Leslie doesn’t handle surprises well. It’s not that she doesn’t like them, rather she wishes she’d known about them. This was the case when Ron surprised her with his newborn, John, and when the man from National Parks surprised her with a job offer. She likes being in control, so when “Tear down this wall” didn’t go as planned, she was uneasy. Andy wasn’t. He protected April. “I’ve been stung before, I’m immune.”
The job offer from this week’s “The Wall” must have been the possible ending Amy Poehler talked about a month ago. It’s like the creators are stuck in between ending the show and continuing it because this decision is still wide open. She had every reason to turn it down, but Leslie considers all the options. It would be interesting, wouldn’t it? Taking a national position out of Chicago would put Leslie in a much better place than when the show started, but it’d force Ben to quit his job again. Is it reasonable for a person to do that as often as he does? Also, it might leave the rest of the cast in limbo.
Jim O’Heir and Retta were promoted to the opening credits sequence in “Anniversaries” and their roles noticeably increased. Last week’s episode utilized both in an interesting way. O’Heir played the part Poehler usually plays within one main story arc — the Ben/Leslie dynamic. Retta played a role in Aubrey Plaza’s story. They faded back into the crowd in “The Wall,” but we at least got a glimpse of how they’ll be used in the future.
Ron’s son brings to light the reoccurring trend of Diane’s absence. Basically since their wedding, Diane disappeared and now there’s a baby. John factored into Ron’s adventure this week, overhauling the third floor. The sound of power tools do not bother him. The fact that Ron’s responsible for John all day at work begs the question: Seriously, where is Diane? Will she play any role in the rest of the show?