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You know why tonight is so much fun? Because everyone's so gay. And they know how to have fun, and the dancing ... everyone is just who they are and who they are is just stone cold gay.
Leslie Knope

"Pawnee Zoo" is the season premiere in the second season of the NBC television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on September 17, 2009 to 5 million viewers.

Synopsis[]

Leslie decides to marry two penguins in order to promote the local zoo, but inadvertently causes a debate when both penguins turn out to be male. Meanwhile, Mark asks Ann to go to watch a movie with him.

Storyline[]

Ron comes up to Leslie's desk to inform her of something, saying, "Here's the situation...", prompting her to go into a full rendition of the rap song "Parents Just Don't Understand". Afterward, he tells her someone is on fire at a park and needs immediate assistance.

Later, Leslie officiates a wedding for two recently acquired penguins named Tux and Flipper to help promote the Pawnee Zoo. Immediately after the ceremony, the two penguins begin having sex in front of a crowd of children, and the zookeeper reveals both penguins are actually males. Later, Leslie receives a cake and T-shirts from The Bulge, a local gay bar, thanking her for supporting their cause. April introduces Leslie to her two gay boyfriends Ben and Derek (a situation that confuses Leslie) and invite her to a party the next night at The Bulge as the guest of honor. They declare her their "hero" for holding the gay penguin wedding, but Leslie insists it was simply a publicity stunt, not a political statement. Nevertheless, Marcia Langman, a member of the Society for Family Stability Foundation, demands Leslie annul the penguin wedding and resign from her job.

Ann, who has been tending to Mark at the hospital since he fell into the pit, notes that he has become much nicer since the incident. She's still broken up from Andy and has no plans of getting back together with him. Despite having shared a kiss before Mark's accident, Mark and Leslie both insist they are just friends. Mark tries to ask Ann out, but she declines out of respect for Leslie's friendship. Meanwhile, the Bulge holds a party in Leslie's honor, which she attends along with Tom to announce she has not taken a political stand. However, she accepts the free drinks they offer her and ends up getting drunk and having a great time. The next day, she is invited to go on the Pawnee Today talk show to discuss her supposed stance on gay marriage with Marcia Langman and host Joan Callamezzo.

Andy shows up at Ann's house wearing a nice suit. He tells her he has gotten an office job, apologizes to her, and says he would like to get back together, but Ann declines. He leaves, and it turns out he is actually living in a tent inside the Sullivan Street Pit. During the Pawnee Today interview, Leslie and Marcia argue fiercely. Leslie insists she has not taken a political position, even after Marcia brings up the recent party at the Bulge. They take several callers, all of whom agree that Leslie should resign. Fed up, Leslie adamantly insists she will not resign or annul the penguin wedding, and apologizes for "having fun". Later, she visits Ann and tells Ann that she shouldn't refuse to date Mark just because of her.

Ultimately, Leslie decides to transfer the penguins from the Pawnee Zoo to a zoo in Iowa, where gay marriage is legal.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

  • Amy Poehler
  • Rashida Jones
  • Paul Schneider
  • Aziz Ansari
  • Nick Offerman
  • Aubrey Plaza
  • Chris Pratt
    • Pratt is no longer listed as a guest star

Guest Stars[]

Quotes[]

Ron: [enters Leslie's office] Okay. Here's the situation-
Leslie: Your parents went away on a week's vacation. They left the keys to the brand new Porsche. [she breaks out rapping the lyrics from Will Smith's "Parents Just Don't Understand"; Ron doesn't say anything as he is stunned and confused by this lengthy interruption until she finally finishes] Just a little something I know. So, what's up?
Ron: Uh, someone's on fire at Ramsett Park. They need you to get down there, right away.
Leslie: [alarmed] Oh, my God! [she quickly leaves]

April: This is my boyfriend, Derek, and this is Derek's boyfriend, Ben.
Ben: Hey.
Leslie: Hey...oh...wait, sorry. What's the situation?
April: What do you mean?
Leslie: How does this work?
April: Derek is gay but he's straight for me, but he's gay for Ben, and Ben's really gay for Derek. And I hate Ben.
Derek: It's not that complicated.

Leslie: The thing about youth culture is that I don't understand it.

Ron: Leslie. Some guy who owns a gay bar sent you a cake.
Leslie: Pawnee has a gay bar?
Ron: The Bulge. It's behind my house.
Leslie: The Bulge is a gay bar? The nights I've wasted there ...

Trivia[]

To see more Trivia, go here.

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