Eagleton (S3E12)

Call your friends and welcome them to Pawnee. Today Rob Lowe and Alan Yang are watching S3E12. In "Eagleton" Leslie is forced to deal with a former beloved colleague-turned bitter enemy when a neighboring town separates a shared park with a fence. On this episode find out how amazing it was to work with Nicole Holofcener, why a trash fight convinced Parker Posey to be in this episode, what in this script made Rashida cry, and why Alan never keeps ice cream in his home! Got a question for the Pawnee Town Hall? Send us an email: ParksandRecollectionTownHall@gmail.com Or leave a 30-Second voicemail at: (310) 893-6992

Eagleton, a more prosperous neighboring town of Pawnee, has erected a tall fence in the shared Lafayette Park to keep Pawnee residents at a distance. Leslie’s theory is that it’s the work of Lindsay Carlisle Shay (Parker Posey), The Eagleton equivalent of Leslie. Lindsay is a former Pawnee parks department employee and used to be Leslie's best friend. While dealing with the fence, Leslie also discovers Ron's upcoming birthday, a date he has kept secret for years. Leslie promises a horrified and annoyed Ron that she will throw a surprise party for him.

In the standard style of a disorderly public meeting, the citizens of Pawnee call for the fence to be removed. Leslie meets with Lindsay, who refuses to take the fence down and insults Pawnee in the process. Leslie, Tom, and Ben attend a catered Eagleton town meeting inside a country club to plead their case to its citizens. The people of Eagleton are wealthy and civil, but also incredibly condescending. Citing the poor maintenance of Pawnee's side of Lafayette Park, the Eagleton citizens would like the fence to stay up. Leslie reveals to Tom and Ben that she was offered the job of Eagleton parks director five years ago but turned it down. At the time, Leslie and Lindsay both promised to remain in Pawnee. However, Eagleton then offered Lindsay the job and she accepted, turning her back on Pawnee and worse… Leslie.

Ron becomes increasingly paranoid of Leslie's birthday party, especially after he overhears April and Andy discuss outrageous plans. When Ron learns what a huge party she threw for Ann’s birthday, he becomes so paranoid that he resorts to sleeping in his office to avoid any potential surprises at home. While this is happening, Leslie seeks revenge against Lindsay by getting her parks employees to throw garbage over the Eagleton side of the fence. When Lindsay arrives to stop it, the two get into a fight amid the garbage bags. The police arrive and arrest both women: Lindsay is jailed in Pawnee, while Leslie is jailed in Eagleton's pristine holding cell.

After Ann bails Leslie out of jail, she tells her that Lindsay built the fence to get a rise out of Leslie, because she is jealous that Leslie was offered the Eagleton job first. Ann suggests that Lindsay should be hit with a baseball bat, which gives Leslie the idea to turn Pawnee's side of Lafayette Park into a wiffle ball field, with the fence serving as the outfield wall. Lindsay is impressed by how fast Leslie turned the fence into something positive, and remembers why she and Leslie joined the parks department in the first place. With their relationship on the mend, the two agree to get a drink together.

Later, Leslie returns to the office to throw Ron's party: she takes him to an empty room with steak, whiskey and his favorite movies waiting for him, and reveals that April and Andy's duties were red herrings. Leslie explains she made a party that he would want and leaves a content Ron alone to enjoy his birthday.