- Leslie: For a while in the 1970s, our town was run by a freaky cult, and every few years the remaining members predicted the world's gonna end, and they have an all-night vigil in the park. It's super annoying. Turns out when you think the world's ending, you don't aim so carefully in the port-a-potties.
Leslie meets with Herb Scaifer, a member of a local cult called the Reasonablists (aka, the "Zorpies") who worship a lizard god called "Zorp the Surveyor". Herb tells Leslie that the world will end tomorrow at dawn. Every few years, the members predict that the world is going to end, but because they are harmless, Leslie allows them to hold a vigil in the park. Chris tells Leslie that he and Ben will join her to keep watch at the vigil to make sure nothing bad happens, but Ben tells Leslie that he won't stay very long because things feel awkward since they have not spent much time together since their break-up.
Entertainment 720 is dead. Tom and Jean-Ralphio each have a few thousand dollars left. They discuss what to do with their remaining money and office space, as the lease isn't up until tomorrow. Tom suggests an end-of-the-world party - the perfect party embodying everything E720 could've been. Jean-Ralphio is more than on board.
April and Andy discuss their evening plans. April suggests that, since it could be the end of the world, they should do something weird. Andy suggests they do something from his bucket list. They do several activities: hold thousands of dollars in cash, win the lottery, make the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich ever, and make an action movie.
At the park, the Zorpies meet and set up their vigil. Several Parks employees attend as well. Ron takes the opportunity to sell the Zorpies his hand-carved flutes and play music with them while Leslie, Ben, and Chris do an interview with Shauna Mulwae-Tweep. Later, Shauna asks Leslie if Ben is single, and Leslie panics, trying to dissuade Shauna from asking him out. When Shauna talks to Ben and the two appear to be getting along and hitting it off, Leslie immediately becomes jealous and laments to Ann what might happen between them. Leslie decides to stop them from getting together.
Through the night, Chris tells Herb that he read Herb's books, and they discuss reincarnation. When Ben starts to leave the park with the intent of attending Tom and Jean-Ralphio's party with Shauna, Leslie tells him that she needs to show him something important and they need to drive to see it. After driving around town for a while, Leslie stops at an abandoned gas station that she claims was once owned by Mick Jagger. Ben isn't fooled, however, and doesn't appreciate her attempts to interfere with his life, noting that it was she who decided they needed to break up.
April and Andy have done just about everything on his bucket list that they can do. However, with some time left in the night, April finds one more thing they could do before sense kicks in. They steal April's father's car and take a road trip out of the state.
Jean-Ralphio and Donna think the party is perfect, but Tom doesn't quite agree, feeling that something is missing. He is then pleasantly surprised when his ex-girlfriend Lucy arrives, having been invited by Jean-Ralphio. They spend the night together dancing.
Leslie tells Ron her problems, admitting that if the world was indeed going to end, she would want to spend her last night with Ben. Ron reminds her that the world is not going to end, so Leslie will have to accept that she has chosen her political career over Ben, even if the thought of him being with someone else makes her feel miserable.
The next morning, as expected, the world doesn't end. Entertainment 720's party is a huge success and Tom is congratulated by Lucy with a kiss, capping off his perfect party. Leslie apologizes and confesses to Ben that Shauna's interested in him and she tried to stop them from getting together.
April and Andy arrive at the Grand Canyon and are amazed by its beauty, though Andy becomes confused by the lack of the presidents' faces there.
Tropes
- Apocalypse Cult: The Reasonabilists, though they're mostly pretty harmless.
- Call-Back: Previous episodes (particularly "Time Capsule") made reference to how Pawnee had been taken over by a cult. We see the cult members here.
- Comically Missing the Point: April and Andy drive all the way to the Grand Canyon. They think it's beautiful, and April is speechless. Andy does wonder something, though:Andy: Where's all the faces? Like, the presidents?
- Drives Like Crazy: April apparently gets herself and Andy from Pawnee to the Grand Canyon (which is a twenty-four hour drive) in the span of a few hours.
- The End of the World as We Know It: The cult members frequently and inaccurately predict that the world will end on a certain day and hold a vigil in the park. People like to go to their little parties for the snacks and to listen to them playing flutes.
- Green-Eyed Epiphany: Leslie immediately gets jealous when she sees Ben and Shauna talking and apparently hitting it off.
- Insistent Terminology: Andy wants to make the "the most amazing grilled cheese sandwich ever made", not just one that is "pretty awesome".
- Last Day to Live: Andy and April decide to do some of the items on Andy's bucket list as preparation for the end of the world.
- Mood Whiplash: While discussing what they would do if the world were indeed ending, Ron states he would drink some whiskey and then go see his ex-wives one last time to watch them meet their fiery deaths with his own two eyes. Then Leslie admits she'd want to spend it with Ben, and she feels miserable over the thought of him being with anyone else. And then Herb, the cult leader, eavesdrops in."If it makes you feel any better Leslie, we'll all be dead in twenty minutes!"
- Pet the Dog: Jean-Ralphio is an obnoxious jerk, and originally invited Lucy to the party in the hopes of hooking up with her, having forgotten she and Tom dated. But when Jean-Ralphio sees how happy Tom is at seeing Lucy, he steps aside and lets them be, showing that he really does care for Tom at the end of the day.
- Product Placement: One of the deluxe VIP areas at Tom and Jean-Ralphio's party is sponsored by Sobe Life Water.
- Reincarnation: Discussed between Chris and the cult leader. Ron remarks he'd be fine with being reborn as a socket wrench.
- Running Gag: Leslie offers Shauna a long, pun-filled headline for her article.
- Scenery Porn: Andy and April run off on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. April struggles to find some reason to be annoyed by the staggering vista but comes up empty.
- Soft Glass: Averted - Andy actually smashes through the glass patio door while filming his own personal action movie, and while he doesn't get hurt thanks to wearing a helmet and other stuff that keeps him from getting cut up, he still feels disoriented from the impact and needs a few seconds to recover.
