Why Parks And Recreation Fans Love April So Much
"Parks and Recreation" was never a ratings powerhouse for network NBC, and the first season of the show earned mixed reviews from critics (via Vulture). However, after an outstanding sophomore outing that retooled the characters, the sitcom began to strike a chord with millennials and people who, like Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), were passionate about politics (via Relevant Magazine). As the Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana, Leslie cares deeply about her job. But her energy often clashes with the angry and petty small town residents, as well as with the other department employees, including the Director of the Parks and Rec department Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), who despises the government.
The show got huge laughs out of the gulf between Leslie's can-do spirit and the personalities of her co-workers, including swaggering entrepreneur Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) and the incompetent Garry "Jerry" Gergich (Jim O'Heir). Apathetic Parks department intern April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) especially became a fan favorite over the course of the show's 7 seasons. Here's why Redditors declared April the best in a recent post on the show's subreddit.
April might be the show's finest character
A Reddit post by u/night753 titled "4 reasons why April is the best" depicted four hilarious moments from "Parks and Recreation" with April at her strangest and most sarcastic. This includes the department intern-turned-assistant declaring "I can convince small children I'm a witch" and introducing herself to the gullible Bobby Newport (Paul Rudd) as "Buzz Aldrin."
Many comments repeated her funniest lines, all of which are very strong ("Blood orphans!"), while u/sd2528 wrote, "Don't ask me to decide between Ron and April. I won't do it." Both characters are often anti-social, like their privacy, and tend to intimidate people, which might be why Ron has an almost fatherly bond with her. u/djmarcone added that ultimately, "Ron and April together could take over the world."
One comment however may have summed it all up: "Janet Snakehole." A persona April takes on while her husband Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) plays FBI Agent Burt Macklin, the "very wealthy" widow with a ridiculous accent is one of the greatest bits in the already excellent Season 3 episode "The Fight."
Aubrey Plaza isn't that far from April Ludgate
"Parks and Recreation" co-creator Michael Schur said that he actually wrote the April Ludgate character for actress Aubrey Plaza after meeting with her: "Aubrey came over to my office and made me feel really uncomfortable for like an hour, and immediately I wanted to put her in the show" (via The AV Club).
Since then, Plaza has been able to show off her skills and her charisma in film and on television. She was the main character of the 2012 cult hit "Safety Not Guaranteed" as well as the sex comedy "The To Do List." NME wrote that Plaza "has both the looks and charisma of a Hollywood A-lister while boasting the awkward energy of a teenager at a prom." Her more recent performances have also channeled her scarier side as well, such as the shape-shifting Lenny on FX's "Legion" and a social media stalker in "Ingrid Goes West."
Plaza continues to make both indie films — including the recent "Black Bear" — and shows like the upcoming second season of "The White Lotus" (via Indiewire). What's important to her is less the size of the project but what it draws out of the viewer, as she told NME: "You want art to be intense. You want people to REACT."