Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Parks and Recreation, a comedy mockumentary-style sitcom starring Amy Poehler (the queen) recently ended a brilliant seven-year run.
It revolved around the Parks and Recreation Department in the fictional US town of Pawnee, Indiana, and the life of Leslie Knope, deputy director of the department.
It’s not often that we find a show that allows us to truly connect with the characters; to become completely engrossed in their life and to learn as they do from their experiences.
Despite a shaky first season, Parks and Rec gradually became a show that honestly portrayed the lives of realistic characters, by showing their flaws and allowing them to develop.
It showcased a strong, multi-dimensional female lead (Leslie Knope), who was ambitious, loving yet quirky enough to make the viewer laugh for the entirety of the show.
Characters were never shoehorned into tropes, rather, the tropes were played with to show complexity, such as the archetypally butch, stoic, meat-loving Ron, who is also a clandestine jazz musician.
Parks and Rec allowed me to procrastinate from my work, binge-watching episodes, while feeling inspired by the characters of the show. Leslie Knope remains one of my favourite characters, not just because she represents the modern woman, but because she has her priorities in order. Friends, waffles and work.
