Parks and Recreation is a unique show, not only because it features a diverse cast with deep backstories, but also because it allows for its main female friendship to flourish without stereotypical cattiness. This is why the show is so loved by its audience, as it allows for the characters to grow away from stereotypes. Leslie and Ann are amazing characters in their own rights. Leslie, the show’s protagonist, is a hardworking, overachieving local government employee. Ann is a nurse who, while not being considered as quirky, is still essential and interesting on her own, and is drawn into Leslie’s world through her attempt to fill up an empty pit by her house. These two characters, when placed together in this show, are perfectly made for each other.
Michael Shur, the creator of Parks and Recreation, mentioned in an interview with The A.V. Club that, “It was nice to see the show built around a female friendship. That was part of the conception of the show”. From the pilot episode, Leslie and Ann connect with each other. Ann participates at a community outreach public forum that Leslie put together, demanding that the giant pit by her house, that was dug by a bankrupt condominium developer, be fixed, as her boyfriend had fallen in and broken both his legs. Leslie, immediately being drawn to the potential of filling the pit and helping the community, agrees to help Ann and makes a “pinky promise”. This is the beginning of their friendship, as together, they work to fill the pit. But throughout this project they grow closer, eventually staying best friends even after the pit is filled in Season 2.
Ann starts off wary of Leslie and the rest of the employees in the Parks and Recreation department, something understandable considering how quirky the rest of the characters are. But she slowly becomes goofier, particularly having her best moments when she is with another character, as they play off one another. This is best seen with Leslie, as their friendship is the obvious center of the show, where they are consistently supporting one another. With Ann so often put next to Leslie as the supportive friend character, it’s easy to see why people consider her to be not as interesting. Leslie is an extreme character, funny, quirky, smart and extremely easy to like. Ann appears more reserved, but when she is separated from Leslie she seems to be more of a normal person. It is that constant placement and comparison to Leslie that makes her seem boring, when, she is a loving person who cares about Leslie and their friends with all her heart.
Leslie comes off as extreme and loves Ann immensely. There is a running gag throughout the show that Leslie gives Ann thoughtful, albeit a little weird, compliments. A few of my favorites are, “Oh, Ann Perkins, you perfect sunflower”, “Ann you’re a genius! Your brain is almost as perfect as your face”, and “Ann, you poetic, noble, land-mermaid”. This gag starts off with Ann being a little weirded out, but in her last appearance on the show she playfully mocks it, saying, “Oh Ann, you cunning, pliable, chestnut haired sunfish”, while her daughter, named after Leslie, hangs out with Leslie’s son.
Ann, while she loves Leslie just as much, is often not as open with her affection. But she does show affection through acts of support. In Season 4 episode 9, when Leslie is on trial for having a secret relationship with fellow government employee Ben Wyatt, Ann is tasked with sending Leslie an encouraging text every minute, which she does. In the next episode, she is one of the first people who decides to help Leslie with her campaign for City Councilwoman, becoming her campaign manager and gathering all her coworkers to help. These few examples show just how loved Leslie is by Ann, who recognizes that the only way to pay Leslie back for her friendship is to lessen the weight on her shoulders by volunteering to help on her campaign.
One of the most touching moments in the show is when Leslie and Ann say goodbye, in Season 6 episode 13, as Ann decides to move to Michigan to start a family. They sit together in the lot that houses the now filled pit, the main plot point from four seasons ago that brought them together, and they talk about all the ways they will stay in contact. Leslie heartfully tells Ann, “you totally changed me, you taught me how to balance my life… how to be more patient…but most importantly, you taught me that I can’t pull off a tulip skirt”. Leslie then mentions how the ceremonial ribbon guy doesn’t appear to be coming, as she has decided to now use the lot to build a park in remembrance of the beginning of their friendship, and Ann replies, “We wait for no man, let’s do this”. Together, they ceremoniously throw a shovel of dirt onto the lot and Ann jokingly saying, “Alright I got my park, that’s all I wanted from you, friendship over.” Leslie laughs and then says, “Don’t even joke about that”.
Leslie and Ann’s friendship is the very foundation of the show and it’s many plot points. They build off one another, and they grow with each other. They had their ups and downs, like that big fight in Season 3 episode 13, but they love each other completely, supporting one another in any way they can. They recognize that they are very different people, Leslie being outgoing and quirky, and Ann more reserved and normal, but together in their friendship they grow from being stereotypical female characters into truly empowered women.
Theme Week: Female Relationships