I realized that a mere Twitter sized love-fest for this week’s Parks and Recreation, “The Trial of Leslie Knope,” is an insult to the greatness that was this episode. Parks and Rec is already one of my all time favorite sitcoms, but this episode stands apart from the rest, and deserves proper recognition. NOTE: This post is all kinds of spoilery, so avert your eyes, those faint hearted amongst you!
Surprisingly, the answer is not because of the humor. Not that this episode wasn’t funny. It was. Probably not as funny as some of my all-time favorites like “The Hunting Trip,” “Flu Season,” or “The Fight,” but it had a few surprises. My favorite was probably Leslie (Amy Poehler) showing the iMovie she sent to Anne (Rashida Jones) the day after she and Ben (Adam Scott) hooked up the first time.
But for the most part, the comedy in this episode was less original and not very exciting. Most of the jokes fell along the lines of: Tom (Aziz Ansari) fancies himself Tommy Timberlake; Ron (Nick Offerman) prizes personal freedom above all else and hates the hell beast that is Tammy 2 (Megan Mullally) ; Chris (Rob Lowe) is perky; Jerry (Jim O'Heir) fails; Andy (Chris Pratt) is dumb but sweet; Lil’ Sebastian > everything ever; Pawnee is…unique. Again, they were funny, but most of these jokes have been told on the show before with different words.
Rather, I will probably remember this episode in particular, written by the fantastic EP Michael Schur and Daniel J. Goor, for two other reasons:
1. For the development of the Leslie-Ben relationship.
The relationship itself is achievement. Somehow, this little sitcom has figured out how to craft one of the dorkiest, earnest, yet most adult relationships on television. May Leslie and Ben find eternal bliss so that we the viewers can enjoy their hot nerd love forever.
Yet what is particularly remarkable about this coupling is how and why they are now able to be to be together. Once Chris announced that it had been discovered that Leslie and Ben bribed a city worker in order to keep a kiss between them quiet, it looked as though Leslie’s job was on the line and her campaign would be over. But our beloved Ben took the fall by himself and resigned, and Leslie’s job was spared. They kiss, and the world rejoices.
That this is how events transpired speaks volumes about the writers' grasps of their characters and their motivations. Ben’s gesture is grand, noble, and romantic, without being outdated or unnecessarily idiotic. He loves Leslie, and he wants her to fulfill her dreams. But more than that, his act fits with their characters and their ambitions. Ben is the pragmatist, Leslie the dreamer. Ben is spreadsheets and budgets, which Leslie can do too, but essentially Leslie is the Harvest Festival and a new park on Lot 48. Even though his directly stated reason for taking the blame is because he loves Leslie and wants to make this sacrifice for her, he must have realized that it is ultimately more important that Leslie keep her job than for him to keep his. As much as we all love Ben, we all see that Leslie is special. She is a noble and just advocate for the people that can shake up City Hall for the better, and Mr. Ben Knope will make a handsome and kind first gentleman.
2. For not being afraid to raise the stakes
The first season of Parks and Rec had a similar tone to The Office, in that it was a dark comedy about an innocent yet ignorant lead who had unrealistic expectations of grandeur in spite of his or her incredibly small world. The UK version, and the US version but to a lesser extent, played off the awareness that no matter how seriously the characters take their problems, the problems still concern office drones in a middling paper company. Despite all the romantic and comedic trappings, there is still a nihilistic outlook that very little here really matters aside from the momentary connections made between characters.
Yet this show found its footing in the second season, when it abandoned this cynical tone in favor of a lighter one about a quirky city and the equally quirky yet good-willed government employees who serve it. The writers allowed for government to do good, and to be of consequence in peoples’ lives. Leslie went from the self-important and oblivious city employee with delusions of the White House to an intelligent, just, and ambitious city employee who could, and probably should, aspire to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Therefore, while it is often the case that the problems that Leslie and the other Pawnee city employees face are smaller and more ridiculous, which is almost always the case for a generic office, sometimes the problems are more meaningful and can profoundly impact citizens or the state.
That brings us to “The Trial of Leslie Knope.” In this episode, the writers may soften the intensity by including visual gags and jokes (Chris’s bag full of medications to prevent himself from getting depressed by this whole trial; the Parks and Rec department and Tammy 2 as character witnesses), but they fulfilled the potential of the earnest tone the show has taken up by giving their characters a substantial moral quandary and having them address it seriously and personally. It matters that there may be bribery and fraud within the government due to a personal affair, and it matters that people stand up for and defend themselves when they believe they are being wrongly accused. Chris, ever Mr. Passive when it comes to discomfort and confrontation, immediately announces the need for this trial upon hearing about Ben and Leslie’s relationship, and declares that he will see it through down to the last detail. More importantly, he does so because he believes that it is his duty to maintain a just city government. Leslie does not back down in the face of Chris’s investigation, because she believes that she has lived honorably and that her actions have not warranted his investigation. In the end, Ben and Leslie both are held accountable for their error in judgment, the latter less so due to Ben’s nobility.
What the audience received from this episode was a hearty meal. It may have been light on the sweets, but it was nutritious and delicious all the same, and absolutely worth savoring.
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