Knope Knows

Dan Goor is the latest writer (after Alan Yang, Aisha Muharrar and Harris Wittels) to answer fan questions about a specific Parks and Recreation episode.

For Dan, it was the show’s season two finale, “Freddy Spaghetti,” which he wrote. Below are his answers.

Thanks, Dan! And thank you readers for your questions.

Was Ron Swanson’s wipe-out on the grass scripted? That was insane and awesome. | Jessica

I wish I could claim that the wipe-out was scripted. That was pure Offerman genius. It’s one of my favorite Ron Swanson moments of the season. Strangely, I think Ron is funniest when he’s almost perfectly still (the hernia) and when he’s slightly out of control (the slip and fall).

Ron biting into a “Swanson” was probably my favorite Ron moment ever. Was it always a bacon-wrapped turkey leg, or did the writers room brainstorm other food combinations? Also, what did Nick Offerman think about it? | Tim

For a short time it was just a giant turkey leg. We quickly realized what idiots we were being. I think Nick enjoyed eating the Swanson. As for Nick’s cardiologist, only time will tell.

Is it my imagination or was the bench that Leslie and Mark sat on the same bench they sat on at the end of last season’s finale? And then wasn’t it in Leslie’s office in the scene right before Tom catches Ron with Wendy? Did Leslie bring it to the office to remember Mark by? | Matthew

You have eagle eyes! The bench has actually spent most of the season inside Leslie’s office. It’s probably technically a continuity error; although, you could say Leslie had enough time to take it from her office to the lot and back. The truth is that I liked the symmetry of having it play a critical, and opposite role in this finale. Last year, they sat on the bench and kissed, and it seemed like they might be getting back together. This year, they sat on the bench and Mark kissed Leslie goodbye. Finally, the bench shows up in the opening credits when Mike [Schur] and Greg [Daniels]’s created by credit comes up. So, in a way, it was a nod to them. Oh, also, it’s a cool looking bench.

Leslie and Mark’s chat at the lot was a beautiful way to end Mark’s story on the show (for now?). Can you discuss how you arrived at the idea of ending season two at about the same physical location as season one? | cj

I think I kind of answered this when I answered the chair question. There was a really nice symmetry to putting it in the same location.

I really like the dynamic between Ben and Leslie that’s shaping up, and secretly hope she’ll pick him down the road. And like Leslie, but for totally opposing purposes, I get how he’s supposed to be like a stick in the mud. I totally get the attraction. But, how do you explain the logic behind Ben bringing up the idea of firing her, which if it came true, probably would have ruined their dynamic? | Kenny

Kenny, you inquisitive bastard. That’s a good question. We struggled over this a lot, but the truth is: these are really tough times economically and people have to make very difficult decisions.

Andy and April’s first kiss was awkward but sooo cute! Did that require a lot of takes or were Aubrey Plaza and Chris Pratt pretty cooperative? | DJRoomba

DJRoomba, you perverted son-of-a-bitch. Both Chris and Aubrey are incredible actors. They nailed the kiss immediately. You’d never know that in real life, the actors hate each other and refuse to be in the same room as one another unless the cameras are rolling. That’s a joke. But, they did refuse to be in the same room with me after I kept telling them how amazing their kiss was, while salivating inappropriately.

Is it me or does Ron get choked up at the end of his “there’s only one Leslie Knope” speech? If so, what a great relationship they have. | Donna

Good call, Donna. I think they have a great relationship.

First of all, the finale was awesome. I love how the characters stay true to who they are and that makes us love the characters even more. In the tag I noticed that Leslie’s hair was shorter. Was that scene added in late? Because it was great. For me, it helps build the Leslie and Ben story for next season and makes Ron’s scene at the end more surprising. | Rob

I’m so glad you enjoyed the episode. At the risk of sounding like I’m just blowing smoke up our own asses, I think we have an incredible cast and crew. The actors are amazing, the writers are great (except Harris Wittels), the editors are miracle-workers, and everyone on staff does an incredible job (production staff, art staff, props, etc.) Even our catering guy, Terry, is a certifiable genius. Oh, Leslie’s hair was just “up,” not short. I thought it was cute, too.

Michael Scott’s (The Office) ringtones have nothing on Ron Swanson’s! Do explain where the idea of a gun shot ringtone came from.

Honestly, it just seemed like the right choice for him. We didn’t really pitch on it that much; though, I think someone may have suggested “the sound of ham being digested.”

Rob Lowe was hilarious in his running outfit. Did he improvise anything or were all his actions written in the script? | JMJ

Rob Lowe has blown me away. He is an amazing actor and a great comedian, and he improvises a ton of stuff. In this episode, it was his idea for his character to clap when Leslie says, “if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.” Also, the line about Ben hydrating was his, as were countless other moments. When he’s on camera, he’s constantly acting, even if he’s in the far, far background.

I’ll go ahead and assume Chris Pratt didn’t actually crash into a car while riding his bike. Can you explain what goes into a stunt like that?

Chris does most of his own stunts (often against the producer’s wishes and with no regard for the safety of his body), but we’ve used a stuntman a couple of times. Chris told us that his stunt double’s trademark move was crashing a motorcycle into the side of a bus. He told us that probably four months ago, and from that moment on, we knew Andy crashing a motorcycle would be an act break in the finale. But, in the cold open, when Andy jumps over the permit’s desk and wipes out on the floor, that was vintage Chris Pratt.

Was Andy’s rollerblading fail jumping over an office desk scripted?

At the risk of sounding lazy, I will admit that in the script, the stage direction was something like, “Andy does a stunt and wipes out.” I was confident he would do something awesome.

“Freddy Spaghetti” was a very realistic episode regarding budgets and cuts in P&R departments and I have noticed a lot of episode elements that actually occur in the profession. Does the writers room do research with actual departments during the writing process, or do you gather information from other sources? | Lisa

We do a lot of research; although we should probably do more. We just found out that Pawnee isn’t actually a real city! Our writer’s assistants (Greg Levine and Brian Rowe) are really smart, funny, intelligent guys, who are excellent writers in their own right. They are both super-talented and will be hugely successful tv/movie writers. They often find great articles for us. Also, Brian has the best hair you’ve ever seen on a human being. Looking at his hair is like looking at the face of God. Pierre’s hair is nice, too, but it’s no Rowe-hair.

When was it decided that Wendy would reappear on the show? Did you know at the end of “Galentine’s Day” that we’d be seeing her again? | Jason

We had been planning to bring Wendy back all along. We really wanted to play the Tom-Ron-Wendy triangle.

In previous “Freddy Spaghetti” drafts, did you have the season ending any differently?

In the second to last draft, Freddy Spaghetti pulls out a machine gun and says, “Pasta la vista, mother f’ers.” Then he starts firing. Leslie rushes the stage and takes him down, but not before Tom, Donna, and Jerry are shot. Leslie strangles Freddy with her bare hands, and just before he passes out, he says, “Ron…told…me…to…do…this.” Then Ron laughs maniacally and pulls out a detonator. A digital clock starts counting down and the season ends, just as it clicks from one to zero. We actually shot it that way, but our editors are amazing.