How Parks And Rec Season 7 Nearly Ruined The Show Forever
NBC's Parks and Recreation ended after a stellar six-year run, but the show's rocky final season nearly ruined it forever. Unlike the ending to its sister show, The Office, many were pleased with the finale of Parks and Recreation. However, season 7's overly optimistic conclusion and bizarre plot points nearly saw the show go out just as controversially as The Office's ending did in 2013.
Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and company ended their journeys in Pawnee, Indiana, in the happiest way possible, given their respective character arcs. Parks and Recreation season 7 used flash-forwards to display how the main cast's lives played out in the future, including how Pawnee's technology within the parks department had progressed. Leslie or her husband Ben (the show never committed to saying which) were heavily implied to become President of the United States. Other characters, such as April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) and Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt), had equally happy endings, with the zany couple expecting their second child by the end of the show. The final Parks and Recreation season also saw Leslie and Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) butt heads in several years-long feuds before reconciling once they both realized they had fallen out over a simple misunderstanding.
Despite these idyllic character endings, Parks and Recreation season 7 wrapped things up far too neatly - and felt less endearing as a result. In a way, the characters' endings were too perfect, making them less relatable, with these narrative choices made all the more frustrating by the fantastic ending of season 6, which concluded things in a much more open-ended way. While it was hopeful, it left Leslie and her friends' futures open to interpretation while still rewarding her with her dream job of working for the National Parks Service. Paired with the appearance of Leslie's hero, Michelle Obama, and the bombastic Pawnee/Eagleton Unity Concert, season 6 oddly felt more like a series finale than season 7.
To add insult to injury, the use of future technology across Parks and Recreation season 7 was both jarring and distracting. Though the season used flash-forwards to tell its stories, it did not need to introduce futuristic watches, drones, and other suped-up household appliances. These elements translated as incredibly tacky and dated, even at the time of release, making Parks and Recreation season 7 stand out as a strange, sci-fi-inspired entry that felt completely at odds with the show that came before.
Parks and Recreation season 7 was also frustrating for creating a hate-filled feud between Leslie and Ron. Both characters had previously acted as the emotional core of the show, so having them act as heads of rival warring factions within the parks department fight felt both unnatural and unearned. Ultimately, Leslie and Ron's season 7 argument, in essence, a last-minute stunt to create artificial drama that could have ruined the show if it hadn't been resolved within four episodes.
In this way, Parks and Recreation season 7 was the show's weakest season since season 1. Though it ultimately stayed true to its characters, allowing the beloved NBC series to conclude without damaging Parks and Recreation's legacy, the show still made bizarre decisions that undercut season 6's fantastic conclusion. As a result, the future tech, Ron and Leslie's feud, and the overly happy endings given to each character saw Parks and Recreation season 7 go down as a weak, but ultimately harmless, conclusion to a great show.