“Pawnee is a really special town. I love living there. And I look forward to the moments in my day where I get to hang out with the town. And talk to the town about stuff. And the town has really nice blond hair too, and has read a shocking number of political biographies for a town, which I like.” – Ben
Swoon, you guys. Swoon. It’s taken 14 episodes to get to this and it was well worth the wait. Road trips are sexy; that is just a fact. Even if it’s for work, is just to Indianapolis, involves little league, banjos and a raccoon infestation, travel means that anything can happen. Granted, what ended up actually happening was listening to Chris talk about his thimble-sized bladder, but still. The groundwork was laid (if nothing else was).
I was a little concerned at the beginning of the episode because Leslie and Ben’s “sexual tension” while talking about that report was just kind of awkward. I’ve been so in favor of their relationship all season because they’ve been adorable together. But that first scene was just kind of scary. Luckily, after the sexy document talk, they got back to themselves and it was awesome.
The quote at the top was my favorite moment of the episode (other than the actual kiss, of course). It was such a sweet, nerdy moment that perfectly encapsulated both of them. Then, of course, was the kiss itself. We’ve had a couple of awesome kisses lately: Leslie and Tom, Chris and Ron, but I think it’s safe to say that this one was the hottest. Chris and Ron were obviously a close second.
Other than all of the Leslie/Ben awesomeness, the episode was chalked-full of other amazing things. While April’s serenade about being in a band was probably the cutest thing ever, I loved, LOVED Professor Ron’s interactions with the little girl. Ordinarily, I would be of the opinion that giving out Claymores to children is a bad idea, but in this case, it really did seem appropriate.
The end especially got to me, when Ron asked her to autograph her original paper (Why does government matter? It doesn’t.”). It’s clear that even though he ate her lunch and torpedoed her assignment, hanging out with her meant something to him. We all know Ron’s a big ol’ softie, but it’s nice to see it.
Oh, and by the way: did any of you notice that Leslie seems to call bathrooms “the whiz palace” when she’s with dudes she likes?
Clacked by Kona Gallagher 
on May 12, 2011 @ 23:01 EST5EDT
Hey, what’s all this “just to Indianapolis” business? HMMMMM? *yes, I’m in Indianapolis at this very moment, what’s your point?* Speaking of Indy, I would love for them to actually reference things specifically from Indianapolis when they’re in Indianapolis. How hard would it have been for them to find a cool real restaurant in town to mention as the place Ben and Leslie go to eat? I’m just thinking of how many real Scranton locations they’ve put into The Office. I know Pawnee isn’t a real place, but Indianapolis is, darn it!
Did the kiss remind you of the Jim/Pam kiss? Just the way it was shot, with Ben surprising her and the camera hiding in another room. The only difference was as soon as Leslie went to see him, I KNEW that’s where it was heading, whereas I didn’t see the Jim/Pam kiss coming in that moment. However, both kisses gave me chills. This time around, I was lucky enough to have DVR so I could watch it a couple more times (*CHILLS*).
*POST AUTHOR*
Ha. I know. I’ve got family there, so I couldn’t resist giving Indy a little crap. It just amuses me.
I just find it crazy that because of the lack of showing what Indiana is actually like on TV and Movies, people just assume every town and city looks like Hickory Ala “Hoosiers.” I remember a West Wing episode where some of the characters were stranded in Indiana… if I remember correctly, no one had a cell phone they could borrow, there were just farms and farms with basketball hoops in the driveway.
Posts like this briehgtn up my day. Thanks for taking the time.