| Honestly, Leslie, it's going to be a long uphill battle. You are going to be super-annoyed with all the people who want you to fail. There is a sea of red tape, endless road blocks. So, yeah, I don't know. I don't know. |
| — Mark Brendanawicz |
"Rock Show" is the season finale of season 1 of the NBC television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on May 14, 2009 to 4.25 million viewers.
Storyline
The Parks and Recreation Department have cake to celebrate Andy Dwyer having his leg casts removed, and Ann Perkins invites everybody to a local bar to hear Andy's band play for the first time since he broke his legs. Leslie Knope is disappointed she cannot go, because her mother, Marlene Griggs-Knope, has set up a business meeting with a local town manager. Later at the hospital, Ann learns from Dr. Harris that Andy could have had his casts removed two weeks earlier, but that he postponed it because he wanted Ann to keep pampering him. Angry, Ann begins reevaluating her relationship with Andy. Later that evening, Leslie realizes the dinner with 62-year-old George Gernway is actually a blind date set up by her mother. George, who tells the documentary camera crew he is getting "very positive signals", agrees to go with Leslie to the bar after dinner to hear Andy play.
At the bar, Mark Brendanawicz is the only one there from town hall without a date: Tom Haverford is with his attractive surgeon wife Wendy Haverford, Ron Swanson is dating his ex-wife's sister Beth, and April Ludgate is with her gay boyfriend. Noticing Ann is angry with Andy, Mark makes a pass at her, but Ann angrily rejects him. Leslie and George show up and are mocked by Tom. After the gig ends, Andy tries to stay as long as possible to avoid a fight with Ann, but she insists they leave. George goes home because he was falling asleep and Leslie starts to leave, but an intoxicated Mark asks her to stay and have a beer with him.
When Leslie notes to the camera crew that they seem to be getting along just like when they made love five years earlier, she realizes Mark was drunk then too. When the bar closes, the two decide to keep drinking alongside the pit outside Ann's house, which Leslie plans to turn into a park. When Leslie asks whether he thinks the park will ever be made, a pragmatic Mark says it will be a difficult process with a lot of red tape, but she remains optimistic. During a fight, Andy admits to Ann that he postponed having the casts removed, but explains it was because, "I really, really like it when you serve me food." Ann throws him out, and Andy sees Mark kiss Leslie. Leslie stops his advances because she does not want to move forward when he is drunk. As Mark gets up to leave, he falls into the pit. An amused Andy tells Ann, who rushes out to help him while Andy goes back inside and watches television while eating chips.
Cast
Main Cast
- Amy Poehler
- Rashida Jones
- Paul Schneider
- Aziz Ansari
- Nick Offerman
- Aubrey Plaza
Guest Stars
- Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer
- Pratt's credit resumes as it had for the first 3 episodes: as part of the opening with the theme including an image
- Andrew Burlinson as Wyatt "Burly" Burlinson
- Stephanie Erb as Beth
- Todd Grinnell as Nate
- Jim O'Heir as Jerry Gergich
- Ron Perkins as George Gernway
- Pamela Reed as Marlene Griggs-Knope
- Retta Sirleaf as Donna Meagle
- Mark Rivers as Drummer
- Cooper Thornton as Dr. Harris
- Jama Williamson as Wendy Haverford
- Alan Yang as Bassist
Quotes
Wendy: How did Leslie meet her boyfriend?
Tom: She used to read him books at the senior center.
Beth: Wow. How old is he?
Tom: He's 6, but he has Benjamin Button disease.
Mark: Honestly, Leslie, it's going to be a long uphill battle. You are going to be super-annoyed with all the people who want you to fail. There is a sea of red tape, endless road blocks. So, yeah, I don't know. I don't know.
Leslie: Screw it. I'm gonna try to do it anyway.
Andy lists his band's names
Trivia
To see more Trivia, go here.