In the high-stakes world of Pawnee's local government, the Season 3 premiere of Parks and Recreation , titled serves as both a literal and metaphorical reboot for the series. After a three-month hiatus caused by a government shutdown, the Parks Department returns to find itself on a "shoestring budget" that threatens its very existence. The Central Hustle: Leslie vs. The Auditors
Desperate to restore funding beyond basic park maintenance, Leslie Knope enlists a reluctant Ann Perkins to go on a "strategic" date with the hyper-optimistic state auditor, Chris Traeger. [S3E1] Go Big or Go Home
Leslie suggests Ann use Jurassic Park as a conversation starter for why parks need money; four years later, Chris Pratt (Andy) starred in Jurassic World . In the high-stakes world of Pawnee's local government,
April Ludgate returns from South America with a new boyfriend, Eduardo, leaving a heartbroken Andy determined to win her back. The Auditors Desperate to restore funding beyond basic
While Leslie plays politics, the rest of the crew engages in what was intended as simple community outreach: youth basketball.
Tom Haverford, moonlighting as a referee in his Lady Foot Locker uniform, uses the game to sabotage Ron out of jealousy over Ron dating Tom's ex-wife, Wendy. Tom eventually goads Ron into a chair-throwing tantrum that gets him ejected. Raising the Stakes