"Time Capsule" is the third episode of the
third season of the American comedy television series ''
Parks and Recreation'', and the 33rd 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 February 3, 2011. In the episode,
Leslie tries to encourage civic pride through a
time capsule
A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...
, but it descends into chaos as Pawnee citizens argue over what to include. Meanwhile,
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 ...
tries to help
Andy win back
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 ...
.
Written and directed by series co-creator and executive producer
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 ...
, "Time Capsule" was one of six episodes filmed early after
second season to accommodate
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler ( ; born September 16, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her roles in sketch comedy, sitcoms and comedy films, she has earned acclaim and several accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award (out of 26 nom ...
's pregnancy. Although always meant as the third episode of the season, it was the last of the six filmed because it had the highest amount of props that could conceal Poehler's belly. ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' star
Will Forte guest starred as
Kelly Larson, a Pawnee citizen who passionately argues for including the
''Twilight'' books in the time capsule.
"Time Capsule" also included appearances by recurring guest stars
Jama Williamson,
Alison Becker,
Darlene Hunt and
Natalie Morales, who made her last in a string of performances as
Tom's girlfriend
Lucy
Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...
. 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 ...
, the episode was seen by 4.95 million household viewers, a 17 percent decline from the previous episode, "
Flu Season
Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...
". It received generally positive reviews.
Plot
Leslie is organizing the making of a
time capsule
A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...
, meant to be opened 50 years in the future and filled with items that encapsulate the spirit of Pawnee. A citizen named
Kelly Larson comes to Leslie's office and makes a passionate plea for the ''
Twilight
Twilight is daylight illumination produced by diffuse sky radiation when the Sun is below the horizon as sunlight from the upper atmosphere is scattered in a way that illuminates both the Earth's lower atmosphere and also the Earth's surf ...
'' books to be included. When Leslie refuses because the books have no connection to Pawnee, Kelly handcuffs himself to a pipe in her office until she reconsiders. He is able to stay several days because he brought food, water and a pillow. During his stay, Kelly notices
Tom appears sad, and correctly deduces Tom is having romantic issues; Tom's girlfriend
Lucy
Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...
has dumped him because Tom cannot get over the fact that his ex-wife,
Wendy
Wendy is a given name generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, a male Captain Wendy Oxford was identified by the Leveller John Lilburne as a spy reporting on his activit ...
, is dating
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 ...
. Kelly encourages Tom to read ''Twilight'', to which he initially scoffs, but after reading them finds he loves the books. Lucy later visits Tom and tells him she still likes him, and if he ever gets past his Ron & Wendy-jealousy problems he should call her.
After Leslie notices the name "Liz Waverly" in one of Kelly's ''Twilight'' books, Kelly admits Liz is his 12-year-old daughter, who introduced him to ''Twilight''. Kelly is divorced from Liz's mother, and wants to put ''Twilight'' into the time capsule to impress Liz. Leslie now wants to include it, but
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 ...
says if she makes one exception, everyone will want their own item in the capsule. Leslie decides to hold a public meeting so all citizens can make suggestions for capsule items. The meeting descends into chaos when the participants argue over what to include and make absurd suggestions, such as the ashes of a family member and the ashes of a pet cat.
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
activist
Marcia Langman argues ''Twilight'' should not be included because it is too anti-
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, while a civil liberties organization member says that the book isn't suitable because it is pro-Christian. Leslie tries to compromise by making multiple time capsules, but she ultimately decides to stick to one capsule and include nothing except a video recording of the meeting, which she said represents Pawnee because it shows "a lot of people with a lot of opinions arguing passionately for what they believed in". Ben, a visiting state auditor, says he thinks the residents of Pawnee are strange, but he is impressed by their passion.
In the
B story,
Andy still pines for
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 ...
, who remains angry at Andy and is now dating the handsome
Eduardo.
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 ...
suggests Andy tap into the aspects of his personality April was attracted to in the first place. However, the only things he can think of are that he is nice and he is in a band. Andy decides to be nice to Eduardo, and the two realize they have similar musical tastes (they both like the
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...
) and end up bonding over a guitar session. April becomes frustrated because she only dated Eduardo to make Andy jealous. She dumps Eduardo, which Chris interprets as a sign that his efforts are succeeding.
Ann, who was nervous about Andy and Chris spending time together, is relieved when Chris tells her that Andy had nothing but positive things to say about her. The episode ends with the Pawnee residents — including Kelly and his daughter — watching an outdoor screening of the
''Twilight'' film.
Production

"Time Capsule" was written and directed by ''
Parks and Recreation'' co-creator and executive producer
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 ...
. Like all six of the first
third season episodes, it was written and filmed almost immediately after the
second season ended as part of an early shooting schedule due to Amy Poehler's pregnancy. However, although finished early in anticipation of a September 2010 release date, ''Parks'' was ultimately placed on hiatus until early 2011, many months after production on "Time Capsule" was completed. "Time Capsule" was the last of these six episodes to be filmed, but as planned was shown third in the season. It was filmed last because the story presented the highest amount of props to place Poehler in front of objects that strategically concealed her pregnancy, most notably the time capsule itself.
The episode featured comedian Will Forte in a guest appearance as
Kelly Larson, a Pawnee citizen obsessed with ''Twilight''. Forte was a cast member of
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 ...
's sketch comedy show ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', where he previously worked with performer Poehler and writer Schur. "Time Capsule" featured the last in a string of guest performances by
Natalie Morales as Lucy, a romantic interest for the Tom Haverford character.
Darlene Hunt made a guest appearance as Marcia Langman, a member of the conservative group, the Society for Family Stability Foundation. Hunt previously portrayed Langman in the second-season premiere, "
Pawnee Zoo", where she tried to have Leslie fired for holding a
same-sex wedding for two male penguins.
The episode also featured appearances by Jama Williamson and
Alison Becker in their recurring roles as Tom's ex-wife Wendy and reporter
Shauna Malwae-Tweep, respectively.
"Time Capsule" continued what Michael Schur described as one of the primary story arcs of the third season: Ben Wyatt gradually falling in love not only with Leslie Knope, but with the town of Pawnee itself.
This is particularly illustrated by how impressed Ben is with the Pawnee citizens who make impassioned cases for what they want inside the Pawnee time capsule: although he still considers them weirdos, he respectfully calls them "weirdos who care".
During the
cold open
A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In North ...
, while discussing the time capsule, Leslie describes several former Pawnee town slogans. After each slogan, the camera switches to a different cut of Leslie reading another. This method of comedic narrative is frequently used in ''Parks and Recreation'', in which Poehler and the other actors improvise several different jokes and the editors slice them all together into one scene.
Cultural references
A great deal of the plot in "Time Capsule" revolves around the ''Twilight'' series of novels and films. The popular book series was written by
Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer (; Morgan; born December 24, 1973) is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire literature, vampire romance series ''Twilight (novel series), Twilight'', which has sold over 160 million ...
. At one point, while trying to persuade Leslie to include ''Twilight'' in the capsule,
Kelly Larson begins telling the entire story of the ''Twilight'' series, including Meyer's birth and life story and shot-for-shot descriptions of the film adaptations.
The stories are told from the perspective of high school student and outsider
Bella Swan
Isabella "Bella" Marie Cullen (née Swan) is the protagonist character of the ''Twilight'' book series by Stephenie Meyer. She is initially an ordinary teenage girl, but during the series, Bella falls in love and marries a vampire Edward Culle ...
, who is pursued romantically by a
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
named
Edward Cullen
Edward Cullen (né Edward Anthony Masen, Jr.) is a character in the ''Twilight'' book series by Stephenie Meyer. He is featured in the novels ''Twilight'', ''New Moon'', ''Eclipse'' and ''Breaking Dawn'', and their corresponding film adaptat ...
and a
werewolf
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
named
Jacob Black. Elements of the story are raised in various scenes of "Time Capsule", including when Tom tries to ask Lucy why she broke up with him: "Is it because I'm not cool enough, like the normal kids compared to the vampires? Is it an Edward-Bella-Jacob type situation, where you like me but there's someone else you like more?"
Leslie claims to favor ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'', the popular fantasy series by author
J.K. Rowling, over ''Twilight''.
Parks department employee
Donna professes an unhealthy infatuation with
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. #Filmography, His filmography often sees him portraying eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Known for starring in both major studio productions and in ...
, the actor who played Edward Cullen in the ''Twilight'' films.
Among the town slogans Leslie described was "Pawnee: The Birthplace of
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles across various genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Award ...
", a reference to the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning actress. Leslie subsequently explains Roberts is not from Pawnee and that she sued over the slogan, leading to a new slogan: "Pawnee: Home of the World Famous Julia Roberts Lawsuit".
During the public meeting, one resident proposes putting ''
Crazy from the Heat'', the autobiography of
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
lead vocalist
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Known for his wild and energetic stage persona, he was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen for three stints: from 1974 to 1985, during 1996, and from 2006 to when ...
, into the time capsule. When Andy and Eduardo bond, they find they are both fans of
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...
, an American
jam band
A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...
.
After Lucy breaks up with Tom, he dismissively claims she is crazy, which he claims is what the characters on the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
comedy-drama series ''
Entourage'' always say whenever they break up with a woman.
Reception
Ratings
In its original American broadcast, "Time Capsule" was seen by an estimated 4.95 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 an overall 2.9 rating/4 share, and 2.4 rating/6 share among viewers between ages 18 and 49.
It marked a more than 17 percent decline compared to the previous episode, "
Flu Season
Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...
",
and an even further drop compared to the season premiere "
Go Big or Go Home", which was seen by 6.19 million households. The night "Time Capsule" was broadcast, almost all of the comedy shows in NBC's Thursday lineup lost viewership compared to the prior week: while ''
30 Rock
''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...
'' remained flat, ''
Perfect Couples'' was down 18 percent, ''
Community
A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
'' dropped 9 percent, ''
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 ...
'' was down 7 percent and ''
Outsourced'' dropped 5 percent.
Reviews
"Time Capsule" received generally positive reviews. Alex Strachan of the ''
Montreal Gazette
''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
It is the only English-language daily newspape ...
'' called it a "near-perfect episode" featuring brisk timing, laugh-out-loud jokes and heartwarming moments of civic unity. Strachan praised Michael Schur's script for being "funny without being hurtful or vicious, heartwarming without being mawkish or sentimental".
''
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 the fact that Will Forte's character segued believably from a loon to a believable and sympathetic father was a sign of the script's strength. Kandell said, "Could the character have been more over-the-top? Sure. But in the long run, it’s not just funnier, but more dramatic, that he’s not."
Hillary Busis of ''
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, ...
'' praised "Time Capsule", which she said highlighted how the quirky setting of Pawnee itself contributed a major part to the show's success. Busis said the town's eccentricities were on great display during the public scenes, but did not feel forced or over-the-top.
Barry Hertz of the ''
National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only. '' praised both the episode and Forte, whose eccentric performance he said fit in well with the rest of the show. Hertz said, "Every single element on this show is on fire right now, from Andy’s naive stupidity and infatuation with April to Ben’s continued surprise at what Pawnee has to offer."
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 this episode highlighted how the show excels as portraying small-town life in a comedic way without ridiculing small towns. Fowler said the ''Twilight'' jokes felt a bit stale, but he praised Aziz Ansari's performances and moments highlighting the supporting characters, like jokes at the expense of character
Jerry Gergich and Ben's developing respect for Pawnee.
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 ...
writer Rick Porter said the series, and "Time Capsule" in particular, accurately captures the details and flavors of the local governments and the public in small towns, even if they exaggerate them. Porter praised the pairing of Chris and Andy and said the two conflicting character personalities worked well together.
HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
writer
Alan Sepinwall said he did not feel Will Forte's character was well integrated with the rest of the cast and that he dragged down the first half of the episode. However, Sepinwall said once Forte removed himself from Leslie's office, the episode had a "terrific second half", and that the public hearing in particular displayed the strengths of the show.
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 ...
had the opposite view of Alan Sepinwall and felt Forte's character was the most interesting part of the episode, whereas the second half felt "dragged down" and less funny. Keller wrote, "It just lasted a scene too long; we get it, the people in Pawnee are loopy."
Eric Sundermann of Hollywood.com said ''Parks and Recreation'' is "at its best when its illustrating small-town life in America" and that the public hearing meetings did so brilliantly. Sundermann praised Rob Lowe's performance and said the new additions of the Chris and Ben characters was "exactly what the show needed to push itself to another level of silliness".
''
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 said Will Forte's obsession with ''Twilight'' led to funny scenes, particularly an impromptu book club meeting with Tom and Donna, but said the character's efforts to impress his daughter didn't make much sense: "Is there a preteen on the planet who would be anything but mortified to find her middle school buzzing with gossip about her father's Twilight-based sit-in?"
Steve Hesiler 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 ...
'' said the episode demonstrated how far the show has come because "it was only mid-season two when ''Parks & Rec'' started producing episodes where Pawnee residents showed up two, three, or more at a time—and contributed to the larger town mythology." Heisler also praised how the show could pair two seemingly random characters like Andy and Chris and make them so funny.
''
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 writer
James Poniewozik called "Time Capsule" the weakest of the first seven third-season episodes, but he said "that speaks more to the high quality of the rest". Poniewozik said the episode demonstrated that, despite how bizarre the complaints of Pawnee residents are, "those concerns and arguments are what makes Pawnee Pawnee". Some reviews were more negative. Matt Richenthal called "Time Capsule" mediocre at best, especially compared to the previous episode, "Flu Season". He said the episode was too centered on the "one-note joke" of Will Forte's character, and that the jokes about ''Twilight'' felt dated. Richenthal wrote, "''Parks and Recreation'' features too many hilarious characters to include such a gimmick."
References
External links
"Time Capsule"at the official ''Parks and Recreation'' site
*
{{Parks and Recreation
2011 American television episodes
Parks and Recreation season 3 episodes
Television episodes written by Michael Schur