![]() This wouldn’t be the last time that the town’s sensationalist media machine would try to grind her up, nor would it be the last time the Pawnee public would choose to believe the worst. In “Christmas Scandal,” the local press turns on Leslie, using innuendo and out-of-context photos to connect her to a disgraced councilman’s sordid personal life. The show hit its stride in the second season, which started to fill out the strange world of Pawnee, a place where the populace have good hearts but base instincts. “Christmas Scandal” (season 2, episode 12) I can build one park.” For the first time, her determination was presented as wholly admirable, rather than completely delusional. As he explains all the red tape and obstacles she’s going to face, she chuckles and says, “Screw it, I’m going to try to do it anyway. In the raucously entertaining “Rock Show,” Leslie has a quiet moment with her ex-lover Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider), alongside the gaping pit that she intends to turn into a park. But by the end of the season, Daniels, Schur, and Poehler found a better angle on their heroine. She came off as a tone-deaf misfit - unloved, overmatched, and way too pathetic. In the first few episodes of its abbreviated first season, Parks and Rec struggled with how best to frame Leslie Knope’s near-manic brightness. ![]() Everyone from macho libertarian Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) to stylish materialist Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) has a place in Pawnee. Leslie’s dogged faith in public service - and the show’s willingness to challenge her - has made Parks and Rec something of a sacred text among progressives and policy wonks.įor Leslie Knope fans in need of a pick-me-up - or newbies who want to understand why devotees love the series so much - here are ten episodes that collectively express co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur’s vision of an America where people of diverging political perspectives and interests work together. After all, the show created TV’s most admirable characters: Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler), a can-do bureaucrat willing to work with kooks, skeptics, buffoons, and bitter rivals to serve the people of Pawnee, Indiana. If you’re looking for a jolt of optimism, the obvious choice is Parks and Recreation, NBC’s long-running sitcom about the highs and lows of local government. In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s stunning election, it’s understandable that some Americans might look to pop culture for glimmers of hope. Photo: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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