10 essential Parks and Rec episodes to watch when you’re missing Pawnee

Season 6, Episode 13: “Ann and Chris”

Even though the sixth season of Parks and Rec was initially intended to be its last, the realization that Ann and Chris would be leaving Pawnee early was a disappointing one. The two decide to move away to raise their child, a decision that left fans and characters feeling both happy for them and sorry to see them go.

As expected, Leslie took the news the hardest. Her friendship with Ann is the show’s biggest success, and seeing the two of them separated wasn’t easy—especially with all of Leslie’s “Ann withdrawals” during the episodes that followed.

But even if Leslie’s relationship with Ann was destined to become a long-distance one, at least the two friends share a satisfying final episode together. In season six’s “Ann and ,” Ann gets the sendoff she’s deserving of, with the characters celebrating the next chapter of her life by finally breaking ground on Lot 48, the location of the pit that marked the beginning of Leslie’s friendship with Ann.

Each member of the gang says goodbye to Ann, but the most heartfelt moment of the episode is when Leslie and Ann spend their final night in Pawnee together sitting near Lot 48, a callback to Leslie’s moment with Mark back in season one. As the two reminisce, it becomes clear that their love and support of one another is one of the most important pieces of the series. They round out the night by finally keeping their promise to see Lot 48 transformed, each of them symbolically taking a shovel and digging into the area.

“Ann and Chris” is a tearjerker, but it’s also a firm reminder of the friendships that make the series worth watching and rewatching