one of Michael Schur's best shows.
While the titular department is full of colorful personalities that get into all sorts of zany antics during the course of the show’s run, it has to be said that there are more than a few things about this part of the city government that don’t make a lot of sense.
The Fact That They Don’t Do A Lot Of Park-Related Stuff
Even though the purpose of the department is, in theory, to do things and implement policy related to the parks of Pawnee, it’s remarkably rare to see most of them actually doing things related to, well, the parks of Pawnee.
There are some exceptions to this rule, obviously, but it’s hard not to wonder why it is that this department doesn’t seem terribly focused on the things that it’s supposed to be doing as a part of city government.
How Does Ron Still Have A Job?
Ron Swanson doesn’t really keep secret the fact that he has a deep-seated loathing of government at all levels. In fact, he’s downright hostile to it, and he seems to be in his job for the express purpose of sabotaging the government that he dislikes so strenuously (it's one of the worst things he did, in fact).
That being the case, one can’t help but wonder why it is that the powerful people in Pawnee haven’t done more to get rid of him, since he’s clearly so hostile to their entire purpose for existing.
Why Ron Would Hire Someone Like Leslie
An even bigger mystery is why someone like Ron, who has deep philosophical mistrust of government, would not only hire someone like Leslie (who believes strongly in the value of public service) but keep her on and end up working closely with her. He gives an explanation for this at one point, but it has to be said that it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
If Ron were really the die-hard libertarian that he claims to be, he wouldn’t have hired someone like Leslie for any reason in the world.
What Did Tom Originally Do?
Tom Haverford is one of the most hilarious characters to appear during the course of the show. He’s just so...outlandish. His many schemes and attempts to make money--some of which managed to succeed--were the source of a great deal of humor and many laughs.
However, it remains a little unclear what, exactly, he was doing in the parks department in the first place, since he seemed to have neither the interest nor the training to do anything truly useful.
Why Do So Many People Work In A Department That Can’t Seem To Get Anything Approved
One of the little conceits of the show is that the parks department seems to have a really hard time getting anything approved, particularly when it comes to issues of money. It’s not hard to see why, considering the kinds of people that sit on the city council.
However, since that’s the case, it remains a little unclear how it is that a department that is clearly starved for funds ends up having so many people working for it, since they all have to be paid (and since some of them, like Jerry, have a very ambiguous job description).
Why They’re So Detached From The Other Parks Workers
Another strange thing (and a running gag) about this parks and rec department is that it seems so detached from the other people who work at the parks (including the rangers).
Obviously, this is a source of a great deal of hilarity, since everyone knows that Leslie doesn’t like it when anyone tries to get in on her territory. However, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense, since one would naturally assume that, in a small town like Pawnee, there’d be at least a bit of cooperation between the various aspects of the parks istration.
Why The Auditors Spent So Much Time And Effort On Just Their Department
One of the most noteworthy developments revolves around the auditors who come to Pawnee to make sure that the city is spending money responsibly.
While the plot requires that the auditors spend a lot of time focusing on the parks department, it’s hard not to think that, perhaps, there were other, larger departments that warranted a similar focus. Of course, audiences were grateful that they didn’t, since that gave everyone more time to spend with Chris and Ben.
Why Everyone Was Willing To Repeatedly Go Along With Leslie’s More Outlandish Plans
Leslie Knope is one of those people who just...can’t sit still. Whenever a problem or an issue presents itself, she automatically kicks into overdrive, her feverish imagination coming up with all sorts of elaborate solutions to even the most basic problems.
While this makes sense in of her character, what makes a little less sense is why on earth everyone else just seems to go along with her, even though they clearly don’t want to.
Why They Have What Seems Like A Prime Location In City Hall
The city hall of Pawnee is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, and it’s clearly a pretty large space for such a small town.
This is confusing in and of itself, but what makes even less sense is why the parks and recreation department seems to have such a prime piece of real estate within that building. Surely, one would think, there are other departments that would deserve a similarly prominent space.
Why Leslie Didn’t End Up In A Department It Seemed Like People Cared About
Perhaps the greatest mystery about the parks and recreation department, however, is why it is that Leslie, one of the most driven and civic-minded people of Pawnee, ended up in a department that was clearly on the back burner for the majority of the citizenry and the city government.
Surely, someone who wanted to be so involved in public service should have ended up in a more prominent and privileged department. Leave it to Leslie, though, to do something that doesn’t make sense to anyone but her.