Pawnee Zoo
- Episode aired Sep 17, 2009
- TV-PG
- 21m
Leslie becomes a political lightning rod when the penguin wedding she sets up at the Pawnee Zoo turns out to be for two male penguins.Leslie becomes a political lightning rod when the penguin wedding she sets up at the Pawnee Zoo turns out to be for two male penguins.Leslie becomes a political lightning rod when the penguin wedding she sets up at the Pawnee Zoo turns out to be for two male penguins.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe episode in which Leslie accidentally marries two male penguins won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode in a Series without a Regular LGBT Character.
- Quotes
Ron Swanson: Okay, here's the situation:
Leslie Knope: Your parents went away on a week's vacation. They left the keys to the brand new Porsche. Would they mind? Umm, well, of course not.
[Tom begins beatboxing]
Leslie Knope: I'll just take it for a little spin and maybe show it off to a couple of friends. I'll just cruise it around the neighborhood. Well, maybe I shouldn't. Yeah, of course I should. Pay attention, here's the thick of the plot. I pulled up to the corner at the end of my block. That's when I saw this beautiful girlie girl walking. I picked up my car phone to perpetrate like I was talking.
[Picks up Jerry's phone, then hangs it up]
Leslie Knope: The sun roof was open, the music was high. And this girl's hand was steadily moving up my thigh. She had opened up three buttons on her shirt so far. I guess that's why I didn't notice that police car. I can't believe it, I just made a mistake. Well, parents are the same no matter time nor place. So to you all the kids all across the land. Take it from me, parents just don't understand.
[Donna and Jerry applaud]
Leslie Knope: Thank you, thank you. Just a little something I know. So what's up?
Ron Swanson: Uh, someone is on fire in Ramset Park. They need you to get down there right away.
Leslie Knope: Oh my God...
- ConnectionsReferences Meet the Press (1947)
"Pawnee Zoo" has a great premise and the writers smartly use this for the majority of the episode. Leslie, being the dedicated Deputy worker that she is, holds a marriage ceremony at the Pawnee Zoo for two cute penguins. What intended to be a standard public service event to help promote the zoo, eventually snowballs into absolute chaos when Pawnee citizens find out that the penguins are actually both male. Now, this episode is very funny and Amy Poehler is absolute gold in this, especially in the scenes at The Bulge (Pawnee's gay bar). However, what I would like to particularly highlight is the use of satire in this episode, that becomes a staple for the how the entire show is built around.
Pawnee, in a lot of ways, is like a parody of The United States. And the writers use different episodes to highlight important political topics in our country. "Pawnee Zoo" happens to focus on gay rights, and is an excellent use of satire for how differential our country views same-sex marriage. It's clever, bold, and of course an absolute laugh riot. We are also introduced to one of the great minor characters in the entire series in, Pawnee Today host, Joan Callamezzo. An absolute scene staler whenever she appears. You can even say she is a parody of the media. It's things like this that make the show so great and almost like no other live-action sitcom before it.
Overall, I think "Pawnee Zoo" is the first great episode of the series, and if you are watching this episode for the first time and like this a lot more than the previous episodes, you are in for a real treat, because this is exactly how the show will be for the remainder of its run. A smart satire on American politics set in a wacky town full of memorable and goofy characters. This is a great opener that really sets the tone for the remainder of the season.
- brenbella
- Jul 26, 2018
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