Pawnee Rangers

"Pawnee Rangers" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. Unlike many episodes during the fourth season that focus on Leslie's campaign for city council, this episode hardly even mentions it. "Pawnee Rangers" garnered 3.99 million viewers,[1] a decrease in viewers from the previous episode. The episode was written by Alan Yang and was directed by Charles McDougall.

"Pawnee Rangers"
Parks and Recreation episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 4
Directed byCharles McDougall
Written byAlan Yang
Original air dateOctober 13, 2011
Guest appearance(s)
  • Sarah Wright as Millicent "Milly" Gergich
  • Jacob Bertrand as Darren
  • Kayla M. Simpkins as Casey
  • Dmitri A. Schuyler as Chignole
  • Dani Fish as Lauren
  • Annalise Basso as Abigail
  • Gavin MacIntosh as Wayne
  • Adrian Zeigler as DJ Bluntz
  • Emily Maya Mills as Lisa
  • Penny L. Moore as Puppy Lady

Plot

Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) is the leader of a Boy Scout-like group called the Pawnee Rangers, with Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) as his assistant. A girl had previously not been allowed to join the Rangers because it is for boys only, so Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) created the girls-only Pawnee Goddesses, with Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) and April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) as her assistants. Leslie is determined to prove that her group is better to avenge the past rejection, so she decides to arrange a weekend camping trip for the Goddesses at the same camping ground as the Rangers. Meanwhile, after noticing that Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) is feeling down, Donna Meagle (Retta) and Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) invite him on their annual "Treat Yo Self" trip, where they spend a day spending extravagantly on things they don't need. Jerry Gergich is left alone in the office, so Chris (Rob Lowe) gives him the day off; Jerry invites Chris to have lunch with him and his daughter Millicent "Milly" Gergich (Sarah Wright), and Chris agrees when he sees that Milly is very attractive.

The Pawnee Rangers become jealous of the Pawnee Goddesses, who appear to be having a lot more fun on the trip as they have puppies, pillow fights, and candy, while the Rangers are only given beans and told to build a meager shelter. Leslie is glad her efforts to make the boys jealous worked but the Goddesses, after a public forum, decide to let the Rangers join them if they want to. Every Ranger - including Andy - defects to the Goddesses, making Leslie feel sorry when she spots Ron sitting at a campfire all alone. She apologizes for being so competitive, and Ron laments that children no longer want to learn tough survival skills, admitting Leslie has the better group. To make Ron feel better, Leslie takes out an ad in the paper for a new group of self-reliant survivalists called "The Swansons", and Ron is surprised to find a group of eager children (girls and boys) in his office ready to join.

Ben is unable to enjoy himself with Tom and Donna, but opens up after splurging on a Batman costume. He starts to cry and tells them about a recent break-up, not mentioning it is Leslie. Chris hits it off with Milly during lunch and tells Jerry that he plans on asking her out on a date and insists on being open with Jerry about their activities; it takes a weird turn the next day when Chris tells Jerry that the date went well and that Milly spent the night at his house afterwards.

Reception

The episode received mixed to positive reviews. Matt Fowler of IGN claimed that "it was a fun story because we got to see people shift around and find out the places they felt the most comfortable."[2] Steve Heisler of The AV Club gave "Pawnee Rangers" a B-, but praised Nick Offerman's performance, saying "there is no more fun character on TV today than Ron Swanson—and though I didn’t love 'Pawnee Rangers,' I still believe that wholeheartedly."[3]

References
  1. Gorman, Bill (October 14, 2011). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Office,' 'Person Of Interest,' 'X Factor' Adjusted Up, 'Private Practice' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  2. Fowler, Matt (2011-10-13). "Parks and Recreation: "Pawnee Rangers" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  3. Heisler, Steve (October 13, 2011). "Parks And Recreation: "Pawnee Rangers"". The AV Club. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
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