Last night I finished a rewatch of Parks and Rec. It’s my favorite TV show other than Game of Thrones; I even like it more than The Office. Before anybody calls for my head I love The Office. Great show. It’s funniest moments are better than the funniest moments on Parks and Rec. But I think P&R is more consistently funny and doesn’t force characters down our throats for entire episodes like The Office sometimes did. My P&R rewatch was preceded by an Office rewatch and it got me thinking, what would it be like if both bosses, Ron and Michael, switched places? How would they interact with the characters in the other show? Would Ron just quit because he couldn’t put up with Dwight? Lets take a look.
Ron:
- How he’d interact with Dwight
- Michael put up with and enjoyed Dwight because they, essentially, were morons and Dwight adored Michael. Would Ron put up with Dwight’s constant bitching about Jim, how the office is functioning, and any of the other issues Dwight brought up consistently? Ron is a smart, simple man that hates talking to people so I tend to say no. However, he would not be working in government, the thing he hates the most in the world. We get a brief glimpse into working Ron outside of government in the last season where he owns and operates Very Good Building Co. and in the last episode as the head of the Pawnee national park rangers. While still quiet and steadfast at Very Good Building, he opens up a little bit more, offering to help April find a new job and working with Leslie to bring down Gryzzle. But the real reason I think Ron would put up with Dwight is because of what he says to his park rangers in the last episode. “If you do your job we will get along fine.” While Dwight can be a pain in the ass, is there a better salesman than him? Don’t forget he won salesman of the month twice in February, is David’s go to when they need to land a big account, and consistently exceeds his quota. And he mentors Clark in the last season, showing he’s willing to train the right person. My official stance- Ron would like Dwight.
- How he’d interact with Jim
- Unlike Dwight, Jim doesn’t complain. He will bring ideas that seem smart to Michael only for Michael to basically tell him to fuck off. While he reaches his sales goal annually, he admits that he doesn’t try. He is sort of like Tom in this regard. Ron states multiple times that Tom does not care about his job and that is one reason why he likes him. But, again, thats in government. Would Ron appreciate Jim openly not really caring about his job where his performance could directly effect Ron’s job and, subsequently, life? Would Ron put up with the pranks he consistently pulled on Dwight? Ron didn’t care when bad things happened to Garry/Jerry/Terry/Larry but those were mostly self-inflicted. I don’t think Ron would appreciate the antics Jim pulls on Dwight as they are childish and unfit for a workplace. Verdict- Ron would not like Jim.
- How he’d interact with Toby
- This is the one relationship I don’t think would be much different. Toby is weak. Ron doesn’t like weak people. His hatred wouldn’t be as outward as Michaels, but it would be there.
- How he’d interact with Andy
- This is another simple one. Ron would hate Andy. He is bad at his job and a kiss ass. Two things that Ronald Ulyssess Swanson would not appreciate. Andy’s desperate attempts to connect with Ron, like bringing in something he made of wood and trying to drink Lagavulin would enrage Ron to the point where he would treat him the same way he treated Eagleton Ron.
- How he’d interact with Meredith.
- Loves to drink? Doesn’t really complain? She’d be his favorite employee.
I could keep going with the rest of the characters but this blog will go on for far too long so I’ll cap it there. Overall, I think Ron would put up with the office but have his door closed all day and never have conference room meetings. I think he’d like Scranton as there is nothing there and a lot of farm land for him to hide his gold and eventually become a beat farmer with Dwight. The office would like him because, unlike Michael, he would stay out of their way and let them do their job.
Michael:
- How he’d interact with Leslie
- Michael and Leslie both have similar characteristics in that they’re both extremely positive, hellbent on getting what they want whether by luck or perseverance, and good at their job. Michael seemed like an idiot when he and Jan were trying to get the Lakawana district to use Dunder Mifflin as their sole paper provider, but he came full circle at the end and showed that maybe he’s not as dumb as he comes off. But he is stubborn and resistant to new ideas if they’re not his. Would Leslie consistently pestering him with ideas and projects get under his skin? I think it would. I picture him yelling at her in the same way he declares bankruptcy. He doesn’t really care if people are good at their job, as he never gives Dwight recognition and ignores the fact the Creed doesn’t work. And when he does something that works he always needs to be congratulated. That is not how it works in government, as even when you do something beneficial most people will bitch and moan about it. And how would he act if Leslie went over his head to Chris or Ben to get something done that he shut down? We saw what he did to Dwight when he went behind his back to Jan. In the end, even though they are both similar, they could not have a good boss-employee relationship. The reason Ron and Leslie worked was because they are so different. Final verdict- Michael would not like Leslie.
- How he’d interact with Andy
- Feel like this one is pretty simple. Andy is a goofy idiot that will do whatever anyone asks of him. He and Michael would probably share wavelengths and they would become best friends. Andy is the person Michael wishes Dwight was. Final verdict- Michael would love Dwight.
- How he’d interact with April
- I feel like Michael would treat April the way he treats Stanley. He knows Stanley doesn’t really care about his job other than making money, something Michael hates. He wants everybody to love working for him and working in the office. April hates, well, everything, and he would try and keep her engaged unsuccessfully. It would get to a boiling point where April would have one of her “I hate you you stink” tirades she has to Leslie and Michael would giver her the speech he gave Stanley in the “Did I stutter” episode. He would learn to leave her alone as she does her job even though she doesn’t open love everything. Final verdict- He wouldn’t like her but he would put up with her,
- How he’d interact with Tom
- What is one thing we know about Michael? He likes flashy ideas and things. What does Tom do best? Be flashy, creative, and persuasive. When Jim pitched the idea of renting out their trucks on the weekends Michael cut him off. Tom would’ve had a full presentation wit lasers, a catchy name, and a picture of Michael dancing on one of the trucks and he would have bought it hook. line, and sinker. While Tom is like April in that he doesn’t like his job, he still does it. And his bright personality would attract Michael to him and maybe Tom would have told him he was wearing a woman’s suit. Final verdict- he would eventually transition to dressing, talking and acting like Tom but taking it way too far and scaring Tom away.
I could keep going but, like I said above, I don’t want this to drag. There are people in both offices that both would like and dislike. I ultimately think Ron would do a better job at Dunder Mifflin than Michael would at Parks and Rec. and Michael would eventually end up quitting because he couldn’t handle the lack of recognition and the consistent hate that is thrown his way.
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