Throughout seven seasons on Parks and Recreation, we’ve seen Ron grow close with Leslie, April, and yes, even goofy Andy. But there was one colleague of his that he judged and misunderstood time and time again: Tom.
Tom Haverford was self-serving, theatrical, and—dare we say—weak. The two couldn’t have been more opposite from each other and yet they worked side by side on many projects while working for the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department. Ron grew close to many of his parks and rec employees but were him and Tom ever on the same level as him and April or even Leslie? Let’s take a look at 10 moments that proved these two were anything but friends.
10 They Have Nothing In Common
When you take a step back and think about it, Tom and Ron have nothing in common except for working for the government. It’s actually shocking that Tom was even interested in a government job since he’s obsessed with pop culture and entertainment.
Ron, on the other hand, loves manly-man things like eating meat and hunting. If these two were hanging out for a weekend, what would they even talk about? What activities would the two of them do that they’d both agree on? It’s hard to say.
9 Tom Shot Ron In The Head
When the ladies find out that Ron and some of the guys go on an annual secret camping trip, they insist on tagging along. Leslie and co. can do anything the guys do, right? Ron was pissed about his hunting trip getting hijacked but it’s hard to say no to Leslie.
While in the woods, Ron suddenly gets shot in the head and falls to the ground in pain. He immediately wants to know who was responsible and Leslie takes the blame to protect her colleagues. We later find out it wasn’t Leslie who shot Ron, it was Tom! Tom has a panic attack because he’s afraid of Ron and was close to letting Leslie take the blame until others step in.
8 Ron Is Genuinely Embarrassed By Tom
Just as Ron and Tom have little in common, Ron is highly embarrassed by everything Tom says and does. His embarrassment and shock at Tom is shown perfectly in “Bowling for Votes,” when the office joins a bowling fundraiser for Leslie’s campaign.
Tom begins bowling like a little kid, using both arms and Ron screams, “Son, people can see you!”. Ron is also humiliated in “Two Parties” when Tom brings the guys to a new club and the adult beverages are served in ridiculous ways.
7 Was Tom Afraid Of Ron?
At the beginning of Parks and Recreation when we first meet the gang, Tom is seen playing online Scrabble with Ron. He tells the camera that he’s actually really good at Scrabble but he loses on purpose so that Ron’s in a good mood and stays off his back.
Tom gets pissed when April steps in and plays on his behalf—not knowing that he was losing on purpose—and reverts to telling Ron that it wasn’t him who beat him, it was April. Tom running away from Ron’s wrath for winning a game of Scrabble doesn’t sound like something best friends do…
6 Ron Genuinely Wasn’t Sure If Tom Had What It Took To Be A Business Man
Viewers knew early on that Tom and Ron hated working for the government but it’s a job that comes with a lot of perks. Tom did what he had to do just to stay employed, while Ron had Leslie Knope’s beautiful brain to thank for his job.
When Tom was ready to move on from the parks department, he ventured into the restaurant, entertainment, and fashion industry. But along the way, Tom needed some financial assistance. He asked Ron for a loan but Ron didn’t trust his money with Tom. He needed to make sure Tom was serious about his business ventures before handing him over money. Luckily for him, Tom took his words to heart and fired Jean-Ralphio for the better of the business.
5 Ron Started Dating Wendy
In the second season, Ron finds out that Tom’s marriage to Wendy was a sham. It was a classic green card marriage to keep Wendy from being deported to Canada. From then on out, it was obvious Ron had the hots for Wendy and he eventually acted on his feelings in season three.
And even though Tom’s marriage to Wendy wasn’t real, Tom clearly loved Wendy and wished she felt the same. This made him insanely jealous and distraught that Ron would date her. If there’s one universal rule most people follow, it’s to not date your friend’s ex.
4 …Which Promoted Tom To Date Tammy 2
Upset over Ron dating Wendy, Tom pulled a classic Tom move: he went after Ron’s ex-wife, Tammy 2. If these two men were real friends, Tom would have never retaliated by dating Ron’s ex — a woman Ron has intense feelings for. Ron seemed disturbed that Tom and Tammy 2 were dating but he felt bad for Tom more than anything.
He knew that she would chew him up and spit him out. But Tom’s plan backfires when Tammy and Ron end up getting back together after seeing each other. The entire ordeal was a mess.
3 Ron Likes Seeing Tom Faint
Most people don’t enjoy hurting their friends. Seeing a friend faint should actually make a person concerned about their wellbeing. But Ron? He thrives on it.
After getting some dental work done, Ron pulled a prank on the rest of the office by pretending to yank out one of his teeth in the conference room. Seeing the pliers in Ron’s mouth and the amount of blood that came out made Tom scream and faint. Instead of rushing to his aid, he laughed and said it was “fun to see Tom faint.” We’ll chalk this up to Ron being Ron.
2 Tom Fed Into Ron’s Fears
After Gryzzl came to Pawnee and began data mining, Ron went a little nuts and tried erasing his existence. He didn’t want any trace of his life online but that’s hard to do when working with people like Tom and Donna.
They showed Ron Tom’s iPad, which had pictures and Vines of him. Confused, Ron tried screaming at the iPad but ended up making a Vine of himself screaming at the tablet instead. The moment became a hilarious one to everyone but Ron.
1 Tom Lied For Ron (But Ron Hates Liars)
In the episode “Patridge,” Jamm is during Ron after being punched at Leslie’s wedding. Ron needed witnesses on his side that would defend his honor, so he asked April, Andy, and Tom to join his side.
While Ron did, in fact, punch Jamm at the wedding, he told his three colleagues to defend him. While in the room with Jamm’s lawyer, Tom couldn’t say enough good things about Ron. In fact, they were such nice compliments that even Ron was disgusted. If there’s one thing he hates more than the government, it’s liars. And even though Tom lied for Ron’s benefit, even that annoyed Ron!
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