Canvassing (Parks and Recreation)

Last updated
"Canvassing"
Parks and Recreation episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 2
Directed by Seth Gordon
Written by Rachel Axler
Production code103
Original air dateApril 16, 2009 (2009-04-16)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Pilot"		Next →
"The Reporter"
Parks and Recreation season 1
List of episodes

"Canvassing" is the second episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation . It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 16, 2009. The episode was written by Rachel Axler and directed by Seth Gordon. In the episode, deputy director of Parks and Recreation Leslie and her staff canvass the neighborhood to seek support for an upcoming town meeting on their park proposal but end up drawing more critics than allies.

Contents

The episode was originally supposed to be the third episode of the series, but the broadcast order was changed and "Canvassing" was switched with "The Reporter". The episode received generally mixed reviews. According to Nielsen Media Research, "Canvassing" was watched by 5.92 million households in its original airing, which media outlets said was commendable, although it was about 900,000 less households than the pilot episode received the previous week. "Canvassing" and the rest of the first season of Parks and Recreation was released on DVD in the United States on September 8, 2009.

Plot

The episode begins with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), deputy director of the Department of Parks and Recreation for Pawnee, Indiana explaining to a documentary crew about the Annual Easter Egg Hunt, in which her colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), has hidden the eggs, and Leslie notes that nobody is able to find them. Tom secretly confesses to the documentary crew that he forgot to plant the eggs.

Leslie plans for an upcoming town hall meeting about her proposal to turn a construction pit into a park. She invites her mother Marlene Griggs-Knope (Pamela Reed), an official with the county school system, but she does not appear supportive and tells Leslie she may be too busy to attend. Leslie holds a subcommittee meeting with Tom, interested citizen Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), intern April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) and city planner Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider). Mark warns her it might be too early for a meeting with the public, who could opt to vote the proposal down if they are unhappy with it. Leslie remains confident about the meeting and says the group will be doing neighborhood canvassing to try to win support.

The canvassing is largely unsuccessful. Most of the supporters of the park say they will not be able to attend the meeting. Mark, April and Tom speak with one seemingly interested resident, who is implied to be a pedophile. Leslie becomes frustrated with the lack of success and attempts to push poll the community residents. She suggests phrasing the question, "Wouldn't you rather have a park than a storage facility for nuclear waste?" Tom leaves the canvassing group to call prospective contractors about the park project, hinting at accepting bribes and making corrupt deals. Several residents express a lack of support for the park. Resident Kate Speevak (Lennon Parham) vows to attend the public meeting and voice her disapproval after a frustrated Leslie says, "You don't care about your kids if you don't support this park". The canvassing ends with an angry Leslie finding Mark and April playing Rock Band with Ann's boyfriend, Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) at Ann's house.

Leslie tries to get her boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) to postpone the town hall meeting, but Ron says he cannot because the town manager Paul Iaresco (Phil Reeves) has "fast-tracked" the project. As the meeting begins, Leslie notices her mother has attended after all, along with many of the people critical of the project. Led by Kate Speevak, the crowd says they do not support the proposal and are angry an environmental study has not been conducted. Leslie tries to pretend April is a supportive resident, but one of the audience members recognizes her from the canvassing.

When Ron tells Leslie to try to place a positive spin on the meeting and prevent a vote from occurring, Leslie attempts to filibuster the meeting. Kate pushes for a vote, but Leslie says she will not hold one until she has heard from each audience member individually. They criticize and yell at Leslie until 9 p.m., when she announces time is up and ends the meeting. Marlene, who privately described the meeting as a "train-wreck", nevertheless expresses her pride for Leslie with a smile. Although frustrated with the meeting itself, Leslie says she is happy to have hosted her first subcommittee meeting. When one resident, Lawrence (Eric Edelstein) says, "Hey park lady, you suck", Leslie says with pride, "Hear that? He called me 'park lady'".

Production

Conception and filming

"Canvassing" was written by Rachel Axler and directed by Seth Gordon, whom the cast and crew of Parks and Recreation admired for his documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters . [1] It was originally supposed to be the third episode shown in the series, but the broadcast schedule was changed and it was switched with "The Reporter", the original second episode. [2] Series co-creator Michael Schur said the plot for "Canvassing" was conceived early in the Parks and Recreation brainstorming process because the staff wanted to demonstrate Leslie's optimism and strong resolve in the face of harsh public criticism. Schur said he felt like Leslie "hangs in and ends up like Rocky: beaten and bloodied, but on her feet". [3] Schur said during his research about municipal government, he received a lot of feedback that community meetings are seldom attended except by those opposed to a proposal, and those in favor of it or neutral about it tend not to attend. This was the inspiration behind the public forum at the end of "Canvassing", which was attended almost entirely by opponents of Leslie's proposed park. Alan Yang, a Parks and Recreation writer, conceived the idea of Leslie using a filibuster at her own public meeting. [1]

Like most episodes of Parks and Recreation, a great deal of the scenes in "Canvassing" were improvised by the actors. The scenes with Tom hinting at bribes and corrupt deals with developers was largely improvised by actor Aziz Ansari. [4] The producers were concerned the subplot would make Tom too unlikeable, but instead audiences responded positively because they felt it was an accurate portrayal of some aspects of small-town government. [1] Ansari also improvised the lines in which he brown-nosed to the developers as they entered the public forum. In one talking head-style documentary interview, Leslie insists a park like the one she envisioned for Pawnee could not be built in communist Russia, and she goes on to impersonate Russian children playing in a park. The scene was completely improvised by Poehler during multiple takes, [5] and Michael Schur called it "my favorite talking head that Amy has done". [1] The cold open of the episode features Leslie wearing bunny ears and helping children on an Easter egg hunt at a park. Since Tom forgot to hide any eggs, Leslie and the children assume it is an extremely difficult egg hunt. The cold open was the last scene shot for "Canvassing", and was conceived at the last moment because the production date was near Easter, and series co-creator Michael Schur said he "thought it would be funny to put Amy (Poehler) in bunny ears". Since it was shot after the majority of the episode, Seth Gordon was not available to direct it. [1]

All outdoor canvassing scenes were shot in a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, outside the Parks and Recreation studio. Michael Schur said they wanted to establish the type of groundwork public servants often had to conduct in a small town. [1] Seth Gordon sought to make the canvassing scenes as realistic as possible, so he allowed a large amount of improvisation among the actors. [5] The Pawnee residents who are vocally opposed to parks were based on real-life California residents the Parks and Recreation producers encountered who opposed the construction of parks in their hometown. One such group, "The Committee for a Better Park", was actually a group of residents opposed to parks in general, and the deceptiveness of their name and mission inspired the Parks producers while writing "Canvassing". [4]

Casting

"Canvassing" marked the first appearance of Marlene Griggs-Knope, Leslie's mother and an important public figure in the Pawnee school system. Marlene was played by Pamela Reed, who would continue to make several guest appearances as the character. During the casting auditions, Seth Gordon interviewed Reed as if she were playing the character and Reed improvised a great deal, creating many personality elements that were eventually incorporated into Marlene Knope's character. Gordon said, "Pamela was especially sort of nimble on her feet at inventing a character in the room on the fly, and I thought that was really impressive." [5] During the audition, Reed was asked whether she was proud of her daughter, and Reed replied, "I want my daughter to be successful, which is why I always tell her, there's nothing wrong with being a wife and mother." The improvised line, which was based on something her father-in-law said to her, so impressed the producers that they incorporated it into the episode. [1] Schur said the producers sought to establish Leslie's mother early in the series, and he felt her relationship to Leslie was the center of the entire "Canvassing" episode. Schur said of Leslie's attempts to impress her mom at her public forum, "We imagined it in the writer's room that she is eight years old and doing a piano recital, and she's nervous because her mom's there." [1]

Lennon Parham, an actress and comedian who worked with Amy Poehler on the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, made a guest appearance in "Canvassing" as Kate Speevak. Michael Schur said early on in the brainstorming process, the Parks and Recreation producers decided to establish an antagonist for Leslie named Kate Speevak, simply because they thought the name was funny. [1] Seth Gordon said Poehler and Parham worked especially well together during their largely improvised scenes, which he attributed to their past work together on the Upright Citizens Brigade. [5] The resident who appeared to be a sex offender during the canvassing was played by Brian Huskey, who Schur called a "fantastic improviser". Eric Edelstein portrayed Lawrence, a resident who antagonizes Leslie and Andy during the public meeting. Edelstein was not originally the actor assigned the "Hey parks lady, you suck" line, but the Parks and Recreation producers like Edelstein so much they gave it to him. [1] Leslie's response line, "Hear that? He called me park lady", was improvised by Poehler. [5]

Cultural references

During office hours, Leslie catches Mark, April and Andy playing Rock Band , a popular music video game in which the players perform rock music using guitar, drum and microphone controllers; [6] during the game, Andy sings the song "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit. [7] Seth Gordon said the Parks and Recreation producers almost opted not to include a singing part due to concerns about the legalities of using the song, but they ultimately decided to use it. [5] During Leslie's filibuster at the town hall meeting, she begins reading The Phantom Tollbooth , a children's adventure novel written by Norton Juster. [8] The final scene of the episode, with Tom discussing how much he enjoyed The Phantom Tollbooth, was a last minute addition when the Parks and Recreation producers realized they had six possible seconds left to add to the episode. [1]

During the canvassing, Leslie says she may resort to the tactics of Karl Rove, advisor to former President George W. Bush, in phrasing her questions to guarantee positive responses. [9] Leslie refers to Andy as "a cute FDR", a reference to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. [10] Leslie says her mother is as respected as charity worker Mother Teresa, as powerful as Soviet Union dictator Joseph Stalin and as beautiful as British politician Margaret Thatcher. [11] A PDF copy of the town hall meeting flyer was posted on NBC's official Parks and Recreation website about Pawnee, Indiana; it included before-and-after pictures of the proposed park. [12] [13]

Reception

In its original American broadcast on April 16, 2009, "Canvassing" was watched by 5.92 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research, earning a 2.5 rating/7 share among viewers aged between 18 and 49, and a 2.5 rating/8 share among viewers between 18 and 34. [14] Although the episode attracted about 900,000 fewer household viewers than the pilot episode the previous week, [15] media outlets said the rating was still commendable; "Canvassing" aired following an episode of My Name Is Earl which had a series-low rating among viewers aged between 18 and 49, whereas the pilot episode aired between two episodes of the popular series, The Office . Additionally, "Canvassing" was viewed by almost one million more households than Samantha Who? , which ran in the same 8:30 to 9 p.m. timeslot as Parks and Recreation. "Canvassing" also captured a full 18 to 49 ratings point more than Samantha Who?. [14]

The episode received generally mixed reviews. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger said he thought the episode was an improvement over the pilot episode, which he also enjoyed. Sepinwall said the episode seemed to distance the Leslie character from Michael Scott, Steve Carell's character on The Office, and gave more for the supporting cast to do; he particularly praised Schneider and Ansari. [6] Matt Fowler of IGN said Amy Poehler "remains frighteningly unflappable" and said he enjoyed how disastrous the town hall meeting turned out to be, but said supporting characters like Mark and Ron "need to be fleshed out a bit more and made... well, funnier." [8] Josh McAuliffe of The Times-Tribune said "Canvassing" was funnier than the pilot episode, but still lacked big laughs and "I think the writers can do some interesting things with the whole playground plot, among them introducing us to some of Pawnee's more colorful denizens." [7]

Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club said although he liked the pilot episode, he thought jokes in "Canvassing" were "pretty thin on the ground", the supporting cast lacked good material and the Leslie character was less likable than the previous week. Phipps, who gave the episode a C grade, said, "This wasn’t a terrible half-hour of comedy by any stretch. It drifted by easily enough. But I’m already having to scour my notes to remind myself of the stuff that was funny." [9] "Canvassing" was first broadcast in Australia on Channel Seven on December 8, 2009, and received a positive review from The Sydney Morning Herald writer Mark Ellis. He particularly praised Poehler and Ansari, and said of the episode, "Tune in just to hear her say to her canvassing companion, who complains it's hot and wants to cool off: 'We could blow in each other's faces.'" [16]

Home media

"Canvassing", along with the five other first-season episodes of Parks and Recreation, was released on a one-disc DVD set in the United States on September 8, 2009. The DVD included cast and crew commentary tracks for each episode, as well as about 30 minutes of deleted scenes. [17]

The deleted scenes included on the DVD were originally featured on the official Parks and Recreation website after the episode aired. In the first, a minute-long clip, Ron tries to take a job offer that was previously offered to him at an Internet flower company web site, but when he finds the business is doing so poorly, he sadly realizes he will be in his government job for a long time. [18] In a second minute-long clip, Leslie talks about her very detailed life plan, which involves eventually becoming head of the parks department, then governor of Indiana, then U.S. vice president and then getting married at age 84. The deleted clips were featured on the Parks and Recreation official website within a week of the episode's original production date. [18]

Related Research Articles

Parks and Recreation is an American political satire mockumentary television sitcom created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 episodes, over seven seasons. A special reunion episode aired on April 30, 2020. The series stars Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks Department of the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. The ensemble and supporting cast features Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, 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, Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz, Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, Jim O'Heir as Garry "Jerry" Gergich, Retta as Donna Meagle, and Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks.

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. The episode was written by series creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, and directed by Daniels.

"The Reporter" is the third episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 23, 2009. The episode was written by Daniel J. Goor and directed by Jeffrey Blitz. In the episode, Leslie enlists a local reporter to write an article about the park, but the interviews go poorly, and the problem escalates after Mark gets romantically involved with the journalist.

"Boys' Club" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 30, 2009. It was written by Alan Yang and directed by Michael McCullers. In the episode, Leslie tries to integrate herself into the local "boys club" by drinking wine from an illegal gift basket, and gets into trouble as she tries to accept responsibility for her supposed mistake. In a B story, Andy cleans Ann's house while she is at work.

"Rock Show" is the sixth episode and season finale of the first season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009. It was written by Norm Hiscock and directed by Michael Schur. In the episode, Andy gets the casts removed from his legs, and Ann starts reevaluating their relationship when she learns he kept them on longer than necessary so she would keep pampering him. An intoxicated Mark flirts with Leslie, who feels conflicted about whether she wants to move forward when he is drunk.

"Pawnee Zoo" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the seventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 17, 2009. In the episode, Leslie accidentally takes a stand in favor of same-sex marriage when she holds a marriage for two male penguins during a publicity stunt for the zoo.

"The Stakeout" is the second episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the eighth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 24, 2009. In the episode, Leslie conducts surveillance on a community garden in an attempt to find out who planted marijuana there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Knope</span> Fictional character from Parks and Recreation

Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character portrayed by Amy Poehler and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. For most of the show's run, she serves as deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department of the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana. An overachiever, Knope believes the government should serve the people and is unceasingly optimistic about the potential of her role within it. For her performance as Knope, Poehler has been nominated for several awards and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.

"Sister City" is the fifth episode of the second season of Parks and Recreation, and the eleventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 15, 2009. In the episode, Leslie welcomes a delegation from Venezuela, who act disrespectfully toward Pawnee and the United States.

"Hunting Trip" is the tenth episode of the second season of American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the sixteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 19, 2009. In the episode, Leslie tries to prove she can hang out with the guys by attending Ron's annual hunting trip, where Ron is accidentally shot.

<i>Parks and Recreation</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network between April 9 and May 14, 2009. Produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, the series was created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, who served as executive producers with Howard Klein. The season stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, and Aubrey Plaza.

"Christmas Scandal" is the 12th episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the eighteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on December 10, 2009. In the episode, a meeting with a disgraced councilman puts Leslie in the middle of a sex scandal that forces her to hide from the press.

<i>Parks and Recreation</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network starting September 17, 2009, and ended on May 20, 2010. The season was produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, and series co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur served as executive producers. Like the first season, it focuses on Leslie Knope and her staff on the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. The episodes were approximately 22 minutes long each, all of which aired at 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays. The season stars Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Paul Schneider, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt.

"The Set Up" is the 13th episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the nineteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 14, 2010. In the episode, Leslie is set up on a blind date with an MRI technologist, played by Poehler's then-husband, comedic actor Will Arnett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Perkins</span> US TV sitcom character, created 2009

Ann Meredith Traeger, née Perkins, RN, portrayed by Rashida Jones, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and Leslie Knope's best friend.

"Telethon" is the 22nd episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 28th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 6, 2010. In the episode, Leslie volunteers to host a charity telethon and is given the unappealing 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. shift.

"Freddy Spaghetti" is the second season finale of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 30th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 20, 2010. In the episode, as Ron helps state auditors make governmental cuts amid a government shutdown, Leslie tries to save a children's concert starring musician Freddy Spaghetti. Meanwhile, Andy asks April to be his girlfriend, while Ann tries to cope with her renewed feelings for Andy following her breakup with Mark.

"Time Capsule" is the third episode of the third season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 33rd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 3, 2011. In the episode, Leslie tries to encourage civic pride through a time capsule, but it descends into chaos as Pawnee citizens argue over what to include. Meanwhile, Chris tries to help Andy win back April.

"Born & Raised" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 49th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 6, 2011. In the episode, Leslie Knope promotes a book she has written about Pawnee to advance her campaign, but is sidetracked when Joan Callamezzo discovers a factual error in the book that Leslie was unaware of. Meanwhile, Ann Perkins attempts to bond with April Ludgate and Ron Swanson, while Tom Haverford and Ben Wyatt attempt to charm the recently divorced Callamezzo.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Schur, Michael (2009). Parks and Recreation: Season One: "Canvassing" (DVD Audio commentary). Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
  2. ↑ Hughes, Jason (April 24, 2009). "Parks and Recreation: The Reporter". TV Squad. Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  3. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (September 17, 2009). "Parks and Recreation: Interviewing co-creator Mike Schur". The Star-Ledger . Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Goor, Daniel J. (2009). Parks and Recreation: Season One: "Canvassing" (DVD Audio commentary). Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gordon, Seth (2009). Parks and Recreation: Season One: Canvassing" (DVD Audio commentary). Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
  6. 1 2 Sepinwall, Alan (April 16, 2009). "Parks and Recreation, "Canvassing": The first meeting". The Star-Ledger . Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  7. 1 2 McAuliffe, Josh (April 21, 2009). "Parks and Rec Thoughts – The Office Blog". The Times-Tribune .
  8. 1 2 Fowler, Matt (April 17, 2009). "Parks and Recreation: "Canvassing" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Phipps, Keith (April 16, 2009). "Parks and Recreation: Season 1: Episode 2: "Canvassing"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 14, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  10. ↑ Brown, Brigid (April 17, 2009). "TV Recap: Parks And Recreation – Canvassing". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  11. ↑ Franklin, Nancy (May 4, 2009). "Cockeyed Optimist: Amy Poehler gets her own sitcom". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Download Leslie's public forum flyer, see her pit timeline update and more at www.PawneeIndiana.com". Parks and Recreation Twitter feed (Official Site). April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Parks and Recreation: Public Forum Flyer". PawneeIndiana.com (Official Site). Archived from the original on April 19, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  14. 1 2 Seidman, Robert (April 17, 2009). "Thursday Ratings: "Southland" holds up, "Parks and Recreation" dips". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  15. ↑ Ryan, Joal (April 10, 2009). "Parks and Rec's Solid Approval Rating". E! Online . Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  16. ↑ Ellis, Mark (December 6, 2009). "Monday TV: Parks and Recreation". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  17. ↑ Murray, Noel (September 8, 2009). "New on DVD: "Crank: High Voltage," "Homicide," "Fringe," "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency," "Parks and Recreation"". Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. Archived from the original on September 7, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  18. 1 2 Parks & Recreation: Season One (Film (DVD)). Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Event occurs at Deleted Scenes: Canvassing.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.