One of the strongest friendships in Parks & Recreation was that between Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson, but they went through a very rough time in season 7, and one important element in their fight ended up breaking the timeline. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, Parks & Recreation made its debut on NBC in 2009 and lived on for a total of six seasons, coming to an end in 2015. Parks & Recreation had a rough start as the writers struggled a bit to find the right tone for the characters in season 1, but they eventually did and subsequent seasons were better received.

Parks & Recreation follows perky bureaucrat and eternal optimist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her crew at the Parks Department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, who went through all types of situations at work and in their personal lives. Although Leslie was the lead of the series, many of her friends and coworkers became fan favorites, such as Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), and Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt). Ron became a favorite of the audience almost immediately thanks to his extremely deadpan personality and brutal honesty. At the beginning of the series, Ron was the director of the Pawnee City Parks and Recreation Department and thus Leslie’s boss, but their bond went beyond that.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

As Parks & Recreation progressed, viewers got to see that Leslie and Ron were actually friends, though in their unique style, as they are pretty much opposites. As strong and special as their friendship was, it wasn’t safe from tough moments, and in Parks & Recreation season 7, it was revealed that Ron and Leslie weren’t on speaking terms, which shocked fans and the characters close to them. Season 7 made a three-year time jump, so it was set in 2017, and by the time it began, Ron and Leslie were enemies and refused to discuss what broke their bond. In the episode “Leslie & Ron”, and after being pressured by their friends, Ron and Leslie finally discussed what happened, and the incident that ended their friendship for a while broke the timeline.

It all began after Leslie took April and Jerry to work with her and Tom and Donna left to run their businesses, so one day, Ron didn’t recognize anyone he worked with anymore. He then decided to ask Leslie for a job in the federal government, but she was so busy she unknowingly stood him up for lunch. As a result, Ron left City Hall and began his construction company. One of the projects of his company was Morningstar, an apartment complex that required bulldozing houses near Pawnee Commons, including Ann Perkins’ old house, which angered Leslie. The Morningstar incident happened in 2015, and Ann and Chris Traeger moved out of Pawnee in season 6, set in 2014, but in the flashback showing the fight between Ron and Leslie, the former says that Ann hasn’t lived in her house for five years, which doesn’t fit the timeline at all.

Of course, it’s very possible this was on purpose as Ron once famously stated that he doesn’t bother learning personal information about others, not even their names in some cases, so it’s entirely possible that he thought Ann hadn’t lived there for years as he never cared about her, so there’s no reason for him to remember when she moved out of Pawnee. Whether it was intentional or not is something that the writers of Parks & Recreation would have to answer, so for now, it’s up to viewers if it was a mistake that broke the timeline or a very Ron Swanson thing to say.

Amazon Prime Video: Every Thing Coming To Streaming In April

About The Author


Adrienne Tyler
(3276 Articles Published)

See also  What Granny Goodness’ Cameo Was Setting Up In Justice League 2 & 3

Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

More From Adrienne Tyler