Leslie and Ron’s dramatic and somewhat confusing feud has been the main arc over the show’s seventh season thus far. Whilst William Henry Harrison is entertaining in its own ways, there’s no shying away from the fact that it’s all led up to Leslie and Ron. A triumphant feat for the Parks and Rec crew and one that highlights its trust in not only the characters but the actors that bring them to life, Leslie and Ron will go down in the show’s history as one of the finest episodes to date. Credit where credit’s due to Poehler and Offerman respectively.
Still butting heads over who will get ownership of the land, William Henry Harrison sees Leslie and Ron engaging in a battle of wits over who can attract the most attention from the press and give their causes a much-needed signal boost. April is still suffering major anxiety about what she wants to do for the rest of her life, and Andy once again proves why he truly is the best husband ever. Whilst clearly there to build foundations for the next episode, there are some fresh jokes and gentle reminders of how utterly insane Pawnee residents truly are. Erinn Hayes reprises her relatively recent role as Annabelle Porter, making for a refreshing addition to an episode that can in places feel like a repeat of last week’s premiere. A nothing-short-of-hilarious skit about a crazy new beef milk illustrates just how susceptible to pop-culture Tom and Donna are, and it’s left to Ron to bring them down to reality. We’ll be quoting “it’s fucking milk” at any and every possible opportunity.
Minus small appearances from the rest of the Parks crew, Leslie and Ron is an in-depth look at the relationship between our favourite work proximity associates. Rather ironically, they’re really given room to breathe after Ben and co. hatch a plan that forces them to hash out their differences in the confinement of their old office. It is here that we see Ron’s soft and cuddly side. We’ve always known it’s been there though; after all, not even someone so openly anti-government as Mr Swanson can stick at such a job for so long if it didn’t hold some sort of sentimental value. It’s abhorrently clear just how much his coworkers mean to him, and the confession as to why he eventually quit the Parks and Rec department is quite the tearjerker.
A cameo from the now infamous Shania Twain-loving janitor, predictions about what the future holds for Game of Thrones, and an ingenious Billy Joel sing-a-long provide a much-needed release from all the unexpected emotional warfare. Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom for Pawnee.
Words by Sophie Mace.