On Ben and Leslie
Last summer while studying for the LSAT I watched all of How I Met Your Mother for the first time. I did love it, and it was the perfect brain off TV I needed. This year my show of choice is Parks and Recreation. The guy I'm currently talking to gives major Adam Scott vibes and Ben Wyatt is so incredibly attractive to me so I decided it was time to watch from start to finish.
Parks and Rec is a better show than the office and I stand by that. I think a female lead is always more compelling, and Leslie knowing so deeply who she is is so important to me. What speaks to me the most about Leslie is her driving ambition. So often female ambition is played as cold, and women in power have to be girl bosses and solely dedicated to their own advancement. I see so much of myself in Leslie, good and bad. Her strong love for the people in her life. Her overwhelming emotional reactions that often battle with what she knows is a mature response. Her passion for systems, following proper channels and her solution-oriented approach to... everything. Her ambition that can lead to tunnel vision that can lead to selfishness. Her dedication to joy.
Ben sees all of this and loves her because of it. He sees her ambition and her passion and is in awe of her, not intimidated. He loves how hard she tries and how much she cares even when it is too much. He loves her so much and knows how important running for office is to her.
She wants her position so bad she deprives herself of her relationship because it is the right thing to do. It is just devastating to see them not be together. I am actually crying every time the two of them are cute together when they aren't actually together. See: The Treaty. "I kinda want to roll up my sleeves and make geopolitical planning my bitch" and THEY'RE NOT TOGETHER! Using a high school model UN conference to argue with each other is so hot. Am I the only person who thinks this? Am I a pick me for thinking I'm the only person who thinks this? The answer is maybe on both fronts. I understand exactly her belief that she can have it all. She truly thinks she can keep Ben in her life even if they're not together. Because she can do it all, she can have everything she wants. She has the skills and determination to solve her problems regardless of whether they should be solved.
The beauty of their relationship comes from knowing exactly what they both want. They understand each other in a way both of them has never been understood. Two people who accept each other as they unapologetically are and make each other better for it.
Parks and Rec celebrates both of their nerdiness, their silly special interests and excitement over city government. It celebrates Leslie for being a woman who wants things, but also cares about love and romance, politics, history, culture and strengthening her relationships with the people she loves. Celebrates optimism, makes it cool to try and care. It's what I want someone to love me for. It's why Leslie is so important and what makes Ben her perfect match.
