Nick Offerman in Parks & Recreation

My Favorite Scene: Parks & Recreation Season 3 (2011) “Ron’s Swivel Chair”

The state of comedy on television is at its lowest ebb in my life time.  It’s odd, given that television drama is in a golden age, that TV comedies are so mediocre that I can’t even think of one that’s worth watching.  Parks and Recreation was originally conceived as a spin-off of The Office, though the only thing the shows shared was the documentary-style format.  Though The Office plunged in quality at the end of its run, Parks & Rec stayed stellar through all its seven seasons on NBC, during which it was criminally ignored by the Emmys.  

The Swanson Pyramid of Greatness

The show’s breakout character was Nick Offerman’s government-hating Ron Swanson….who was the Director of Pawnee, Indiana’s Parks & Recreation Department.  From having his meetings scheduled on fictional dates, to his “Swanson’s Pyramid of Greatness”, to his red meat only diet, and manliest mustache since Tom Selleck, the awesomeness of Ron cannot be captured in a single scene (which is why there’s a half-hour montage below).  However, if forced to encapsulate his character’s attitude toward dealing with the citizens of Pawnee, it would have to be “The Bubble”.  In the show’s third season, Pawnee gets a new City Manager in Rob Lowe’s extremely upbeat Chris Traeger.  He feels the department heads should be more accessible to the citizens, so a horrified Ron is dragged from his cavern-like office into a circular desk in the center of the department’s lobby.  Ron responds with…the swivel-chair.


 

5 thoughts on “My Favorite Scene: Parks & Recreation Season 3 (2011) “Ron’s Swivel Chair””

  1. Ok so there is a Netflix animated series called BoJack Horseman that a friend turned me onto about two days ago, and I have watched the first season in its entirety, and it is wonderful. I would have written it off had it not been recommended to me by someone I trust. I don’t wan’t to oversell it, it isn’t the first decade of the Simpsons, or Fawltey Towers, but it is a funny and harsh indictment of the culture in LA. Give it a try if you haven’t already, it’s on Netflix, costs you nothing if you don’t like it.


    On another note, have you SEEN the trailer for Seth MacFarline’s new live action sci fi series? You proboby have, but if not…

    I come to this with a bit of a bias, because while I think the guy is brilliant and talented (sings like Sinatra, is a very funny writer) his work is mean spirited and perfectly empty. Well the trailer for his new show (I can’t remember the title, bad sign) is so painful, so antihumorous (I coined a word) it has to be seen to be believed. And it looks like they spent some serious dough.

    Like

  2. I should add that BoJack is one of those series that gets better as it goes along. By the end of season one, there is an actual emotional punch.


    Liked by 1 person

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