| Yeah, I snuck an Al Green song in there. I want them to get together, sue me. |
| — Ann Perkins |
"Road Trip is the fourteenth episode in the third season of the NBC television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on May 12, 2011 to 3.55 million viewers.
Synopsis[]
Chris sends Leslie and Ben on a trip to the capital; Ron teaches a student about his views; Tom's new game; April hurts Andy's feelings.
Storyline[]
Leslie and Ben still harbor strong romantic feelings for each other but cannot date due to Chris' strict policy against coworkers dating each other. Just as Ann suggests to Leslie that she should avoid being alone with Ben, Chris asks Leslie and Ben to drive to Indianapolis to pitch Pawnee as the next host of the Indiana Little League Baseball tournament. Leslie and Ann devise numerous boring conversation topics for the trip to prevent it from becoming romantic.
Meanwhile, Tom asks Andy, April, Jerry and Donna to participate in his game show idea called Know Ya Boo, that he is hoping to pitch to networks; he admits that it is a rip-off of The Newlywed Game. It quickly becomes clear that Jerry and Donna know much more about each other than the recently-married Andy and April. When April reveals her favorite band is Neutral Milk Hotel and not Andy's band Mouse Rat, Andy angrily leaves the game and they later have a big fight which causes him to quit his music.
At the same time, a group of children are touring City Hall for a field trip and young girl named Lauren Burkiss comes into the Parks Department needing to interview someone for her school report on why the government matters. Ron takes the opportunity to espouse his libertarian beliefs to her. He illustrates the concept of taxes by eating 40 percent of Lauren's lunch to compare his actions to those of the government. She eagerly accepts his anti-government views. He delights in discussing politics with her, telling her she's smarter than most of the people who work at City Hall. As she's leaving, he excitedly dashes back into his office and comes back out to give her a Claymore Landmine.
After an awkward drive to Indianapolis, Leslie and Ben speak before the little league commission, which seems reluctant to choose Pawnee for the tournament. Ben delivers a heartfelt speech about the town. The speech clearly impresses both the judges and Leslie, and Pawnee is ultimately selected for the tournament. Leslie reluctantly accepts Ben's invitation to a celebratory dinner that night, where their feelings for each other become apparent. Leslie slips away to call Ann for advice, and she urges Leslie to act on her feelings. Just as Leslie decides to do so, she is surprised to find Chris has arrived at the dinner to congratulate the two personally. He insists they sleep at his home in Indianapolis, ruining their night.
April yells at Tom for causing her and Andy to fight. Tom tries to mend things by having them play the game again, giving them points even when they get the answers wrong. Andy sees through the plan and leaves in disgust. She then seeks advice from Ann because, although she dislikes her, Ann previously dated Andy for several years. Ann tells April she has to be supportive of Andy no matter how she feels.
The next day, Lauren's mother furiously storms into the Parks Department and reveals to Ron that Lauren got in trouble for her report where she wrote a single sentence that the government doesn't matter. When Ron explains himself, Mrs. Burkiss tells him that as a fourth-grader, Lauren shouldn't have her head be filled with weird ideas, and she's especially angry that Ron ate Lauren's lunch and gave her an explosive device.
Meanwhile, as Andy is shining shoes, he hears a song he likes in the courtyard. He realizes it's "The Pit", being sung by April while MouseRat plays in the background. April tells him she's living out her dream by playing in the greatest rock band ever. She also got his guitar back, too, having stolen it back from Sewage Joe. Thrilled, Andy reconciles with April, declaring her the best wife in the world.
Leslie figures doing anything with Ben isn't worth the risk, but when they run into each other, Ben immediately kisses her, leaving Leslie simultaneously delighted and nervous about their future.
Taking Mrs. Burkiss' words to heart, Ron modifies his advice and tells Lauren to listen to her teachers, read as many books as she can, and keep an open mind.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope
- Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins
- Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz
- Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford
- Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson
- Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate
- Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer
- Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt
- Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger
Guest Stars[]
Quotes[]
Leslie: Ann, everything you have is too sexy. This is actually the dress Julia Roberts wore as prostitute in Pretty Woman.
Ann: I know. I look really good in it.
Ron: My name is Ron Swanson, and I'm gonna tell you everything you need to know about the miserable screwed-up world of local government. [eats his pretzel]
Lauren: You have mustard in your mustache.
Ron: Don't sass me, Berkus. Let's get started.
Ron: It's never too early to learn that the government is a greedy piglet that suckles on a taxpayer's teat until they have sore, chapped nipples. [awkward pause] I'm gonna need a different metaphor to give this nine year old.
Leslie: And so as you can see, Pawnee has 12 beautiful baseball diamonds. And our seats have extra cushions due to the massive size of our average citizen.
Leslie: The raccoon problem is under control. They have their part of the town and we have ours.
Leslie: I'm gonna go see a man about some porcelain, you know what I mean? I'm not buying cocaine. I'm going to the bathroom. The whiz palace, as I like to call it.
Mrs. Berkus: Are you Ron Swanson?
Ron: I am.
Mrs. Berkus: Okay, what exactly did you teach my daughter?
Ron: Oh, you must be Mrs. Berkus.
Mrs. Berkus: Lauren was supposed to do a paper on "Why Government Matters". This is what she wrote. [hands him a paper]
Ron: [reads it] "It doesn't". [chuckles] Well said.
Ron: All I'm saying is, keep an open mind for a while. Listen to your teachers, and read all the books you can. Then, when you're eighteen, you can drink, gamble, and become a Libertarian.
Lauren: The drinking age is twenty-one.
Ron: I know. Another stupid government rule.