This Parks And Recreation Character Just Hits Different Now That Fans Are Older

It's hard to believe that it's been almost 15 years since we were introduced to Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and the rest of the "Parks and Recreation" crew. But here we are. Much of the series has definitely held up, even if some of it has become a bit dated. Whenever Andy walks onto the screen, seeing Chris Pratt before he got jacked can be a bit jarring, even as the character's cluelessness remains endearing. Same for Leslie's earnestness, Ron's (Nick Offerman) grumpiness ... and there's never a time when we all couldn't use more of Donna's (Retta) confidence.

The behavior of certain other characters, however, hasn't aged quite as well. At least for some viewers. None of this necessarily means they aren't still hilarious. Just that many viewers who were charmed by "Parks and Rec" during its first few seasons have grown older, gotten a bit wiser, and perhaps a bit jaded too. And there's one character, someone who was about the same age as many of us when we first started watching, who seems to have aged less finely that one would hope — or, at least, certain viewers think so.

"April sucks," posted u/mikeziv at the r/PandR subreddit. "Am I alone in this view??" The post goes on to say that they've been re-watching for the first time in several years, and that while the other characters have far more personality and depth, April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) comes off as cruel and immature. They aren't alone. A different thread on the same subreddit, from u/Redbakon, simply starts "The older I get, the more I dislike April Ludgate."

Sure enough, it's not hard to see that April can be overly sarcastic, even unkind to those around her. But as others, such as u/hxmxx, point out, she is also quite young. April is also an intern for the first couple of seasons, and given how many internships can just plain suck (via ProPublica), perhaps this explains her general lack of enthusiasm. In fact it is this cynicism that might have had so many of us — particularly Millennials — identifying with her when the show was initially on. Who among us in our working lives hasn't been in a position where our only option seems to be writing "Help!" on a post-it note?

Maybe that's also why other viewers disagree with this kind of take. Or at the very least, they think that April's attitude is only part of the story.

Many viewers insist that there is always evidence that — deep down, beneath her mean exterior — April cares. One reply, from u/drugdealersdream, reads, "After all the grief she gives out, it always reveals that underneath it she is actually a softie who hates how much she actually loves her lame coworkers, and how much she actually does care for them."

Other users point to the growth April shows throughout the course of the series. Even u/mikeziv admits that she seems to have more going on emotionally in later seasons. For example, after initially making Ben's (Adam Scott) life more than a bit difficult when they first meet, the two grow to become unexpected friends and confidants. 

Then, of course, there's her relationship with Andy. The loveable man-child definitely brought out April's silly side, and she began to display more vulnerability even as she provided him with a reason to grow up, with outlets like Uproxx even hailing their relationship as one of the most important in the series. The ending of "Parks and Rec" sees the two of them happily married, their kid Jack toddling around, with a second one on the way. April is still as deadpan and sarcastic as Andy is goofy, but she is also, evidently, content. In other words, it very well could be that as we all mellowed out, so did April.