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Look, we're not just pencil-pushers. We are a reflection of the community. And we believe that we can strengthen that community. Because in the end, the reason why we're all here is to bring people together.
Leslie Knope

"Go Big or Go Home" is the season premiere in the third season of the NBC television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on January 20, 2011 6.14 million viewers.

Synopsis[]

Leslie asks Ann to help her convince Chris and Ben to give the parks department more money. Meanwhile, Ron and Andy coach basketball, and April makes an announcement.

Storyline[]

After three months of closure due to the Pawnee budget crisis and government shutdown, Leslie excitedly informs her fellow employees that the Parks Department has been reopened, although on a shoestring budget. State auditors Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt announce they may only conduct existing park maintenance, but Leslie wants to offer better programs and services. Meanwhile, the always-optimistic Chris continues trying to convince Ann to go on a date with him. Ann finds him too intense, but Leslie convinces her to accept a date and try to persuade Chris to increase the parks budget.

Due to popular demand from citizens, Ben restarts the Youth Basketball League, although with only two teams. The teams practice at the North Pawnee Recreation Center. They are coached by Ron, who is extremely strict and disciplined with his players, and Andy, who is very laid back and lets his kids go out of control. Tom, who is refereeing the game, becomes jealous when his ex-wife Wendy arrives to support Ron. Tom insists he is happy with his new girlfriend Lucy and does not mind that Wendy is dating Ron. However, Tom repeatedly calls false fouls against Ron's players until all of them are benched. When Ron and Wendy get angry, Tom ejects them from the game and declares Andy's team the winner, which concerns Lucy.

Ann finds she enjoys her date with Chris. When she asks why he is always so positive, he explains he was born with a rare blood disorder and wasn't expected to live beyond a month, so he now feels fortunate to be alive every day. Leslie crashes the date to help Ann persuade Chris to increase the Parks budget, but to her surprise, Ben also arrives, having suspected Leslie's plan. The four end up going to the local gay bar The Bulge, where Chris tells Leslie he will consider increasing the parks budget. Leslie excitedly declares "mission accomplished", accidentally giving away her scheme and prompting Chris to leave, hurt that Ann had an ulterior motive for the date.

While working the shoeshine stand, Andy sees April returning home after having gone on a vacation to South America for the last three months. Andy asks her if she's still mad at him, as she never answered any of his calls or texts. She claims she isn't mad about him kissing Ann, and then introduces him to Eduardo, her new boyfriend from Venezuela.

Ann meets with Chris, explaining that she was initially doing Leslie a favor, but she likes him a lot and wants to go out with him again. Chris happily agrees.

A discouraged Andy tells Leslie about Eduardo and April. Leslie encourages him not to give up and to "go big or go home." Leslie decides to take her own advice and proposes they bring back the Harvest Festival, which was once a Pawnee tradition until it too was eliminated by past budget cuts. Leslie and the other parks employees agree that if it is not a success, the state auditors can shut down the parks department. Impressed by their enthusiasm, Chris and Ben agree to the idea.

Andy gives April lots of flowers and tells her he'll keep asking her out until she says yes.

Cast[]

Quotes[]

[Ron is chopping wood when Leslie shows up]
Leslie: Ron, we're back.
Ron: Bully.

Leslie: The bankrupt government of Pawnee has been shut down all summer so it's been three months of no work, no meetings, no memos, no late nights, nothing. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Leslie: [to Ron] I have goosebumps. Feel. [rubs the back of her hand on his face]

[Tom is working at a sports store and is helping a female customer]
Tom: [alluringly] And that's why they call me Prince Charming. 'Cause I always find the glass slippers for my Cinderella.
Woman: These are way too tight.
Tom: [annoyed] Well, the real Cinderella didn't have hippo feet.

Leslie: Tom, we're back.
Tom: [to his now-former boss] Jeremy, suck it! By the way, I've been giving away free sports bras to the girls at Hot Dog on a Stick.

[Donna is working as a telemarketer and is trying to make a sale]
Donna: Look, we can dance all day, but it's time to step up. Are you buying 4,000 rubber nipples from me or not?

[Jerry is painting a portrait of a beautiful forest and lake when Leslie shows up]
Leslie: Jerry.
Jerry: [smiling] Oh, my gosh. Look who's here! Leslie!
Leslie: The nightmare's over, Jerry. We're going back to work. You're not gonna need this anymore! [she grabs the painting and heaves it into the lake; Jerry is heartbroken] Come on!

[Everybody is in Leslie's car; Tom, Donna and Jerry are sitting in the back... with Tom sandwiched in-between]
Tom: [upset] I called shotgun. Everybody heard me. [Nobody says anything, especially Donna and Jerry who just look at him]

Leslie: Our budget's been slashed to zero. I tried to buy fertilizer the other day for the soccer field... request denied. We literally can't buy s**t.

Leslie: Would you be cool doing things that a prostitute does?
Ann: Uh...
Leslie: Minus the money?
Ann: Definitely yes, then.

Ben: Newspaper headline was "Ice Town costs ice clown his town crown."
Leslie: Yuck.
Ben: They were big into rhymes.

April: I'm sorry, I was in Venezuela.
Andy: Oh, really? Wow. Across the pond.

Leslie: You go big or you go home. And you don't seem like the kind of guy who goes home.
Andy: I'm not. I don't even really have a home.

Trivia[]

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