According to Nielsen Media Research, it was watched by 4.64 million households in its original airing, continuing a downward trend in ratings since the pilot episode, although NBC had already committed to renewing the show for a second season.
Leslie is proud that her mother, school system employee Marlene Knope, is to receive a public service award during an upcoming banquet.
Ann, excited to go to a social event after spending so much time taking care of her injured, freeloading boyfriend Andy, is told by Leslie to dress very formally.
Leslie and Ann, who is extremely overdressed in an expensive pink dress, arrive together at the banquet, where they are mistaken for a lesbian couple by many of the attendees.
"The Banquet" was written by Tucker Cawley and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller, a long-time television director who worked with Poehler on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live.
[3] The "peacocking" element was not included into the script, but added to the episode during filming after actor Aziz Ansari mentioned to show co-creator Greg Daniels that he believed the character would be interested in pickup artist tactics like those outlined in Neil Strauss' book The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists.
[3] The scene in which water is splashed in Leslie's face was only shot twice, because McCarthy-Miller said Poehler would start anticipating it in more takes and it would not have appeared spontaneous.
The final clip used in the episode shows Tellenson wearing a mask attached to an oxygen tank, which is one of the healthiest versions they filmed.
Poehler and the rest of the cast had already memorized the lines with the name Janet, and the actors had difficulty filming the scenes correctly as a result.
[2] In an opening statement about the history of Pawnee, Indiana, Leslie says a pilgrim traded a baby to the Native Americans in exchange "for what is now Indianapolis", the state capital.
[6] In its original American broadcast on May 7, 2009, "The Banquet" was watched by 4.64 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research, continuing a downward trend in ratings since the pilot episode, although NBC had already committed to renewing the show for a second season.
[1][6][8] Jeremy Medina of Entertainment Weekly said he believed although the show initially needed improvement, that it had arrived at a "settled and focused" series with "The Banquet".
He praised the episode as a whole, as well as individual small moments, like Leslie's haircut, April calling her "sir", Ron's affinity for bacon-wrapped shrimp, Tom's coining of the phrase "peacockin" to mean standing out in bars.
[1] Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger said "The Banquet" was funnier than other recent Parks and Recreation episodes, although he said the Leslie character continues to too closely resemble a female Michael Scott, the protagonist of The Office.
In the third, a 30-second clip, set at the bar, Tom describes to Mark his strategy in picking up a girl: he asked her what she did for a living, then, "I just yawned, gave her the middle finger and left.