Parks and Recreation musings and things

Ugh, TWoP is depressing me. I was reading the Parks and Rec thread and every single mention of Leslie/Ron is followed with, "But I don't ship them in any way. That would be gross. They're like Jack/Liz 2.0." UGH, YOU STUPID PEOPLE! Why is it that a TV romance is never allowed to be built around an emotional bond? At least, not on my shows. They have to have very obvious UST right from the start or else people will shout that it's gross to put them together. I just... I DO NOT GET THIS. The one that especially made me laugh was the person saying that they love that Ron and Leslie are like the old married couple of the office, but they should never get together because that would just be wrong. Mmmhmm. UGH. FANDOM, I HATE YOU. And I hate that writers actually pay attention to TWoP, because more often than not I am just in total disagreement with those people. Although with Parks and Rec I pretty much agree with them except for this one aspect. Ron/Leslie is a beautiful thing and it should be explored, and they have one of those dynamics that really wouldn't change much even if they were dating/married, because they already act like they are. Of course, that being said, I don't exactly want it explored beyond friendship right now, but later I very much do. Their relationship is constantly being showcased and it grows with each episode, so, if they don't go there in the future, it may very well become stagnant (which, let's be honest, this is what's happened with Jack/Liz. They've grown so close that there's not much left to explore there unless they go in the romance direction, but as we already know, the show's not going there, and the show is kind of suffering for it since it's relied so heavily on the Jack/Liz relationship in past seasons. But at the same time, I am wary of them going there, because very few shows know how to write an established couple that wasn't always established. So, you know, for all my complaining, I do see where they're coming from, it's just that I hate that they won't even consider letting them get together in the very last episode). BUT ANYWAY, I think the Parks and Rec crew could easily pull off a Ron/Leslie established romance in the future. They just seem to get it right in regards to the simplicity of romance on this show. There's no fairytale like Jim and Pam, and everything on this show is so very human that it would have no trouble portraying it in a realistic way as opposed to the soap opera theatrics that The Office (and any other show out there) is fond of. This show seems to have a certain restraint that keeps things from being too over the top (Andy would be the exception here, but they've even toned him down too into a lovable goof, though, honestly, I've always kind of felt that way about him, but he's a lot less over the top now than he used to be).

Anyway, what I'm saying is, I think it's unfair to just dismiss the possibility of a Ron/Leslie ship. If you had asked me at the beginning of season 2 if I thought the show would ever make Ron/Leslie a possibility, I probably would have laughed, because even I thought I was crazy. But now? Oh man, the show has laid such a beautiful foundation that I think it could very well go there in the future if it wanted to. I hate this attitude that romance would ruin ships like Ron/Leslie or Jack/Liz or Daniel/Betty, all of which are the heart of their respective shows, all of which contain two people who know each other better than anyone else and help each other be a better version of themselves/reach their full potential, and all of which have a deep emotional bond that they continuously fail to find with anyone else (mind you, Ron/Leslie has a long way to go before they reach this point, but, same principles). They are best friends, confidants, and everything they are looking for in a romantic partner. So... why do people continuously rage at the thought of them ever becoming more? I just... I hate that. Yes, friendships are great, but when I am watching a relationship on TV that I love become stagnant, I want other possibilities to be explored, I don't want the show to just completely ignore them and try to focus on weaker aspects of the show, because that is usually the point when I become disinterested. But, again, I only want romance to be explored if the show has the balls to do it right. I am realizing now that Ugly Betty probably would have screwed up Daniel/Betty had they ever turned romantic. They just don't have the chops to do romance right, never have, so I should probably count my blessings that it never went there. Am I still bitter? Yes, because Daniel/Betty had so much potential, but long ago I lost my faith in the writers for that show. But with Jack/Liz, they could so pull off dating shenanigans there that would be awesome to watch as long as most of the story still stayed in the office setting and Tracy and Jenna had a freakish level of involvement in Jack and Liz's relationship or something. I don't know, but it could be done, especially since the 30 Rock writers would come up with way better ideas than I just did. As for Leslie/Ron, I think of the three shows, Parks and Rec is the one that could pull it off without a hitch, especially since the show is more of an ensemble show than the other two.

Alright, I didn't mean to ramble in that last paragraph, but, you know what I mean, right? Ron/Leslie should be allowed to be that slow, subtle romance hanging out in the background while Andy/April satisfies everyone who loves the more obviously romantic romances (and that is not me being condescending, because I freaking love Andy/April). I would just love for this show to surprise me and actually pull off a romance that everyone is saying isn't there.

Oh, also, while I was perusing TWoP, I came across this comment, and I thought it summed up my feelings on The Office vs Parks and Rec debate exactly:

S2 of Parks for me is how S2 of The Office is when I look back at it now (with nostalgia) - funny, crazy-consistent, with great characters, except written a little more tightly/smartly, and with more affection for the characters. It makes me happy that I think these differences is what will keep this show afloat where The Office started failing.

But I still totally disagree with their Ron/Leslie comments. RON AND LESLIE ARE MEANT TO BEEEEEEEEE!1!!1! No, but seriously, they are. As are Jack and Liz, damn it!

*sigh*

I know that a lot of people hate BFF ships, but I just don't understand why. Is it weird that in my family everyone's BFF is their spouse? Why is this concept so strange in fandom land? Also, guess what? My parents are opposites whose traits compliment and complete each other, same for my brothers and their wives. So, I also don't get the vehement opposition to ships where opposites complete each other. I don't know. Maybe my family is just one lovely anomaly where people from completely different backgrounds with completely different temperaments share a completely beautiful love for each other (not that it's all kittens and rainbows. There is a lot of butting of heads and some very nasty words said every once in awhile, but, in the end, it's all good. Of course my oldest brother always complains that his wife won't fight with him about anything. Hahahaha, he's frustrated that she's too agreeable! But see, that also charms him. It's the same for my dad in regards to my mom. She may annoy the bejesus out of him, but what frustrates him about her is also what he loves about her, he just has trouble remembering that sometimes).

---

MEME! I was tagged by doesnt_go_away:

If you've been tagged, you must write your answers in your own LJ and replace any question that you dislike with a new question.

What song are you currently addicted to?
Well, as of late I've been listening to nothing but Gary Allan, which I talked about the other day, so, instead I will just say Smile by Uncle Kracker, because I am a big old sap.

What ship are you really into right now?
This changes from day to day, but clearly at this very moment I am massively into Ron/Leslie. On a general basis, it's Buffy/Giles and Uther/Morgana.

What's the funnest thing you've done today?
Nothing. I am totally boring today. Although my arm did run into a lot of walls/tables/things today while I was holding a glass of water, but that is such a regular occurrence that I barely even notice it anymore. I think I lack depth perception or something.

ETA: OMG, I totally read that question as asking me what was the funniest thing I did today. *sigh*

Harry Potter or Merlin?
Oh, man. If we are talking fandoms, then obviously Merlin since I never even dared to glance at the Harry Potter fandom, but if we're talking quality and endless years of enjoyment, that would be Harry Potter. But, Harry Potter lacks the hotness that is Uther, so... hmm.

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Parks and Recreation musings and things

Ugh, TWoP is depressing me. I was reading the Parks and Rec thread and every single mention of Leslie/Ron is followed with, "But I don't ship them in any way. That would be gross. They're like Jack/Liz 2.0." UGH, YOU STUPID PEOPLE! Why is it that a TV romance is never allowed to be built around an emotional bond? At least, not on my shows. They have to have very obvious UST right from the start or else people will shout that it's gross to put them together. I just... I DO NOT GET THIS. The one that especially made me laugh was the person saying that they love that Ron and Leslie are like the old married couple of the office, but they should never get together because that would just be wrong. Mmmhmm. UGH. FANDOM, I HATE YOU. And I hate that writers actually pay attention to TWoP, because more often than not I am just in total disagreement with those people. Although with Parks and Rec I pretty much agree with them except for this one aspect. Ron/Leslie is a beautiful thing and it should be explored, and they have one of those dynamics that really wouldn't change much even if they were dating/married, because they already act like they are. Of course, that being said, I don't exactly want it explored beyond friendship right now, but later I very much do. Their relationship is constantly being showcased and it grows with each episode, so, if they don't go there in the future, it may very well become stagnant (which, let's be honest, this is what's happened with Jack/Liz. They've grown so close that there's not much left to explore there unless they go in the romance direction, but as we already know, the show's not going there, and the show is kind of suffering for it since it's relied so heavily on the Jack/Liz relationship in past seasons. But at the same time, I am wary of them going there, because very few shows know how to write an established couple that wasn't always established. So, you know, for all my complaining, I do see where they're coming from, it's just that I hate that they won't even consider letting them get together in the very last episode). BUT ANYWAY, I think the Parks and Rec crew could easily pull off a Ron/Leslie established romance in the future. They just seem to get it right in regards to the simplicity of romance on this show. There's no fairytale like Jim and Pam, and everything on this show is so very human that it would have no trouble portraying it in a realistic way as opposed to the soap opera theatrics that The Office (and any other show out there) is fond of. This show seems to have a certain restraint that keeps things from being too over the top (Andy would be the exception here, but they've even toned him down too into a lovable goof, though, honestly, I've always kind of felt that way about him, but he's a lot less over the top now than he used to be).

Anyway, what I'm saying is, I think it's unfair to just dismiss the possibility of a Ron/Leslie ship. If you had asked me at the beginning of season 2 if I thought the show would ever make Ron/Leslie a possibility, I probably would have laughed, because even I thought I was crazy. But now? Oh man, the show has laid such a beautiful foundation that I think it could very well go there in the future if it wanted to. I hate this attitude that romance would ruin ships like Ron/Leslie or Jack/Liz or Daniel/Betty, all of which are the heart of their respective shows, all of which contain two people who know each other better than anyone else and help each other be a better version of themselves/reach their full potential, and all of which have a deep emotional bond that they continuously fail to find with anyone else (mind you, Ron/Leslie has a long way to go before they reach this point, but, same principles). They are best friends, confidants, and everything they are looking for in a romantic partner. So... why do people continuously rage at the thought of them ever becoming more? I just... I hate that. Yes, friendships are great, but when I am watching a relationship on TV that I love become stagnant, I want other possibilities to be explored, I don't want the show to just completely ignore them and try to focus on weaker aspects of the show, because that is usually the point when I become disinterested. But, again, I only want romance to be explored if the show has the balls to do it right. I am realizing now that Ugly Betty probably would have screwed up Daniel/Betty had they ever turned romantic. They just don't have the chops to do romance right, never have, so I should probably count my blessings that it never went there. Am I still bitter? Yes, because Daniel/Betty had so much potential, but long ago I lost my faith in the writers for that show. But with Jack/Liz, they could so pull off dating shenanigans there that would be awesome to watch as long as most of the story still stayed in the office setting and Tracy and Jenna had a freakish level of involvement in Jack and Liz's relationship or something. I don't know, but it could be done, especially since the 30 Rock writers would come up with way better ideas than I just did. As for Leslie/Ron, I think of the three shows, Parks and Rec is the one that could pull it off without a hitch, especially since the show is more of an ensemble show than the other two.

Alright, I didn't mean to ramble in that last paragraph, but, you know what I mean, right? Ron/Leslie should be allowed to be that slow, subtle romance hanging out in the background while Andy/April satisfies everyone who loves the more obviously romantic romances (and that is not me being condescending, because I freaking love Andy/April). I would just love for this show to surprise me and actually pull off a romance that everyone is saying isn't there.

Oh, also, while I was perusing TWoP, I came across this comment, and I thought it summed up my feelings on The Office vs Parks and Rec debate exactly:

S2 of Parks for me is how S2 of The Office is when I look back at it now (with nostalgia) - funny, crazy-consistent, with great characters, except written a little more tightly/smartly, and with more affection for the characters. It makes me happy that I think these differences is what will keep this show afloat where The Office started failing.

But I still totally disagree with their Ron/Leslie comments. RON AND LESLIE ARE MEANT TO BEEEEEEEEE!1!!1! No, but seriously, they are. As are Jack and Liz, damn it!

*sigh*

I know that a lot of people hate BFF ships, but I just don't understand why. Is it weird that in my family everyone's BFF is their spouse? Why is this concept so strange in fandom land? Also, guess what? My parents are opposites whose traits compliment and complete each other, same for my brothers and their wives. So, I also don't get the vehement opposition to ships where opposites complete each other. I don't know. Maybe my family is just one lovely anomaly where people from completely different backgrounds with completely different temperaments share a completely beautiful love for each other (not that it's all kittens and rainbows. There is a lot of butting of heads and some very nasty words said every once in awhile, but, in the end, it's all good. Of course my oldest brother always complains that his wife won't fight with him about anything. Hahahaha, he's frustrated that she's too agreeable! But see, that also charms him. It's the same for my dad in regards to my mom. She may annoy the bejesus out of him, but what frustrates him about her is also what he loves about her, he just has trouble remembering that sometimes).

---

MEME! I was tagged by doesnt_go_away:

If you've been tagged, you must write your answers in your own LJ and replace any question that you dislike with a new question.

What song are you currently addicted to?
Well, as of late I've been listening to nothing but Gary Allan, which I talked about the other day, so, instead I will just say Smile by Uncle Kracker, because I am a big old sap.

What ship are you really into right now?
This changes from day to day, but clearly at this very moment I am massively into Ron/Leslie. On a general basis, it's Buffy/Giles and Uther/Morgana.

What's the funnest thing you've done today?
Nothing. I am totally boring today. Although my arm did run into a lot of walls/tables/things today while I was holding a glass of water, but that is such a regular occurrence that I barely even notice it anymore. I think I lack depth perception or something.

ETA: OMG, I totally read that question as asking me what was the funniest thing I did today. *sigh*

Harry Potter or Merlin?
Oh, man. If we are talking fandoms, then obviously Merlin since I never even dared to glance at the Harry Potter fandom, but if we're talking quality and endless years of enjoyment, that would be Harry Potter. But, Harry Potter lacks the hotness that is Uther, so... hmm.

( Read more... )