Parks and Recreation’s Leslie Knope isn’t merely the greatest champion for women friendships as the queen of Galentine’s Day, but she’s one of, if not the best, gift-giver on television. Further, while all three of the show’s Christmas specials are fantastic, following a memorable and game-changing episode like “The Trial of Leslie Knope,” which exposes Leslie and Ben’s relationship, Season 4, Episode 10, “Citizen Knope,” takes the crown for one of the best holiday episodes in any show’s history.
In the episode, while Leslie tries to deal with her brief suspension, during which Ben has quit entirely as her boss, the Parks department tries to come up with the best possible gift they can give her. Together, they decide that because she appreciates thoughtful presents more than anything else (as well as how much she loves Ann and her job), they plan to make gingerbread houses that model each of their offices. In the end, when her campaign team drops her, the Parks department stands fervently beside her to showcase that she isn’t alone in any of her endeavors. “Citizen Knope” is incredible for a myriad of reasons, but how it celebrates the show’s unique approach to friendships and, inadvertently, its heroine remains unparalleled.
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It’s a Celebration of Friendships
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Parks and Recreation is a top-tier show when it comes to representing authentic friendships, and one of the shining proofs of this fact is everything that we see in “Citizen Knope.” How this episode revolutionizes the idea of seeing people as they are and meeting them halfway beautifully exhibits why the show broke ground in fortifying friendships in workplace comedies. We often compare it to The Office, and while both series are extraordinary in hijinks, Parks and Recreation made a clear point to place friendships front and center. And while there are many episodes throughout the show’s seven-year run that honor the distinct connections within Pawnee’s parks department, “Citizen Knope” delivers an encouraging message about what friendships should look like.
Leslie Knope is a brilliant gift-giver, but her friends aren’t as great, and neither should anyone expect them to be. This detail is a reflection of many in the real world. Further, the holidays are never about quantity but quality, and while Leslie takes the time to get to know everyone’s needs, even if her coworkers tried, they would not all reach the level she has. (She’s set some impossible standards for us all, really.) Still, in “Citizen Knope,” Ron’s decision to do something right by her wasn’t necessarily to top her gifts but to put their heads together to ensure that she knows they all appreciate her. Their decision was about exhibiting that they see her in the same light that she sees them, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to ensure that she feels how fiercely they support her even when odds seem against her outside this office. The series cements her giving nature throughout by framing most of the episode’s storyline around a symbolic gesture to showcase what her friends can give her.
It Honors Leslie Knope as a Character
Leslie Knope is the type of character who improves the lives of everyone around her, and by choosing to encapsulate all that she represents through gingerbread models, “Citizen Knope” reveals how much it values her. Interestingly, though Chris Traeger is often remembered as the most positive character on this show, viewers forget that Leslie regards her life through optimistic lenses even while she’s visibly fighting through bouts of negativity. This episode reminds viewers of this by explicitly having her state that she’s looking at her 1% polling results as the glass 1% full instead of 99% empty.
Leslie’s thrill upon seeing the gingerbread model of the office alone is a wholesome moment worthy of a tear or two, but when they announce that she’s running for city council again with their help, the floodgates open. Leslie’s initial reaction after the surprise wears off from hearing everyone’s roles is that it’s going be difficult, but Ron Swanson perfectly lays down why it’s necessary when he states, “find one person here you haven’t helped by putting your life on hold.”
In more ways than one, people like Leslie aren’t always appreciated in the real world — or the fictional one. Because they’re constantly giving pieces of themselves to others, they’re expected to continue doing so year after year with no genuine acknowledgments. Sure, someone like Leslie gives without expecting anything because it’s like a sport to her — she thrives off it. But at the same time, it’s imperative to every so often honor those who consistently go out of their way for others even if it’s not something they require.
Her friends bestow the ultimate gift by choosing to be her campaign leaders, showing through actions that they believe in everything she stands for. As a person, she’s worth all the hard work they’ll have to put in to ensure that she wins. They each take the time to get to know what she’d want, Chris Traeger included, who lifted her suspension earlier. In making sure that Leslie knows she’s revered by the people she loves most, Parks and Recreation’s “Citizen Knope” beautifully reminds viewers of the unparalleled message Clarence leaves George Bailey with in It’s A Wonderful Life: “no man is a failure who has friends.” Though she has yet to win the campaign by the time this episode ends, Leslie Knope is already a winner because of people who adore her.
