Parks and Recreation: Leslie & Ron
January 20, 2015 5:53 PM - Season 7, Episode 4 - Subscribe

Leslie and Ron try to come to an agreement.
posted by everybody had matching towels (15 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
The fake Claymore was genius.
posted by Small Dollar at 7:32 PM on January 20, 2015 [4 favorites]


Someone on Twitter compared this episode to Mad Men's "The Suitcase" and I have to agree.
posted by crossoverman at 1:16 AM on January 21, 2015 [2 favorites]


I didn't believe that Ron would take more than a minute to start heaving desks through windows and/or walls, but once I got past that, this was a pretty funny episode. And four eps was juuust about long enough to drag out Morningstar.
posted by Etrigan at 4:26 AM on January 21, 2015


I was considering bailing on P&R this week after the William Henry Harrison mess. I'm glad I didn't. With all of the fantastic callbacks and the emotional punches, this episode is the best example of everything that P&R does well.

Nick Offerman broke my heart with sad Ron. I hope he gets an Emmy nomination for this one.

I was wondering what happened to Craig, and I'm glad that I know now.
posted by kimberussell at 6:16 AM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


Bottle episode!
posted by drezdn at 6:30 AM on January 21, 2015 [2 favorites]


The only small complaint I had about this episode had more to do with the "2 episodes per night" format they are running this final season, in that functionally it felt like Ron and Leslie's feud lasted for a total of a week in TV time, thus losing some of the potential emotional effectiveness of seeing them finally reconcile. Otherwise, I thought it was great and surprisingly touching (my heart just about broke when Leslie told April to book them on the first flight out after having just made lunch plans with Ron).
posted by The Gooch at 7:44 AM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


Vulture: Leslie Knope's Awful Version of 'We Didn't Start the Fire'

Freddy Krueger, pots and pans, Oprah has a turtle farm....
posted by everybody had matching towels at 11:13 AM on January 21, 2015 [3 favorites]


Well, this scuttled my theory that "Morningstar" was a reference to Leslie tricking Ron into eating soymeat for some bizarre reason, but I was super-disappointed in how she triggered their years-long feud without ever considering Ron's livelihood or motivations for doing the things he did.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 2:23 PM on January 21, 2015 [2 favorites]


This episode was amazing. I love, love, loved Parks, but after Ann and Chris left, it lost a lot of the magic for me (except for the brilliant season six finale). This episode renewed my love, and now I know why - it's because it elucidates what hits me hardest and makes me ache in both TV and life; it's not the biggest moments, dramatic deaths, whatnot - it's the slow, sad, inexorable change and drifting apart of friendships, groups, and our conceptions of what our lives were and are now going to be.

The only problem is that I have dress rehearsal with the symphony tonight and now I have to get the crying out of my voice. Sad Ron, just...I can't.
posted by ilana at 3:17 PM on January 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


I was super-disappointed in how she triggered their years-long feud without ever considering Ron's livelihood or motivations for doing the things he did.

Really? Leslie has always been convinced of her own fundamental correctness. Usually she only barely realizes that other people don't think the same way she does for the same reasons.
posted by Etrigan at 3:37 PM on January 21, 2015 [2 favorites]


I don't disagree with that, Etrigan, but Leslie is also notorious for her trademark over-the-top gestures and gifts (for example, she would never plan a surprise for anyone based on her personal preferences and tastes, unless they dovetailed together nicely by coincidence). She can be exceptionally thoughtful, but for mostly selfish reasons.

An unconditional love of breakfast food sat Ron and Leslie down together to sup at the table of friendship, but tunnel vision's what tore their work proximity-related acquaintance apart.

It's bizarre to me that she would take such personal affront and believe Ron's motivations were in some way aimed at hurting her or simply driven by his own selfishness without trying to have last night's discussion back when "Morningstar" initially went down (especially since Ron's entire character is built on the idea of hard work, profitable American businesses and providing good quality products and services).

If anything, the combination of Ron's stoicism and Leslie's overwhelming schedule is the real culprit here, and I think that's the takeaway message from last night's bottle ep: don't get so caught up in your own life that you accidentally end up hurting someone else, especially if you really care about each other.

It's almost like their clutch of misguided assumptions created an emotional Voltron of failed friendship, which made them both de facto assholes (though I still think the two-year standoff was more Leslie's fault than Ron's).

Anyone else craving a waffle now?
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 4:41 PM on January 21, 2015 [2 favorites]


I loved this episode. The final scene of them in the office at 8:00am just killed me. Like clutching my sides, laughing so hard that it was painful and my dog came to investigate what was going on with The Human. Just so hilariously perfect.
posted by lunasol at 7:39 PM on January 21, 2015


A rift between Leslie and Ron of such magnitude (Pop! Pop! [sorry]) was actually rather hard for me to handle for as long as it lasted (three 1/2 episodes and one week). Given everything that we knew of their friendship, it just seemed as if the laws of physics had taken a vacation or something equally as incredulous.

I definitely felt bad for Ron, the stand up, and then his decision to move on with his life without his workplace proximity associates. Morningstar turned out to be nothing more than Leslie's true creation.

Part of me was expecting that in an alternative timeline from our own, the reason for Morningstar was that the city was in some way going to give over the Pawnee Commons for the development of the Morningstar Luxury Apartments (TM), and Ron did something to prevent it from happening, sacrificing the homes nearby, to preserve Leslie's dream; but as a result of that action, felt he could no longer morally continue in his job, so he resigned without ever telling anyone why. His actions would have then been discovered by Leslie as she waded through all the old Parks and Rec boxes/files.

Right, but I'll take a lunch stand up, too. I mean, my god, the man was ready to take a job with the federal government.

I'm still wishing we would hear something about Ron's family. I presume it's still intact since he still wears his virtually analog cell phone.

I'm happy the rift has disappeared, but there yet remains the park and Gryzzl. Hrm.
posted by Atreides at 7:19 AM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]


I was really hoping that Morningstar would turn out to be an actual, literal morning star.
posted by Paragon at 3:18 PM on January 28, 2015 [1 favorite]


I know I'm kind of late to the party, but MAN I loved the callback at the very end of the episode.
posted by DoctorFedora at 9:17 AM on March 13, 2015


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