Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forty-four exclamation points doesn't look as impressive as I was expecting.
Well that was a lovely half hour of television. The perfection of this love story is ridiculous-I am pretty much ruined for all other tv romances now. It didn’t have a B or C plot, but that was as it should have been. Leslie is the main character, this was a key moment for her, and it was right for almost everyone important to her to be there for it, to rally around her. And it wasn’t even just about her relationship with Ben. It was about her commitment to her job-her other true love, honestly-and about her friendships. It certainly wasn’t the funniest episode of Parks ever, so I could see how if you watch Parks exclusively for the riotously funny stuff, you might have been disappointed. But if you care about these character at all (and how could you not?), if you want them to be happy, if you have a heart at all, this was as good as it gets.
The one downer of course is that Ben had to give up his job, but even while that makes me sad, I’m glad that’s the way this turned out. They could have done something more sitcommy, somehow had Chris change his rule for some contrived reason, but that would have felt cheap, in light all the drama they’ve put us through, which was all staked on the validity and inflexibility of this particular rule. Even if Ben no longer had anything to do with the parks department-if that had been a possibility that would have allowed him to date Leslie, then Ben would have made that change ages ago. So I have to assume Chris wouldn’t have allowed it and that Ben knew that. (Because making one exception might open up the floodgates to city employees who want to hook up? I don’t know. But Chris seems pretty inflexible, so I could buy that just wasn’t an option.) So one of them had to change jobs for this relationship to exist. I always expected that to be Ben, even before I spoiled myself.
princess_george made the observation that he probably was going to lose his job either way, he knew that, and so it’s not like he exactly sacrificed his job to save hers. He was the supervisor in the situation, and aren’t supervisors usually held the most responsible in situations like that? So it was probably a choice between both of them losing their jobs over the bribe or just him at that point, so of course he made sure Leslie could keep hers. But before the serious charges even materialized, he probably knew that for him and Leslie to have a future, they wouldn’t both be able to keep their jobs, and he was prepared for it to be him. So the moment he agreed to “screw it and do this thing for real,” I think he made his choice.
There was a really interesting post on tumblr (by someone I don’t personally know) about gender and how that affects the way we see characters’ decisions. People seemed to really swoon over the fact that Ben gave up his job to be with Leslie. But if Leslie had had to give up her job to be with Ben, we might have reacted differently. I think that’s something to be conscious of. To be fair, Leslie did make a similar choice, even if she didn’t end up having to go through with it; she risked her job, and when it looked certain she was going to lose it, she expressed regret over the illegal part of her behavior and the outcome, but she didn’t appear to regret her decision to be with Ben. Her job is extremely important to her, but so is Ben. And her willingness to take the risk for him, the importance she was giving him in her life, was what gave him enough confidence to make the choice that he made.
Here’s why I’m personally okay that it was Ben. Leslie’s been dedicated to Pawnee government for a long time, and she’s working toward a specific goal right now. Ben on the other hand has been more aimless. He spent twelve years as an auditor, and on the one hand that shows commitment to getting back into politics, but on the other hand, that’s a long time not to take the next step, whatever that would have been for him. He didn’t seek out the assistant manager job; it was the job that was offered to him at a time he was looking to stay in Pawnee. He’s obviously passionate about government and politics the way Leslie is, and it seems like that would be a kickass job for him to have: a lot of responsibility, working with all departments, probably in direct contact with the city council. If it hadn’t been for Leslie, he’d probably be perfectly happy keeping that job indefinitely. But let’s be honest, if it hadn’t been for Leslie, he’d probably still be an auditor. He's been more passive about his career choices. It seems like the most telling difference between Ben and Leslie’s attachment to their specific jobs is how they reacted to the breakup. Leslie found some solace in throwing herself into work, while Ben made the comment that he wasn’t sure what was keeping him in Pawnee. He didn’t look like he was about to add, “Oh well, at least I have a job I love.” The job alone wasn't cutting it. It was still a huge deal for him to have to resign, but for Ben, it seems more likely he’ll be able to find another job that will suit him than it is that he’d find another Leslie. So was it worth it? Yes, because he’s in love with Leslie Knope.
And now maybe we’ll see him actually have to do something proactive about his career path. That could be interesting. I know there’s a spoiler out there about one thing he’ll probably do this season, but I assume he'll have to find something else to do in addition to that. My dream scenario is for him to enroll in one of those abbreviated college programs that let professionals retrain quickly to be teachers. The show could pretend whatever college April and Andy go to has such a program, and Ben could attend there for a while (with his roomies! ha). And then at the beginning of season 5 (this probably isn’t enough time, but time works differently in Pawnee, we all know) he’d get a job as a high school history/government teacher. Think about it. He seemed so happy and in his element during The Treaty before everything went awry. He’d run the Model UN and math team and in his free time volunteer on all of Leslie’s projects at City Hall. (I realize teachers work hard outside of school hours, but the show could pretend this job gave him enough free time.) He’d recruit the most promising students to volunteer on public service projects with him, as well as offer that as an alternative to detention. Various Pikitis siblings would show up in his classes.
And someday his students would pressure him into running for office again, and he’d say, Yeah, right, I’ll do that as soon as you all make it to Model UN Nationals, and then they totally would, and he would have to go through with it. And Leslie would cheer him on. (Come on, I still really want someone to write me The Rookie AU fic.)
What else could Ben do? I’d love to say some sort of financial position with the school district was an option, because it should be, but for some weird reason the writers decided to make education a city department instead of its own entity. County government? He could go work with Cindy, the brunette Chris picked out for him. Something in the private sector? I’m not sure, but I’m really looking forward to that arc. And I still hope he has ambitions to hold office someday or at least that the writers acknowledge that he once had those ambitions and what happened to that.
Now I assume that the scandal will blow over and Leslie will still be able to run for office as planned. I still kind of ship Leslie/parks department, and now that Ben has left his job, I wonder if there’s any chance Ron would get the promotion, and then Leslie might end up as Parks Director by the end of the season. I’m not sure if the show would go through with making her a council woman since come on, it’s called Parks and Recreation (although maybe they’ll surprise us). But she at least deserves a promotion at this point, so if she's not elected for some reason, I'd love to see that.
Well that was a lovely half hour of television. The perfection of this love story is ridiculous-I am pretty much ruined for all other tv romances now. It didn’t have a B or C plot, but that was as it should have been. Leslie is the main character, this was a key moment for her, and it was right for almost everyone important to her to be there for it, to rally around her. And it wasn’t even just about her relationship with Ben. It was about her commitment to her job-her other true love, honestly-and about her friendships. It certainly wasn’t the funniest episode of Parks ever, so I could see how if you watch Parks exclusively for the riotously funny stuff, you might have been disappointed. But if you care about these character at all (and how could you not?), if you want them to be happy, if you have a heart at all, this was as good as it gets.
The one downer of course is that Ben had to give up his job, but even while that makes me sad, I’m glad that’s the way this turned out. They could have done something more sitcommy, somehow had Chris change his rule for some contrived reason, but that would have felt cheap, in light all the drama they’ve put us through, which was all staked on the validity and inflexibility of this particular rule. Even if Ben no longer had anything to do with the parks department-if that had been a possibility that would have allowed him to date Leslie, then Ben would have made that change ages ago. So I have to assume Chris wouldn’t have allowed it and that Ben knew that. (Because making one exception might open up the floodgates to city employees who want to hook up? I don’t know. But Chris seems pretty inflexible, so I could buy that just wasn’t an option.) So one of them had to change jobs for this relationship to exist. I always expected that to be Ben, even before I spoiled myself.
princess_george made the observation that he probably was going to lose his job either way, he knew that, and so it’s not like he exactly sacrificed his job to save hers. He was the supervisor in the situation, and aren’t supervisors usually held the most responsible in situations like that? So it was probably a choice between both of them losing their jobs over the bribe or just him at that point, so of course he made sure Leslie could keep hers. But before the serious charges even materialized, he probably knew that for him and Leslie to have a future, they wouldn’t both be able to keep their jobs, and he was prepared for it to be him. So the moment he agreed to “screw it and do this thing for real,” I think he made his choice.
There was a really interesting post on tumblr (by someone I don’t personally know) about gender and how that affects the way we see characters’ decisions. People seemed to really swoon over the fact that Ben gave up his job to be with Leslie. But if Leslie had had to give up her job to be with Ben, we might have reacted differently. I think that’s something to be conscious of. To be fair, Leslie did make a similar choice, even if she didn’t end up having to go through with it; she risked her job, and when it looked certain she was going to lose it, she expressed regret over the illegal part of her behavior and the outcome, but she didn’t appear to regret her decision to be with Ben. Her job is extremely important to her, but so is Ben. And her willingness to take the risk for him, the importance she was giving him in her life, was what gave him enough confidence to make the choice that he made.
Here’s why I’m personally okay that it was Ben. Leslie’s been dedicated to Pawnee government for a long time, and she’s working toward a specific goal right now. Ben on the other hand has been more aimless. He spent twelve years as an auditor, and on the one hand that shows commitment to getting back into politics, but on the other hand, that’s a long time not to take the next step, whatever that would have been for him. He didn’t seek out the assistant manager job; it was the job that was offered to him at a time he was looking to stay in Pawnee. He’s obviously passionate about government and politics the way Leslie is, and it seems like that would be a kickass job for him to have: a lot of responsibility, working with all departments, probably in direct contact with the city council. If it hadn’t been for Leslie, he’d probably be perfectly happy keeping that job indefinitely. But let’s be honest, if it hadn’t been for Leslie, he’d probably still be an auditor. He's been more passive about his career choices. It seems like the most telling difference between Ben and Leslie’s attachment to their specific jobs is how they reacted to the breakup. Leslie found some solace in throwing herself into work, while Ben made the comment that he wasn’t sure what was keeping him in Pawnee. He didn’t look like he was about to add, “Oh well, at least I have a job I love.” The job alone wasn't cutting it. It was still a huge deal for him to have to resign, but for Ben, it seems more likely he’ll be able to find another job that will suit him than it is that he’d find another Leslie. So was it worth it? Yes, because he’s in love with Leslie Knope.
And now maybe we’ll see him actually have to do something proactive about his career path. That could be interesting. I know there’s a spoiler out there about one thing he’ll probably do this season, but I assume he'll have to find something else to do in addition to that. My dream scenario is for him to enroll in one of those abbreviated college programs that let professionals retrain quickly to be teachers. The show could pretend whatever college April and Andy go to has such a program, and Ben could attend there for a while (with his roomies! ha). And then at the beginning of season 5 (this probably isn’t enough time, but time works differently in Pawnee, we all know) he’d get a job as a high school history/government teacher. Think about it. He seemed so happy and in his element during The Treaty before everything went awry. He’d run the Model UN and math team and in his free time volunteer on all of Leslie’s projects at City Hall. (I realize teachers work hard outside of school hours, but the show could pretend this job gave him enough free time.) He’d recruit the most promising students to volunteer on public service projects with him, as well as offer that as an alternative to detention. Various Pikitis siblings would show up in his classes.
And someday his students would pressure him into running for office again, and he’d say, Yeah, right, I’ll do that as soon as you all make it to Model UN Nationals, and then they totally would, and he would have to go through with it. And Leslie would cheer him on. (Come on, I still really want someone to write me The Rookie AU fic.)
What else could Ben do? I’d love to say some sort of financial position with the school district was an option, because it should be, but for some weird reason the writers decided to make education a city department instead of its own entity. County government? He could go work with Cindy, the brunette Chris picked out for him. Something in the private sector? I’m not sure, but I’m really looking forward to that arc. And I still hope he has ambitions to hold office someday or at least that the writers acknowledge that he once had those ambitions and what happened to that.
Now I assume that the scandal will blow over and Leslie will still be able to run for office as planned. I still kind of ship Leslie/parks department, and now that Ben has left his job, I wonder if there’s any chance Ron would get the promotion, and then Leslie might end up as Parks Director by the end of the season. I’m not sure if the show would go through with making her a council woman since come on, it’s called Parks and Recreation (although maybe they’ll surprise us). But she at least deserves a promotion at this point, so if she's not elected for some reason, I'd love to see that.
- Something that really struck me was how supportive Ben was during Leslie’s trial; it possibly spoke even louder to me than the secret meeting he later had to save her job. He was just so sweet that morning, and he completely understood how big of a deal it was to her to even face getting a suspension, even as he was probably facing more, and he was doing everything he could to make this easier on her. And even when he wasn’t around, you could feel the connection they had, how they both wanted to be there for each other, just by Leslie looking at that ugly awful painting. And it just tore me in half when Leslie asked someone to go get Ben for her. She had a lot of people helping her, but Ben was the one she wanted there most.
- The iMovie, good lord, the iMovie. How hysterical and adorable was that? And it was a very Leslie thing to do, right down to the detail of calling herself the future president. And this is conclusive proof that Leslie was very into Ben at the time. I don’t think it tells us anything we didn’t already know though; the way she looked at him in Jerry’s Painting and Soulmates pretty much told us the same thing. She was obviously very into him in the latter half of Season 3. I still don’t think I’d necessarily say she loved him at that point, though. She hadn’t even really dated him when she made that movie, and I don’t know if it’s even possible to love someone before being involved with them romantically and seeing if those infatuated feelings survive. But she probably had high hopes, and maybe she even liked him as much as he liked her. I think I had a harder time telling because I knew what specifically he admired about her, and it was less clear then what it was she liked about him so much (other than his cute face). But it might have even been intentional on the part of the writers to make her feelings less clear than his; from a storytelling standpoint, it creates more suspense about what’s going to happen.
- I liked Ron in this episode, and it’s not that I haven’t liked Ron in other episodes, but I’ve grown a tiny bit wary of his Yoda vibe. He hands down a lot of wisdom, and it all sounds like the infallible Word of Ron Swanson, and it made me a little uneasy this season that Ron seemed to push Leslie in the direction he thought was right for her without really seeming to listen to what she wanted or talk it through with her. Leslie’s an adult; it was just starting to feel like a weird dynamic to me. In retrospect, based on what he said in The Trial, I think maybe Ron’s main problem was that he wanted Leslie to own her decisions, whatever they ended up being. Sneaking around, hiding from reality, wasn’t a respectable path. But now that Leslie and Ben have both stood up and faced the consequences of their decisions, I don’t think he’ll have a problem with their relationship.
- This is such a minor quibble, but I was a little surprised with April’s behavior during the trial. They needed to add humor wherever they could, and it was entertaining, but we know April loves Leslie and would understand how important this was to Leslie. I thought she would have taken her testimony more seriously. Then again, maybe that was her trying to be helpful. Maybe living with Ben and knowing Leslie so well, she actually knew a lot and didn’t want to give any of it away, so she acted crazy instead. Okay, I’ve talked myself into being okay with that.
- I have a lot of favorite moments, but another one was the simple, “Hi, honey. How was your day?” They just feel so much like a real couple now, and it’s wonderful. I love their individual characters so much, and their dynamic together, I just can’t imagine that I’m going to get bored with them now that they’re together. There is so much more to them than their feelings for each other.
- It occurred to me that the timeline of how they got together, broke up, and got back together was pretty much perfect. I hate when a couple I’ve been shipping gets together in a season finale, and then we miss the first few months of their relationship because it happens off screen over the summer. I suppose winter hiatus is coming up, but at least that’s shorter.
- No reactions to the news! Shouldn't that have been the cold open? I suppose it probably wouldn't have been shocking news to anyone. And it was nice that from what we did see, no one was giving them a hard time about it.
- I wonder how many more times we’ll get to hear them say they love each other. It seems like as the scandal unfolds and Leslie’s dragged through the media over it (because that has to happen right?), it seems like the best way to deal with that would be to hold hands and tell the world “We love each other.” That makes it seem less seedy. Wasn’t there a fic someone wrote where Ben enlisted Shauna and told her the story of how he fell for Leslie? I can’t remember what that was, but I liked that idea.
- I don’t think I’ve ever seen Leslie look as beautiful as she did in that last scene. She should wear a hat like that for the next four months straight until spring. And it is like a dream come true to see Ben and Leslie making love eyes at each other in what looks like the inside of a snow globe.