Soda Tax (Parks and Recreation)

Plot

Leslie (Amy Poehler) has proposed a soda tax on restaurants in an effort to curb Pawnee's obesity problem. While Ann (Rashida Jones) loves the idea, Ron (Nick Offerman) feels it is government overreach. When Leslie meets with Kathryn Pinewood of the Pawnee Restaurant Association, Kathryn watches Leslie display enormous cups for cheap soda, agrees that even the water-sounding drinks sold locally are actually high-calorie liquids, and then warns the tax will force restaurants to lay off workers. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Ben (Adam Scott) is prepared to fire his lazy interns, especially after one posts an unflattering drawing of him in the office, but instead decides to be overly friendly to them after learning that all of the interns are either related to or have social ties to powerful political figures.

Chris (Rob Lowe) and Tom (Aziz Ansari) help Andy (Chris Pratt) train for the police department's physical examination, but he struggles to run the required two miles in under 25 minutes. Chris asks Andy to think about what motivates him, so Andy thinks of his love for April (Aubrey Plaza) and is able to finish the two mile run in time. However, Chris realizes that he himself has no reason to exercise since he has no one to love, and he collapses from sadness. Tom later suggests that Chris see a therapist and Chris is very receptive to the idea.

At a public forum about the soda tax, Leslie panics when an angry restaurant employee demands a recall election against Leslie if he loses his job. Worried about the jobs of workers (and her own), Leslie becomes so nervous during the council vote on the tax that she throws up, buying her more time to think it over. Ben, meanwhile, is angered when another drawing of him is posted in the office. However, he discovers April is responsible for the drawings. Ben is upset with April's behavior and after she balks at giving a 15% effort (she wanted to cap it at 12%) Ben angrily rips her for having no professionalism and says he wanted her to work on the campaign because she's smart and talented. April later threatens the most obnoxious of the interns, Ellis, and scares him into doing his assigned tasks, as Ben looks on and seems happy.

Leslie asks Ron for advice, where Ron reveals that he planned to fire Leslie many times in the past because of her unrelenting upbeat attitude. He never went through with it because he was ultimately impressed by that trait in the face of his own negativity, whereas others would simply change to please their boss. Inspired by Ron's appreciation for her convictions and by a compass that he gave her as a gift, Leslie goes back to the council chambers and casts the vote that passes the tax by a 3-2 margin.

Production

"Soda Tax" was written by Norm Hiscock and directed by Kyle Newacheck. Within a week of the episode's original broadcast, three deleted scenes were placed on the official Parks and Recreation website. The first, 90-second clip, is an extended version of Ben's attempts to ingratiate himself with his interns, featuring several short scenes. The second clip was only 60 seconds long, and expanded on Tom's use and redecoration of Pawnee's official golf cart. In the third clip, also 60 seconds long, Leslie and Ann discuss what to do about the proposed tax, and compare Leslie's previous record in the Parks Department to George Clooney's career. They ultimately decide to hold a public forum.

NBC also produced a photo gallery of fourteen accessories Tom added to the golf cart, including unnecessary items such as a wine fridge, a shrimp cocktail fork, and a ceiling mirror.