Ron Tries To Make Ann The New Leslie

Parks and Recreation, S04E17

There was bad news for both Campaign Leslie and the Parks and Recreation department yesterday.  Leslie and Ben were getting their asses served by a slick, new campaign manager Bobby Newport had hired, while the P&R department had to get a project successfully done without Leslie's power sustaining them.  The latter was the better of the two because, of course, it involved the characters who make me laugh the most.  So I'll skip any comments about Leslie's current bump in the road to being on city council.

We all know Ron, so we know he is not going to do work, but also doesn't want to have Leslie replaced.  In fact, he relates this problem to his childhood where he had to choose one of his pet calves to kill on his sixth birthday.  The conclusion to this problem is evidence why I love Ron Swanson stories:

 I couldn't choose, so I slaughtered both of them.  ...And they were delicious.

Unfortunately for Ron, Chris had other plans about replacing Leslie, so Ron had to get the "dream team" together, led by Ann.  Ann is a pretty poor leader and their brainstorming to figure out how to stop the nasty citizens of Pawnee from french kissing the water fountains turned into a full on water balloon fight.  Before all this craziness happened, I loved when Ron went to Ann to propose she take up the new project:

[Ron] Hello, Ann Perkins.
[April] This is the first time you've said my entire name correctly.
[Ron] Nonsense.  We're close friends.

I knew Leslie's absence was going to deliver in the Ron department!  The best of all was when Ann appeared to have solved the water fountain issue, and Ron sat her down to almost suggest she become the mini-Leslie.  When Ann tells him that it was all April and she was the girl for the job, Ron ends their conversation by simply picking up a book.  He only reads for a few seconds in silence before Ann questions him:

[April] Should I go?
[Ron] Are you still here?  Yes.

I can learn a lot from Ron.  It would be my dream to do that to someone but have them act without me needing to tell them to go.  I tip my hat again to the brilliance of Ron Swanson.

Lastly, I wonder why Donna doesn't get many lines.  She is a clearly funny person.  When Ann asks her for her idea about the water fountain she doesn't even look up to reply:

Do I look like I drink water?

That is probably something I would say word for word to someone.  I'd love to see her a little more involved in the episodes.  That may or may not be related to simply just how her character was designed or to fit Retta's busy schedule.  Regardless, after the "Treat Yourself" thing, I'm sure that there are many others who would gladly watch a Donna-themed episode.

I guess this was an okay episode, but it was mostly carried by Ron.  If he wasn't his usual funny self while dealing with Ann, I wouldn't have enjoyed this episode half as much.  I do miss Leslie's crazy adventures in the office, but that's not going to come back anytime soon.  I do hope that she and Ben figure out a way to turn the tables with their opponent.  And back in the P&D department, I hope that April as the new mini-Leslie brings some new hilarity that only someone who has studied under Ron Swanson can produce.