It took four episodes and the act of physically locking Ron and Leslie in the office for 12 hours to get the mighty comedy couple back together. By the time the two have reconciled their differences, there is a real sense of triumph with such a superb minimalist story Parks and Recreation established in such a brief time. With Ron finally opening up to Leslie about the real reason for their falling out, there is a sense of genuine emotion behind the characters that few sitcoms can provide.
Their reconciliation begins by having the rest of the cast devise a plan to force a conversation between former co-workers. Locking them in the office where they worked together for so long was another big blow. Allowing them to see how the physical office changes (thanks to Craig) prompted the two to consider their current situation. Not to mention some great comedic moments including Ron’s more and more desperate try to escape jail with Leslie. The clear winner is the fire alarm recall that only activates the sprinkler system (thanks April, all you care about are practical jokes and not safety!). The moment is not only brilliantly executed, it ends with Ron having to slip into Craig’s yoga outfit and his voluminous mane deflating. This was the last straw that finally prompted Ron to….wait for him……to tell someone how he felt and it was quite a shock. Turns out Ron was standing over Leslie as she got ready to ask him for a job (Nick Offerman just sat in the empty booth with his puppy kill eyes). This event finally led him on the way to opening a Very Good Business. This change is so important and really highlights that even although Leslie thinks she is the perfect friend in every way, she can be greedy and annoying at times. The two reunite and bond over a drunken stupor over something unbelievably cheesy “We Don’t Start a Fire” by Billy Joel and ends with a saxophone fart provided by Ron and imitated by Leslie (did he tell her about his alter ego Duke Silver too?).
The only part of this episode and this season that I do not like is April’s search for a job she cares about (this was before the episode but I did not review it and that I want to speak about it now, dammit!). It seems otherwise that this character has been written up to date and the possible career he sees as less useless than his current position in the Parks Department. Unfortunately, this storyline may be a little outside Aubrey Plaza’s acting wheelhouse, as her signature flat delivery works for an uncaring April, but April in Crisis has to give so much more to deliver than her usual one-dimensional dry delivery.
Grade: A+
“Leslie and Ron”
Parks and Recreation
Season 7, Episode 4
