S05E08 - Pawnee Commons

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode that introduced us to a new April alter ego!  After asking the public for park design submissions for Lot 48, Leslie receives only one decent submission ... from one Mr. Wreston St. James ... who lives ... in Eagleton.  As you might expect, Leslie wants to reject him outright, but Ben convinces her to at least meet with Wreston before making a decision. They do so, in a beautiful Eagleton park (some of Wreston's handywork), and discover Wreston is very cheerful and enthusiastic. Ben loves him. Leslie hates him. Wreston assures them he's on the up and up, and that it's about the people - as it should be - but Leslie doesn't trust him for a second.  After meeting with Wreston in City Hall, Leslie ends up being very rude to him. Taking Leslie aside, Ben insists she move past her hatred for Eagleton, apologize to Wreston, and agree to have him be the architect for the park on Lot 48.  Meanwhile, Tom asks the gang to help him refurbish his new Rent-A-Swag store. Although it's a fixer-upper, the gang gets to it, and Tom initially impresses them with his cool, calm demeanor.  He thanks them appreciatively, and compliments their hard work.  At the end of a long day, with Rent-A-Swag's facelift finally complete ... it definitely looks better ... but still far from great.  Tom thanks them one last time, but the gang start to see the cracks in his armor, as he gives them a pizza party with one small topping-less pizza, 2 cans of soda, and yells for them to turn off the lights to save electricity.  Finally, Andy begins his new job as weekend security guard. However, he quickly gets bored and asks April to join him and keep him company. This starts a classic round of role playing, with Andy bringing out his crime-fighting alter ego, Burt Macklin, and April playing ... a new villain. While in the midst of their cat-and-mouse game, Andy and April come across a new player in the game ... a small, nervous boy named Joey, who got separated from his mother in City Hall.  As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Can Leslie manage to apologize to Wreston St. James? Will Rent-A-Swag ever get off the ground? Who is April's new alter ego, and can Macklin defeat her? Will Wreston double-cross Leslie and Ben? Can Tom avoid having a cheapskate meltdown? Is Joey actually a child spy, sent to derail Macklin's investigation? Why are there palm trees in Eagleton? Why is Chris working on a stairway to nowhere? Will this be Burt Macklin's final case?  Podcast viewers, this one has a ton of important and interesting plot points - tune in to see how everything gets reconciled!  Many thanks to our amazing sponsor, from Pawnee Public Radio, the new interview show "3Q's and an A" with Derry Murbles.