Leslie is working on the Parks Department summer catalog and plans to have Ron and his three predecessors get together for a picnic in the park. The rest of the department has to work on the cover of the catalog, with Tom charged with the duty of finding a good cover picture.
Mark and Ann exchange six-month anniversary gifts. Tom convinces Mark and Ann to come to a park with him so he can take a picture of them to use for the catalog cover.
Leslie enlists Andy and April's help with her picnic. She anticipates a joyous occasion and plans to write a letter about it for the catalog. However, none of the former department heads get along with each other. Clarence Carrington is a grouchy old sexist, David Moser doesn't care about parks at all, Michael Tansley smoked pot constantly during his time as director and never misses an opportunity to talk about making pot legal, and Ron (who forced Michael out of the position years ago) cares only about the food. While Andy and April set up the picnic, Andy suggests they go out for a drink after the picnic, which she accepts.
Tom takes some pictures of Ann and Mark with a little boy at the park. While Mark and the boy are doing fine, Tom gets increasingly frustrated with Ann, who doesn't look naturally happy in any of the photos. He scolds her and tells her to try harder, and Ann storms off.
During the picnic, Leslie tries to get the directors to talk about the parks, but all they do is argue. She finally has enough of the directors' squabbling and has Andy just take their picture, ending the picnic.
Later that day, Leslie and April look over the picture of the directors and agree it's not good to use. When Tom shows them the finished photos he took of Ann and Mark, Ann agrees that she looks miserable and asks that the pictures not be used. Mark becomes concerned that Ann's inability to look happy in their pictures is a reflection of their relationship. She insists everything is fine, but he's unconvinced.
Andy and April go to a bar, but April can't get in because she is underage. April tells Andy they can go try 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.
Leslie confronts Ron about his behavior. He takes her out to dinner at JJ's Diner to make up for the picnic. She worries that the two of them will end up hating each other. He says that won't happen and that she can be park director when he becomes city manager.
The new catalogs arrive. The photo on the cover is a selfie of Andy and April, happy together at the picnic. Leslie and Ron meanwhile tape the picture of the other directors to a dartboard and entertain themselves.
Tropes
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Clarence sports a pair of these.
- Brick Joke: Michael admits to planting marijuana plants in community gardens across town. A marijuana plant was found in a community garden in "The Stakeout".
- Call-Back:
- Tom looks for Justin's appreciation of his joke but realizes Leslie and Justin broke up six weeks ago.
- Michael says he plants marijuana in community gardens. Leslie and Tom found marijuana in a community garden in "The Stakeout".
- Comically Missing the Point: When Leslie tries to lead the former Parks Department directors in a cheer:Leslie: When I say "Parks", you say "Department". Parks!Andy: Apartment!
- Continuity Nod: JJ's Diner reappears after first being featured in "The Reporter".
- Dartboard of Hate: Ron and Leslie make one out of the picture of the old parks department directors. Ron nails one in the groin, and Leslie gets giddy with a neck shot.
- Foreshadowing: Ann's inability to look happy in her pictures with Mark is building up to her eventually breaking things off with him.
- Jerkass: Clarence and David. Clarence is an old sexist, and David litters everywhere and cared nothing for the Parks and Rec department director job.
- Manchild: Ron behaves like a cranky and whiny child when he's hungry.
- Portmanteau Couple Name: Tom makes up two for Mark and Ann ("Anndanawicz" and "Merkins").
- Rhetorical Question Blunder: As Tom gazes at a picture of himself posing pensively with a small espresso cup:Tom: What is he thinking?April: "Why is my cup so tiny?"
- Running Gag: The photo of Tom striking a pensive pose and holding a coffee cup.
- Sarcasm-Blind: At the picnic:Andy: Maybe I should write a song about a picnic.April: Ooh, where'd you come up with that idea?Andy: The picnic we're having.
- Ship Tease: A lot of this for Andy and April.
- Shout-Out: Tom's pitch for the cover photo is one to Mad Men, with Tom in the role of Don Draper. Tom fails; the advertising techniques needed to sell things are rather different from what's needed for a parks department.
- Side Tracked By The Analogy: Andy worries about his age gap with April, and explains that he would have been eight by the time she was born, causing him to get off track and panic about the possibility of killing April as an infant.
- The Stoner: Michael Tansley will not shut up about his love of marijuana.
