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"Summer Catalog" is the 20th episode of the second season of the American comedy television series ''
Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...
'', and the 26th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
in the United States on March 25, 2010. In the episode, Leslie organizes a reunion with the last four Pawnee park directors, but is disappointed when it turns out they despise each other. Meanwhile, Tom tries to take a photo of
Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
and
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...
for the city's summer catalog, while the budding relationship of
Andy Andy may refer to: People * Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...
and
April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. April is commonly associated with ...
continues to develop. The episode was written by
Katie Dippold Katie Dippold (born January 10, 1980) is an American screenwriter. She was a writer on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation'' and wrote '' The Heat'' starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and the 2016 ''Ghostbusters'' reboot. Life and c ...
and directed by
Ken Whittingham Ken Whittingham is an American television director. Some of his directing credits include ''American Housewife'', ''Gilmore Girls'', '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'', '' Ugly Betty'', '' Still Standing'', '' Community'', '' Yes, Dear'', ''30 Rock ...
. It featured a guest appearance by Michael Gross, best known for his role as Steven Keaton from ''
Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...
'', as one of the former park directors. According to
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, "Summer Catalog" was seen by 4.47 million household viewers. It suffered competition from
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
footage of the first round of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, which drew 9.68 million household viewers. "Summer Catalog" received generally positive reviews.


Plot

While working on the Pawnee summer catalog, Leslie (
Amy Poehler Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
) excitedly organizes a reunion between
Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
(
Nick Offerman Nicholas David Offerman (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, writer, comedian, producer, and carpenter. He is best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received the Television Critics A ...
) and his three predecessors. She anticipates a joyous occasion and plans to write a letter about it for the catalog. However, none of the four men get along with each other, and all of them are difficult to get along with. One of them (
Dakin Matthews Melvin Richard "Dakin" Matthews (born November 7, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and theatrical scholar. Best known as Herb Kelcher in ''My Two Dads'' (1987–1989), Hanlin Charleston in ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007) ...
) litters repeatedly, treats everybody disrespectfully, and cheerfully says he never gave a damn about the Parks department and only took the job because it had an easy path to job security and a lucrative pension. Another one ( Jack Wallace) exhibits a sexist attitude, and tells Leslie she should not be working there due to
menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized by the rise and fall of hor ...
issues. The third ( Michael Gross) constantly talks about his affinity for
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
, going so far as to say "I've planted marijuana in community gardens across this city," and particularly clashes with Ron (who forced him out of the position years ago) who cheerfully confirms he screwed his predecessor over and otherwise is his usual detached self. Later, a frustrated Leslie decides she cannot write the catalog letter; she stops treating the former directors with any respect by telling the sexist to shut up and calling them "turds" when she briefly takes a throwaway picture and then walks away from them without another word. Ron takes her out to dinner to apologize, and the two process their mutual respect, and vow they will never grow to hate each other the way the four former directors do. Ron even tells Leslie that he wants her to take over his Parks Director position if he becomes Pawnee's City Manager. However, Ron cheerfully says in an interview that one of his first acts as City Manager would be to eliminate the Parks department, while Leslie gives an equally upbeat interview where she says one of her first acts as City Manager, were she to leapfrog Ron for the job, would be to double the department's size. Tom (
Aziz Ansari Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series ''Master ...
) is tasked with taking the cover photo of the summer catalog, and convinces
Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
(
Rashida Jones Rashida Leah Jones (; born February 25, 1976) is an American actress. Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series ''Boston Public'' (2000–2002), as Karen Filippelli on the NBC comedy series ''The Office'' (2006–2009; 2011), and as ...
) and
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...
( Paul Schneider) to pose for photos at a community park. Tom is repeatedly frustrated with Ann, who has a difficult time appearing happy. When the photos are finished, Ann agrees that she looks miserable and asks that the pictures not be used. Mark appears concerned that Ann's unhappiness is a reflection of their relationship. She insists everything is fine, but he is unconvinced. Meanwhile,
April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. April is commonly associated with ...
(
Aubrey Plaza Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom '' Par ...
) and
Andy Andy may refer to: People * Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...
(
Chris Pratt Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015). He also appeared in The WB drama series ''Everwood'' (2002–2006) an ...
) appear to be growing closer. After helping Leslie set up her picnic, Andy asks whether April wants to get drinks after work, and she agrees. However, when they arrive at a bar, the bouncer (Mike Mauloff) easily notices April is underage, and her identification confirms she is 20. April tells Andy they can go to another bar, but Andy decides to go home instead, seemingly uncomfortable about their age difference. April is visibly disappointed, but does not convey it to Andy. Later, the summer catalogs arrive, with a photo on the cover of April and Andy appearing happy together at the picnic.


Production

"Summer Catalog" was written by
Katie Dippold Katie Dippold (born January 10, 1980) is an American screenwriter. She was a writer on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation'' and wrote '' The Heat'' starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and the 2016 ''Ghostbusters'' reboot. Life and c ...
and directed by
Ken Whittingham Ken Whittingham is an American television director. Some of his directing credits include ''American Housewife'', ''Gilmore Girls'', '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'', '' Ugly Betty'', '' Still Standing'', '' Community'', '' Yes, Dear'', ''30 Rock ...
. The character Michael Tansley, one of the former parks directors, was played by guest actor by Michael Gross, best known for his role as Steven Keaton from ''
Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...
''. At the end of the episode, Leslie and Ron have dinner at J.J.'s Diner, an eatery previously featured in the first season episode " The Reporter". Although the exterior shots of the restaurant are the same, the interior set of the diner is a completely different one from the other episode. Shortly after the episode aired, a copy of the Pawnee Summer Catalog 2010 that was featured in the episode was made available for download on the official ''Parks and Recreation'' website. The map of Pawnee contained within the catalog is based on the map of central
Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. Within a week of the episode's original broadcast, two deleted scenes from "Summer Catalog" were made available on the official ''Parks and Recreation'' website. In the first, a two-minute clip, April and Andy flirt while walking along a trail to set up Leslie's picnic. When April complains about her feet hurting, Andy volunteers to give her a piggyback ride. Later, Leslie tries to write her summer catalog letter based on the picnic, but struggles due to how rude the four men acted. The second clip, which lasted two minutes and 15 seconds, includes further scenes of Tom leading Ann and Mark through a photo shoot at the park. Tom forces them to enter into unusual, avant-garde poses, and yells at young children who get in the way of the shot while playing.


Cultural references

Leslie compares the summer catalog to the Pawnee version of ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', a fashion and lifestyle magazine. During one scene, Tom makes a joke, then says, "Am I right, Justin?" The line is a reference to Leslie's stylish ex-boyfriend
Justin Justin may refer to: People * Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin * Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire * Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...
, played by actor
Justin Theroux Justin Paul Theroux (; born August 10, 1971) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in the mystery film ''Mulholland Drive'' (2001) and the thriller film ''Inland Empire'' (2006). He also ...
earlier in the season, who Tom desperately admired. When Jerry takes a bad picture for the catalog, he indicates he will use the graphics software
Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the indu ...
to change the image, prompting April to ask, "Can you Photoshop your life with better decisions, Jerry?" During the picnic, when Andy and April are talking, Andy talks about writing a song called "Life is a Picnic”. Andy makes a reference to NFL quarterback
Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...
.


Reception

In its original American broadcast on March 25, 2010, "Summer Catalog" was seen by 4.47 million household viewers, according to
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. For the second week in a row, the show suffered in comparison to
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
footage of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, which drew an average of 9.68 million household viewers during ''Parks and Recreations 8:30 p.m. time-slot. Also for the second consecutive week, ''Parks and Recreation'' was outperformed by the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
drama series ''
FlashForward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...
'', which drew 6.2 million household viewers. "Summer Catalog" had an overall 2.9 rating/6 share, and a 3/1 rating/11 share among adult viewers between ages 18 and 49. "Summer Catalog" received generally positive reviews.
Alan Sepinwall Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He th ...
, television columnist with ''
The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'', called the episode a "nice character piece for most of the ensemble", and said it demonstrated how much Leslie has developed as a character since the first season. He praised the jokes about Ron's hunger and the scenes with Tom's demanding photography sessions. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' television writer Ken Tucker said the storylines moved along briskly, provided a "constant stream of laughs" and displayed the "rich texture" of the characters. Tucker also said the romances in ''Parks and Recreation'' were more believable than contemporary ones in shows like ''
The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...
'' and ''
30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...
''. Matt Fowler of
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called it a "particularly strong" episode that used all of the characters well. Fowler especially liked that although Ron and Leslie bickered throughout the episode, they still displayed a mutual respect. He also said Tom's photography sessions were a good way to display Ann and Mark's deteriorating relationship.
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
writer Steve Heisler said "Summer Catalog" laid the foundation for several future developments, like changes to the Andy/April and Mark/Ann relationships, but also kept the episode funny and enjoyable. Heisler said Tom had the best lines of the episode. Kona Gallagher of
TV Squad Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be ...
said she was saddened by the decline in Mark and Ann's relationship and the setback for the April and Andy courtship, and feared the subplot might not reach a satisfactory conclusion by the end of the season. Gallagher also said the main-plot with Leslie and the former park heads was predictable, and that guest star Michael Gross was underused.


DVD release

"Summer Catalog", along with the other 23 second season episodes of ''Parks and Recreation'', was released on a four-disc
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
set in the United States on November 30, 2010. The DVD included deleted scenes for each episode.


References


External links


"Summer Catalog"
at the official ''Parks and Recreation'' site * {{Parks and Recreation 2010 American television episodes Parks and Recreation (season 2) episodes Television episodes written by Katie Dippold