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"Prom" is the eighteenth episode in the sixth season of the NBC television series Parks and Recreation, and the 108th episode overall. It premiered on April 3, 2014 to 2.67 million viewers.

Synopsis[]

Leslie helps organise the senior prom at the high school. Andy takes April as his date, despite her objections, while Ben helps Tom with music at the prom. Ron tries to keep Leslie from bringing on a high school student as her summer intern.

Storyline[]

The Pawnee-Eagleton merger has forced many of the city's schools to make cuts, and the first thing Pawnee Central High School cut was senior prom. As a last-minute hail mary, the Parks Department decides to throw prom for them. With a very limited budget, Leslie Knope requires volunteers to cover all the jobs that they would normally hire people for. She assigns Tom Haverford and Ben Wyatt as co-DJs, and has Allison Gliffert choose the prom theme. Leslie is impressed with Allison's creativity and work ethic, and she loves her choice of a fairytale theme and her step-by-step binder. Leslie sees herself in Allison and sets her sights on having Allison join the Parks Department as a summer intern. However, Ron Swanson can't stand to see one of Pawnee's youths work for free for the government and insists she take a paying job instead. Ron suggests she look into working for his friend at the sawmill, which leads to Leslie and Ron clashing heads in their attempts to persuade Allison.

Sometime later on the night of the prom, Leslie and Ron continue to try and win Allison over. Both are very persistent and it leads to Allison bailing on both of them. Word of their antics reaches the school's principal and he demands both Leslie and Ron stop harassing Allison. Later, Leslie reveals to Ron that she is thinking of leaving Pawnee and wants to make sure that the future is secure within the Parks Department when/if she leaves. She admits that she sees Alison as her replacement of sorts, but Ron explains that blueprints for the future are a fool's errand. Ron suggests that, with her future being likely away from Pawnee and the Parks Department, she enjoy the present. The pair apologize to Allison and give her their blessings to choose which ever summer job she wishes. The mood quickly changes, however, when Allison introduces her boyfriend to Leslie and Ron: it is the infamous prankster Greg Pikitis. Leslie immediately rescinds her claim that Allison is thoughtful and grounded. The episode ends with Pikitis stapling Leslie's dress to the nearby table cloth, as he sneaks in one final prank for his arch nemesis.

Meanwhile, Ben and Tom jostle over what music to play at the prom, but it is clear the two have very different tastes. Tom sees Ben as an out-of-touch old man, but this is nothing new as the two often don't see eye-to-eye. At the prom, Tom plays what he feels are cool, popular "bangers", but he is informed by the students in attendance that they are not into his music choices. Tom can't stand the fact that he doesn't know what's cool anymore, and he is even more disheartened when Ben puts on a classic rock record and the kids love it. Ben later comforts Tom by insisting not knowing what high schoolers like makes him a normal adult, and that he hasn't had time to keep up with their trends because he is hard working business man.

Elsewhere, Andy Dwyer coerces April Ludgate to accompany him to the prom, despite her overt hatred for dancing, young people and fun. In typical April style, she dresses in all black and puts in little effort to enjoy herself at the prom. While she wants to go home, she can see that Andy is having a great time. She questions how she can love him when she hates everything he loves. She is comforted by Donna Meagle, who suggests if something is bothering her, she should tell him. Later, April tells Andy that the reason she can't enjoy herself is that this prom reminds her of how different their high school lives were and how different they both were socially. Andy insists that high schoolers are idiots and that their relationship now is great and is all that matters. This changes her mind and agrees to have fun with him. When Andy is named prom king, April admits she rigged the voting, and upon being revealed as an adult, Andy and April are kicked out of prom, much to April's delight.

Cast[]

Quotes[]

Leslie: Because of the merger, schools had to make some cuts. And the first thing to go was the Senior prom. So, as a last minute Hail Mary, the Parks Department is throwing prom for them. They also wanted to cut AP Latin, so I volunteered to teach Latin... which reminds me, I need to learn Latin.

Tom: Every song I download has to past a series of rigorous tests to answer one simple question - is it a banger? How many beats per minute? How many drops? How dope are the drops? Are any acoustic instruments used? If so, it is not a banger. I once accidentally downloaded a Lumineer song... I had to throw away my whole computer, just to be safe.

April: Prom is nothing but a huge party full of smiling, dancing people enjoying themselves. It's literally my worst nightmare. And I hate punch.

Ron: [to Allison] What brings you to the festering putrid stink hole on the armpit of freedom? [Allison is speechless]
Leslie: That's what he calls City Hall.

Ron: I have tolerated Leslie's pro-government ways because her annoying kindness and generosity sneakily made me like her as a person. But I draw the line at corrupting America's youth! I'm sure I can get Allison a job at Tim Hounder Sawmill. I once did him a favor... I built his sawmill.

Andy: [standing through a limo's sunroof holding two drinks] YEAH HA HA HA! PARTYYYYY! CLASS OF '99!

April: Why did you pay for a limo?
Andy: Because it's prom! You don't show up in a limo, legally they cannot let you in.

Andy: Hey, Orin!
Orin: [dressed up as April's mother] Who's Orin? I'm April's mom. You two look adorable.
April: [scoffs] Just take the picture already, Mom.

Orin: [pretending to be April's mother] My baby is all grown up. Have her home by 11.
April: Mom, stop embarrassing me!
Orin: Say 'goodbye' to your father. [Champion, dressed up as April's father, limps into the room]
April: Bye, Dad!
Andy: Good night, sir.

Ben: My prom was right after I got impeached, so I couldn't leave the house without being egged. But my parents threw me a prom in our living room. [beat] I think I'm still messed up from it.

Ron: I attended prom with Susan Hoffler. Picked her up in my truck, we slow danced to a Merle Haggard song, and then I left early to go to my shift at the quarry. I was 12 years old.

April: I hate teenagers.

Teenage girl: [to April] Where did you get that dress?
April: I was buried in it. [the teenage girl leaves]

Ben: Hey, you may be old, but you'll never be as old as me.
Tom: Yeah. You're old as s**t. Thanks, Ben.
Ben: [briefly looks at the camera awkwardly] Glad I could help.

Allison: Let me introduce you to my boyfriend.
[It's Leslie's teenage arch-nemesis, Greg Pikitis]
Leslie: [stunned] Greg Pikitis?
Greg Pikitis: What up, Knope?

[As Leslie begins to leave, her dress is stapled to the food table's top and spills the food. She's shocked and looks at Greg Pikitis, who's holding a stapler]
Leslie: PIKITIS!!!!!!

Trivia[]

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