Top 10 Things About Parks and Rec That Don't Make Sense

At the beginning of the seventh and final season of Parks and Rec, the action jumps forward three years. Much has changed, with the gang having largely gone their separate ways professionally. Most notably however, Leslie and Ron have had a massive falling out over something called “Morning Star”. It turns out Ron’s company demolished Ann’s old house. But here's the thing – the timeline makes no sense! Ron claims in 2017 that Ann moved out five years ago, but we also learn that Morning Star occurred in 2015, which is in fact just one year after Ann left. Ron isn’t the type to exaggerate, and Leslie is a stickler for details, so we can only assume there was a break in the space-time continuum!

When we first meet lovable slacker Andy Dwyer, a few things become almost immediately clear. It’s his fault he fell in the pit, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, and his world absolutely revolves around his band. Mouse Rat was central to Andy’s identity. As the show progressed however, the group was featured increasingly less as Andy’s priorities shifted. This was addressed in season 5, but little came of Andy recommitting to Mouse Rat. Their last full band appearance was at their star-studded performance of "5000 Candles in the Wind” to a massive crowd. And then… they just seemingly disappeared. We’re glad that Andy found success as Johnny Karate, but a definitive end to the Mouse Rat story would’ve been nice too.

Pawnee is a city defined by its eccentricities, from its messy history to the delightfully odd residents, like Perd Hapley and Joan Callamezzo. Everyone here has got a quirk, even the seemingly normal locals like Allison Gliffert! A high school student and Model UN member, she presents as your average Pawnee teenager, but Ms. Gliffert has a secret. We’re... just not sure what it is. You see, actress Kelly Washington only appears in two episodes of the show, and the first time we meet her, in the season 4 episode, “The Treaty”, she’s named “Cassidy”. When we catch up with her in season 6, however, she’s Allison. Are they twins? Is Ms. Gliffert a compulsive liar? Is she living a double life? All good questions.

Getting a person’s name wrong? That we can understand. It happens to the best of us! But not being able to keep track of your town’s own geography? That’s shockingly incompetent, even by the low standards of the Pawnee government. Throughout the show, it’s something of a recurring joke that Pawnee has a fierce rivalry with the neighboring town of Eagleton, which is significantly smaller but also significantly more prosperous. Here’s the thing though, the residents of Pawnee can’t seem to agree on where Eagleton is located. In one episode, we’re told that Eagleton is “two towns over”, which contradicts with the suggestion that they share a border. Eagleton’s eventual incorporation into Pawnee certainly supports the latter geography, but we’re still confused.

We don’t envy the people responsible for set design and decoration. In the modern age of streaming services and binge watching, it’s all too easy for eagle-eyed viewers to find continuity errors in a show relating to props. Still, it doesn’t take a viewer with a photographic memory to catch this obvious change. At the end of season 1, Ron Swanson draws attention to his Bobby Knight poster, only for it to mysteriously disappear in season 2. This is a man who hates change and clearly loved that poster, so its disappearance seems decidedly odd. As it turns out, there was a legal issue including it in the show so it had to be swapped out. Still, a throwaway explanation would’ve gone a long way!

While talking about Ron Swanson, we need to address his musical alter ego. Unbeknownst to his friends and colleagues – at least initially – Swanson plays saxophone under the stage name Duke Silver. He’s actually something of a local icon, performing once monthly at Cozy's Bar in Eagleton to a room of adoring fans. His demographic is middle-aged women and, as it turns out, April Ludgate’s mother just so happens to be among them. Given that Ron and April are co-workers and friends, it was only a matter of time until her mother wound up in the same space as Ron, which, sure enough, happens at April and Andy’s marriage. Despite her superfan status, however, Mrs. Ludgate doesn’t seem to recognize Ron as Duke.

Pop Quiz: where in the United States is the town of Pawnee located? If you said Indiana, you are correct. Next question: where in the country is Indiana located, geographically speaking? Call it the Midwest or the Great Lakes region, everyone will agree that Indiana is in the northern United States. And palm trees most certainly do not grow in the northern United States. They can grow in a wide range of environments, from rainforests to deserts, but Indiana’s humid continental climate is NOT one of them – though Eagleton’s hot spring might be an exception. Once you become aware of the palm trees, you’ll notice them in the background all throughout the series. And unfortunately, they kind of take you out of the moment.

Ron Swanson is a very particular man. He knows what he likes and what he doesn’t like, and it will be a monumental task to get him to do something he doesn't like. More likely, he’ll flat out refuse. As explored in the season 7 episode "Gryzzlbox", one of the things that Ron feels most strongly about is his privacy. Add to that his all-around curmudgeonly attitude, and he seems like just about the last person to willingly participate in a documentary. We can imagine him doing the odd interview, maybe, but he’d certainly veto having cameras present for the more intimate moments he has throughout the show. Of course, to be fair, Parks & Rec never fully committed to the mockumentary angle.

In the season 4 episode "The Trial of Leslie Knope", we learn that the lovable oaf we know as Jerry is actually named Garry. As it turns out, his old boss got his name wrong and he was just too polite to ever correct him. It’s a great gag that just keeps on giving, especially when his friends and co-workers proceed to call him both Terry and Larry for extended periods of time. But there’s one problem with the joke. His family. They just seem to go along with it! Having Jerry’s loving wife and daughters follow the lead of his co-workers seems like a weird choice, even from the overly accommodating Jerry. Terry? Larry? Garry! Oh, who cares.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

The Year Pawnee Was Founded
The Town Seal in Leslie’s Office Says 1816, But Pawnee Was Founded in 1817

Tammy I & Ron’s Relationship
Ron Swanson's First Wife, Tammy, Was Actually His Abuser, But This Is Never Really Addressed

Leslie & Librairies
Does She Love Them or Hate Them? We’re Getting Seriously Mixed Messages

Why Did Ron Care About Hunting Licenses?
Obviously Proper Licensing Is Important, But Ron Famously Hates Bureaucracy & Red Tape

How Are Things Between Chris & Ann After They Moved Away?
We Get Some Updates, But Not Nearly as Many as We’d Expect Leslie to Be Demanding from a Friend Who Moved Away

“Parks and Rec” is great, but it was slow to hit its stride. Leslie was revamped slightly from season 1, and it took until the end of season 2 to find the right cast of supporting characters. Though he initially seemed like he was being set up as a long game love interest for Ms. Knope, Mark Brendanawicz instead left at the end of season 2, never to be seen again. As a parting gift, he presents Leslie with plans for her park, and she’s visibly moved. But then… it’s like they get wiped from her memory. Leslie is extremely sentimental about keepsakes and loyalty to friends, so her simply ignoring the plans or forgetting about them is totally out of character.