In the world of Parks and Rec, nobody wants to be Jerry Gergich. That includes Jerry, as his real name is Garry. At the start of series, Jerry was already a long-time employee of the Pawnee Parks Department and their resident whipping boy. But somehow, there was actually someone in the City Hall hierarchy who was lower than Jerry. His name was Kyle and everyone picked on him, including the man who eventually became mayor.
Jerry led an odd sort of double life. At home, he was a loving father and husband, as well as an accomplished artist. At work, he somehow transformed into a bumbling fool who messed everything up. Jerry was the butt of most jokes, though he often did things that earned his co-workers' derision. That being said, he did not deserve the level of abuse and bullying he received from April, who honestly seemed like she wanted the worst for him at times.
From all appearances, Jerry was the lowest rung on the ladder at Pawnee City Hall. But much to fans' surprise, he wasn't. That dubious honor went to a man named Kyle, who worked as an attorney for the city. He made his first appearance in Season 2, Episode 9, "The Camel" as a customer at Andy's new shoe-shining job. This was the main way he popped up on the show for the first several times. It's also where the abuse started.
Andy was the first character to interact with Kyle regularly. Unfortunately for Kyle, this also brought him into April's sphere of influence. The two of them abused Kyle to no end, possibly even more so than Jerry. But anyone who interacted with Kyle seemed to treat him the same way. That included Jerry, who actually found someone he could mock instead of being mocked.
Kyle and Jerry didn't interact too often in the series, but when they did, it had an odd effect on Jerry. He was normally an affable and upbeat guy with a kind word for everyone. When Kyle was around, however, he turned into a much more abusive person. All it took was mentioning Kyle to set him off. For instance, in Season 6, Episode 12, "Farmers Market," the gang was in Ron's office for Whine and Cheese Club and Jerry's complaints about Kyle got dark pretty quickly.
Even worse was his response to Kyle in Season 3, Episode 10, "Soulmates." Ron and Chris were facing off in a burger cook off to decide whether or to keep hamburgers on the cafeteria menu. The judges included Jerry and Kyle, who were sitting side by side. When Kyle mentioned the umami flavor of Chris Traeger's burger, Jerry uncharacteristically bit Kyle's head off. By Jerry's standards, he was surprisingly brutal.
What made this so fascinating was how easily Jerry slid from being bullied to being the bully. If anyone should have cut Kyle some slack, it should have been Jerry. At the same time, it was nice to see that Jerry had some backbone. Had he shown it a few decades earlier, he might not have spent his entire career in the Parks and Recreation department being called the wrong name by everyone he worked with.
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