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Could you carry him out of here, please? And, you know, also maybe not have sex with his wife.
Leslie Knope

"Tom's Divorce" is the eleventh episode in the second season of the NBC television series Parks and Recreation. It originally aired on December 3, 2009 to 4.83 million viewers.

Synopsis[]

Leslie accidentally finds out that Tom is getting a divorce and tries to lift his spirits by sending him to dinner and a strip club, but Tom doesn't tell her that it was just a sham Green Card marriage.

Storyline[]

Ron sends Leslie to run an errand at the DMV in Pawnee Hall's fourth floor, a dark and unsettling place that includes probation offices and divorce filings. A reluctant and frightened Leslie navigates past reprobates and blood stains on the floor and spots Tom leaving the divorce office with his wife Wendy . Unaware that their relationship was a "green card marriage" to prevent Wendy from being deported back to Canada, Leslie later tries to comfort Tom, who insists he is fine. Nevertheless, Leslie persists in her efforts to cheer him up, in part by ordering a singing horse telegram to cheer him up. Ron, who knows about Tom's fake marriage, suggests Tom act sad so Leslie can feel like she cheered him up. When Leslie sets up a social event to cheer him up, Tom suggests a strip club, but Leslie follows Jerry's suggestion they go to the dinosaur-themed restaurant, Jurassic Fork.

Andy is still trying to break up Ann and Mark's relationship. He's convinced he's subtly chipping away at their relationship, but all he's accomplishing in doing is annoying them.

The parks employees eat several dinosaur-themed entrees, like "Tyranna-Ceasar Salads" and "Surf and Turfasaurus". Tom seems so cheery that Leslie begins to suspect he is faking being sad. Ron pulls Tom aside and asks whether he could ask Wendy on a date once the divorce is finalized. Tom consents, but becomes genuinely saddened when he starts to realize he genuinely likes Wendy and doesn't want to go through with the divorce. Determined to cheer him up, Leslie agrees to compromise her morals and take Tom to his favorite strip club, the Glitter Factory. Leslie is horrified by the club and tries to encourage the strippers to change their lives. Ron is also uninterested in the strippers, but happily consumes the free breakfast buffet.

Meanwhile, Andy challenges Mark to a game of pool with the hopes of hustling him, but Mark turns out to be a good player and wins multiple games. They make one final wager: if Andy wins, he gets Ann, but if Mark wins, Andy has to leave them alone. Mark dominates the game but loses when he scratches on the 8-ball. Initially delighted, Andy becomes confused when Ann leaves with Mark anyway.

Tom remains depressed even after Leslie hires a stripper to give him a lap dance and "grind the sorrow out of him". A drunken Tom tells Leslie that Ron plans to ask out Wendy, prompting an angry reaction from her. When Tom passes out at the bar, they take him to Wendy's house, and Leslie is shocked to find she is on a date with another man. She storms out after expressing her disgust with Wendy and Ron. The next morning at work, Tom confesses to Leslie that it was a "green card marriage", and that he only recently realized he does have feelings for Wendy. Leslie is sad for Tom, who appreciates the concern and admits he needs to let this go. Now that she knows the whole story, Leslie apologizes to Ron by hiring the singing telegram to let him know she's proud to be his deputy director. Meanwhile, Andy approaches Ann and Mark to let them know that he won't be bothering them anymore and says a final goodbye to his "A-cakes".

Cast[]

Quotes[]

Jerry: There is a great dinosaur-themed restaurant in Patterson. It is called Jurassic Fork. I have gone there three times a week for the last 15 years.

Waiter: How do you want that cooked?
Leslie: Medium roar.
Waiter: Medium rare?
Leslie: No. Medium roar.
Waiter: For legal reasons, we're not allowed to make puns about the temperature of the meats anymore.

Leslie: I did a little research, and divorce is the number two most stressful event in a person's life. Of course marriage is number seven. So, watch out everyone. It's all bad.

Andy: Oh, uh, also, Mark. Again, we don't have those extra small condoms you ordered. I called the factory, it's going to take a special order. Not just because of the size, but because of the weird shape as well. Something they've never dealt with before.

Leslie: It is rough in here! Is it always like this?
Ron: I wouldn't know. I don't like strip clubs. It smells like a wet mop in here. I get the feeling that every one of these women are running a low grade fever.
Leslie: You're one of the good ones, Ron.

Ron: Strippers do nothing for me. I like a strong, salt-to-the-Earth, self-possessed woman at the top of her field. Your Steffi Graf's, your Sheryl Swoopes'... but I will take a free breakfast buffet anytime, anyplace.

Jerry: I really wish I could have your body.
Tom: What?
April: Eww, like tied up naked in your basement?
Jerry: No, no I mean you're in good shape and you can eat whatever you want.
Leslie: That was weird, Jerry.

Trivia[]

  • The episode was written by Harris Wittels and was directed by Troy Miller.
  • Although officially entitled "Tom's Divorce", it has also been referred to in some media reports as The Fourth Floor.
  • It is reference to the pre-credits sequence in which Leslie visits the horrifying and grotesque fourth floor of the Pawnee Hall, a scene that was praised by television reviews.
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