Born and Raised
- Episode aired Oct 6, 2011
- TV-PG
- 21m
Leslie is accused of not being born in Pawnee while she is trying to promote her new book about the city. Meanwhile, Ann tries in vain to have a five-minute conversation with Ron and April.Leslie is accused of not being born in Pawnee while she is trying to promote her new book about the city. Meanwhile, Ann tries in vain to have a five-minute conversation with Ron and April.Leslie is accused of not being born in Pawnee while she is trying to promote her new book about the city. Meanwhile, Ann tries in vain to have a five-minute conversation with Ron and April.
- Jim Kabernick
- (as Kenny Gerard Stevenson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe book "Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America" written by Leslie Knope was made into a real paperback book available for purchase. It highlights some of the town's more ridiculous historical moments.
- Quotes
Joan Callamezzo: Drink up, Tom. I'm gonna go powder my nose... amongst other things. If you know what I mean.
[Joan gets up from the table and trips]
Ben Wyatt: Is she gonna powder her vagina?
Tom Haverford: You gotta help me, man!
Ben Wyatt: Why? It seems to be going the usual amount of gross.
Tom Haverford: No, this is way different! She's not married anymore! She had like five bottles of alcohol, and she's calling me "Caramel"! You've gotta throw some cold water on the situation. Start talking about nerd stuff!
Ben Wyatt: You know, "nerd culture" is mainstream now. So, when you use the word "nerd" derogatorily, it means you're the one that's out of the zeitgeist.
Tom Haverford: Yes, that's perfect. Just like that: be incredibly boring.
- ConnectionsReferences Footloose (1984)
In this episode, we see a lot of "Pawnee Today" host Joan Callamezzo, one of the show's best recurring characters. Joan serves as an important character to the story, because Leslie need her endorsement, which will generate high sales and help Leslie's campaign. However, things get very difficult when Joan finds out the inaccuracy of the book. Later, Tom and Ben try and help Leslie by charming their way into getting Joan's approval, but it doesn't go quite as they expected. Mo Collins's performance is fantastic, probably some of her best work in the entire series.
Meanwhile, Ron, Ann, and April team up to fact-check the book for any misprints. This is really a way for Ann to connect with the two who she has no relation with whatsoever. Offerman and Plaza's deadpan humor are both great, and also watching Ann desperately try and bond with them is funny as well. I also love seeing April and Ron together, because despite them both hating post people, they seem to have this unspoken camaraderie with one another.
Overall, "Born & Raised" is a solid episode that fleshes out Leslie's character more, showcases Joan Callamezzo at her comedic best, and even gives characters unlikely scenes together (Ron, Ann, and April). It is a great political satire, something the show does so well, and most importantly is just consistently funny. At this point, the show is still in its prime, so it's very hard to find a "weak" episode or even an "average" episode. Ever since the start of Season 3, every episode has been great, and the ball will continue to roll in the next episode (one of the series' best).
- brenbella
- Aug 25, 2018