Go Big or Go Home who encourages him not to give up and to "go big or go home". Inspired by her own advice, Leslie proposes restoring the parks department with a Harvest Festival, which was once a Pawnee tradition until eliminated by budget cuts. Leslie and the other parks employees agree that if it is not a success, the parks department will shut down. Impressed by their enthusiasm, Chris and Ben agree to the idea. "Go Big or Go Home", the third season premiere, was written by Alan Yang and directed by Dean Holland. It was the first to feature Adam Scott, Rob Lowe,
Go Big or Go Home seen by 10.55 million households. "Go Big or Go Home" received critical acclaim, with several critics particularly complimenting the "Swanson Pyramid of Greatness" joke. HitFix writer Alan Sepinwall said the episode was effective in appealing to both new and old viewers, developing various character subplots and establishing the harvest festival story arc. He also praised the performances of Chris and Ann, which he called a far better and more interesting pairing than Ann with Mark Brendanawicz. Linda Holmes of NPR suggested the season premiere was a good place for newcomers to the series to start watching. She said all the