Leslie and April, April and Leslie, two of the funniest characters on television and almost complete opposites. Leslie’s optimism versus April’s pessimism. Leslie’s sunny personality compared to April’s dark interests and cruel jokes. But opposites can attract. Different personalities do not mean that people cannot be friends.
However, there were a number of power dynamic issues and personality quirks that kept Leslie and April from being real friends on Parks and Recreation. Here are just a few examples of just why Leslie and April could not define their relationship as a true friendship when it came right down to it.
Leslie Complains About April
Everyone complains about their friends sometimes but, does a person complain about a real friend to a major hero and celebrity?
Leslie complains about April to Madeleine Albright of all people. Is that what friends do? Even if Leslie thinks her complaints could help April it’s not a great look for Ms. Knope and certainly doesn’t highlight a positive and mutual relationship with her officer underling.
April is Afraid to Talk to Leslie
As Parks and Rec neared its conclusion, April began to understand that she really didn’t actually want a career in government. After so many years working with Leslie and Ron April was still afraid to tell Leslie how she felt.
This highlights a power dynamic issue, one that wouldn’t exist if April and Leslie were really friends. The disapproval that April fears from Leslie is more a fear one holds toward a parent than toward a friend.
Leslie Always Trying to Protect April
Leslie always wants the best for April, as all good friends do, but she takes on the position from much more of a parental perspective than from that of an equal or a friend.
She wants to protect April because she sees herself as both older and more responsible than her intern/coworker. It’s not a bad thing to feel or a bad relationship to have, it’s just that it’s not really a friendship.
April Doesn’t Take Leslie Seriously
Leslie is earnest and honest. That’s who she is as a real genuine person, and April is unable to take that seriously. It’s impossible to build a real friendship when one person judges the other rather harshly on a regular basis.
Even when Leslie asks specifically for April’s help, April is unable to take it seriously. When listening to a speech of Leslie’s April suggests that Leslie remove the first sentence, the last sentence, and everything in between.
Leslie Doesn’t Approve of Andy
Not all friends will always support the love interests of their other friends, but Leslie is very harsh. She thinks that April deserves better than Andy without taking the time to really get to know or understand Andy.
Leslie judges Andy for his goofiness and his lack of education, and yet she lets Tom and April get away with all sorts of different antics all the time. It’s only Andy Leslie looks down on and that’s not very supportive of her toward April.
Leslie Almost Ruins April’s Wedding
By the time a friend is getting married other friends understand that anything they should have or could have said against the match has long passed.
Of course, Andy and April meant their wedding as a bit of a surprise to their friends, but the fact that Leslie’s first impulse is to try and convince the couple not to go through with it is a little extreme and not a very friend-like thing to do at the moment.
April Doesn’t Like Ann
Nothing gets between a real friendship more than another friend. Ann and Leslie are the end all and be all of female friendships and Leslie and April’s relationship never comes close.
The fact that April hates Ann and does everything she can to make Ann’s life difficult (including harassing her at her job in the hospital) highlights how unimportant Leslie’s friendship, were it real, was to April. April has no reason to put up with Ann because she doesn’t have a real friendship with Leslie.
April Harasses Ben
Just like Ann, April also gives Leslie’s eventual husband, Ben, a hard time at every possible opportunity. When Ben takes April to Washington D.C. as his assistant, April makes life hard for him and his interns, even drawing an unfortunate cartoon of Ben himself and hanging it up.
If April was really Leslie’s friend she would have tried harder to bond with Ben when given the chance, and understanding that he was important to Leslie.
The Fight Over Lot 48
April doesn’t get excited (in a positive way) about a lot of things but she does want to develop a dog park in Pawnee. The only problem? The one possible location is Lot 48 where Leslie has long wanted to develop a regular park on for quite a few years.
Instead of compromising or being supportive, Leslie and April have to come to a head at a council meeting, on opposite sides. Only a worse option for the lot brings the pair back together. It’s hard to watch the pair at each other’s throats.
Leslie is April’s Boss
Until almost the final episode it is the power dynamic between Leslie and April that really hinders their developing a real friendship. Despite all the leeway April is given in her position at the parks department, and how kind Leslie is, and the fun the pair sometimes have together, the fact is, Leslie is still April’s boss.
Should she so desire Leslie could fire April and change her life entirely. This will always hang over and between their relationship and that keeps them from being friends in a real sense.
