What's more impressive ... eating egg salad with Colin Powell, or helping Bobby Newport beat Leslie? Ponder important questions like that with nationally acclaimed water fountain architects Mark and Allen as they tackle Episode 17 of Season 4, "Campaign Shake-Up". NOTE: Constantine and Harvey are taking bets on how the gang will fill the Leslie void. (EDIT BY MARK AND ALLEN: Guys, phrasing ... keep it clean.)
This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode where we first see the great Pawnee TV show, "The Final Word, With Perd"! Leslie is catching up to Bobby Newport in the polls, resulting in the firing of his campaign manager. Ben has Leslie try to secure the endorsement of Ned Jones, President of Pawnee Seniors United. Ned is impressed with Leslie's plan to install ramps for senior citizens all over Pawnee, but saves his endorsement until after he meets with Bobby's NEW famous campaign manager, Jennifer Barkley, who typically works in national elections. Although Jennifer is courteous and dislikes Bobby, she later trashes Leslie on television. Leslie announces her "Ramp Up Pawnee" plan to members of Pawnee Seniors United, but is upstaged by Jennifer, who announces Bobby's "Rise Up Pawnee" plan using electronic lifts instead of ramps, which Ned loves. Meanwhile, Chris tells Ron that with Leslie spending less time with the Parks Department, he will need to hire a deputy director. When Ron balks at this, Chris asks him to prove they can function without Leslie by quickly finishing one major project. Ron decides to take up Ann Perkins' proposal of creating sanitary water fountains, as Pawnee's citizens have a habit of wrapping their entire mouths around the spout. Ann rallies the gang to try and brainstorm a few potential ideas, but one thing leads to another, things quickly go off the rail, and everyone gets into a huge water fight. As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Ben rise to the occasion and out-think Jennifer Barkley? Can the gang deliver a solution to the water fountain dilemma? Who gets the endorsement of Ned Jones, Leslie or Bobby Newport? Does Chris end up hiring a deputy director? How did JJ's Diner get a new cappuccino maker? Will the Parks Department END up with a SHAKE up? Podcast viewers, we've seen Leslie Knope antagonists before, but NEVER one like this! Could Jennifer out-maneuver Leslie? The stakes are getting higher - tune in to find out! Many thanks to our incredible sponsor, often imitated but never duplicated, "JJ's Diner".