol cap that Tom got her, making him realize they don't share the same fashion sense. They each have been bugging April about their relationship, much to her annoyance.

Chris took care of Champion for April and Andy while they were out of town and enjoyed the experience. He tries to tell Andy that Champion needs regular exercise, but Andy doesn't get it.

Jerry comes into work wearing a funny shirt, and Tom makes fun of him for it. It was a birthday present from Gayle, as yesterday, Leap Day, was his birthday. Leslie is appalled that she forgot, and Ron points out that it's another thing that she let fall through the cracks. Leslie is determined to prove Ron wrong, so she sends Jerry on an errand and then gets the staff together to plan a surprise birthday party for him. Since his birthday only comes once every four years, this is his sixteenth birthday, so they'll have a "Sweet Sixteen" party for him. Donna is convinced to let them use her family's lake house.

At the lake house, Donna hands out copies of the rules to the house. Tom learns that R&B singer Ginuwine is Donna's cousin, but when Ann reveals she doesn't know who that is, Tom is annoyed that Ann doesn't have the same music tastes as him, making him fear they have nothing in common.

Chris and Andy take Champion for a walk. Andy feels inadequate compared to Chris, who has taught Champion a few tricks.

The party has been set up and Leslie gloats a bit about how she's been doing two jobs at once while planning the party. She then realizes it was her job to invite Jerry, but she forgot. As she and Ron go to pick him up, Ron again urges her to take a leave of absence, but Leslie refuses to admit defeat.

Tom and Ann continue to disagree on matters of taste and fashion. They individually complain to April and both plan to break up with the other. April copes with her annoyance at this by drinking a lot.

Leslie and Ron pick up Jerry, who was enjoying his day off taking a nice bubble bath and drinking wine. On the drive back to the party, Leslie notices that her campaign signs have been done incorrectly. She rushes to the printer company to have them fixed, replacing every sign in Pawnee herself.

As Andy walks Champion, he decides to let him off his leash. Chris tries to talk him out of it, due to their unfamiliar surroundings, but Andy doesn't listen. When he sets Champion free, Champion runs off.

Sick of hearing Tom and Ann's constant arguing, April breaks them up, but they note she's drunk and take her to bed. She drunkenly says their reasons for breaking up are stupid before passing out.

With the signs taken care of, Leslie, Ron, and Jerry head to the lake house. It is now dark, and when they go inside, only Ben is there, having fallen asleep on the couch. Everyone else is either asleep or looking for Champion.

Andy is depressed that Chris is better at taking care of Champion and puts himself down as a bad dog owner. Chris tries to cheer up Andy by pointing out that Andy saved Champion from the pound and suggests that he sing so Champion will hear his voice. Champion comes running back; unbeknownst to Andy, Chris used a dog whistle to get Champion to come back.

Tom and Ann wake up April to tell her Jerry's here. They also tell her that they got back together thanks to her. She is horrified to learn that she actually encouraged the two to stick together.

The party commences, although everyone is too tired to celebrate for long. Nevertheless, Jerry enjoys his party and is touched by the department's efforts. Leslie, exhausted from working all day, passes out asleep on Jerry.

The next morning, Ron successfully convinces Leslie to take a leave of absence and she agrees to cut down on her workload. Meanwhile, Andy decides to let Chris borrow Champion whenever he feels sad.

Tropes

• Bait-and-Switch Comment: When Tom gives Ann and himself hats that say, respectively, "Tommy's Girl" and "Tom", she says this in response:
  Ann: You can either burn these hats in a fire, or you can use a blowtorch.
• Birthday Party Goes Wrong: Due to Leslie being overworked, multiple things wind up falling through the cracks (up to forgetting to bring Jerry to his own party) and the party doesn't go as planned. Jerry is nonetheless touched by the effort.
• Candlelit Bath: Jerry has himself a nice bubble bath for his birthday, with a glass of wine for good measure.
• Comically Missing the Point:
  • After Chris takes care of Champion, he tells Andy that the dog is "healthier than ever":
    Andy: Wait, did his leg grow back?
  • Chris tries to convince Andy that Champion needs regular exercise:
    Chris: If you were to sit on your couch all day watching cartoons and eating nothing but Cheetos, that's what he would want to do, too.
    Andy: Who wouldn't? That sounds like an amazing day, right?
• Cuteness Proximity: Everyone loves Champion, the three-legged dog.
• Damned by Faint Praise: When asked to say something positive about Jerry, Ron remarks that Jerry's work is often adequate. Jerry lights up at this unusual amount of praise.
• I Need a Freaking Drink: April drowns herself with alcohol while dealing with Tom and Ann's constant arguing.
• Interrupted Bath: Leslie and Ron walk in on Jerry's luxurious birthday bubble bath. It's a sight that sends Leslie wanting to reach for the Brain Bleach.
• Literal-Minded: Leslie puts a link to a JPEG on a form at a sign printing shop. The shopkeeper prints signs of the URL in plaintext.
• The Mountains of Illinois: A downplayed example, when Donna describes her cabin as being "in the foothills." While the exterior views show scenery that's fairly plausible for southern Indiana, the term "foothills" implies the existence of larger mountains nearby, which is... less plausible.
• Scenery Porn: Jerry's birthday party is held at Donna's lake cabin. The view is beautiful.
• Sleep Cute: An exhausted Leslie falls asleep on Jerry's shoulder.
• Underage Casting: Though Jerry turns 64 this episode, Jim O'Heir was only 49 at the time the episode was filmed.
• Word, Schmord!: As Leslie says:
  Leslie: I have a prediction, Ron. By the end of the night, you are going to take a bite of Jerry's cake – which incidentally, we need to pick up on the way home – and you are gonna say 'Sabbatical Schmabbatical'. Leslie can do it all. She's the best, and I'm stupid.