Line #138 Characters/ParksAndRecreationRelatives


1	[[WMG:[[center:[-''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' '''[[Characters/ParksAndRecreation Main Character Index]]'''\
2	[[Characters/ParksAndRecreationMainCharacters Main Characters]] \| '''Relatives''' \| [[Characters/ParksAndRecreationGovernmentAndMedia Government and Media]] \| [[Characters/ParksAndRecreationTheSapersteinsAndTheNewports The Sapersteins and the Newports]] \| [[Characters/ParksAndRecreationOtherCharacters Other Characters]]-]]]]]
3
4	[[foldercontrol]]
5
6	!!Leslie's Family
7
8	[[folder:Marlene Griggs-Knope]]
9	!!Marlene Griggs-Knope
10	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/PamelaReed
11
12	Leslie's mother and "a big mucky-muck in the county school system". Leslie's father has been [[DisappearedDad dead]] since she was ten years old, which was first implied in a throwaway line explaining that 'he lives in Florida, in a cemetery' and later made explicit in the fifth season. "Galentine's Day" states she was born on March 5, 1953, the same day that Joseph Stalin died.
13	----
14	* DemotedToExtra: After Season 3, she gets a cameo at best.
15	* IronLady: She's a big deal in Pawnee politics, and wheels and deals with the best of them. Her daughter even compares her to UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher. Ron Swanson says her affectionate nickname around town (started by him) is "The Iron Cock-Shredder of Pawnee" (bleeped in broadcast and script, but improvised on the spot by Nick Offerman).
16	* ItRunsInTheFamily: Later on, once she was retooled more into a HypercompetentSidekick, it's clear Leslie's inherited Marlene's savvy and intelligence.
17	* {{Nepotism}}: [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Early on]], it seemed like a large part of Leslie's success was because of her mother. She specifically mentions getting the job at Parks because of Marlene.
18	[[/folder]]
19
20	!!Ron's Family
21
22	[[folder:Tammy Zero]]
23	!!Tamara "Tammy" Swanson
24	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/PaulaPell
25
26	Ron's mother, aka "Tammy Zero." Even more reclusive than her son, and a gun nut.
27	----
28	* ApronMatron: To an extent.
29	* CrazySurvivalist: She lives alone in a secluded cabin far from civilization, lives off the land, has a whole room filled with nothing but guns, and she generally acts a lot like her son turned up to eleven.
30	* TheDreaded: Prompts an OhCrap reaction from Tammy One, who is herself TheDreaded for Ron and Tammy Two.
31	* GunNut: Has a whole room filled with nothing but guns.
32	* GodzillaThreshold: Leslie recruits Tamara to save Ron from Tammy One after he becomes a HenpeckedHusband due to her influence.
33	* ItRunsInTheFamily: Seeing her, it's easy to see where Ron and the other Swanson men get their badassery from.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Tammy One]]
37	!!Tammy Swanson "One"
38	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/PatriciaClarkson
39
40	Ron's first wife. Makes her first appearance as the back of a head in the Season 3 finale, [[TheDreaded which is enough for Tammy Two and Ron to drop everything and head for the hills]]. She works for the [[IntimidatingRevenueService IRS]]. Her influence can turn Ron into a dorky, pro-government HenpeckedHusband.
41	----
42	* AlwaysABiggerFish: Tammy Two barely qualifies as a pest when compared to her.
43	* AmbiguouslyHuman: Ron treats her as if she is a literal demon from Hell and she has a supernatural-like intimidating aura about her. She is at least 20 years older than Ron yet fully intends to outlive him and be present at the minute of his death. She also has no trouble drinking the Swanson family alcohol (so strong its only legal application is stripping marine varnish) and dismisses it as "watered down baby formula".
44	* CandyStriper: Tammy One was a volunteer assisting at the hospital Ron was born in and helped to ''deliver him''.
45	* ControlFreak: Her defining characteristic. She shows up at the office and immediately orders everyone around (and is obeyed almost instantly). Her EvilPlan involves a fake audit against Ron which becomes an excuse to take control of his finances and move back in with him, taking complete control of his entire life including deciding whether or not he can go to ''lunch'', and in the past when Tammy Two stole Ron from her, she responded by ''pouring acid on her foot''.
46	* TheDreaded: Her mere presence is enough to provoke Tammy Two and Ron to drop everything and flee.
47	* EvilerThanThou: Tammy Two knows better than to even bother ''trying'' to compete with her, and [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere immediately flees Pawnee upon learning that she's around]].
48	* GoldDigger: A literal example -- she's trying to find Ron's hidden stash of gold.
49	* TheGhost: She doesn't appear until long after she was first mentioned, but [[TheDreaded her presence can be felt throughout the series nonetheless]].
50	* GreaterScopeVillain: Considering she basically ''raised'' Ron, she's responsible for shaping most of his character, flaws and all.
51	* HatesSmallTalk: When Leslie tries to introduce herself, she simply replies:
52	-->'''Tammy One:''' I don't think it will be necessary for you to speak again while I'm here.
53	* IntimidatingRevenueService: Her employers, although she admits that the audit is actually fake and just an excuse to get close to Ron again.
54	* IronLady: An unflappable, unstoppable and emotionless woman who is feared by everyone, and the only person capable of truly breaking Ron Swanson.
55	* KnightOfCerebus: Seen as genuinely terrifying by every character, and has very few jokes of her own.
56	* MayDecemberRomance: She was Ron's nurse when he was born.
57	* NoNonsenseNemesis: Doesn't play any games, and is incredibly efficient and thorough about getting what she wants out of others.
58	* SkipToTheEnd: {{Inverted\|Trope}}. It took Ron ''two hours'' to get through his wedding vows at the altar with her, although the reason had nothing do with her -- Ron just disliked being told what to do so much that after the priest said "repeat after me" he fell silent and kept everyone waiting.
59	* SoftSpokenSadist: She virtually never raises her voice, and clearly relishes controlling Ron.
60	* TeacherStudentRomance: She was also Ron's (and Tammy Two's) Sunday school teacher.
61	* TheStoic: Very cold and emotionless. As a result, April comes to admire her.
62	-->'''April:''' She's the cold, distant mother I never had. I love her.
63	* VagueAge: She's basically joked about as being AmbiguouslyHuman with some ReallySevenHundredYearsOld mixed in, being already a volunteer at the hospital by the time Ron was born, being his and Tammy 2's teacher, babysitter, and driving instructor, but she doesn't look a day over 50 at most and Patricia Clarkson is ten years older than Nick Offerman.
64	* WifeHusbandry: Strongly implied. No one in town tried to stop her because they were all scared of her.
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Tammy Two]]
68	!!Tammy Swanson "Two"
69	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2018_01_12_at_45801_pm.png]]
70	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/MeganMullally
71
72	The second of Ron's evil ex-wives. Not only is she also named Tammy, [[LikeParentLikeSpouse so is Ron's mother]]. This Tammy is a [[TheVamp Vampy]] ManipulativeBitch and the deputy director of the Library Department, the SitcomArchNemesis of the Parks Department. Her influence can turn Ron into a pliable sex freak.
73	----
74	* AxCrazy: She can be pretty deranged and unstable, especially when she attacks people randomly.
75	* DepravedBisexual: At one point, she gets into a wrestling match with Leslie and gets incredibly turned on.
76	* EvilCounterpart: To Leslie.
77	* EvilLaugh: The character gets a lot of mileage out of Mullally's signature cackle.
78	* FourEyesZeroSoul: She does wear glasses, and she is evil.
79	* IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: Employs this frequently.
80	* {{Jerkass}}: A horrible person all around.
81	* MsFanservice: Has no problem showing off her body, though her personality is so horrible that it borders on FanDisservice despite her good looks.
82	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: She strips naked in public often.
83	* OfficialCouple: Ron sets her up with Jeremy Jamm to get her off his back. [[spoiler:In "Ron and Jammy", they break up after Leslie sees what Tammy has done to Jamm, namely tried to turn him into Ron.]]
84	* PhraseCatcher: Ron usually reacts to her (off-screen) presence in this almost primordially-instinctive fashion:
85	-->'''Ron:''' ''[Sniffs, stands up, an alarmed and hunted expression on his face]'' She's here, isn't she.
86	* {{Sadist}}: She enjoys giving (and receiving) pain during sex, but she is also just a straight up bully who cackles while picking on those weaker than herself, best exemplified when she brutally beats up Tom in the library, reminding Ron again of why he broke up with her in the first place.
87	* ScaryLibrarian: Could be a HotLibrarian, but she's the meanest person possible, giving reason for the P&R department to hate the library one.
88	* SexGoddess: She's a toxic ManipulativeBitch, but she gives Ron some downright ''explosive'' sex.
89	* SitcomArchnemesis: To Ron, Leslie and Diane.
90	* TheVamp: Uses her feminine wiles to get what she wants.
91	* VillainDecay: Once Ron falls for Diane, he is completely immune to Tammy's charms and views her with annoyed contempt.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Diane Lewis]]
95	!!Diane Elizabeth Lewis
96	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/LucyLawless
97
98	Ron's girlfriend in Season 5. She is a middle school vice principal with two young daughters named Ivy [-(Rylan Lee)-] and Zoey [-(Sadie Salazar)-]. According to Leslie and Ron himself, she is perfect for Ron. They are married at the start of Season 6.
99	----
100	* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ron.
101	* HappilyMarried: She and Ron tie the knot in Season 6.
102	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Lucy Lawless does a decent American accent, but sometimes those Kiwi vowels sneak in.
103	* {{Troll}}: When she married Ron, she stated her middle name was Tammy just to screw with him, before revealing it's actually Elizabeth.
104	* OutOfFocus: While it's confirmed by some lines of dialogue that she and Ron are still married, Diane doesn't show up in the final season or in the reunion special.
105	* SeenItAll: As a middle school vice principal, Diane has seen her fair share of kids behaving badly. She takes Ivy and Zoey chopping their hair off with Ann's medical scissors in stride and isn't afraid of Tammy Two since her job requires her to deal with {{Hormone Addled Teenager}}s on a daily basis.
106	* TheStoic: She's not emotionless, but is overall cool-headed and reasonable, which makes her deal well with Ron's quirks.
107	* WhatTheHellHero: Twice towards Ron.
108	** When Ron misguidedly breaks one of her daughters' tiaras in two so they can share.
109	** When Ron tries to get off the grid, she gives him a gentle one of these, pointing out that while she's okay with his privacy, he needs to be available to his family.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	!!Tom's Family
113
114	[[folder:Wendy Haverford]]
115	!!Wendy Haverford
116	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/JamaWilliamson
117
118	Tom's wife at the start of the series. She is Canadian and married him to stay in the country, resulting in the {{Irony}} of an interracial CitizenshipMarriage where it's the white partner who is trying to avoid being deported from America. They split up during the second season, in an episode appropriately titled "Tom's Divorce". Ron dated her for a while before she moved back to Canada near the start of the third season.
119	----
120	%%* BrainyBrunette: Is a surgeon.
121	* CitizenshipMarriage: She's Canadian and married Tom to stay in the US so she could keep working legally as a doctor. As noted above, there's an ironic aspect to their union as she's white while Tom is Indian but a born and bred US American citizen.
122	* ObliviousToLove: Was entirely unaware Tom had feelings for her at first.
123	* PutOnABus: In "Ron and Tammy 2", she goes back to Canada, specifically her hometown of Ottawa, to help her parents out.
124	* UglyGuyHotWife: Not that Tom is genuinely ugly, but this is the reaction of most people when they see them together.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Lucy]]
128	!!Lucy
129	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/NatalieMorales
130
131	A bartender Tom dates in Season 2. They reconnect in Season 7, getting engaged in the penultimate episode and are implied to be married in the DistantFinale.
132	----
133	* BirdsOfAFeather: With Tom.
134	* DeadpanSnarker: It's how she puts up with Tom.
135	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When she first appears, it's as a bartender at the Snakehole Lounge while Tom is settling his bill, showing how snarky she is and how well she can read Tom, but also why they click so well:
136	-->'''Lucy:''' Ten Cosmos, eight Smirnoff Ices, and everything else starts with the word "pomegranate". Aw, was it your bachelorette party?\
137	'''Tom:''' No, I invited a bunch of girls here last night, and they all put drinks on my tab. And then I went home alone. I'm not sure what happened.\
138	'''Lucy:''' You invited a bunch of girls here and tried to hit on all of 'em.\
139	'''Tom:''' Fair enough.\
140	'''Lucy:''' I mean, what were you expecting was going to happen, a 43-way?\
141	'''Tom:''' (chuckling) That would have been a little out of control.\
142	'''Lucy:''' But awesome.\
143	'''Tom:''' Yeah. The problem is I only have fifteen penises, so there would have been twenty-eight girls that were really upset with me. (both laugh)
144	* NiceGirl: She's a sweet and friendly person.
145	* OnlyOneName: Her last name isn't given in the show, though supplementary info reveals it's Santodomingo.
146	* OnlySaneMan: She and Tom have similar interests and senses of humor, but she's much more levelheaded than him, especially before he undergoes some CharacterDevelopment.
147	* TokenMinorityCouple: She's Cuban, and partnered with the Indian Tom.
148	* WeaknessTurnsHerOn: She states that she enjoys how easy it is to throw Tom around.
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	!!Jerry's Family
152
153	[[folder:Gayle Gergich]]
154	!!Gayle Gergich
155	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/ChristieBrinkley
156
157	Garry's loving and unreasonably hot wife.
158	----
159	* AlliterativeName: '''G'''ayle '''G'''ergich.
160	* BirdsOfAFeather: She and Garry share the same sweet, humble disposition, and hold similar values and interests.
161	* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In earlier episodes [[TheGhost before she appeared]], "Jerry" often implied that he felt his masculinity smothered by his wife and enjoyed time away from her. Once she appears, she's shown to be an impossibly gorgeous, kind, loving, and doting wife, and she and Garry are HappilyMarried.
162	* GoshDangItToHeck: If she gets ''very'' angry with Garry, she'll call him the B-word: [[spoiler:Bozo.]]
163	* HappilyMarried: No one understands why, but she's incredibly happy with Garry.
164	* NiceGirl: Much like her husband, Gayle doesn't appear to have a mean bone in her body.
165	* OlderThanTheyLook: Justified example, as Christie Brinkley really is in her 60s. This is taken to absurd lengths in the DistantFinale, where, in a scene where she would have to be in her mid-90s at least, she looks exactly the same.
166	* PhraseCatcher: "And Gayle looks ''amazing''!"
167	* SilverVixen: Played for laughs in the DistantFinale, when she looks exactly as she does in the present day, despite the fact she should be in her nineties.
168	* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Most likely the basis of her and Garry's marriage. He's not much of a looker (at least nowadays; he was a lot less rotund twenty years ago), but he's a ridiculously sweet guy and loving father, and Gayle genuinely adores him.
169	* UglyGuyHotWife: Ben is especially flabbergasted by the Gergiches' relationship, but no one can understand it.
170	-->'''Ben:''' So, Jerry and Gayle?\
171	'''Chris:''' I've thought a lot about it, [[GivingUpOnLogic there is no logical explanation]].
172	[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder:Millicent Gergich]]
175	!!Millicent Gergich
176	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/SarahWright
177
178	Garry's oldest daughter. She's an athletic sort and dates Chris for some time.
179	----
180	* BirdsOfAFeather: She likes guys who share similar interests as her.
181	* DaddysGirl: Other than her seeming obliviousness to her father's discomfort with her dating Chris (who is technically his boss, and had a bad tendency to go into TooMuchInformation territory regarding their relationship), she's close to Garry and adores him very much.
182	* HasAType: Chris and her later fiance Carl are both handsome and chiseled athletic types.
183	* PassionateSportsGirl: Can outrun Chris in a jog, and served as a camp counselor at a teen sport camp (where she met her fiance).
184	* UglyGuysHotDaughter: She and her two sisters are incredibly beautiful, as they all take after [[UglyGuyHotWife their mother]] in looks.
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	!!Donna's Family
188
189	[[folder:Joe]]
190	!!Joe
191	!!!'''Played By:''' Creator/KeeganMichaelKey
192
193	An elementary school music teacher and ex-boyfriend of Donna's, whom she begins dating again in Season 6. They get married in Season 7's aptly-titled "Donna & Joe".
194	----
195	* BaitAndSwitch: Donna describing Joe as "her Tammy" leads Ron to believe that Joe is a monstrous, controlling abuser like Tammy 1 and Tammy 2. Turns out he's actually a NiceGuy and Donna was referring to their incompatibility, and Ron calls her out on the unfair comparison.
196	* CoolTeacher: Implied to be one, as all his students love him and he's invested in their futures, to the point a flash-forward in the GrandFinale reveals he [[spoiler:runs a non-profit teaching program]].
197	* CovertPervert: Despite his general wholesomeness, pretty much every conversation he and Donna have is charged with sexual innuendo, and he seems ''very'' invested in seeing Donna wear a revealing outfit they both refer to as "the red thing".
198	-->'''Donna:''' I'll wear that red thing when you deserve to ''see me'' in that red thing.
199	* FriendToAllChildren: Appears to be one - he knows exactly how to politely calm Ron's stepdaughters down when he sees them bothering Ron, and he seems to be a very popular teacher at the school he works at.
200	* TheGenericGuy: Donna's opinion of him when she first dated him; she broke up with him because he constantly wanted to spend time with her doing "boring" things such as making pasta and watching movies together, and didn't realize he wasn't letting her live her life the way she wanted to.
201	* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler:He and Donna get married in season 7, and according to the time skips in "One Last Ride", they ''definitely'' qualify for this trope.]]
202	* NewOldFlame: He and Donna apparently broke up and got together again several times in the past before they begin dating seriously in Season 6.
203	* NiceGuy: To an incredible degree. He will happily help anyone in need, no matter how big or small their problems are.
204	* OnlyOneName: His last name isn't given, [[spoiler:even at his and Donna's wedding.]]
205	* OppositesAttract: Why they originally didn't work out. Joe is a gregarious NiceGuy who contrasts with the dramatic, adventurous Donna, and Donna felt that her steady relationship with him was "too boring". Ron calls her on this, and she gives him another shot with the understanding that he won't try to change her. [[spoiler:It works out so well they end up married.]]
206	* SheepInSheepsClothing: Given how Donna describes Joe as "her Tammy", Ron keeps waiting for him to reveal his true nature as a horrible person. He doesn't. Donna just doesn't like who she is with him.
207	* TokenMinorityCouple: He and Donna are both black.
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:The Meagles]]
211	!!The Meagles
212
213	Donna's family, the most passive-aggressive group of people that ever lived. Includes Donna's brothers, George and [=LeVondrias=], and her cousin, the singer Ginuwine.
214	----
215	* DysfunctionalFamily: To the point that no more than three Meagles are allowed on an international flight together. During Donna's wedding, April's job is to stop the family from causing any trouble. She ends up rounding up all the "troublemakers" in the kitchen and putting the fear of God into them (and making Ginuwine cry in the process.)
216	* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Everyone in this family snipes at each other ''all the time'' over some kind of NoodleIncident that happened ''years'' ago.
217	* ThisIsUnforgivable: PlayedForLaughs -- every member in the Meagle family has a grudge against some other member over some kind of idiotic minor incident from the past that they won't let go of.
218	[[/folder]]
219
220	!!April's Family
221
222	[[folder:The Ludgates]]
223	!!The Ludgates
224	!!!'''Played By:''' John Ellison Conlee (Larry), Creator/TerriHoyos (Rita), Minni Jo (Natalie)
225
226	April's family, consisting of her father Larry, mother Rita, and sister Natalie.
227	----
228	* AlliterativeName: '''L'''arry '''L'''udgate.
229	* EmotionlessGirl: Natalie is just as snarky as April and as much of a {{troll}}.
230	* {{Fangirl}}: Rita owns all of Duke Silver's albums. It's very lightly implied she recognizes Ron when he stops by the Ludgate residence in "94 Meetings".
231	* GoodParents: While we don't see much of them, Larry and Rita do come across as loving and sweet.
232	* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: April and Natalie pulled pranks on one another and stole each other's stuff throughout their childhoods. Unlike other examples of this trope, they're actually pretty similar personality-wise.
233	* [[OpenMindedParent Open-Minded Parents]]: A deleted scene from "April and Andy's Fancy Party" shows that Larry and Rita are completely okay with April marrying Andy so soon after she began dating him. Apparently, it helps that Andy's actually straight unlike Derek, and isn't a weirdo like Orin.
234	* WackyParentSeriousChild: Larry and Rita are very peppy compared to their sarcastic daughters.
235	[[/folder]]
236
237	!!Andy's Family
238
239	[[folder:The Dwyers]]
240
241	* DisappearedDad: Andy's father either died or left the family at some point.
242	* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Andy has six brothers. [[FamilyThemeNaming They're named Aaron, Adam, Anthony, Alex, Alan, and Albert]].
243	[[/folder]]
244
245	[[folder:Rebecca]]
246	!!Rebecca
247
248	Andy's niece (her parents are not mentioned in-show).
249	----
250	* TheGhost: She's only mentioned once when Andy admits to provoking a goose into attacking her.
251	[[/folder]]
252
253	!!Ben's Family
254
255	[[folder:The Wyatts]]
256	Ben's family, consisting of his father Steve (Creator/JonathanBanks), mother Julia (Creator/GlenneHeadly), stepmother Ulani (Creator/KulapVilaysack), sister Stephanie (Creator/AnnabethGish), brother Henry, and an unnamed half-sibling.
257	----
258	* AmicableExes: Inverted - Steve and Julia are still bitter and acrimonious towards one another and drag everyone else down with them.
259	* CastingGag: According to Creator/MichaelSchur, Jonathan Banks was cast as Steve precisely because they wanted the character to be like [[Series/BreakingBad Mike Ehrmantraut]].
260	* TheGhost: Henry never appears and is only mentioned a couple of times.
261	* MayDecemberRomance: Steve and his second wife Ulani. Ulani is at least young enough to be his daughter. Naturally, Julia makes a lot of snipes at her ex-husband for this.
262	* PassiveAggressiveKombat: According to Ben, his parents mostly just kept everything bottled up and only subtly hinted at what was bothering them. Unsurprisingly, this led to them divorcing.
263	* PerpetualFrowner: Steve. Being played by Jonathan Banks helps.
264	* PracticallyDifferentGenerations: Ben's in his mid to late thirties when Steve and Ulani reveal they're expecting.
265	* SeriousBusiness: The Wyatts are a Twizzlers family and Steve will not entertain the thought of eating Red Vines.
266	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / ParksAndRecreationRelatives