Parks and Recreation: Leslie & Ron (7x04)

Okay! In this episode we finally get the truth about what happened between Leslie and Ron. Ben and the others all lock Leslie and Ron up together in the Parks Department, and refuse to let them out until they've worked out their issues.

Thus, the two old friends (now enemies) must remain locked up together all night. That's basically the only premise of the episode - there are no subplots or anything, just a detailed scene between Leslie and Ron, and some flashbacks to explain what happened. At first, both just try to find a way out of the room, but Leslie quickly decides she wants to fix what's going on between them. Ron is resistant, and continually refuses to talk to Leslie. It takes a lot of coaxing, but eventually the whole story gets out.

So. From Leslie's perspective, the story goes something like this: Leslie got her new job, and she and Ron see each other less and less. Then, after Ron comes by to see Leslie in her new office for the first time, way after the fact, suddenly they don't see each other anymore. Leslie finds out that Ron quit his job at the Parks Department and started his construction company, and she's upset that Ron didn't even tell her. The final nail in the coffin? Morning Star. Ron's company helps to bulldoze the lot near the Pawnee Commons (Leslie's pride and joy, the former-ditch-now-park). Even Ann's house doesn't escape the bulldozing, and an apartment complex called "Morning Star" rises up. Leslie is furious that Ron would go against everything they'd worked so hard for over the years.

Ron's version of the story is a little different. When Leslie got her new job, she quickly took April, Andy, and Terry with her. Tom and Donna also quit to start their own businesses. Ron realizes that he doesn't recognize anybody in the department anymore, and he decides it's not worth it. He goes to visit Leslie to ask her out to lunch, wanting to ask her for a job in her department so he could be among friends. Leslie, caught up in her busy life, accidentally stands Ron up and never makes it to their lunch date.

Leslie feels horrible once she hears the full story, and Ron says that he regrets not telling Leslie about Morning Star and all that. The two make up with the help of some alcohol, and when Ben and the others come back the next morning, it's to see that the entire Parks Department has been put back the way it was when they used to work there, and that Leslie and Ron are both drunk and loudly singing to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."

The next day, Ron comes to see Leslie at work and gives her a gift - a picture of the two of them in a frame he made out of Ann's door when the house was bulldozed. It looks like Ron and Leslie's friendship has been repaired!

I really only have one teeny tiny complaint about this episode. I was expecting the reveal of Morning Star to be either a) more funny or b) more shocking than it was. As is, it felt kind of... obvious. It was just something to do with Ron's business? Not particularly clever. However, this is a fairly small nitpick, because I understand the necessity of this story as it relates to the rest of the tale of Ron and Leslie's fallout. I don't know... maybe they shouldn't have built it up for the past three episodes by constantly mentioning the "Morning Star" incident. Because of the buildup, I was expecting a really funny and outrageous reveal.

The good things about this episode are too numerous to count. A lot of really, really funny lines in here, first of all. Leslie's made up lyrics to "We Didn't Start the Fire" were absolutely hilarious. Then there's another one of the jokes about this being the year 2017. When Leslie realizes that she's trapped in the office for the night, she remembers, aghast, that she'll be missing Game of Thrones. "Khaleesi is marrying Jack Sparrow! Wow, that show has really gone off the rails." Ben responds immediately: "It makes sense if you've read the books." That joke works on so many different levels. It makes fun of nerd purists and of the outrageous ways great TV shows often end up bowing out, all while reminding us of this slightly-in-the-future theme. Excellent.

Some other funny moments include Ron's discovery that the land mine he was given by Leslie was actually just rigged with confetti and balloons, Leslie's fond memories of Ann's smoky eyes, and April's comment in the end that Leslie is both drunk and hung over at the same time at two in the afternoon.

Along with being funny, this episode was really, really sweet. I was a bit startled that we were pushing the Ron and Leslie issue so soon, because I thought this was going to be a theme that we drew out for the whole season. But, upon greater consideration, I realized that this way makes more sense. Now, we see Ron and Leslie emotionally and personally reconciled, but still professionally at odds. It's going to make for delicious conflict.

The fact that Ron made a picture frame out of Ann's door on the off chance that he would eventually become friends with Leslie again is just so sweet. It's exactly the way Ron would show he cares about somebody. Of course, we also got to see Ron being vulnerable in this episode, as he admits (in so many words) to missing Leslie and wishing he could have her back. He also has his heart broken a little bit when he realizes that Leslie Knope, legendary for her skills as a friend, doesn't seem to have time for him any more.

Luckily, that seems to be resolved now. Leslie sort of lost herself in the same way she lost Ron - she's so busy now that she doesn't have time to maintain her friendships. That doesn't seem like the Leslie we all know and love! This might prove to be a turning point for her character, and we can see her start to take an interest in everybody's lives again.

I think that's where I'll end it. I continue to hope for the triplets, and I could do with a bigger role for Ben coming up too. He's been relegated to subplots so far this season.

9/10