Li'l Sebastian
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"Li'l Sebastian" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the third season of the American comedy television series '' Parks and Recreation'', and the 46th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
in the United States on May 19, 2011. In the episode, as the parks department prepares a funeral for Pawnee's famous
miniature horse A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such h ...
Li'l Sebastian,
Leslie Leslie may refer to: * Leslie (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname, including fictional characters Families * Clan Leslie, a Scottish clan with the motto "grip fast" * Leslie (Russian nobility), a Russian noble family ...
and
Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...
struggle to keep their workplace romance a secret. The episode was written by Daniel J. Goor and directed by Dean Holland. "Li'l Sebastian", which originally aired back-to-back with " The Bubble", ended with several major developments. These included Leslie being approached to run for political office, and Tom's decision to quit his job to run an entertainment company. The exact outcome of the newly introduced storylines had not yet been determined when the episode first aired. The writing staff considered killing off a human character instead of Li'l Sebastian, but decided against it. Series co-creator
Michael Schur Michael Herbert Schur (born October 29, 1975) is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor. He started his career as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' (1998–2004) before gaining acclaim as a writer and producer of the si ...
called the episode's final scene, which was filmed in the completely white, office of Tom's entertainment company, "maybe the craziest thing that's ever been on our series." The episode featured guest appearances by
Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...
as
Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
's ex-wife Tammy,
Ben Schwartz Benjamin Joseph Schwartz (born September 15, 1981) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his recurring role as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'', his starring role as Clyde Oberholt on the Sh ...
as Tom's friend Jean-Ralphio and retired basketball player
Detlef Schrempf Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963) is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the ...
as himself. "Li'l Sebastian" received critical acclaim and, according to
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, was seen by an estimated 3.72 million household viewers. Combined with an estimated 4.27 million household viewers with "The Bubble," the two episodes' ratings were about even with the previous week's episodes, " The Fight" and "
Road Trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance Travel, journey traveled by a car or a motorcycle. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by the automobile took place in German Em ...
."


Plot

Leslie Leslie may refer to: * Leslie (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname, including fictional characters Families * Clan Leslie, a Scottish clan with the motto "grip fast" * Leslie (Russian nobility), a Russian noble family ...
announces Li'l Sebastian, Pawnee's beloved celebrity
miniature horse A miniature horse is a breed or type of horse characterised by its small size. Usually it has been bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, but to be little over in height, or even less. Although such h ...
, has died and the parks department will hold a memorial service for him.
Tom Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name. Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tom'' (1973 film), or ''The Bad Bunch'', a blaxploitation film * ''Tom'' (2002 film) ...
suggests they hire Entertainment 720 for the event, a production company recently started by his friend Jean-Ralphio. Jean-Ralphio encourages Tom to come work with him on the company, but Tom is reluctant to leave his city hall job. Meanwhile, the extremely health-conscious
Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...
finds out he has
tendonitis Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tenn ...
, and takes the news so seriously that he questions his own mortality. Leslie and
Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson or Ebenezer, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as ''Ben'' (dialectal Arabic) or ''bin ...
continue their romance despite a no-dating policy at city hall, but they have difficulty keeping it a secret.
Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
finds out and warns them that Chris will fire them if he learns about it. As the city prepares for the memorial service, Leslie and Ben are caught making out by a maintenance worker named George, so they send him home with a gift certificate in exchange for his silence. Unfortunately, George had the propane for Li'l Sebastian's
eternal flame An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which ca ...
, which results in later confusion behind the scenes, that Leslie and Ben struggle to fix throughout the night. Jerry is sent to get propane for the flame but buys lighter fluid instead; this causes a huge fireball to shoot into the air when Ron lights it, which singes off his eyebrows, part of his mustache and hair. Leslie and Ben are relieved, however, when the crowd applauds in the belief the fireball was staged. Entertainment 720's show also proves to be a hit with the crowd, which makes Tom further contemplate quitting his job. At a party afterward, Andy receives praise for his Li'l Sebastian tribute song, "5,000 Candles in the Wind."
April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Its length is 30 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the ...
sells many Mouse Rat CDs at an inflated price, which spurs Andy to ask her to become the group's manager. Indirectly responsible for nearly killing Ron, Leslie and Ben agree to no more secret displays of affection at work.
Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in ...
, who previously dated Chris and had trouble getting over him, offers comfort to Chris for his depression. This makes him appear romantically interested in Ann once again. A conflicted Tom decides to resign and accept a job with Entertainment 720. Meanwhile, Ron is confronted by his evil ex-wife Tammy at the party. But both Ron and Tammy are horrified to learn his other ex-wife, also named Tammy (whom he calls "Tammy 1") has also arrived in town. Leslie is approached by scouts looking for potential candidates for elected office, which has always been one of her dreams. Impressed by the memorial service and the
harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual Festival, celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different ...
Leslie previously organized, they believe she would be a good candidate for upcoming city council seats, or possibly the mayoral position. With the expected increased media attention on her personal life, the scouts ask whether Leslie has any secret scandals in her life. She denies any such scandals exist, thus omitting her secret relationship with Ben, and the scouts promise to contact her about preparing an electoral run.


Production

"Li'l Sebastian", the third season finale of '' Parks and Recreation'', was written by Daniel J. Goor and directed by Dean Holland. It was originally broadcast on May 19, 2011, and ran back-to-back with the episode " The Bubble", which aired immediately before. The two are stand-alone episodes that were not originally designed to be shown together. However, because the show premiered late as a mid-season replacement in January, the two episodes aired together so the third season could conclude at the end of the television season. The final few minutes of "Li'l Sebastian" introduced major developments for several of the characters, including Leslie being approached with the idea to run for elected office, which has been a lifelong dream for her. Additionally, Tom decides to leave city hall to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions, a progression of his character that had been building throughout the third season. Series co-creator
Michael Schur Michael Herbert Schur (born October 29, 1975) is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor. He started his career as a writer for ''Saturday Night Live'' (1998–2004) before gaining acclaim as a writer and producer of the si ...
said he believes characters should change and their situations should change throughout the season, so he wanted them to be in a very different place at the end of the season than where they were from the beginning. Schur also described his fellow co-creator
Greg Daniels Gregory Martin Daniels (born June 13, 1963) is an American screenwriter, television producer, and director. He has worked on several television series, including writing for ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''The Simpsons'', adapting '' The Office'' ...
' theory about finale episodes as: "write the juiciest, most exciting cliffhanger-y possible scenario you can write, and then you have all summer to figure out how to get yourself out of it". Although Schur said the writing staff had a general idea of where the newly introduced storylines should go, the exact stories had not been completely worked out yet and the writers would be brainstorming how to handle them over the summer. "Li'l Sebastian" featured a guest appearance by
Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...
as Ron's ex-wife, Tammy Swanson. Mullally, the real-life wife of Nick Offerman, previously appeared in the episodes " Ron and Tammy" and " Ron & Tammy: Part Two". Ben Schwartz reprised his recurring role as Tom's friend Jean-Ralphio Saperstein. The episode also features a cameo appearance by
Detlef Schrempf Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963) is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the ...
, a retired basketball player who played for the
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
; ''Parks and Recreation'' is set in Indiana. Schrempf plays himself in the episode and is hired by Tom's new entertainment company to simply hang around the office and play basketball. Schrempf previously appeared in the second season episode "
Telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...
". Andy's band Mouse Rat, which has appeared in previous episodes starting with the first season finale " Rock Show", also appeared in "Li'l Sebastian". Mark Rivers played the drums, Andrew Burlinson played guitar and ''Parks'' screenwriter
Alan Yang Alan Michael Yang ( zh, t=楊維榕; born August 22, 1983) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He was a writer and producer for the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation'', for which he received his first Emmy nomination. With Aziz Ans ...
played bass guitar. The character Li'l Sebastian, a miniature horse beloved by the residents of Pawnee, was first introduced in "
Harvest Festival A harvest festival is an annual Festival, celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different ...
", which was also written by Goor. The writers considered having a human character die in "Li'l Sebastian" rather than the miniature horse, like previously-mentioned characters Mayor Gunderson or Councilman Bill Dexhart. However, they decided that having an animal character die felt less morbid and more appropriate for the finale of a comedy series. The episode ends with Tom and Jean-Ralphio in their new Entertainment 720 headquarters, a completely white room with modern decor and unusual furniture. Schur described the setting as "maybe the craziest thing that's ever been on our series. ... Every time I watch it in the edit bay, I have this weird crisis: 'Is this OK that this scene is how we're ending this entire season?' It's truly nuts. It's like a hallucinogenic nightmare." Schur said his favorite scene in the episode was when Leslie arrives at her secret meet-up spot with Ben, only to find Ron waiting there, and awkwardly tries to insist there is no affair. Schur said: "The scene that unfolds is my favorite Leslie Knope moment of the whole year. onalmost doesn't say a word for the entire scene, but still makes you laugh 50 times." Immediately after "Li'l Sebastian" first aired, a "Producer's Cut" version was made available on the official NBC.com website, which included an additional six minutes of material.


Cultural references

While trying to have a moment of silence for Li'l Sebastian in the parks department office, the staff is interrupted by a custodian playing the
Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( ; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time and the best-sel ...
song " Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" on his radio. This scene was actually based on something that happened in the writer's room. Ron discovers Leslie and Ben's affair after they accidentally pocket dial him while sexually role-playing with political figures. At one point, Leslie tells Ben she is going to kiss him both like former First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
, and former
Associate Justice An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...
of the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; Bader; March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until Death and state funeral of Ruth Bader ...
. At another, Ben impersonates former
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
, which prompts Leslie, pretending to be United Kingdom Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
, to say, "Oh, President Reagan, my blazer popped open." In a different scene, Andy seeks to write a song for Li'l Sebastian that is 5,000 times better than
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
's "
Candle in the Wind "Candle in the Wind" is a threnody-style ballad written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier. In 199 ...
", which inspires him to write the original song "5,000 Candles in the Wind". Other songs played during Li'l Sebastian's memorial service include "
Wild Horses The wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'', which includes as subspecies the modern domesticated horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') as well as the endangered Przewalski's horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'', sometimes tr ...
" by
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
and " A Horse with No Name" by
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. In an attempt to explain to someone that she and Ben were hugging, Leslie explains she recently won a
MacArthur Genius Grant The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and ...
and that Ben was simply congratulating her. In addition, during Tom and Jean-Ralphio's eulogy presentation for Lil' Sebastian, a still of the
Trifid Nebula The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region in the north-west of Sagittarius in a star-forming region in the Milky Way's Scutum–Centaurus Arm. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. I ...
in Sagittarius is seen. The image is more popularly recognized as the cover art for progressive rock band
King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
's 1971 album ''
Islands This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water, and by other classifications. For rank-order lists, see the #Other lists of islands, other lists of islands below. Lists of islands by count ...
''.


Reception


Ratings

Due to the 9 p.m. broadcast of " Search Committee", the one-hour seventh season finale of comedy series ''
The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...
'', ''Parks and Recreation'' was not shown in its regular 9:30 p.m. broadcast on May 19. "Li'l Sebastian" aired at 10:30 p.m., immediately following "The Bubble" at 10 p.m. In its original American broadcast, "Li'l Sebastian" was seen by an estimated 3.72 million household viewers, according to
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, with a 2.4 rating/6 share among viewers between ages 18 and 49. A rating point represents one percent of the total number of television sets in American households, and a share means the percentage of television sets in use tuned to the program. This marked a drop in viewership for ''Parks and Recreation'' compared to earlier in the night, as "The Bubble" was seen by an estimated 4.27 million households. Combined, the ratings were about even with the average ratings for the previous week, in which two ''Parks and Recreation'' episodes were also shown back-to-back, although from a 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. time block: " The Fight" had been seen by an estimated 4.55 million household viewers, while "
Road Trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance Travel, journey traveled by a car or a motorcycle. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by the automobile took place in German Em ...
" was seen by 3.54 million households. In its 10:30 p.m. timeslot, "Li'l Sebastian" was outperformed by the fourth season finale of the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
medical drama series '' Private Practice'', which was seen by 7.45 million household viewers.


Reviews

"Li'l Sebastian" received highly positive reviews. Steve Heisler of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' called it the best ''Parks and Recreation'' episode so far, and compared the cliffhanger and "many of the bittersweet moments leading to it" to the comedy series ''
Freaks and Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near ...
''. ''
James Poniewozik James Poniewozik (; born July 12, 1968) is an American journalist and television critic. He is the chief TV critic for ''The New York Times''. Earlier in his career, he wrote '' Time's'' ''Tuned In'' column for 16 years. Early life Originally fro ...
'' of ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine strongly praised "Li'l Sebastian", and called it one of the best episodes of the season. He said Li'l Sebastian's funeral brought out the best in the characters, and that the episode "combined slapstick, authentic stakes and a holistic picture of the oddball history and commonalities that bond the folks we've come to know in Pawnee". Henry Hanks of
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
called it "one of the funniest half-hours of any show this season", and compared the Li'l Sebastian funeral to the funeral scenes in the '' Mary Tyler Moore Show'' episode " Chuckles Bites the Dust". ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
'' writer Scott Meslow called the episode a "triumphant exclamation point at the end of ''Parks and Recreation'''s third season", and described every moment as "uproariously funny". Meslow particularly praised the twists and major character developments of the final 10 minutes, and said it demonstrates how much the show and characters have changed since the series debuted. Eric Sundermann of Hollywood.com said "Li'l Sebastian" was a great showcase for not only each of the characters, but the setting of Pawnee as well, and that the episode "illustrated each part of Pawnee that we have come to know and love so much". Alan Sepinwall of HitFix said it had "both the scope and the out-of-control but not frantic style" of "The Harvest Festival". He also enjoyed the scene with Leslie and Ben, and said he believed the show could get great "comic mileage" out of their continued secret relationship together. ''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...
'' magazine writer Garrett Martin called the episode a "tour de force that expertly wrapped up an excellent season". Garrett said the show's characters were "so vivid and instantly memorable" that the death of Li'l Sebastian really felt like a major event, even though he had only previously appeared in one other episode. Matt Fowler of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' said "Li'l Sebastian" was hilarious and demonstrated "how marvelously great this series is at creating a truly lovable ensemble". He also enjoyed seeing Tom succeed with his concert, and claimed the Li'l Sebastian funeral scene was surprisingly powerful. Rick Porter of
Zap2it Zap2it was a website and digital media company that provided television program listings information for areas of the United States and Canada. Founded in 2000 by Tribune Media Services, the site has been owned by Nexstar Media Group since 201 ...
said ''Parks'' was at the "top of its game". Porter praised that the final scenes presented so many changes for the characters but never felt out of control, which he attributed to "the cast's ability to play things at just the right level and the writers for knowing just how cartoonish Pawnee can be without tipping too far". ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' magazine writer Steve Kandell said although the episode felt like a "somber affair" and less momentous than the previous episode "
Harvest Festival A harvest festival is an annual Festival, celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different ...
", he said the cliffhangers were suspenseful and on par with major drama shows like the ABC series ''
Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...
''. Nick McHatton of TV Fanatic praised the episode, and said he found particularly hilarious the scene about Leslie and Ben accidentally pocket dialing Ron during their sexual roleplaying. However, McHatton said he did not believe Tom's decision to start an entertainment company had "much of a traction past the first five minutes of next season". Joel Keller of
TV Squad Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles, and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could b ...
felt the major changes the characters undergo at the end of the episode felt "rushed", but admitted they were "natural outcropping of the characters and what we've seen of them this year". "Li'l Sebastian" was voted the fourth funniest half-hour season finale of 2011 in ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'''s second annual TV Season Finale Awards, the winners of which are determined by voters. Ron losing his facial hair was voted the third-funniest individual moment, the death of Li'l Sebastian was voted the fifth best death, and the mystery over who "Tammy No. 1" is, and why "Tammy No. 2" fears her, was voted the fourth-best "Non-Romantic Cliffhanger".


References


External links


"Li'l Sebastian"
at the official ''Parks and Recreation'' site * {{Parks and Recreation 2011 American television episodes Parks and Recreation season 3 episodes Television episodes about funerals