From Andy and Ann to Ron and Wendy, here are 10 relationships from Parks and Recreation that fans knew were doomed to fail.
There are a surprising amount of romances on Parks and Recreation, despite its setting in a government building. As Chris Traeger firmly and repeatedly states, romantic relationships and government shouldn't mix.
Lucky for the audiences (and some, if not all of the characters) this wasn't how things actually played out. Throughout the show's seven seasons, there were plenty of romances, and here are those clearly doomed to fail from the start.
When the series began, Andy and Ann were living together as a couple. It was Andy's fall into the infamous pit that set Ann on the path to being friends with Leslie and working at the Parks Department. Ann babies Andy, who is basically helpless when it comes to taking care of himself. Their relationship is clearly not meant to last. Lucky for each of them, they're meant for other people: Chris Traeger and April Ludgate.
When the series starts, Leslie has a huge crush on Mark Brandanowitz. They hooked up once, and it meant a lot more to her than it did to him. They're coworkers and sort-of friends, but Leslie's crush makes things a bit uncomfortable. Things get less awkward, and they end up being fine as friends before Mark quits his job and moves into the private sector. They have almost nothing in common, personality-wise, so there's no way it would've worked out. Leslie later found her soulmate in Ben Wyatt.
Mark was always more into Ann than she was into him. She was on the rebound after her breakup from Andy, her previous long-term boyfriend. She and Mark date casually but break up when she realizes how much more he cares for her than she for him. Since Mark's time on the show was relatively short, things obviously didn't last between the two. Ann later marries Chris and they move away together, leaving the show during the same season.
Ron and Tammy (really, Tammy 2) were already divorced when the series began. She returns to stir up trouble from time to time, and hilarity ensues. Ron and Tammy are absolutely terrible together, bringing out the worst in each other. Their volatility even gets them thrown in jail once, and results in Tammy throwing Tom into shelves of books (which is pretty funny). Fun fact: Ron and Tammy are played by a real-life married couple!
Ron Swanson starts seeing Wendy after her divorce from Tom is finalized. She'd only married Tom to get her green card, and Tom realizes his feelings for her a bit too late. By the time Wendy is dating Ron, Tom has a new girlfriend of his own. However, he's very much bothered by the idea of Wendy and Ron together, as it makes him feel inferior. He throws a huge fit at a youth basketball game, making things sufficiently awkward for everyone. Despite this, Ron and Wendy stay together. That is until she announces her plan to move back to Canada. She invites Ron to join her, an offer he very decidedly rejects.
April literally flees the country to avoid Andy after she sees him kissing Ann. She comes back with Eduardo, who she plans on using to make Andy jealous in order to get revenge.
It works at first, but then Andy and Eduardo bond over their love of Dave Matthews and become friends. This means that Eduardo's usefulness to April has run it's course, so she breaks up with him. Since it's clear before April starts dating Eduardo that she and Andy are supposed to end up together, audiences knew that this wouldn't last.
Tom dates Tammy to get back at Ron for dating his ex-wife (one of his many terrible decisions), Wendy. Tammy's motivation for dating Tom is to get Ron's attention and to generally cause chaos. They basically make out in front of Ron once before Ron and Tammy are back together. Tom tries to break them up, which results in Tammy throwing him around a lot.
Tammy 1, Ron's first wife, shows up to audit Ron's taxes. Her ulterior motive is to retake control of his life. Their relationship has a very strange backstory, as Tammy delivered him when he was born. When he's with her, he basically acts like a child, and she controls his finances. In order to free him from her influence, his friends have to drink moonshine with his mother (also named Tammy) and Tammy 1 herself.
It was clear from the start that Chris and Millicent's relationship was meant to make poor Jerry as uncomfortable as possible (and on that front, it succeeded). They're both fairly young and attractive, so they linked up quickly. Their openly sexual relationship made many uncomfortable, beyond just her father. They eventually break up when Millicent dumps Chris, breaking his heart. Chris later ends up with Ann, so all's well that ends well.
Did anyone ever really think Parks was being serious with this pairing? Tom's flirtatious behavior towards Ann was a longstanding annoyance, and he didn't seem at all like the type of guy she would end up with. This wasn't a case of opposites attract, however, but an opportunity for the show to explore a new pairing and write some jokes based on the dynamic.
