WHICH TWO PARKS AND REC CHARACTERS FULL

And let’s face it – Ron walked Leslie down the aisle.

The most interesting clue we get about this war between the two of them is that Leslie considers herself to have been backstabbed by Ron. Good to know that in 2017, Ron Swanson is still Ron Swanson. Here’s what we know about the rift between Leslie and Ron: it seems to have happened about two years ago, it involves the words Morning Star (a phrase that is just as verboten around Leslie as Ron’s name), and it may have resulted in Ron resigning from the parks department and opening his own building company, succinctly called Very Good Building and Development Company. Ultimately, it’s this unwavering, bold commitment to the time jump that made this episode so solid, and that created such a strong and promising beginning to the season. These characters are three years older, and have three additional years of interactions and growth behind them that are just as vital as the moments we did get to see for the last six years. The show is very much living in 2017 now, and titling the episode that just proves it. It would just be some cheap storytelling device – hey, look at this thing we did in the finale to get people talking, now let us rewind. It’s just going to seem hokey and half-hearted if season seven had premiered and the first episode consisted entirely of flashbacks leading us up to the moment Ben and Leslie get in the elevator.

WHICH TWO PARKS AND REC CHARACTERS FULL

That’s the thing about this time jump: doing something that drastic demanded full commitment. Sure, a full explanation for the event that tore Leslie and Ron apart is probably coming, but things like how April decided to work for the National Parks Service, or when Donna decided to go into real estate full-time? Maybe those answers will come, maybe not. More importantly, it points out just how many events we’ve missed, that we might not ever get to see or hear about. Sure, most things seem the same for the most part, but seeing how drastically different Leslie and Ron’s relationship is, after it was arguably one of the strongest on the show before the time jump, makes it clear just how much these characters have changed in the three years we don’t get to see. The fallout between Leslie and Ron, and the vitriol both of them spew at each other, is the first real glimpse we get of just how different things have become. It turns out Leslie’s hair isn’t the only thing that’s changed in the last three years – her arch nemesis, the person Leslie’s trying so hard to avoid? Why, it’s none other than her old friend and boss, Ron Swanson. Leslie, as prepared as ever, immediately wants to make a bid for the land and turn it into a national park – but, of course, the room is filled with other potential bidders, including, as Ben warns Leslie, the most evil man in the world, someone so vile his name isn’t even allowed to be spoken around Leslie. Turns out, those people are Jessica Wicks and her attorney, Trevor Nelson (of Fwar, Dips, Winshares, Gritt, Babip, Pecota, Vorp, & Eckstein, Attorneys at Law, LLP, obviously), confirming rumors that the Newport family is selling a 25 square mile area of land. '2017' starts where season six ended: with Ben and Leslie exiting the elevator, getting ready to face the group of people gathered downstairs (as Ben told her in the finale). Of course, being best friends with Jenn, I too am inclined to long, analytical discussions of characters, so, you know, I’m getting ahead of myself here. The short answer, of course, is yes, these characters still feel like who they always were. How much catch-up were we going to get? More importantly, would these characters still be the characters we knew and loved in 2014? That was one of my biggest questions going into the season seven premiere (aptly titled “2017”).

Which two parks and rec characters