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#10: Tom's Plant Names “The Stakeout”
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In season two, we see Leslie working on a community garden in Pawnee, and Tom is there to help her out. And we use the term “help” very loosely, because he seems to help by just sitting around sunning himself while Leslie does all the work. He also pretends to have much more horticultural knowledge than he actually possesses, so when Leslie asks for the Latin name of one of the plants, he provides her with the name of a well-known rapper... and she believes him. Of course this all culminates in them realizing someone planted marijuana in the garden and a quest to figure out who did it.
#9: Leslie's Library Fine “Sweetums”
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One of the funniest running gags on “Parks and Rec” is the rivalry between Leslie and her Parks Department and the Pawnee Library. Considering how civic-minded she is, Leslie has a surprising disdain for not only the library but everyone who works there, and in this scene we see why. When trying to check something out, the librarian gets in a dig about Leslie’s literacy, and then loudly calls her out for having a large late fee on a book about female orgasms. Leslie tries to defend herself and then makes a run for it, intentionally knocking over a cart of books on her way out.
#8: Ben’s Claymation “The Comeback Kid”
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In season four, Ben finds himself unemployed and tries to fill his time with a slew of hobbies like calzone making. One of the funnier ones is making experimenting with clay-animation, otherwise known as “clay-maysh”. But when Chris comes to visit him, he calls it like he sees it and identifies that Ben is obviously suffering from depression. Ben is defensive, holding up his shoddily made clay figurine to the camera and demanding to know whether a depressed person could accomplish something like that. Yes, Ben, they could.
#7: Bacon & Eggs “Indianapolis”
When Leslie and Ron have to go to Indianapolis, Ron looks forward to having a meal at his favorite restaurant, Charles Mulligan's Steakhouse. But unfortunately he finds out that Mulligan’s has closed, which comes between him and indulging in a steak. He ends up being faced with a vegetarian menu at Chris’s place, and is essentially on the verge of starvation when he gets himself to a diner. In desperation, he asks for “all the bacon and eggs” they have and then clarifies exactly what he means and that he is not speaking hyperbolically.
#6: The Cones of Dunshire “The Cones of Dunshire”
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We all remember what happened when Ben was unemployed in season four, so we had high hopes for the things he would accomplish when he was in between jobs in season six. It turns out he conceives an extremely complicated board dubbed “The Cones of Dunshire”. He tries to impress Leslie with it and explains all of the rules to her, but it’s clearly going over her head. Not to mention, the rules seem to be a little bit... fluid. Okay, we admit he still has some fine tuning to do but honestly, we’re kind of down to play.
#5: Get on Your Feet “The Comeback Kid”
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An event for Leslie’s campaign was supposed to take place on a basketball court, but the team soon realizes that the court has been converted into an ice skating rink. Tom thus orders premium carpet for them to walk across the ice on, but then can’t afford a piece long enough to get them to the podium. This forced them to slip and slide their way from the end of the carpet to their destination. What adds insult to injury is the fact that Gloria Estefan’s hit single “Get on Your Feet” is playing the entire time, emphasizing the fact that they can’t, in fact, stay on their feet.
#4: Jerry's Burrito “Park Safety”
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In the show’s second season, Jerry dislocates his shoulder while refilling hummingbird feeders and says that it’s because he was mugged in the park. This causes Leslie to take pity on him, and she insists that everyone in the office try to be nicer to him. But what we find out later in the episode is that there was no mugging at all. The truth of the story was that Jerry dropped his burrito in a creek and then hurt himself in the process of retrieving it. So much for not making fun of him anymore!
#3: Snake Juice “The Fight”
When Tom unveils his new alcoholic beverage, “Snake Juice”, it quickly becomes clear that it’s going to lead to disaster. When Leslie and Ann start drinking it, they become more open with one another and end up getting into a massive drunken fight. The rest of the Parks Department joins in on the fun and everyone gets increasingly wasted. The only one immune to the charms of Snake Juice is Donna, because she’s doing a cleanse on the night in question. Seeing everyone being interviewed when they’re absolutely plastered is really something to behold.
#2: Treat Yo Self “Pawnee Rangers”
The concept of “Treat Yo Self” has become iconic for a reason. Since being introduced in the show’s fourth season, it transcended into the pop culture mainstream. Tom and Donna celebrate one day of the year by treating themselves to all of the luxuries that they want. Whether it’s shopping for clothes or fine leather goods or getting massages, the intention is to have a guilt-free day of pampering. Tom’s enthusiasm about the sacred day and his unwillingness to let Ben join makes it all the funnier. And Ben’s way of treating himself ends up being hilarious in its own right.
#1: Li'l Sebastian “Harvest Festival”
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If anyone put Pawnee on the map it was Li'l Sebastian. This miniature horse is a local celebrity and is beloved by all, causing widespread joy when he makes an appearance in the Parks Department office. Even Ron is uncharacteristically enthusiastic about his arrival. Ben, who isn’t from Pawnee, doesn’t seem to get Li'l Sebastian’s appeal, acting as a stand-in for the audience. There’s something amazing about watching the unmitigated glee in everyone’s eyes when Li'l Sebastian is around, which is tempered by the fact that they do a terrible job taking care of him.