End of the World (Parks and Recreation)
Encyclopedia
"End of the World" is the sixth episode of the fourth season
of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation
, and the 52nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC
in the United States on November 3, 2011. In the episode, a Pawnee doomsday cult prophecizes armageddon while Leslie Knope
(Amy Poehler
) frets when her ex-boyfriend Ben
(Adam Scott
) takes an interest in another woman. Meanwhile, Tom
(Aziz Ansari
) and Jean-Ralphio
throw a huge party, and April
(Aubrey Plaza) and Andy
(Chris Pratt
) race to finish a bucket list.
(Amy Poehler
) always allows them to hold a night vigil in a park. Chris
(Rob Lowe
) asks Leslie and Ben
(Adam Scott
) to join him in monitoring the Reasonableists during their vigil, which makes the two feel awkward since they have not spent much time together since their break-up. In case the world actually does end, April
(Aubrey Plaza) decides to help Andy
(Chris Pratt
) complete a bucket list that he had written all in the span of a day. Meanwhile, Tom
(Aziz Ansari
) and Jean-Ralphio’s
(Ben Schwartz
) company Entertainment 720 is finished, so they decide to hold a huge “end of the world” party in their office since the lease is not up until the next day.
After interviewing Chris, Ben, and Leslie about the vigil, newspaper reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep (Alison Becker
) shows a romantic interest in Ben. Leslie panics and tries to dissuade Shauna from asking him out, but Leslie and Ann
(Rashida Jones
) later witness Shauna flirt with Ben and ask him to join her at Entertainment 720’s party, which is in full swing. Despite the jubilant atmosphere at the party, Tom feels something is missing, but is pleasantly surprised to find his ex-girlfriend Lucy (Natalie Morales
) there, whom Jean-Ralphio invited, thought he wanted to hook up with her, forgetting that Tom and her ever dated.
Leslie panics when Ben prepares to meet up with Shauna at the party, so she makes him join her in seeing an interesting Pawnee site, but she just drives in circles and ends up at an abandoned gas station. Ben sees through Leslie’s plan and tells her their relationship is over and they both need to move on. Leslie later admits to Ron
(Nick Offerman
) that if the world was going to end she would choose Ben over her political career, but Ron says the world will not end, so Leslie must accept that she has chosen her political career over Ben. Meanwhile, April and Andy have completed Andy’s bucket list, except for seeing the Grand Canyon
. They steal April’s father’s car and begin the 30 hour drive. As expected, the world does not end. Entertainment 720’s party is a huge success and lets out the next morning. Lucy kisses Tom, which completes what he felt was missing. Leslie apologizes to Ben and lets him know that she is fine with him dating. Andy and April arrive at the Grand Canyon and are amazed, but Andy realizes he was actually thinking of Mount Rushmore
, when he asks where the presidents' faces are.
Parks and Recreation (season 4)
The fourth season of Parks and Recreation originally aired in the United States on the NBC television network, and began on September 22, 2011. Like the previous seasons, it focused on Leslie Knope and her staff at the parks and recreation department of the fictional Indiana town of...
of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
, and the 52nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the United States on November 3, 2011. In the episode, a Pawnee doomsday cult prophecizes armageddon while Leslie Knope
Leslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
(Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
) frets when her ex-boyfriend Ben
Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation)
Benjamin "Ben" Wyatt is a character in the TV series Parks and Recreation. The character guest starred in two episodes of season two and was upgraded to a regular in season three. Ben is a state auditor who comes into Pawnee with Chris Traeger to evaluate the town's funds at the end of the second...
(Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
) takes an interest in another woman. Meanwhile, Tom
Tom Haverford
Thomas Montgomery "Tom" Haverford , born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who is revered for his high levels of swagger and unmatched entrepreneurial skills...
(Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
) and Jean-Ralphio
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is a fictional character played by Ben Schwartz in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. He is the cocky friend of Tom Haverford and, like Tom, believes himself to be a playboy and pickup artist, although he is looked upon with contempt by most people...
throw a huge party, and April
April Ludgate
April Roberta Ludgate is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is an apathetic college student employed by the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation as Ron Swanson's assistant. She is married to Andy Dwyer. She is portrayed by Aubrey Plaza...
(Aubrey Plaza) and Andy
Andy Dwyer
Andrew Maxwell "Andy" Dwyer is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is Ann Perkins' ex-boyfriend, a talented-if-yet-unsuccessful musician, a shoe-shiner at Pawnee City Hall, and April Ludgate's husband. He is portrayed by Chris Pratt.-Background:At the start of the...
(Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
) race to finish a bucket list.
Plot
The Reasonableists, a Pawnee doomsday cult that worships a lizard god known as Zorp, have predicted the world is going to end. Since they have been never correct with their doomsday predictions in the past, no one takes them seriously and LeslieLeslie Knope
Leslie Barbara Knope is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. Poehler garnered two Emmy Award nominations for Best Lead Actress in Comedy Series for her role.-Background:...
(Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
) always allows them to hold a night vigil in a park. Chris
Chris Traeger
Christopher "Chris" Traeger is a fictional character played by Rob Lowe in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC. He began on the show as an Indiana state auditor who visits the fictional city of Pawnee to help solve their crippling budget problems, and eventually...
(Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
) asks Leslie and Ben
Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation)
Benjamin "Ben" Wyatt is a character in the TV series Parks and Recreation. The character guest starred in two episodes of season two and was upgraded to a regular in season three. Ben is a state auditor who comes into Pawnee with Chris Traeger to evaluate the town's funds at the end of the second...
(Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
) to join him in monitoring the Reasonableists during their vigil, which makes the two feel awkward since they have not spent much time together since their break-up. In case the world actually does end, April
April Ludgate
April Roberta Ludgate is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is an apathetic college student employed by the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation as Ron Swanson's assistant. She is married to Andy Dwyer. She is portrayed by Aubrey Plaza...
(Aubrey Plaza) decides to help Andy
Andy Dwyer
Andrew Maxwell "Andy" Dwyer is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is Ann Perkins' ex-boyfriend, a talented-if-yet-unsuccessful musician, a shoe-shiner at Pawnee City Hall, and April Ludgate's husband. He is portrayed by Chris Pratt.-Background:At the start of the...
(Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael "Chris" Pratt is an American actor, best known for his roles as Harold Brighton "Bright" Abbott in the television series Everwood, the recurring character Winchester "Ché" Cook in season 4 of The OC, Andy Dwyer in the television series Parks and Recreation and for portraying...
) complete a bucket list that he had written all in the span of a day. Meanwhile, Tom
Tom Haverford
Thomas Montgomery "Tom" Haverford , born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who is revered for his high levels of swagger and unmatched entrepreneurial skills...
(Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
) and Jean-Ralphio’s
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is a fictional character played by Ben Schwartz in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. He is the cocky friend of Tom Haverford and, like Tom, believes himself to be a playboy and pickup artist, although he is looked upon with contempt by most people...
(Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz
Ben Schwartz is a writer, actor and comedian. His feature film credits include Peep World with Rainn Wilson, Michael C. Hall and Sarah Silverman as well as Everybody's Fine with Robert DeNiro...
) company Entertainment 720 is finished, so they decide to hold a huge “end of the world” party in their office since the lease is not up until the next day.
After interviewing Chris, Ben, and Leslie about the vigil, newspaper reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep (Alison Becker
Alison Becker
Alison Helene Becker is an American actress, comedian, writer, and TV personality. She is the previous host of VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown and currently the co-host/sidekick on the FuelTV panel talk-show The Daily Habit.-Early life:...
) shows a romantic interest in Ben. Leslie panics and tries to dissuade Shauna from asking him out, but Leslie and Ann
Ann Perkins
Ann Meredith Perkins is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is a nurse and best friend of Leslie Knope. She is portrayed by Rashida Jones.-Season one:...
(Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
) later witness Shauna flirt with Ben and ask him to join her at Entertainment 720’s party, which is in full swing. Despite the jubilant atmosphere at the party, Tom feels something is missing, but is pleasantly surprised to find his ex-girlfriend Lucy (Natalie Morales
Natalie Morales (actress)
Natalie Morales is an American actress of Cuban descent.Growing up, she attended St. Agatha Catholic School before going to Southwest High School, and participated in the University of Miami Dow Jones Minority High School Journalism Workshop...
) there, whom Jean-Ralphio invited, thought he wanted to hook up with her, forgetting that Tom and her ever dated.
Leslie panics when Ben prepares to meet up with Shauna at the party, so she makes him join her in seeing an interesting Pawnee site, but she just drives in circles and ends up at an abandoned gas station. Ben sees through Leslie’s plan and tells her their relationship is over and they both need to move on. Leslie later admits to Ron
Ron Swanson
Ronald Ulysses "Ron" Swanson is a fictional character played by Nick Offerman in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation on NBC. Ron is parks department director in the Indiana city of Pawnee and the immediate superior of protagonist Leslie Knope...
(Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman is an American actor best known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. He is also a skilled woodworker.-Early life and career:...
) that if the world was going to end she would choose Ben over her political career, but Ron says the world will not end, so Leslie must accept that she has chosen her political career over Ben. Meanwhile, April and Andy have completed Andy’s bucket list, except for seeing the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
. They steal April’s father’s car and begin the 30 hour drive. As expected, the world does not end. Entertainment 720’s party is a huge success and lets out the next morning. Lucy kisses Tom, which completes what he felt was missing. Leslie apologizes to Ben and lets him know that she is fine with him dating. Andy and April arrive at the Grand Canyon and are amazed, but Andy realizes he was actually thinking of Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
, when he asks where the presidents' faces are.