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It’s pretty easy to get everyone one the same, hyper-positive page when it comes to Parks and Recreation. The only big argument that comes up when discussing the series is deciding which incredible character is the best. However, there is a smear of negativity the entire Parks and Recr community can usually unite behind — Mark Brendanawicz was the worst.
Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider) was Leslie Knope’s (Amy Poehler) short-lived love interest during the show’s first two seasons. He’s mostly remembered for being a big, mildly unpleasant jerk and for constraining Parks and Recreation to The Office knock-off it wanted to be before the show found its own delightful voice. But what if the smug Brendanawicz really isn’t the worst? What if his selfless decision to cash in one huge favor led to Leslie meeting her soulmate, Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones)? Welcome to Really Internet, a corner of the internet dedicated to dissecting the most insane and insanely compelling strains of fan theories. This week we’re exploring a very good reason for why you shouldn’t completely hate this show’s most forgettable and often smuggest character.
WHAT’S THE THEORY?
This is more of an elaboration on something that happened during the show’s first season. In the show’s first episode, Leslie vows to turn the pit behind Ann’s house into a park after Ann’s boyfriend (Chris Pratt) falls into the hazard. Leslie then pursues getting clearance to turn the pit into a park with the same dogged determination we later learn to love for this character. However, it’s not Leslie’s arguments that win over Ron (Nick Offerman). It’s Mark Brendanawicz.
At one point, he asks Ron to give Leslie the park, to which Ron responds, “You want to cash in for this?” At least one Reddit theorist has speculated that Brendanawicz sacrificed one of the most valuable things you can have — a no-questions-asked favor from Ron Swanson — just for Leslie. That’s impressive.
WHY IT’S NOT THAT CRAZY
This theory originally came from Reddit user Theluckygal in 2015, but I like Wagner4221’s expanded take on it a bit better. As the show has established on several occasions, a favor from Ron Swanson is not something that is given or taken lightly. When Ron pledges his alliance or service to someone, he does everything possible to help that person, often without considering the cost. Simply put, a no-questions-asked favor from a powerful government official trained in combat, wilderness exploration, and countless other insane but useful skills is a huge deal. We don’t learn how powerful the Ron Swanson favor is until much later in the series, but Brendanawicz cashes in on this favor rather quickly for Leslie. That makes it a bit harder to actively dislike him.
So what could Leslie’s former lover have known about Ron to get a favor this big? There’s really only one secret worthy of this grand gesture — Duke Silver. Both Reddit users speculate that Mark found out about Ron’s alter ego, and he was awarded the notable favor so he would keep quiet. It makes sense that Ron would be willing to pay this price to keep his secret life under wraps, but it also makes sense that Mark wouldn’t completely keep his end of the bargain. Later in the series, Mark helps Tom (Aziz Ansari) discover his boss’ saxophone-playing alter ego. That’s totally the jerk-adjacent move you would expect from Brendanawicz.
WHY IT’S QUESTIONABLE
As far as fan theories go, this one holds up really well. God knows the government-hating Ron wouldn’t have given his co-worker a holy favor over anything that actually had to do with his job. Really the only thing that gives me pause is Mark himself. Would this character actually cash in a huge favor for a friend he seems to tolerate at best? I get that no one is more compelling than Leslie Knope, but Mark is such an aggressively cool and distant character in this loving universe, it’s suspicious.
That being said, this theory fits in perfectly with Parks and Recreation‘s sweetly uplighting tone. If he didn’t cash in on this favor, Leslie wouldn’t have become best friends with Ann who wouldn’t have encouraged her to make out with Ben’s (Adam Scott) face. Imagining TV without these two glowing relationship is a sad thing. For now, I’m going to choose to believe we got Mark Brendanawicz at least partially wrong.
