She’s All That is a segment dedicated to the loving worship of our favourite female characters.

In honor of Parks and Recreation’s recent bid farewell from our television screens, I thought I would pay tribute to one of my favorite characters on the show – April Ludgate. When we first see April in season one, she’s a grumpy, sarcastic, reluctant intern for the Parks department of Pawnee. She pretty much carries that label for the rest of the show. But whilst April’s external appearance is always consistent, to say the least, her character development isn’t weak – it’s subtle, but it’s there. Throughout the show, April was known for keeping her emotions way below surface level. In the very beginning, her crush on Andy was played out as a series of badly masked grins whenever he did something Andy-like, and her appreciation for her coworkers was rarely (if ever) voiced. But as Parks continued, the rest of the characters began to chip away at her icy exterior, and she began to open up like a quick-witted, people-hating flower. And even though she’d probably throw up if she heard that metaphor, April really was more insecure and vulnerable than she’d care to admit.

Source:  http://ablogwithaview.tumblr.com/post/57770208436

The times when I related to her the most were the times when she did her express how she felt, because it always had that awkward and unwilling air to it. Clearly uncomfortable with emotions, telling Andy she loved him was clearly more than a big deal to her, and when his response was “awesome sauce”, she was visibly let down. But April began to mature and become more embracing towards her positive emotions, no doubt with a little help from the number one promoter of feelings and Galentine’s founder, Leslie Knope.

Source: http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation

Leslie helped April in all aspects, from her relationship with Andy to choosing a new career and figuring out her life in the season finale. In Washington, Leslie pushed April to a career perfectly suited to her combination of problem-solving abilities and a need to help others, in which she’d be finding the perfect careers for other people. But it wasn’t just others that helped April, as she often returned the favour, even if she didn’t realise it. She supported Andy on all his career endeavours, she encouraged Ann – known for bad decision making – to go with her gut feeling, and as the one with the longest-running relationship, she was always advising people about their love life.

Source: http://picslist.com/image/april_ludgate/ben_wyatt/aubrey_plaza/adam_scott/ parks_and_recreation/nbc/television/pranks/selfie/selfie_olympics/An_Ap/73426385413

Many of us can relate to April, whether it’s her love of Neutral Milk Hotel, her hatred of people, or the fact that she always managed to say what we thinking deep down. April’s dry humor is the reason why Aubrey Plaza is having a hard time transitioning away from melancholic characters and the field of comedy, but it’s only because April had some of the best lines of the show. But April never stole the limelight of the show. She had an equal amount of strength and positive qualities as Leslie had, but she never demanded attention for them. She simply stayed in the background, doing what she wanted to do, because the best thing about April is that she never cared what people thought of her. She would act weird on purpose, just to get a rise out of someone, and any confused glares sent her way only gave her more ammunition. Her opinions were never big or shouted from the top of her lungs, but she stood by what, and who, she believed in, regardless as to what outsiders thought. As Donna puts it, “…you pride yourself on being a loner. You do not obey, you choose to co-operate. And when you stop baring your fangs to pick a mate, it’s for life.” I, or any other fan of the show, couldn’t have put it better. Because April was the type of person who getting to know is a long process, as it takes her co-workers years to make these kinds of characterisations. But once you do get to know April, you’ll love her just as much as she loves garbage.

By Georgia Berry

Georgia Berry is from a small town in England but permanently daydreams about living somewhere else. She is 15 years old and interested in art, film, literature and music. Her favourite films are Submarine and The Boat That Rocked. You can find her on twitter @georgiaberry_