JOAN GOTCHA! Check your facts, remove poems and unicorns, bind it all together, and head to the Pawnee Book Nook ... we've got a book to promote! Join expert fact checkers Mark and Allen as they tackle Episode 3 of Season 4, "Born & Raised". NOTE: Unpaid producer Constantine is celebrating this book promotion with a full waffle bar! You are all welcome to join as long as you have your long-form birth certificates with you. [EDIT BY MARK AND ALLEN: Constantine is an idiot. Short-form is fine.]
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we finally learn Leslie's full name! Leslie wrote the book "Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America" and is promoting it on Pawnee Today, hoping Joan Callamezzo will put her book club sticker on it, which would increase sales AND help Leslie's campaign. Before the show, an anonymous source claims an inaccuracy in the book, which Leslie enlists the gang to find, trying to avoid Joan revealing it on air. When Leslie goes on Pawnee Today, Joan reveals the inaccuracy: Leslie "Born & Raised" Knope was NOT BORN IN PAWNEE, and because she lied, Joan refuses to put her book club sticker on it. Meanwhile, Leslie has hired Entertainment 720 (and by extension Tom) to get that book sticker. Tom is confident he can talk Joan into it because he always playfully flirts with her. But things get more complicated when Joan makes it known that she is divorcing her husband, and warns Tom not to make any promises he can't keep. Finally, when Leslie asks the gang to help her fact check the details, Ann is teamed up with Ron and April. Although Ron and April are traditionally stoic and silent, ESPECIALLY to her, Ann is determined to win them over with kindness and get them to actually have a conversation with her. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Where was Leslie actually born? Will Tom convince Joan to give Leslie's book the sticker? Can Ron finally whittle alone in silence, the way God intended? Who is the anonymous source that provided the tip? How many drinks does it take for Joan to refer to Tom as "an adorable hunk of caramel"? Does Ann have a secret weapon up her sleeve? Podcast viewers, this Joan-tastic episode is one you won't want to miss! Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor, "Pawnee Public Radio's Newest Show: 3Qs and 2As".