Random Best Ron Swanson Episodes Of 'Parks And Recreation' (15 items)

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  (#1) The Fight

  • May 12, 2011

  "The Fight" is one of the best episodes of Parks and Recreation for a number of reasons, and one of them is definitely Ron Swanson. In the cold open, Ron gathers all of his office mates, demanding to know who broke the coffee machine. They all start pointing fingers, and an argument breaks out. Of course, Ron was the one who broke the coffee maker, punching it in a rage, after it burned him.

  His monotone, passionless delivery of Tom's overzealous advertising script for Snake Juice - a bunch of alcohol mixed with sugar, coffee, and "some other junk" that "kind of tastes like Kahlua" - is hilarious. The fact that he only agrees to taste Snake Juice after Tom pledges to shave Jean-Ralphio's head if he doesn't like it, is even better. Of course, the cherry on top of this brilliant episode is when Ron, drunk off of Snake Juice, dances to Flo Rida's "Who Date Girl feat. Akon" while wearing April's little, black fascinator. It's a fan-favorite moment. 

  Best quote: "I predict ten minutes from now they’ll be at each other’s throats with war paint on their faces and a pig head on a stick. Good, it was getting a little chummy around here."
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  (#2) 94 Meetings

  • April 29, 2010

  If there's one thing we know about Ron Swanson, it's that he prefers to keep his human interactions to a minimum. This is why April's top priority as his assistant is to prevent meetings from happening. But in the episode "94 Meetings," Ron learns that April has been scheduling all of his meetings for March 31st, a date she believed to be nonexistent. However, it does exist, so all 93 of his meetings land on a single day. 

  It's absolute mayhem, and it gives Ron plenty of opportunities to showcase his signature grumpiness. His attitude rubs off on April, who in turn, quits her job due to embarrassment from the error. But in a sweet twist, Ron convinces her to come back as his assistant, further strengthening their mentor-mentee relationship. 

  Best quote: "April was supposed to be the moat that kept the citizen barbarians away from Swanson castle. Instead, she blew up the castle and stabbed me in the face."
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  (#3) Indianapolis

  • February 24, 2011

  A Ron and Leslie roadtrip is bound to be an interesting time. In Season 3 Episode 6, the duo travel to the Indiana Statehouse to receive a commendation for their revival of the Pawnee Harvest Festival. However, Ron is only concerned with visiting Charles Mulligan's Steak House. To his horror, he learns that the place has been shut down due to health code violations. 

  Chris tries to make it up to Ron by cooking a meal for everyone, but makes matters worse when Ron finds out the dishes are vegetarian. Rather than starve, Ron decides to gut it out and eat at a local diner. Upon being disgusted by the quality of steak offered at the diner, he asks the waiter to bring him "all the bacon and eggs" he has. It's an iconic - and oft quoted - Ron Swanson moment.

  Best quote: "Just give me all the bacon and eggs you have. Wait, wait. I'm worried what you just heard was, 'Give me a lot of bacon and eggs.' What I said was, 'Give me all the bacon and eggs you have.'" 
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  (#4) Leslie And Ron

  Season 7 Episode 4 of Parks and Recreation pulls on the heartstrings. Leslie and Ron's rivalry has reached a head at this point, and both are locked in an office by the rest of the Parks gang until they can finally hash out their differences. With two people as opinionated as Leslie and Ron, that takes a while. Tensions are high, and without spoiling too much, things get very, very, heated. 

  But this episode is so incredible because it delves deep into the very nature of Ron and Leslie's work relationship, leaving no stone unturned. After everything that's happened between them, including Season 7's infamous rivalry, they finally reach a state of peace. At the climax of the episode, Ron reveals the real reason he quit his job at the parks department, and why he started acting out against Leslie's wishes. Make sure you have tissues on hand — this scene will make you cry. 

  Best quote: Ron: "Why do people eat anything besides breakfast food?"
  Leslie: "Because people are idiots, Ron."

  Original Airing: January 20, 2015

  Season: 7

  Episode Number: 4

  Director: Beth McCarthy-Miller
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  (#5) Go Big or Go Home

  • January 20, 2011

  Season 3 Episode 1 "Go Big or Go Home" sets up one of the strongest seasons of Parks and Recreation. Ben Wyatt reveals that one of the new responsibilities of the office is to run the youth basketball program, and who better to coach than Ron Swanson? This episode was applauded especially for Ron's "Pyramid of Greatness," which is a set of guidelines for how to live, according to the Swanson way. 

  Ron teaches his pupils the building blocks for success as a team: "Rage, poise, property rights, and fish... For sport only. Not for meat. Fish meat is practically a vegetable." When they go head to head with the other team, led by Andy, Ron urges the players to feel no sympathy. Everything goes according to plan, until Tom interjects as referee, calling nonexistent fouls on Ron's team. The situation escalates to the point where Ron throws a plastic chair across the gym, and it is fantastic.

  Best quote: "Crying: Acceptable at funerals and the Grand Canyon."
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  (#6) Ron and Tammy

  • November 05, 2009

  Ron doesn't have a lot of weaknesses. He holds his heart close to his chest, and doesn't let much sway his unwavering principles - except for Tammy. Ron's ex-wife Tammy runs the Pawnee library department, and she wants to take over the vacant lot that Leslie plans to turn into a park. She still has an incredible hold over Ron, and wields that power to get her way. Their hot-and-cold relationship is wild, intense, and ridiculous, and it makes for great television. 

  The best part? Tammy is played by Nick Offerman's real-life wife Megan Mullally. Their chemistry is indisputable, and this episode features one of Offerman's best Ron performances ever. Lucky for us, Tammy would return in future episodes for more romantic antics. 

  Best quote: Ron: "Every time she laughs, an angel dies. Even telemarketers avoid her. Her birth was payback for the sins of man. But you know the worst thing about her?"
  Leslie: "She works for the library."
  Ron: "She works for the library."
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  (#7) Eagleton

  • May 05, 2011

  Ron has a complex about birthdays. While deep down he may want to be appreciated, he doesn't let that show on the surface. Throughout the episode, he becomes obsessed with his coworkers' knowledge of his birthday, assuming Leslie will make a huge deal out of the event. Leslie employs April to sufficiently freak Ron out, making fake phone calls inquiring about bouncy castles and party buses. 

  The way Ron's birthday actually goes down is one of the most tender moments in Parks and Recreation history. Leslie sets Ron up in a room with a steak and bacon dinner, complete with a bottle of whiskey and his favorite movies. She places a security guard outside the room to make sure no one bothers him. She then reminds him that five years ago, Ron convinced Leslie to stay in Pawnee instead of taking a job offer in Eagleton. The scene solidifies the heartwarming friendship between the two.

  Best quote: "I don't like loud noises and people making a fuss. And I especially don't like people celebrating because they know a piece of private information about me."
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  (#8) Pawnee Rangers

  • October 13, 2011

  Nothing like some good ol' fashioned Leslie and Ron rivalry to remind us why these characters' relationship is the best. Ron is the leader of a boys-only wilderness group called the Pawnee Rangers, which prompts Leslie to start the Pawnee Goddesses, so girls don't feel left out. Both groups are camping on the same grounds, and soon the Rangers start to notice that the Goddesses are having way more fun. Leslie decides anyone can join the Goddesses, regardless of gender, and soon, Ron is the only Ranger left.

  This episode is important because we see how Ron handles defeat. Sitting alone at a campfire, Leslie approaches him and apologizes for being so competitive. In a vulnerable moment, we see Ron confess his sadness that children don't want to learn survival skills anymore. The two make up, and create a coed survivalist group called "The Swansons."
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  (#9) Road Trip

  Who says Ron Swanson isn't good with kids? Season 3 Episode 13 features a Ron-based subplot that's too funny to pass up. While the other characters are working through their romantic relationships, Ron strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young girl visiting the Parks and Recreation department on a school field trip. After learning that she needs to interview someone from the office for a school report on "why government matters," Ron perks up. He begins to tell her about taxes and citizens' rights - eating part of her lunch as a visual aid - using metaphors that he believes are suitable for an elementary schooler. The hilarious exchange is punctuated by the girl's willingness to learn, and Ron's eagerness to teach. 

  Best quote: "My name is Ron Swanson, and I'm gonna tell you everything you need to know about the miserable, screwed-up world of local government."

  Original Airing: May 12, 2011

  Season: 3

  Episode Number: 14

  Director: Troy Miller
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  (#10) London

  Season 6, Episode 1 gives us so much Ron Swanson goodness. We finally get to see Ron with someone who is healthy for him (re: not Tammy 1 or 2). We also see him get sentimental in his own way as he proposes to Diane after learning she is pregnant. They get married during the episode's first few minutes, and nothing could be more practical, efficient, or... Ron Swanson-esque. There have been whole episodes dedicated to other characters' marriages, and Ron and Diane tie the knot with no hassle whatsoever. 

  And what would a quintessential Ron Swanson episode be without an appearance by his alter-ego, smooth jazz saxophonist Duke Silver? This performance is extra special for Ron, because he gets to dedicate a special tune to his "Duchess." 

  Best quote: "A mighty fine holiday evening to you all. It might be cool outside, but it’s about to get warm all up in my jazz. I, of course, am Duke Silver, and I’d like to dedicate this first song to my Duchess."

  Original Airing: September 26, 2013

  Season: 6

  Episode Number: 1

  Director: Dean Holland
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  (#11) The Stakeout

  • September 24, 2009

  Although "The Stakeout" revolves mostly around Leslie and Tom discovering a marijuana farm in the community garden, there's a particularly memorable sub-plot featuring none other than Ron Swanson. As it turns out, Ron gets a hernia from sneezing, rendering him immobile. He sits at his desk in silent agony, refusing to address his pain. He asks April to go get him his lunch, which to her surprise, is only inches away on his desk. Cue Ron trying to fling a hamburger into his mouth so as not to move a muscle. 

  The main reason this is such a good Ron episode is because it proves that April does, in fact, care about her boss. After Ron settles in his uncomfortable office chair for the night, April comes back for him, because she realizes he may not be all right. She offers to take him to the hospital, which Ron finally accepts. It's a tender moment between the two, and establishes their relationship for seasons to come. 

  Best quote: "I have a hernia. Had it for awhile, and I’ve been ignoring it… successfully. But, ah, this morning I made the mistake of sneezing. But as long as I sit still, don’t move my head or torso, I’m good. I got this."
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  (#12) Ron & Tammy: Part Two

  • February 10, 2011

  At this point in Parks and Recreation, Ron is happily dating Tom's ex-wife Wendy. Tom, always the schemer, tries to make Ron jealous by dating his ex-wife, Tammy (Megan Mullally). Huge mistake. Tom doesn't know that Wendy and Ron had already broken up, so his actions only cause Ron and Tammy to resume their tumultuous relationship. The two spend a reckless night together getting remarried and ending up in jail.

  Arguably the funniest part of the episode is the intervention the parks department holds for Ron. They even play a video he made warning himself to stay away from Tammy. Right before their honeymoon, Tom makes Ron come to his senses, and he's finally rid of Tammy. 

  Best quote: "My ex-wife, Tammy, likes to check in every so often and make sure I'm doing okay. And if I am, she tries to f**k everything up."
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  (#13) Operation Ann

  • February 02, 2012

  "Operation Ann" is the episode where we get to learn about one of Ron's many passions — riddles. When Leslie sends Ben on an elaborate scavenger hunt for Valentine's Day, she's putting him in way over his head. Ben employs Ron's help, because there are few things more satisfying for Ron than solving a puzzle. What's so great about this episode is that it shows us how bubbly Ron can get when focusing on something he loves.

  The real kicker comes at the end of the episode, when Ron comes to Leslie's office with specific instructions for his upcoming birthday. He insists, very firmly, that the wild goose chase Leslie sent Ben on is NOT something that he wants. He reaffirms this multiple times and then leaves. But seconds later, he pops back into her office, saying, "I do want that. Please do that for me." 

  Best quote: "I absolutely do not want to solve a series of riddles and clues each more intricate than the last. You understand what I'm saying?" 
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  (#14) Ms. Knope Goes To Washington

  When Leslie and Andy go to visit Ben and April in Washington D.C., Ron agrees to host the "Leslie Knope Employment Enjoyment Summer Slam Grill Jam Fun-Splosion" in their absence. But of course, this event means only one thing to Ron — grilling meat. He removes all the other activities from the event, making the barbeque the sole focus. He even plans to slaughter a pig named Tom, before being informed by a park ranger that it's against the law.

  Ron insists that the other members of the parks department are "grill virgins," who need to be shown the "ways of flavorful meat love." While it might irritate the other characters, it's quite entertaining to see Ron get so invested in one of his favorite hobbies. 

  Best quote: Park Ranger: "Hey Ron, you’re not going to slaughter that pig here are yah?"

  Ron: "Not to worry. I have a permit."

  Park Ranger: "This just says, ‘I can do what I want.'"

  Original Airing: September 20, 2012

  Season: 5

  Episode Number: 1

  Director: Dean Holland
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  (#15) Ron and Tammys

  • September 29, 2011

  One Tammy is bad enough, but it turns out Ron has another ex-wife named Tammy (which also happens to be his mother's name). This Tammy, known as Tammy 1, is played by Patricia Clarkson. She comes to serve Ron a tax audit, and we learn that Ron isn't so good with receipts. He prefers to keep his earnings in gold, buried all over Pawnee. Also, Tammy 1 used to be Ron's teacher, and also delivered him as a baby. 

  Leslie and Tammy 2 (Mullally) turn to Ron's mother Tammy (Paula Pell) for help. She challenges Tammy 1 to a "prairie drink-off," where whoever drinks the most has the rights to Ron's future. In a twist, Ron ends up out-drinking them all, and reclaims his fate. It's a great call-back episode, with plenty of wacky character interactions. 

  Best quote: "My first ex-wife's name is Tammy, my second ex-wife's name is Tammy. My Mom's name is Tamara... she goes by Tammy."

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