What was with the “94 Meetings” title card? Who came up with Tom’s cologne cloud? These questions and more are answered in this exclusive Q&A with “94 Meetings” writer Harris Wittels.
Thanks, Harris! And thank you readers for your questions.
The “94 Meetings” title card was nifty. Was that to keep us guessing what the 94th meeting may be or will future episodes carry a similar title card? | Tammy
That was purely because it seemed like a cool mystery to include in this particular episode. I liked the title card too. It felt very West Wing-y.
Tom’s cologne cloud was hilarious, both for what it was and for the Dennis Feinstein shout out. Who came up with it?
I think it may have been me, but I could be wrong. It’s all such a blur. (I was very drunk when writing this episode). I know I came up with the name Dennis Feinstein because it just seemed like such an un-cool name for a “hip” cologne company.
Were there any memorable meetings conducted in the parks office that didn’t make the final cut?
There were a few great ones that we had to cut for time. Some of them are available on NBC’s website. A particular favorite of mine was a man asking Ron about some document and Ron confidently saying “yes, I read it” to which the guy responds, “You were supposed to WRITE it.” Then Ron shuts his eyes and tries to “will” the man out of his office, using some sort of Jedi-like mind trick.
What building was used in the scenes that took place at Turnbill Mansion? | Alison
It’s an old mansion that people still occupy over in Pasadena. In the backyard, we had to paint the grass green since a lot of it had died and the paint ended up dying the whole crew’s shoes green. So that is a thing that happened.
As Tom points out in the episode, Leslie’s reaction to the gazebo — and Mark and Ann — isn’t normal. Can you elaborate on what we are led to believe — that she worries about losing two close friends? | ATJ
Pretty much. I think her feelings on the subject are best summed up when she says “Everytime a couple gets married, two single people die.” I think we have all lost people close to us due to relationships. It is a tragic thing. Let’s all poor out some of our beer to our homies in love.
April having cute, sweet as pie parents was an interesting twist. How did the writers arrive at the idea of making their personalities so different from April’s?
We just thought that was the most realistic and funny explanation for how April ended up like April. Kids today! (I’m 26).
Surely April’s mom recognized Duke Silver, though she only referred to him as Ron. Are we to assume that April had previously told her parents that her boss was the Duke himself, but to not ever bring it up to him? | Nerg
That is precisely correct, Nerg. If you rewind it and watch, you can see how happy Mrs. Ludgate is to see Duke when he arrives at the house. But yes, out of respect to April, she keeps her lips sealed.
We know from “The Camel” that Ron, well, appreciates Andy’s shoe shines. Is there any truth in thinking that in addition to what Andy says about April, Ron also confronted April about coming back to work because he feared Andy wouldn’t give him another shoe shine? | duke silver
I am sure somewhere in the back of his mind, that must have been at least 1% of his impetus.
Ron Swanson appears to be smoothing a handcrafted duck in his office when April tells a Pawnee resident that he’s too busy to take a meeting. Based on Nick Offerman’s woodworking expertise, was the duck something Nick actually made? | Jay
I don’t believe Nick made that particular duck, but that man could surely make a wooden duck if so inclined.
The “gate scene” was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on the show! Who came up with the idea? | Mayara Prado
I think the seed of that idea came from fellow writer, Dan Goor. He wanted me to mention that in this Q and A. Other Dan tidbits: he went to Harvard, loves sweet potatoes more than one should and takes his shirt off a lot.
I laughed my butt off when Ron said he needed anyone with a brain to help but then dismissed Jerry when he offered to help. I loved “94 Meetings” but there wasn’t enough Jerry and I didn’t see Donna at all. It seems like they’ve become more important to the show but then sometimes we barely see them. Just wondering why we don’t get more of them. | Steven
Donna and Jerry (Retta and Jim, respectively) are so wonderful. Unfortunately, we have so many characters on the show and only 21 minutes to tell stories, so sometimes people don’t get as much in certain episodes. Them’s the breaks, Steven.
“94 Meetings” treated us to another Pawnee mural in Pioneer Hall. Can you offer any insight into the design, production or stories behind them? | mitsukakecat
Those murals are fun to come up with, but also tricky because they are all jokes that must be conveyed by the camera showing one part of the painting, which is like the setup of the joke, and then revealing the “punchline” (the man fighting the woman, the wedding ceremony in mid-battle, etc.). The artists who paint them do a terrific job.
It felt like the writers worked extra hard in “94 Meetings” to throw in many rewards for longtime fans. The Duke Silver reference was appreciated, and I liked how Andy got a chance to re-use his Burt Macklin pseudonym. It was nice to see Councilman Howser and Shauna Malwae-Tweep, too. Was it more the storyline catering to the references or a push on the part of the writers to treat the people who pay attention?
The more characters and Pawnee lore we create, the easier and more fun it is to write. It’s like having more colors on your palette. It’s also nice to treat the people who really like the show.
