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Even though “Parks and Recreation” came to an end in 2015, the wonderful cast and crew behind the NBC sitcom reunited for a one-time special on Thursday, April 30. The episode was part of a collaboration with State Farm and Subaru in order to help raise funds for Feeding America, a non-profit organization that helps people through hunger crisis, especially those who have been affected by COVID-19.

The episode takes place in the present day, with the principal cast reprising their roles and communicating through video calls, catching up with one another and asking how everyone is coping with the events of the pandemic.

It all begins with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) who works for the Department of the Interior. Her life has been quite busy as always, but she loves her job and still retains her lively and bubbly spirit through tough times.

In contrast, her husband Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) is going crazy while staying at home and taking care of their children. He even revisits some of his old hobbies such as claymation and the board game Cones of Duneshire. However, Ben keeps his mental health in check in the end.

Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) returns as a nurse helping with outpatient care. She is isolating responsibly in a separate corner of the house she shares with her husband, Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) and their children. Chris, on the other hand, is a real trooper with his notable positive attitude. 

Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) is shown with a tropical background and a drink in hand. As expected of Tom, he shows himself “living the high life” and spends his time coming up with ridiculous entrepreneurial ideas. Donna Meagle (Retta) is seen as a successful individual living in Seattle. Seeing the “Treat Yo Self” duo clinking glasses together was surely a pleasant sight! 

Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) is displayed quarantining in his cabin and sets a good example of social distancing. After all, he has been doing it since he was four years old!

Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) initially gets locked in a shed, refusing to get help from his wife, April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) who is maintaining social distancing. Despite being locked out, Andy is still the loveable goofball he has always been. There is even a glimpse of Andy’s alter egos; Burt Macklin, FBI and Johnny Karate. 

Jerry Gergich (Jim O’Heir) serves as the Mayor of Pawnee and is still the clumsy character that his peers love to dislike. He deals with technical issues during his video calls, which makes for a hilarious moment. 

Although the episode lasted for only 30 minutes, it was truly heartwarming to see the entire cast again given the current circumstances. As usual, there were a ton of jokes, references and running gags from previous episodes that brought back a lot of memories.

Some memorable moments from this episode were the appearances by supporting characters such as journalists Joan Callamezzo (Mo Collins) and Perd Hapley (Jay Jackson), along with fictional commercials by Dennis Feinstein (Jason Mantzoukas), Councilman Jeremy Jamm (Jon Glaser) and Jean-Ralphio (Ben Schwartz), which definitely provided a few good laughs. 

Some other hilarious moments include the cold open by Bobby Newport (Paul Rudd), who appears expectedly clueless about current events, along with a surprise cameo by Ron’s ex-wife, Tammy 2 (Megan Mullaly).

The main highlight of this special was when Leslie felt surprised to see the principal cast members back together again as if nothing had changed between then and now. Everyone gathered around to sing “5000 Candles in the Wind,” an emotional tribute to Pawnee’s very own Li’l Sebastian.

One day after the episode’s release, Feeding America announced that the effort had raised over 3 million dollars, and that they will continue to take donations until May 21. In addition to its charitable success, the episode also carried a heartfelt message for the show’s fans to pay more attention to mental, emotional and physical health. 

This special episode of “Parks and Recreation” has proved to be a success: It raised money for an important cause and provided a positive outlook by telling the viewers to not only stay safe, but to also hang in there!