Lil' Sebastian

Lore & Background

Li'l Sebastian's memorial service becomes a major event in Pawnee, drawing the entire community together. The episode features Andy Dwyer writing and performing a tribute song titled "5,000 Candles in the Wind," which he describes as being 5,000 times better than Elton John's "Candle in the Wind." The service includes an eternal flame, though a mix-up with a propane tank and a spark from a lighter causes a huge fireball that singes Ron's eyebrows (but not his mustache or hair). The crowd applauds, believing the fireball was staged. Entertainment 720, a production company run by Tom and Jean-Ralphio, provides entertainment for the event, which proves to be a hit with the crowd. The final scene of the episode 'The Bubble' was filmed in a completely white, 15,000-square-foot office that series co-creator Michael Schur called 'maybe the craziest thing that's ever been on our series.'

In Their Own Story

The episode opens with Leslie announcing Li'l Sebastian's death and the parks department's plan to hold a memorial service. Tom suggests hiring Entertainment 720 for the event, which leads to his eventual decision to quit his city hall job and join the company. Meanwhile, Leslie and Ben struggle to keep their workplace romance a secret, and Ron warns them that Chris will fire them if he finds out. The couple is caught making out by a maintenance worker named George, whom they send home with a gift certificate — but George had the propane for the eternal flame, causing chaos behind the scenes. Jerry is sent to get propane but buys lighter fluid instead, resulting in the fireball. At the after-party, Andy receives praise for his song, and April sells many Mouse Rat CDs at an inflated price, leading Andy to ask her to become the band's manager. 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 she previously organized, they believe she would be a good candidate for upcoming city council seats or possibly the mayoral position. When asked if she has any secret scandals, Leslie denies any exist, omitting her relationship with Ben.

Reader's Guide

Li'l Sebastian's memorial service showcases several key character developments. Andy's tribute song "5,000 Candles in the Wind" becomes a fan-favorite moment, and the episode ends with Tom and Jean-Ralphio in their new Entertainment 720 headquarters — a completely white 15,000-square-foot room with modern decor and unusual furniture. Series co-creator Michael Schur described this setting as "maybe the craziest thing that's ever been on our series" and "like a hallucinogenic nightmare." The episode also features guest appearances by Megan Mullally as Ron's ex-wife Tammy, Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio, and retired basketball player Detlef Schrempf as himself. Schrempf, who played for the Indiana Pacers, appears in the episode hired by Tom's company to simply hang around the office and play basketball. The episode originally aired back-to-back with "The Bubble" on May 19, 2011, and was seen by an estimated 3.72 million household viewers. Combined with "The Bubble," the two episodes' ratings were about even with the previous week's episodes.

Did You Know?

• The writers considered killing off a human character like Mayor Gunderson or Councilman Bill Dexhart instead of Li'l Sebastian, but decided an animal death was less morbid for a comedy.
• Andy's song '5,000 Candles in the Wind' was inspired by Elton John's 'Candle in the Wind,' with Andy claiming his version is 5,000 times better.
• The final scene of the episode 'The Bubble' was filmed in a completely white, 15,000-square-foot office that series co-creator Michael Schur called 'maybe the craziest thing that's ever been on our series.'
• Retired NBA player Detlef Schrempf, who played for the Indiana Pacers, appears as himself in the episode 'The Treaty,' not in the Li'l Sebastian memorial episode.
• A 'Producer's Cut' version of the episode with an additional six minutes of material was made available on NBC.com immediately after the episode first aired.