The central plotline concerns the potential sponsorship deal between the Parks Department and Sweetums, a local candy manufacturer hoping to market “nutritious” snack bars to park visitors. On the one hand, Ron Swanson supports the deal as he advocates governmental privatization and emphasizes consumer choice over public safety. Leslie Knope, on the other hand, opposes the deal as she believes Pawnee park visitors lack sufficient consumer knowledge to make an informed choice about Sweetums products.

During a meeting, Leslie convinces a superior to hold a public forum as a method of liability prevention. At the public forum, Sweetums representatives screen films, highlighting consumer satisfaction, while Leslie responds by screening a 30 year old Sweetums film which discusses how corn syrup and other snack bar ingredients make cattle unhealthy. At the end of Leslie’s screening, Sweetums brings in their commercial’s primary actor, who also happens to be the company’s CEO, Nick Newport Jr. and his children. One of the children instructs the forum audience to look under their seat for candy. The forum audience exclaims with excitement and ultimately votes in favor of the sponsorship deal. At the conclusion of the episode, Ron apologizes to Leslie for “being a jerk”, although this presumably did not impact the result of the public forum vote.

A sideplot centers around Tom Haverford’s attempt to move out of his home with Wendy Haverford. During the episode, Tom again hesitates to reveal his feelings for his ex-wife, whom he married to protect from deportation. Mark Brendanawicz reluctantly helps Tom through the process as he is a truck owner and could not think of a “valid excuse”. Donna, April, Jerry, and Andy join to assist Tom move his many boxes to his new home. At the end of the episode, Tom learns that his new home has a gas leak and that he is unable to move into his new home until Monday. Tom asks the department members to take the boxes into their own homes, but they ultimately bring his possessions and leave them in the Parks Department office.

A subplot involves the continued exploration of April’s possible romance with Andy, who remains oblivious to her developing feelings. April agrees to assist Tom’s moving efforts so as to be closer to Andy. At Tom’s house, she is shown checking her teeth, dancing to various songs, and agreeing to watch a Canadian version of Deep Blue Sea at Andy’s suggestion. When April’s boyfriend Derek and his gay boyfriend Ben arrive at Tom’s House, they mock Andy, which forces April to refer to their behavior as “really gay”. In their final appearance in the episode, Andy asks April to watch him roller blade after work, but April declines his offer, implying that the comments of her boyfriend and his boyfriend may have confounded her feelings towards Andy.

“Sweetums” is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the twentieth overall episode of the series. It aired on NBC on February 4, 2010.

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