Parks and Recreation – Knope 2012

by Kona Gallagher

Pawnee has it's own Weinergate, but it seems insignificant next to the other trials and tribulations facing the Parks department. Tammy 1 is back and we may be saying goodbye to sweet, sweet Ben.

CliqueClack TV

TV Shows

Parks and Recreation
- Season 4, Episode 1 - "I'm Leslie Knope"

I have a love/hate relationship with this episode. I love it because it’s Parks and Rec and obviously amazing all of the time, but Leslie and Ben cannot break up! HATE. Okay. Now that I got the whining out of the way, let’s talk about how amazing the breakup scene was.

I love how Ben wasn’t blindsided or hurt by the breakup. Sure, he was sad, but because he’s the greatest dude ever, he was still supportive of Leslie’s decisions. Ben has been looking for redemption after his own political failings and it’s great that instead of feeling petty or jealous, he can support Leslie and her ambitions 100%, even at his own personal detriment. Still, I don’t want to believe that after an entire season of buildup, that we only get a few episodes of Leslie and Ben together. Something needs to happen that brings these two crazy kids back together. Ben would make an excellent first lady.

Am I the only one who was surprised that the penis picture belonged to Joe, the skeezy dude from the Sewage Department? I mean, Sarah Lawrence education aside, he’s obviously the first one who would do that, but I really thought it was going to end up being someone embarrassing. At first I thought it could belong to Chris, and that his larger scandal would dwarf Leslie’s, but as soon as we saw the pasty, puffy torso in the photo, it was clear that that was not the case.

It was obviously funny, and the running gag of every city employee in the state of Indiana texting pictures of their junk to Anne was great, but I was kind of hoping for something more to come of it. That’s what she said?

Anyway, Tammy 1! Not only is Patricia Clarkson terrifying as Ron’s ex-wife, but she’s an IRS agent. I love the fact that Ron married a member of the federal government. Not only that, but someone who goes against every belief and value Ronald Ulysses Swanson holds. It makes me wonder: was her position what inexplicably drew him to her, or did he only become the man we know and love after the traumatic events of their marriage? Was Ron pro-government in his crazy youth? I can’t wait for the story of Ron and Tammy 1 to unfold, but it’s going to be pretty hard to top Ron and Tammy 2.